Tuesday, May 30, 2023

Tasty Tuesday - by Lee

 Pals,

Thanks for all your ideas last week on dealing with a picky eater. I had extensive dental work in January and will be going to the vet in another month for a follow up. Lady doesn't think it is dental, because I will happily eat hard treats, just not kibble.


However, Lady has found a way to get me to eat my kibble. She bought us some soft food. As long as she mixes softie in, I will eat the kibble. Sometimes I even eat kibble she didn't get softy on. I have been a super eater this past week and my people are happy.

Phod loves the softie too!

So at least for now, with several different kinds, I am happy to eat. 

The once would eat anything and now picky, Lee


Monday, May 29, 2023

Mischief Monday - Bad Pee-rs

 Dear pals,

Lady is feeling a little bit exacerbated by our behaviour, as we are in a we are angry at you so we will pee in your house phase. Lady knows we don't have UTIs or medical issues, and are just being 'brats.'

Sad I have no bed

It started when they went out and Phod kept figuring out how to move the barrier at the top of the stairs so he could get down to pee. Once the Lady and Man made a new barrier and he couldn't get down, we targeted the back mat (which has now been renewed) and an old bed (which is in the garbage).

Haven't gotten past this yet

Our destruction of the old bed, left only one bed in the sitting area upstairs and made Lady feel bad, so she ordered us another one this week.

First day with new bed

The first night, while our people slept (and had left the door open), we got up and  Lee peed on it and Phod peed on her pee, so there ended up being pee all over the dining room area.  Lady was so thrilled to be washing the floor before 6 am. 

The next night, Lady was woken at 4 by Lee burying the same bed (which had been washed with pee smell remover apparently). Lady was so thrilled to get to wash the floor again so early in the morning. 

The next night we lost the privilege of being able to leave the bedroom in the night, and no one had an accident or needed to go out before we normally would. 

At any rate, Lady and Man are carefully watching us and doing what they can to keep us from making the house a pee pad. 

Your full of pee Lee and Phod


Friday, May 26, 2023

FFF Nature Friday - Trillium Edition

 Today is a great day in Blogville because it is both Aunty-Yam's, final fiction Friday and Rosy and Sunny's Nature Friday. 


We bring you more trilliums - found in our front yard. 



The early morning air smells of wax,

It is the sweet smell of spring.

As we walk through the dawn,

Accompanied by the bird songs,

We are grateful to have survived another winter. 

Thursday, May 25, 2023

I Will Sleep Where I Want To - by Phod

 Dear pals,

Lady and Man are making a big deal about one of my favourite sleeping places.

In a people approved sleeping place

One of my favourite spots, when my people are doing things right and settle downstairs for a show after dinner, is on the floor right up against the couch. 



Lady and Man are concerned with my head placement under the recliner. Man has to make sure I move before he can get up. I think the solution to this problem is he just never gets up. 

What do you think?

your pal, Phod

Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Trouble on a Tuesday - A Dramatic Recreation

 Why is there a very tired, wet dog, on my office floor (where she never sleeps)?


The scene: A very rainy Tuesday afternoon, when both Lady and Man are at home.

Lady had 6 minutes between meetings to put a Hailey dog, who needed to do her business, out.

Hailey, after doing her business, decided to run away.

Lady had to come back into the house to log into the meeting. 

Lady texted Man, who was also in a meeting.

Man grumpily left his meeting to go outside in the pouring rain.

Lady could here Hailey barking.

Man was able to rather quickly get her back into the house.

It seems, she got a scent of a groundhog, and cornered it under a pallet of bricks. The groundhog was hissing and the Hailey was barking. 

While she was not happy to come back in, she was very proud of herself for her wonderful hunting. It only would have been better if she could have deaded the hog.



Monday, May 22, 2023

Happy Victoria Day!

Hi pals,

Most Canadians are celebrating Victoria Day. Known as the May Two-Four, we have celebrated Queen Victoria's birthday, May 24, the Monday before May 25 since at least 1845. It now represents the day we celebrate the reigning monarch's birthday as well- so Happy Birthday King Charles!

Typically people celebrate it with visits to the garden centre (because at least in our part of the world frost should be behind us), bbqs, times with friends and family and fireworks. Fun fact: In Ontario, where Lady grew up, people often referred to a case of beer as a Two-Four. So often when people the Two-Four weekend, they are referring to the opportunity to drink a lot. Many people do celebrate their long weekends doing this. Lady and Man might go crazy and have a drink!

Lady's first attempt of a make it yourself planter. Made Saturday, and had to sleep in the garage Saturday night due to frost. 

Now as Quebecers, we are sort of at a conflict, because in Quebec, it is National Patriots' Day, This day is to commemorate democracy and the rebellion against the British in 1837. Lady has only just learned that we are both celebrating the birth of a monarchy and celebrating rising against them.  In spite of her conflicted views of the monarchy, Lady says we will stick to the celebrating of the monarch, because they are the head of State, for better or for worse. 





Note: In Ontario, the province Lady grew up in, a Two-four, refers to a case of beer. Hence, May two-four, is known for people getting together for drinks. 

Friday, May 19, 2023

Nature Friday - The Return of Green

During our hike in the sugar bush last weekend, we were impressed by how much greener everything has become in the past week. It is amazing how fast the leaves grow.


We will not pose when so much to smell!



Besides the green, one of Lady's searches was for the trillium. Off the highway there are spots with hundreds or thousands growing. Around our house, they tend to grow alone. Lady was happy to find one near the trail edge. 


Pretending to pose but busy looking elsewhere

We love walking in the bush. Thanks to Callie and her people for sharing it with us!

Thursday, May 18, 2023

Dear Nelly and Phenny - An Update

 Dear Nelly and Phenny,

We hope this letter finds you well.

As you know, since we moved to this house, we have been slowly working on digging a tunnel from our place to your place.

Now that we have left Canada's season of winter and entered the season of construction, we have once again begun excavations. 




At the rate we are going we would this project to last several thousand years, so we are thinking we should ask Callie' Man for hints, given one of his companies is excavation. 

We will continue to dig and hope to gain a few inches this year.

Your digging pals,

Lee and Phod


Editor's Note: For those newer to the blog, in our old house, Hailey dug up the backyard. At this house, we let her have one hole at the edge of the yard. Since then, every year both dogs have spent time digging in this hole. 

Monday, May 15, 2023

Mischief Monday - Changes in Eating - by Lee

 Dear pals,

When I was younger, I had to have a slow bowl to slow me down. I would eat anything and everything so quickly, I would throw it up.


Over the last couple of years, I am eating slower, and need a regular bowl. It is too much effort to use the slow bowl. 

In the past few months I have also gotten extremely picky. While I have had phases like this before, this seems to have stuck. I don't want boring kibble. I will pick out pieces I don't like and leave them all over the kitchen floor. I can go a whole day and barely eat one cup of food. However, I will take most human food and treats. I am being picky not stupid.

Maybe Dragon will enjoy this boring kibble

This causes my Lady and Man worry, so they has been trying things. They have changed the flavour of kibble and usually have 2 types on the go at once.  This week (because Phod started being picky too) they put a little beef broth on it. This seems to increase the likelihood we both will eat most of it. 

Lady wonders if anyone else has had a dog get really picky in their golden years? Did you find anything that helped?



Friday, May 12, 2023

Nature Friday - Daffodils

 Once upon a time, back when we first moved to this house, Lady planted some bulbs. These bulbs did not come up. However, now, for the second year in a row, Lady got some daffodils. 



Thanks to Rosy and Sunny for hosting this event! 


Thursday, May 11, 2023

The Joys of Spring - Being Outside

After a long winter and then weeks of rain, we were given a lovely weekend (short weather lovely). It was all about being outside.

The best part about being outside?






Running to greet Callie!






Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Grateful - by Lady

Recently, I have been less hopeful and more frustrated with humanity. It seems like general kindness and patience with our fellow humans has decreased. However, the small act of one of my readers helped give me a little faith recently. 

Our "When Will the Snow Be Gone" contest winner, asked for a donation to be made to charity instead of a prize. I sent her 2 animal charities I support, and let her pick. After the selection, she let me know, she and her husband had decided to also make a donation to the Ottawa Paw Pantry in our honour. My silly little blog contest, that helps us pass the last long days of winter, has filled my heart as it has filled animals bellies. Who could ask for anything more? For this I am truly grateful and send my sincerest thank you to Fay, for reminding me, good is still out there,.


*The Ottawa Paw Pantry is a food bank for families in need, that hopes to allow struggling families to keep their fur members. 

Monday, May 8, 2023

Mischief Monday - No Rest For The Wicked - by Lee

 Dear Pals,

Saturday morning, I was not having any of this sleeping in business. I was up and ready to go at 5:20. It was Lady's morning, so she was up and ready to go too. We went for a hike in Callie's woods.

While the morning was cool, as the moon sat low in the sky, it was a great day for a sniff!


We usually access the woods through our yard, but instead we passed Callie's house, went down the road (which is also her peoples) and entered in the back.


This put us on trails we don't usually use, and we found this. We asked the people about it and sometime in the winter, one of the kids put this here and so duckie lives in the bush now. 


Lady laughed when Phod got a little caught under the leash as he is not as agile as me.


Of course, we worked on our synchronized sniffing.


We were back in the house around 6 am. Some of us were ready to go back to bed and some of us watched an hour of the coronation of our king before getting the housework done. Man is grateful as he would not have enjoyed Lady vacuuming at 6:30 am. 


While Lady was slightly annoyed we were up so early, she was glad to get so much done. Also, she was really glad her morning wasn't Sunday because some boy dog, needed to go out at 5 am.


Friday, May 5, 2023

Nature Friday - Deer

 


It has been super rainy all week. It hasn't been too fun to be outside. However, we have had a lot of deer TV. We have had to bark at them a lot. There are about 6 in the yard every day. 




Thanks to Rosy and Sunny for hosting this event.