Field Trip ...

Dad took me for a ride in the truck ... and to my surprise we stopped at Mom's office. I didn't realize we were headed to the M&R Lab ...

I got a chance to catch up with some old friends, meet a few new people, and check out what was going on in the labs. Since I was here last, Mom has moved from the 'garden level' to the first floor. So I got to check out Mom's new 'office' .... if you can call it that. Compared to my digs ... under Dad's desk ... this place pales in comparison !

And I must say ... that's one handsome laddie on the computer screen ...

Here comes Peter Cottontail ...

Whilst looking out the window in the den, something caught Mom's eye ... and she thought she would share her find with me.

Right there for the whole world to see ... there's a hare in my back yard ... munching on grass, washing his face, and acting like he owns the place. This guy's in my territory ... so it's my job to let him know. From my perch on top of the love seat ... I began to give Mr B. Rabbit a piece of my mind. I moved over to the arm of the sofa and passed on some more of my wisdom ... but he seems completely unmoved by my input.

I looked to both Mom and Dad for support ... clearly no help there. So back to the arm of the sofa, atop the love seat, arm of the sofa. Lather, rinse, repeat ...

Since you been gone ...

Dad left for turkey camp ... and Mom and I are home. That's cool ... we'll bond, take our walks, watch movies ... you know, the stuff we like to do.

But Mom surprised me with a playdate with Snuggles the (Chihuahua+Pug=) Chug. Snuggles and I did laps around the coffee table ... we had a few cheerios ... the Mom's took us for a walk ... we had snack ... and then we chased each other some more.

It was a full day and I was dog tired.

But here's the thing ... Snuggles left little bits of herself behind ... there are these little whisps of white hair ... all over the house. I am able to stir up enough air to have the fluffs of hair float across the floor in my wake. Days later ... I found something tasty on the living room carpet ... only to have Mom pull a chewed up clump d'Snuggles from my mouth.

Happy Birthday Dad!!

If you happen to see this guy today ... Wish him a Happy Birthday !

My New Nemesis ....

It's a beautiful day ... The sun is shining ... The flowers are blooming ... The birds are sin ... SQUIRREL!!

I've only recently made my peace with the Starlings and the Magpies that have taken up residence in my yard... and now this guy has decided that the squirrel feeder was put up in the tree just for him ...

To my credit, I did make sure my presence was known. I certainly wouldn't want my furry friend to get too comfortable ...

A Sure Sign of Spring

I don't want to take up all the space in the blogosphere .... so this one is a guest post from my Dear Ole Dad ...

There's a sure sign of Spring ... and the time is now. Yesterday was sunny and warm and Cluny was enjoying his tour of the backyard. Sometimes, Andi or I will be out there with him and sometimes Cluny is out there ... unaccompanied.

With the grass in the backyard starting to green up ... sometimes the allure of the tender shoots is just too much. Last season, Cluny had perfected the art of tufting the grass. He'll run along full speed and pull a huge hank of grass from the ground, give it a shake, and toss it aside. This can and does go on for as long as I will let him.

Fast forward to Tuesday and Cluny was charging and yanking as if the interceding winter never occurred. He was having the time of his life. However, I do think that there was one element of the exercise that seems to have slipped Cluny's mind. It's really important to remember to yank and exhale ...

If you happen breathe in ... you just hork the chaff. This, in turn, will cause one to huffle and cough ... and huffle and cough. But ever the trouper, Cluny never slowed down in his effort to wreak as much havoc that one 20 pound Scot can manage.

~ Jeff

Greetings From ... The Easter Clunny