Duker-day ... this and that

Duke here.

Sosha came over yesterday and hasn't gone home yet. Things change when she's here.

She was sick and now has to eat special food. That means my mom and dad can't give her treats of any kind. That means that I can't get treats of any kind either. Seriously.

The family is throwing a Halloween party over at my brother's house. Apparently Sosha and I are not invited.

My mom complained that when my sister dropped Sosha off on her way to work yesterday and we were still all in bed, I never got up to see why the driveway alarm went off and I didn't bother to go see who came in the house. Well, it's because I knew who it was. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. If Mom and Dad can sleep in, then so can I. Even though my mom said she slept in because she didn't fall sound asleep till about 6am and we know that if my mom sleeps in then my dad will sleep in too.

Yesterday morning it started raining so my mom went to the door to let us in. She couldn't find us.

We were already in the house. Hahahahahaha! Joke was on her!

My sister (and Sosha) stayed here last weekend because Mom and Dad went away to a meeting. My mom made the extra bedroom into a guest room with two twin beds. Apparently Sosha thinks one of them is hers.

That's the bed her mom sleeps in if she stays here anyhow.

Me? I just sleep on my own bed. On the hard floor.

Duker-day ... And Nothing Much

There really isn't much going on lately. Eating, playing blue ball, going for rides. Same old thing.

I'm just hanging out with my mom today. Dad's drilling a well and Mom's doing work around the house.

Maybe I'll take a nap.

See ya next week!

Duker-day...For real!

Guess who is celebrating their sixth birthday today? 

Yep, you guessed it.

And I'd like to give a Happy Birthday shout-out to my brother Toby!

Duker-day

Duke here.

Autumn is here.

Can this be far behind?

Duker-day ... and the doctor's office

Duke here.

Life goes on as happy as can be. I get almost all the regular pettings, scratchings, and belly rubs that I desire. I get food. I get snacks. I get car rides. I'm treated pretty darn good.

And then one day I hear my mom say to my dad, "I felt a lump on Duke's tummy." They talked about what-ifs and what-it-could-bes. And then I heard my Dad say, "Well, maybe you should take him to the see the vet."

I was pretty sure I knew what the vet is. I know the vet isn't a place, but when they talk about a vet they take me to a different place. A place where other animals are and everyone that I see there really seems to like me. I've been going there longer than I can remember, I know that for sure. I know that the vet is really a person, a man named Dr. Saunders. I like him. He gets down on the floor with me and scratches my tummy. The one thing I don't like lately is that every time we see him, he does tell my mom and dad that I must be eating too much. I wish he'd quit doing that.

And so on Monday, I went to the place where the vet is. I was a little nervous. I don't know why though, but my mom was a little nervous too. I get a little excited too so my dad always comes on these visits. My mom used to take me by herself when I was younger, but she says I almost dislocated her shoulder once pulling on the leash. I'm not sure what that means, but if it's bad I really didn't mean it!

So, being nervous and all those different smells, I forgot myself and, umm, peed against the seats in the waiting room. I felt a little bad about that and my mom apologized like a gazillion times, but the lady behind the desk told my mom and dad that it happens a lot there.

They were really busy that day and Doctor was talking to a lady in the waiting room while we were waiting. When he was done, he said since the girls were busy he would take me back. First we stopped at the dreaded scale and one of the ladies in back stepped in to help then. I guess I'm supposed to stop when I'm on the scale, but it's kind of fun to walk on and off over and over. But my mom tells me, "Sit Duke!" and so I do. My mom didn't realize until we got back home, but I lost over two pounds since my last visit. I mean, every little bit counts, right?

So, Doctor talks to my mom and dad and feels my tummy. Then he tells them about things that could be done since it (the lump) was a little bit of a concern. And then he talked a lot of gumblety that I didn't understand. But he and my parents decided what they would do and the doctor and the lady took me away from my parents. I was excited and nervous, but they are so nice there that it makes me feel better. I'm not sure what all they did, but it involved a needle and looking at something.

Doctor came back and said that everything looked good (which means they don't have to do the other things that they talked about). Phew! I know my mom felt better after that!

And then he told us not to stop at McDonald's and get me a cheeseburger on the way home. Spoilsport.

My Monday Musings

I haven't had musings in a while. ☺

We don't have cable. Air conditioning either. The other night I even said to Jim that it seems silly to run the dishwasher with just the two of us. This almost makes us sound backward.
I don't care. I'm a simple gal.

Jim getting things ready to take down the old antenna and put up the new.
Wouldn't you be nervous if you were me??
I can't climb that tower, but I stayed outside every time he did.

 Speaking of no cable. Our antenna tv coverage has been horrible this summer. To the point where we watch the local morning news and, even though I sometimes leave the tv on during the day for noise (although silence is real nice sometimes!), most of the stations putter out in the afternoon and evening. We just weren't watching much tv in the evening. Mostly Netflix, if at all. No tv is not a bad thing, but there are some things we like to watch (I love PBS!). So, we bought a new antenna and cable, a booster and rotater. The works. Hey, we don't spend money on cable so figured we'd flip for the new stuff. Our antenna is mounted on top of a windmill tower (that's where it was when we bought the place) and that seemed a good place for it to stay put. Jim had a lot of prep work to do and YIKES that was stressful. For me! The worst was when he was finally ready to take the antenna up. He climbed 35 feet with the antenna (about 10 feet by 4 feet) on a 3 foot pole. Talk about panic (ME). I was so relieved when he got it up there and mounted. I kept saying, "Please let's call Jon (our son) and have him come help!" Jim would reply, "He can't really help me carry it up." He was right, but it was definitely not a one-man-climb-a-tower-toting-antenna kind of job. And it will not happen again! He even admitted that when he was done. But all's well that ends well. Our stations all come in (plus a couple extra) and so crisp and clear. I WAS ABLE TO WATCH PBS LAST NIGHT!

Our new antenna.
Jim toted that thing all the way up there and installed it BY HIMSELF!
I took no pictures of him doing the actual carrying up and installing because I was too busy having a panic attack.

I've started letting our chickens free range. Not every day and not when Sosha is coming (I think the two dogs together might not be good for the chickens). They love it. They wander all over the place. They're not very smart though. Sometimes they get on the other side of a fence and can't figure out how to get back. I usually know where to look for them if I haven't seen them in a while. When they see me, they run to greet me (I'd be more flattered, but I know they're looking for food) and sometimes they follow me around. I feel like such a mother hen! And they head back at bedtime to their cozy little henhouse.

The girls enjoying the freedom of the yard.

Jim and I have been over two weeks on our own and have survived it so far. House seems quieter, neater, emptier. Not so much from Jamie moving, as from Sosha and Ricky. Going from two dogs and a cat down to one dog makes a huge difference in the fur factor. And my allergies. Sosha had a little trouble at first, but seems to do okay when her mom's at work as long as she can't get upstairs to the bedrooms. We kinda miss them, but it's okay. Everyone is close by. On to a whole new chapter!

And we had a little scare with Duke. It all turned out okay, but I'll let him talk about it on Duker-day.

Duker-day ... and the Yellowjackets

Duke here.

You know what's bad? Yellowjackets (or yellow jackets, whatever).

My dad was moving something out back a couple of weeks ago and there was a yellowjacket nest underneath.

This is how we discovered it.

THEY STARTED STINGING MY DAD AND SOSHA AND ME!!!!!!!

AND IT HURT! AND WE WERE SCARED!!

It was not good. My dad had gloves on and even though he was getting stung, he got those stinging things off of Sosha and me first. He's a good dad. My mom and Jamie gave Sosha and me some cheese right away. That might sound strange, but we knew there was medicine in that cheese. My dad got some medicine too. No cheese though. He was kind of bummed about that.

We were all okay though. A little sleepy the rest of the day, but okay.

This sure would have felt good after an experience like that!

Duker-day...And White Boxes

Last Saturday my mom and dad left. They were gone all afternoon and almost till dark! I was not happy. It is my opinion, now that I'm the only dog left here, that I should go everywhere with them. Apparently they don't share that opinion.

So they came home and my mom was carrying two plastic containers and a white box. Now the plastic containers mean they've been to see Ma (my dad's mom) and she sends cookies and muffins home with them. She likes to bake.

The white box? That means that they went to a restaurant. Almost every Sunday morning I am the recipient of a white box. I think that every white box should belong to me, but for some reason sometimes my mom likes to keep the white box for herself.

Well now, that's what she thought Saturday when she came in with the white box sitting on top of those two plastic containers. There were three pieces of pizza that she thought would make a nice lunch for her and my dad.

Until the white box slid off the plastic containers, fell, opened up and deposited those three pieces of pizza face down on the kitchen floor. My mom was not going to eat that pizza now, but I sure did enjoy them!

See. I have no problem sharing the back of the car during a shopping trip.

Duker-day...Just Another Saturday

Duke here.

I see that my mom hasn't been here all week. In her defense, she's been busy. And frankly, the whole thing hasn't set well with me. I mean, it seems like she's spent more time over at Jamie's new place than she has here. And I only got to go once. It didn't thrill me either. It just wasn't home to me.

Apparently, Sosha has had a hard time getting used to her new home too. Let's hope she adjusts well.

I miss her, but I'm kind of enjoying the undivided attention right now.

Sosha keeping an eye on things in her new home.
No, Jamie will not normally keep a portable air compressor in her living room.
There are still a few things that need doing.

Duker-day and the Empty Nest (maybe)

Duke here.

My mom says: "I wonder if I should give this whole blog thing up. I mean, I'm not very consistent in my writing. People get tired of that."

I think she should keep plugging away because someday she'll get to a point where she will be able to write more often. This IS supposed to be her journal. And mine. She should keep a journal. That's what I t hink.

So, please don't abandon her. She'll come around. I think she'll need an outlet because it seems that she's going to be an empty-nester very soon. And I'll go back to being an only dog (depending on how well Sosha adjusts to condo life).


My mom has been real excited about this for months. She's so happy that my sister, Jamie, bought a condo. Jamie has been wanting her own place since about a week after she moved back in three years ago. It is a good thing. It is time.

But my mom realized something last night.

This is permanent. My brother owns his own house and my sister owns her own house. This means (God forbid that anything happens) that they're not coming back. And my Mom (even though she's happy and excited) is a little sad.

Duker-day...And The Very Good Week

Duke here. For some reason I missed my regular day last Saturday, so I'll pick up here where I left off.

After that terrible week when my mom and sister left us and went far away to Minnesota, there was a very good week. It started when my dad worked like crazy to be caught up, loaded up the car, then told Sosha and I to hop in!

I could tell it wasn't just any trip. It was a trip to the cabin. And the lake! It's a long drive, like four hours. Dad stopped along the way at the place where we can get out and stretch our legs. And sniff around. And pee. Several times.

Then we got to the cabin. My mom was so happy to see us. I didn't mean to run right past her as she came out to greet us. BUT THE LAKE WAS THERE AND I WANTED TO SEE THE LAKE!

She forgave me. She's good that way.

Ahhh...the lake. My. Favorite. Place. Ever.

We went to a place called the Sand Dunes. And, except for the place where you buy the park passes, we didn't stop at any place where dogs can't go!

Beautiful views.

We even got to stick our paws in the waters of Lake Michigan.

After such a busy day, we were tired.

Some people and a small black dog got to go paddle-boating.
I just could not bring myself climb into that thing.

I felt it was my duty to swim out and guide them back. Over and over.

Don't do it Sosha! The water's over your head.
Sosha did decide she likes the lake, but after a couple of mishaps.
I think she knows now that you can't walk on lilypads.

 Jamie and Sosha left a couple of days before my dad and mom and I. And we went on another adventure. A working farm set during the depression era (whatever that means). And they allowed dogs on the tour. I DID NOT like the tractor wagon ride, but luckily we weren't on that very long.

There was a summer kitchen. My dad and I waited outside while my mom listened to the ladies and took pictures.
They were making something called sticky buns. This was my favorite part of the whole day. My mom brought a sticky bun out for my dad and he shared it with me. And a lady I didn't even know gave me part of hers! I was her friend after that!

My dad and I looking at...stuff.

And more stuff.

This very good week almost made up for the very horrible week. I hate it when my mom or dad go away. I really hate it when they both go away at the same time. I love it when they take me with them!

Duker-day...and the horrible week

Duke here.

As some of you may know, my mom and sister went away for a whole week to something called LauraPalooza. Well, actually it was two weeks, but I got to go to where she was for the second week. That was a good week and I'll talk about that next week.

But that first week? It was horrible.

I knew something was up when I saw her packing the suitcases. And I know from experience that the suitcases mean that I'm not going. I know that when I'm going on the trip, she packs in the huge thing called a dufflebag . I don't know why. I just know that suitcases means I'm staying home.

And Sosha shared in my misery.

And she packed both her suitcases and then she packed some extra bags. I knew that this was not good.

My mom wants you to know that behind me is the door to the shop. That's why it's so dirty.

Very early that Monday morning, Mom and Jamie got into Jamie's car...and they were gone. And it was very quiet here. And things just weren't the same. On top of all that, Dad was very busy and Sosha and I were left home alone for very long days. It was a bad week. Every night Dad talked to Mom and that made me happy. I never got to talk to her, but just knowing that Dad was talking to her made things a little better.

Even if I banged on the front window to be let in, no one was in the house to let me in.

The house was quiet. Not that we got to spend much time in it since we were outside all day. No little breaks in the house like Mom gives us when she's there. No following Mom to the chicken coop and begging for the treats she gives the chickens. Just Dad. And he was always in a hurry. Especially for the the last couple of days.

Old picture (obviously it didn't snow while they were gone).
And no one was here to take pictures.

What last couple of days, you ask? The last couple of days before he loaded up the car, opened the door and told us to hop in, and we left! Then the very good week began! And I'll talk about that next Duker-day.

This is me the last time I took that wonderful trip!

Duker-day...and School!

Duke here --

I love to go for rides. It's almost my favorite thing to do. Ever. Well, maybe playing blue ball comes in a close second. I hate it when my mom, or anyone here, leaves and doesn't take me with them.

Yesterday, I (and Sosha too) got to go on TWO car rides! It makes up for them moving the well driller without me and Sosha on Thursday night. The first place was some building that Mom takes us to sometimes. She goes in with some papers and a check (I know that a check means money somehow) and comes back to the car with no check and different papers. She used to go there more often, but business is slower lately (or so she says) so she doesn't get to go as much.

But the second place? That was cool! We sat in a parking lot and watched kids! Kids were playing on these cool things that swung back and forth and they were running around. I so wanted to be there, running with them. Then school buses pulled in and there were kids on them. That's when my sister came out of the building and came and got something that my mom was dropping off. Instead of leaving right away, my mom stayed so that we could watch kids get off the bus and walk back to the building with my sister and her helpers. I wish I could have been one of her helpers. It looks like my sister has a really important job. My mom says that she does have a very important job and that she is proud of her. So am I, but I still wish I could go play with those kids!

Duker-day...and nothing much

Duke here.

I'm back. Gone a whole month and nothing worth noting happened. Unless you count worms. A trip to the vet. A ten pound weight gain. Shots. Medicine (which actually tastes okay).

So, yeah, that's about it. Oh, and my mom ordered this thing that she put on me the other night. It's supposed to make me not so nervous during thunderstorms. Fireworks. Guns shooting. Any loud noises. I mean, seriously, I'm not going to wear it all the time. And it didn't make me feel all relaxed. She took it off when the storm ended and we all went to bed. Then the storm started again. I was a little scared so I went to the basement and peed and pooped then slept under Jamie's desk for a while. It doesn't help that they moved my favorite desk to hide under to a different room. What are they trying to do to me? Anyhow, I'm happy that my mom didn't take a picture of me wearing that thing (they call it a thundershirt). I'm sure she'll be putting it on me again.

Business is slow so we haven't even been able to go on many car rides this month.

Let's hope that good weather is here although I do like the rain we had the other day. Makes for good swamping, except I hear talk that I need a bath again. I just had one on Sunday. For Pete's sake what are they trying to do to me??

Okay, gotta go. It's nap time.

Duker-day...And Laura Ingalls Wilder

Duke here...

I had a not so good day here Thursday.

Apparently it is frowned upon, in this family, to cross one's underground fence (in the back of the property, people, not in the front!) and tree a raccoon. And then get so wrapped up in the situation as to not be able to listen when your dad is very sternly calling you away.

And...

Apparently it is frowned upon, in this family, to eat out of the kitty litter box (especially if they're still upset about the raccoon thing). I don't know how they find out. They always say, "Duke! You have gray gravel on your nose!" What does gray gravel have to do with anything?

Sheesh.

Anyhow, now my mom tells me that I'm taking a blog break in April. She said that it had nothing to do with Thursday's incident, but I'm not so sure. She says that she's doing the April A to Z Challenge. What the heck is that? She says that she's writing about Laura Ingalls Wilder. Well, I've heard that name around here. A lot. As long as I've been alive. If my mom and dad go away and it doesn't have anything to do with their work then it has to do with Laura Ingalls Wilder. Now she's going to take away my blogging privileges so she can write about her.

Sheesh.

I guess I should accept it. I mean I'm not going anywhere and Laura Ingalls Wilder isn't going anywhere. My mom keeps talking about going away this summer to LauraPalooza. She gets pretty excited sometimes too. My mom spends a lot of time on some website that is all about Laura Ingalls Wilder...some days too much time for my liking. I think it's time for me to see what all the hype is about.

My mom told me that there's mention of a dog named Shep
at the very end of this book, so I'll keep reading.

 My mom told me that there's a read-along of this very book over at Beyond Little House (that place where she spends a lot of time). I thought maybe I could cover a chapter, but my mom said that they're all taken. Darn. This book is pretty good!

Duker-day...And Dogs of the Family

Duke here...

It's been a boring week. Not much to report on so I thought I'd share pictures that I found on my mom's computer. They are the dogs that were part of this family before me. I think I'm the best, but they were probably pretty nice too.

That's my sister and Ruby. Ruby lived in Michigan then moved to Florida with the grandparents.
She didn't like it in Florida so she moved back to Michigan
and lived with my mom and dad and Jamie (Jon wasn't even born yet).
I hear she was a pretty good dog.

Otis. He came into the family as a puppy.
He didn't like the house, wouldn't come up the two steps from the office
to the house until he was an old dog. He hated thunder and fireworks too.
He lived till he was 12.

Bear. He was part of the family when I was born.
He loved me (sometimes a little too enthusiastically).
He had no tail, but he could wag his stump pretty darn fast.
A sad thing happened to Bear.
I don't want to talk about it.

Sosha. She's here now. I was here first.
She's nice, but she can be bossy.
I just let her have her way, it's easier.
I hear she listens better than I do. Whatever.

Me.
Ain't I cute?

Duker-day...My week

Duke here. Since my mom hasn't been back to talk about her week, I'll tell you about mine.

Sunday - My mom and dad left. Their car was full of stuff for this convention, plus they had two suitcases, a cooler, computer bag, brief cases. I was really worried about just how long they'd be gone.

Sunday night - My sister was here with us so it wouldn't be too lonely all the time and she feeds us and she's here at night. It's just not the same without mom and dad. We all went to bad and the smoke detector downstairs started telling us that it's battery was low. Apparently it's true what they say about changing the batteries in your smoke detectors when the time changes. It doesn't just beep, it talks and I didn't like it. I spent the night under Jamie's desk. She wasn't as bothered by it and waited till morning to change the battery.

Monday - When my mom isn't here, Sosha and I have to spend the day outside while Jamie is at work. What used to be our doghouse is now the henhouse. We're not thrilled with that. It rained all day. There are plenty of places to go here (sheds, shops, and even dog beds on the covered front porch), but we're dogs and we got wet. At least we got to go in the house and dry off when Jamie came home from work. Mom and Dad still didn't come home. At least it didn't storm until night time.

Tuesday - Another day outside and another day without Mom and Dad. This is not fun. Even watching the chickens is getting to be boring.

Wednesday - I'm really worried about where Mom and Dad are. They said they'd be back in a few days and it feels like weeks have gone by. Jamie is home sick and Sosha and I stay outside all day. We don't want to be in the house with a sicky anyhow. Yuck.
The whole day goes by and then...Mom and Dad's car pulls in the driveway. I was so happy that I don't think my tail could have wagged much faster!
Those suitcases got unpacked and I hope I don't see my mom packing those up for a long time.
Can you believe Sosha and I got in trouble? My mom took care of the chickens and collected eggs, then had to run over to Jon's house to check on things and take care of his cats. Instead of taking the eggs back in the house (like she should have), she set them in a box in the garage. Sosha saw her do it. And Mom thought we had the willpower to leave those eggs along? She was not happy when she came back and all the eggs were gone. It was almost worth it. They were good.

Thursday - Mom was home almost all day! Yay! She was busy doing something she calls "catching up". She only left to take care of Jon's cats again. It felt like things were just right again.

Friday - Mom and Dad left early in the morning again. They were driving Jon's car and she promised they'd be back in a couple of hours. Sosha and I didn't know what to think!
A few hours later, Jon's car pulled in the driveway. And Jon and Brittany were in it! Mom and Dad picked them up from the airport. They had gone to someplace called California for something called a vacation. We don't see them every day, but it feels good to have them close by again.
Mom and Dad brought Sosha and I each a piece of sausage. When they go to breakfast, they always bring us a treat. And it was good!

Saturday - I think things are back to "normal". Whatever that is.

The snow is all gone here. Wonder if it'll be back...

Duker-day...And The Suitcases

It's Saturday! Duke here with some thoughts...

I hate suitcases. They usually mean I'm being left behind.

I've been seeing a lot of suitcases this week. One was my brother's and I saw it and another one (I think it belongs to the cute girl that's really nice to us - Brittany) in his trunk. They don't live here, but they're still my people. My dad and my sister got into the car with them and went away. I was relieved because my mom didn't go and my dad and sister came back later. My mom was worried last night so I think my brother and his girlfriend went away somewhere on a plane (I see those fly over our house a lot). Mom calls it a vacation and says they'll be back.

But there are still suitcases sitting in my mom and dad's room. And my mom looks like she's getting clothes out to put in them. I'm worried, very worried. I've heard my mom and dad talk about a convention lately. When I hear them talk like that, they go away for a few days.

I can only hope it's not true...