Backyard to the Universe
Dawgs - 2003
February
11, 2003
MAHLER
When Helen
came back from a trip to Boston, she started talking about how city
dogs and country dawgs are different. It seems that she saw a woman
walking a bunch -- about 7 -- of dogs in Boston Commons, which must
be a big park. She said that were walking fast and looked straight
ahead and weren't stopping to sniff anything. She was comparing that
with us country dawgs running down the road or stopping to sniff
stuff on our walks. She said they all looked happy, but nothing can
beat taking off and running, but we couldn't run into the fields when
we got out the other night because the snow is too deep. We always
head first for the house across the street to see if anyone is home
to greet us.
Helen told
us that Don is going home tomorrow. Great for Don, but I will miss
having a third person to help handle Tess and Tess will miss arguing
with Don -- they just argue so well! Tess and I want Don to come back
for visits. In fact, if we don't get that as a promise, we will
probably boycott his leaving.
March 3,
2003
TESS
Don, we
are keeping up your reputation! Helen thought that she had closed the
door when she went to get the morning newspaper. Well, she had, but
it was still openable, and we joined her at the paper box by the
road-- the paper wasn't there but we were. We followed her back to
the porch, then Mahler decided that he wasn't ready to go in yet. We
took off. The snow is crusted so we ran on top. That bothered Helen
because she couldn't track us, even on her snowshoes. She was not
pleased with us. In fact, I am dictating this from the crate.
Helen says
that you are glad to be home. Good. But we still miss you.
Yeah,
Mahler isn't as much fun to fight with.
MAHLER
I really
miss your "taking on" Tess. She won't leave me along.
Always wants to play, but then takes all of the toys. Helen just let
us out of the crates. Tess is trying to get someone -- namely me --
to chase her. She goes down into the stair well and stands and barks
with her mouth filled with the ball! I bark in response, but I'm not
going to chase her. Good, Erik just went downstairs to play with her.
Don, she really misses you.
May 22,
2003
MAHLER
The warmer
weather is really great. We can go in and out of the hanging screen
door whenever we wish. Tess does this quite frequently, but I prefer
to go out only when someone goes with me. We have spring fever.
Helen says
that she is having trouble with all of the wild things around us. The
bird build a nest on top of the front door, like it did last year.
Helen tried to stop her, but she just build it too fast and was
sitting in it before Helen could get it down. She did try twice, but
Ms. Bird worked extra fast on a day when Helen was away or not
watching. But then Ms. Bird left for awhile and Helen noticed a
little yellow stain in the porch floor which might have been a yolk
of an egg. Anyhow, Ms. Bird is back again and sitting on the nest.
And there
is a little red squirrel in the garage. It has good taste -- it likes
the dog food. It chewed a hole in one of the bags, then took the food
to the top of the wall container. A couple of times the squirrel and
Dick have come eye to eye when Dick has opened the door. Erik watched
the squirrel run up to one corner of the garage, away from the house.
It probably has a nest there. Now, it seems that squirrels like
eggs……..wonder if it knows anything about the egg stain
by the front door.
And
thinking of birds -- we weren't, except that's where eggs come from
-- Helen is upset about the tragedies of the last couple of days. A
beautiful red-headed woodpecker evidently tried to come into the
living room but found that the glass was stronger than he was. Helen
said that this was the first one she had seen in a long time. And
then this morning she found a yellow warbler that had either tried to
come into the dining room or hurt itself around the flowers on the
porch. She said that that bird was probably migrating. So we are
trying to help her figure out a way to bird-proof the house so they
don't keep flying into it. Any suggestions?
September
4, 2003
MAHLER
I am
concerned about my friend Buddy, a Goldie about 8 months old. I am
sending this note to him, also, so he will know my thoughts are with
him. He has been quarantined for sniffing a raccoon that had rabies.
45 days is a loooooonnnnnnnnnngggggggg time for any dog, but Buddy is
especially active. He was here for a few days earlier in the summer,
and we (me, Tess, and Buddy) had so much fun that we were all
exhausted when he left. So, Buddy, sorry to hear about your plight.
And I hear from Helen that you and your family are leaving for North
Carolina -- wherever that is, but I know it's far away -- for the
winter as soon as you are let free. I hope somehow that we can get a
play date squeezed in somewhere. I don't have any tips for you while
quarantined, except maybe to get lots of sleep so you can erupt with
energy when you get out. I know I will be careful not to get close to
any other animals. (Don, you'd better be careful of that fox that
Helen tells me tries to get friendly with you by your house.)
Earlier
this summer Erik was startled one morning by a dead mouse in his
room! It was wet and had been mauled. Mystery. The door to the back
yard had been open. Had one of the cats actually ventured out without
the dogs seeing her, caught the mouse and brought it back? Erik
talked to the cats, and noticed that Bear's paws and some of her fur
was wet. Also, she seemed to recognize the mouse. Assuming that she
were the culprit, we all praised her for doing the "cat thing."
(You wouldn't see us Dawgs catching a mouse!)
December
3, 2003
MAHLER
We had a
good Thanksgiving. Krista was here with Don and the two cats. Don
wasn't feeling well when he got here, and we had diarrhea for a day
or so after the rich Thanksgiving dinner
When Erik
was getting winter things (gloves, scarves) from the closet in the
hall, he noticed a hole in the ceiling of the closet, and there was
dog food in the box with the scarves. So maybe the squirrels are
living in the house for the winter. We have heard that squirrels hide
food in many places, and don't always remember all of the hiding
places. Well, Dick keeps shoes in the garage, and when he went to put
them on one morning, he found one of them full of dog food. But
Helen is puzzled. One morning when she went to feed us, there were
mouse droppings around the dog food. Do we have more residents, or
are squirrel and mouse droppings similar?
Donovan,
it is good to see you when you come for a visit. The people laugh at
us when we talk. Tess is such a talker--Erik said that she talked the
whole time she was at the vets. Donovan, you are learning to talk in
very funny places and times. And I, Mahler, talk mainly when people
sit too long at the table and don't pay attention to us. We do have
voices.
December
9, 2003
DONOVAN
Hey, guys,
Donovan here. Helen is writing from my house this time! She came
down to do some business with Krista. That’s done now, so she
decided to take time to write the notes before taking a bus to Boston
for a meeting later this afternoon. This is really fun – now I
will hear the note as it is being written, and you guys –
Mahler and Tess -- have to wait to read it!
Now I can
describe what my life is like, with two catz. You know both of them,
so you know how demanding they can be. Actually, we really do get
along fine. Sometimes we sleep together, sometimes Maggie and Merlin
chase each other and sometimes they just stay away from each other.
Actually, most of the noise in the house comes from Kira. He is
really a noisy, noisy bird! He seems to be managing OK since his
partner died, but certainly likes to have people talk to him. When
the catz and I are wanting attention, he has to get his squawking in
also.