Thirty Days of Deuce: Day 30 - Be the pack

This is the last night of our thirty-day blogging marathon. We won't blog tomorrow because it's Friday and Mom bowls on Friday, after work. It's a day for just me and Dad to be together.

Mom asked me what we learned in the past thirty days. I didn't know she planned a test! No fair! I'll give it a go, though.

I think we learned it's really good to be the pack and while it's fun to go away and do things, being on the pack's land is the best. I'm happy just hanging out with Mom and Dad. All I have to do is look at my ball-ball and one of them will pick it up and play. Same for my hex. If I give it to them, they fill it. It really is good to be me. 

I'm a lucky dog. My parents spoil me. I sleep in the big bed, I nap on the couch, I always have food and water, and I'm never left outside in the cold or the rain. Not every dog has it so good. 

Mom says dogs are the most courageous animals on earth. We're steadfast in all things. We never stop trying to please our pack leaders. 

That's true. The best words ever are, "Good boy, Deucie!"

Yep. It's good to be me. 

Thirty Days of Deuce: Day 29 - Naps are important!

Mom forgot to blog last night. She came home from work and took a nap. I'll let her off the hook because she was really tired. 

We did get our walk in before the nap, so that's all to the good. It was chilly and we didn't see any squirrels or anything. Then again, the red-tailed hawk was sitting in the big oak tree behind the shed. The squirrels are smart enough to hide when he's up there. 

Maybe we'll do better later tonight when we wrap up our Thirty Days of Deuce. 

Thirty Days of Deuce: Day 28 - Quiet day

Dad and I had a quiet day even though Dad was up before Mom this morning. That never happens, I kid you not. But today Dad got up and fixed his coffee before Mom's paws...er..feet hit the floor. I wondered if we had something special to do today, but we didn't. 

Mom went to work. Me and Dad went outside a few times, but Dad said it was too damp for him. It made his hands hurt. So we stayed inside a lot. I napped and I bet Dad did, too. Not that I know because I was asleep, but I'd wager a couple of Grillers on it. 

After Mom got home, we went for a short walk. The people who live down front in the grey house must have gotten a new dog. We heard a little dog yapping. Yapping dogs are not fun to be around. I sure hope its not outside and yapping this coming summer. 

For dinner, Mom got a turkey pie out of the freezer and put it in the oven. It was good. I got the last bite from both my parents. 

I guess now that we've blogged, we'll go watch NCIS. I'll probably nap a little more. The important thing is the pack will be close together. 

Sometimes a quiet day is a good thing. We can rest and recharge and be ready for tomorrow. 

Thirty Days of Deuce: Day 27 - Ride to the landfill - Yea!!

Mom and Dad came through! 

Every so often we have to load up the Silverado and make a run to the landfill. Today was the day, and I got to ride along!

I sit behind Mom in the pickup and she twisted around to take my picture. It's not very good but at least I don't have red or glowing eyeballs. 

Riding in the truck is pretty cool. I can lie down or sit up and watch out the windows. Mom scratches behind my ears a lot and talks to me. It's fun to sit and look out the windshield, too. When we get to the dump, Dad puts the window down so I can see all the other dogs. Apparently riding to the landfill is a big thing. Dogs can't get out of the trucks, though. We can only watch and sometimes bark back and forth with each other. I'm pretty good. I know if I got too loud, Dad would close the window so I keep quiet for the most part. 

After Mom tossed all the junk off, we went to McDonald's and I got a regular Egg McMuffin. I love, love, love Egg McMuffins! I can eat the whole thing! It's on my approved people food list. Eggs, ham, cheese, and bread. Mom breaks it up into small pieces and feeds it to me a bite at a time so I get to enjoy it.  

I hate to say this, but I'd enjoy it just as much if she'd just tossed me the whole thing. She means well.

After we got home, Mom took a shower and then they left me again. Can you believe that? Three days in row. They were only gone a really short time. Mom had some quick errand to run and I did need a nap after my excellent breakfast. I bet it will be summertime before I get another Egg McMuffin. Mom and Dad really dole out the best stuff. 

I guess things will get back to normal tomorrow. It'll be just me and Dad while Mom's at work. I'll be working, too, keeping an eye on Dad. That's my job.

Thirty Days of Deuce:Day 26 - They did it again

I was left alone again today. No fair, people. 

Look at my face. Is that a happy face? Noooo.

I'm a good dog. I do everything I'm supposed to do which is mainly be entertainment. I don't pee-pee in the house. I don't snatch food off the counters. 

Two days in a row, folks. 

And then, you guys came home and Mom left again on her own. She didn't come home until dark! I'm not going outside in the dark by myself. There are foxes and coyotes out there! And skunks! Even Loki is staying in the house. I didn't know he was that smart.

This behavior had better end soon. I get bored when I'm home alone and that could turn into something very bad for everyone. 

Don't say I didn't warn you. I heard you guys talking. Dad said, "the dump" and I KNOW what that means.  I'd better get to ride along in the morning and you guys had better stop and get me an Egg McMuffin to make up for leaving me home alone. 

Remember who you're dealing with - I'M DEUCE!!!

You know I'm right this time. So is it a deal on the Egg McMuffin? 

Thirty Days of Deuce - Day 25 - I'm not a happy dog

I didn't have a good Saturday. First off, it was raining so I started the day off getting wet. Mom cheated and didn't go off the patio with me. And to make matters worse, she and Dad left me alone for four hours today. Four hours! 

Okay, they were working at Grandma's house and meeting with someone called a realtor. That meant I couldn't go along. I do pretty good on my own for a while, like four hours. Mom won't leave me alone any longer than that. And I have my choice of spots for a nap. The couch (Mom puts an old sheet over it for me), two chairs, the big bed. Mom makes sure I have lots of water and food when she has to leave me home, too. 

Being in charge for a little while is fine but I like it better when the pack is together. When Mom and Dad got home, we all went for a walk even though it was drizzling rain. We didn't mind it at all. We were together again. 

We all settled down after that and had chili for dinner. Chili is good. Mom doesn't put onions in the chili so I can have a spoonful. I tried to coax Mom into putting dog food in my hex, but she stared me down and told me to 'puppy-up' and eat from my bowl. I'm being stubborn. 

For not doing much today, I sure am tuckered. It's getting late and I'm going to bed without Mom. She can finish today's blog without me. 

Maybe we'll get sunshine tomorrow and I can recharge my batteries.

Thirty Days of Deuce- Day 24: Fridays are really long days

I miss Mom a lot on Fridays. She leaves for work and doesn't come home to see me until after bowling. Some Fridays that's almost ten o'clock. That's past my bedtime. 

Dad takes good care of me on Fridays. We go outside a couple of times a day and walk. If it's not freezing cold, he throws a ball for me. He doesn't throw it very hard, or far, because he doesn't want me to get excited and put a lot of pressure on my bad leg. But every once in awhile he'll treat me to a really good throw. Mom raises her eyebrow over it, but we do it. 

Mom has been bowling all her life. She really enjoys it although she says she was better at it when she was younger. 

I like to bowl, too! Mom gave me an old plastic bowling ball and sometimes I get to roll it all over the yard. It's great fun! Then I let it roll to the bottom of the yard and Mom has to carry it back up the hill for me. No way can I pick it up and carry it. 

I can see why Mom thinks bowling is fun. It's a challenge and we all need those from time-to-time. 

Thirty Days of Deuce - Day 23 - I pushed Mom out of bed

Sometimes I don't know my own strength. All I did was s-t-r-e-t-c-h and it felt really good. Soooo good. And then Mom's feet thumped on the floor and she sat up real fast and turned around and said, "What are you doing, buster?"

Oh, boy. I do not like it when she calls me buster. It is not a term of endearment. 

It seems like I take up a lot of space on the bed. And I do like Mom's side best. Her side is warm at night because she's there. We cuddle up, back-to-back most night, but early this morning I rolled over and I needed to slide over to spend some time with Dad and I pushed... I didn't know Mom would slide. I thought I would slide. Oops. 

Mom knows people who don't allow their canine pack members on the bed, but Mom says she likes that I'm there with her. Dad likes me to sleep with him, too. I feel kind of sorry for dogs who have to spend the night in their crates. I had to when I was younger but I moved around too much and barked at every noise outside. I'm older and smarter now. 

This morning, Mom told me it was a good thing she was ready to get up. I think so, too. I really skated on this one. I'll have to remember not to push on Mom when I stretch. I'll have to roll onto my back and then do it. It's safer for everyone that way.

I wonder what Mom is going to fix for dinner tonight? Maybe I'll get lucky and we have more Sloppy Joe's in the freezer! 

Thirty Days of Deuce: Day 22 - I didn't get nearly enough of it

When I was just a little guy, Mom told me it was good to be the dog. I didn't understand until I got older and my hand to mouth coordination kicked it. It IS good to be the dog. I open my chops and Mom tosses food into my mouth! 

I never miss.

Dad can cook. Last Monday he made a batch of Sloppy Joe's and there was enough left for dinner tonight. To top it off, Dad is learning to make bread and he made fancy rolls. Everything smelled so good, and I know from two days ago the Sloppy Joe's are dee-lish! Suppertime is a good time to be me!

Usually, I get a fair cut of supper. Mom gives me a bite to start, and then Dad gives me a bite to finish. It's a good system when we're having something that is puppy-friendly. 

Mom. Dad. Sloppy Joe's are puppy-friendly. How come I only got one teeny-tiny bite from each of you??? Something ain't right. Look at my face. I know I got cheated.

You guys had better 'splain yourselves. 

Thirty Days of Deuce: Day 21 - I'm tired of having cold paws

Can I whine? 

I'm a pretty tough guy. I've been outside in hot sun, rain, snow, ice, wind - it's what guys do when they have to go...you know.  It's not a problem. But I gotta tell ya, I'm tired of my paws being cold. 

You won't see Mom going outside without her shoes or slippers unless it's the middle of summer. I'm Deuce. I'm a dog. I don't have shoes. My paws might be furry, but they still get cold. 

Take today, for instance. It was a sunny day, but it didn't get very warm. Dad and I went outside about three-thirty. We went in and out the lane, and there was still ice over the gravel. Ice is cold.  We'd only been back inside for a few minutes and then Mom came home and we went back out the lane again. Over the ice. 

I think I'm ready for spring, but Mom is shaking her head at me. She reminded me spring means rain and mud and tracking mud into the house is not a good thing. Maybe she's right. Wet paws stay cold longer. 

Then again, spring means jumping in the creek. Almost all of me will be wet.

You know what, Mom? Bring on spring!! 

Thirty Days of Deuce - Day 20 Just chillin' at home

Deuce, March 2016

Even I know ice is bad if Mom's car doesn't break through it. Seriously. 

Mom and I were up at our usual time this morning. Mom put on grippy shoes and we walked out the lane. Very slowly and carefully we walked. I knew better than to run. My paws couldn't get a grip. Dad told us not to worry too much because it would warm up and melt some today. 

It did, but when Mom when down to visit Grandma, her car didn't leave tracks through the ice at all. Is almost four-thousand pounds very heavy? I bet it is. 

Beyond the need to be very careful outside, we didn't do much today. Mom did a load of laundry but I can't help with that. I'm not allowed to go to the basement because Loki's food bowl and litterbox are down there. He shares my water, not that I agreed to that but Mom said...

Mom didn't take her phone outside because of the ice. She said with her luck, if she slipped and fell, she'd fall right on the phone. So because Mom didn't get a picture of me today, she said we'd share an old one. It's one from when I was a little guy and had a puppy day bed. I've grown a lot since then but I can still sleep like that on Mom's bed. 

Dad likes to watch a couple of cooking vids on this thing called YouTube. A lady made Sloppy Joes from scratch and Dad fixed her version of them for supper. It smelled wonderful! And Mom and Dad both gave me the last bites of their sandwich and it tasted even better!! I think Sloppy Joes might be my new favorite supper. 

The pack had a quiet weekend at home. It's been a while that we stayed home so it was a good thing, ice and all. Sometimes a guy just needs to chill. 

Thirty Days of Deuce: Day 19 did not go as planned

The day started out really fun! Mom was up and dressed early. We went outside so she could check the weather. We went over to the brush pile and Mom lit a piece of starter stick to test the wind. It was a "no go." There was too much wind to burn even though the ground was covered with sleet and really frozen. And I mean frozen, too. It was slippery under my paws.

While we were outside, Loki started to stalk me. Mom wants me to play nice with that skanky cat so I tried. But he attacked me like he always does. I chased him up on the porch but I didn't try very hard to catch him. He wanted me to chase him so Mom said I wasn't being bad. She can tell when he instigates crap. 

Anyway, since we couldn't burn, Mom said we should bake cookies. That sounded like a really good idea to me. We made regular sugar cookies and then sugar cookies with lemon juice and zest added. Me and Dad don't like those all that much but Mom loves them. After baking cookies, we watched tv for a little while and then it was time for supper.

Mom had supper on the stove and then things went sideways. The electricity went out. Mom went outside to start the generator, but Dad didn't have much gasoline in it. This didn't make anyone very happy. Dad doesn't like Mom to play with his toys but Mom knows what she's doing. 

Once the generator was started it was too late for the rigatoni. It was a mushy, soggy mess and Mom didn't like it. I think Dad knew better than to say anything. I found a spot and parked my butt out of the way for the duration. I think this made me smarter than Dad. 

The power finally came back on and Mom had to stop the generator and flip the switches back. I don't think Dad tried to find out what happened and Mom doesn't really care. All she cares about is that making sure the gas cans are full is just one more thing she has to take care of now. 

So the day didn't go as planned at all. It's okay. We stayed warm and we had food even if it was mushy. Tomorrow is another day. 

Thirty Days of Deuce - Day 18: Sleet is worse than rain

I love Saturdays! Mom's home and we do stuff. Not so much today, but usually. 

Today, nasty little pellets of ice fell from the sky. Mom and Dad called it sleet. I didn't like it much when I went out to pee. I had to close my eyes and that made it hard to pay attention to what I was doing.

Snow would have been a lot better. Mom and I can play in the snow. Instead, we stayed indoors. Dad fixed bacon and eggs for brunch - I love bacon and eggs!! Then he watched tv, Mom worked a bit, and I just lazed on the bed and looked out the window. Loki was asleep on the cedar chest. It was all okay because the pack was together and that's a good thing.

Maybe tomorrow Mom and I can go for a short walk if it warms up, that is. Mom says she doesn't like to walk on ice. We'll have to wait and see. 

Thirty Days of Deuce - Day 17 - Devil Dog Eyes

Mom and I go for at least a short walk every day. Even when it rains, Mom will go outside with me. We have different walking styles. I look down and Mom looks up. We compliment each other. 

I smell everything. I don't think Mom can smell at all unless it's something really stinky like a skunk. 

Mom looks at the sky all the time. She says, "red sky at morn, sailors be warned, red sky at night, sailor's delight." I'm not sure what that means. I'm not too interested in the weather. Every day brings what it brings. We dogs know to just roll with it. 

Mom was telling me how great it was to have a clear blue sky this time of year. She looked up and saw the moon through the trees and took a picture (because of course she did). Then she took a picture of me watching her. Then she laughed and said I looked like a devil dog. 

I think I'm insulted. My eyes aren't glowing that much! 

You should see what happens to my eyes when she takes my picture inside the house and the flash goes off. My eyes really do glow! 

It's okay that Mom jokes with me. We like to have fun. Some day I might surprise her and howl at that moon. I wonder what she'd have to say about that?

And see? Even after snacking on turkey pot pie this week, I'm svelte.  With muscles.  And dirty paws. 

Thirty Days of Deuce - Day 16 - When Mom Gets Home

The best part of the day, Tuesday through Friday, is when Mom gets home. I think I like that time almost as much as I like dinnertime. It's hard to decide. But I digress...

Me and Dad can hear Mom's car coming. Well, I can hear it. Dad doesn't always because of the television, or he's napping, but I have good ears. And lungs. I bark to let Dad know she's on the way. He usually lets me out the door so I can run out to greet her. 

It's the same almost every day. Mom opens the car door and I stick my head inside. I'd jump in but the steering wheel is in my way. That makes me sad because I like Mom's car. It's fun to ride in but she doesn't let me inside her car very often.

Anyway, today Mom surprised me by snapping a picture. She said she was going to tell the world how I block her exit. I thought she was kidding, but here we are. 

Get over it, Mom. I'm not going to stop doing it. Why don't you open the passenger door for me, huh? Then I could jump in the car with you. 

What? 

My paws are not dirty!!

Al least, not very dirty.......

Thirty Days of Deuce - Day 15 - Turkey pot pie is really good!

 Sometimes it's really good to be the dog. Like tonight. Mom had some turkey pot pie filling in the freezer, but didn't want to make a crust. So she heated the pot pie in a skillet, put biscuits on top, and put it in the oven to bake the biscuits. 

I watched her every step of the way. I heard Mom and Dad talking about turkey and, hey. I'm Deuce. I know all about turkey because I'm smart. That and my nose told me what Mom had in the skillet. 

Mom makes her turkey pot pie filling to be dog-friendly. I think it's just dog delicious. 

I know how to behave, too. While Mom and Dad ate, I sat still like the good boy I am and waited. And I waited. And I waited. And I waited. You'd think people could eat faster, but noooo. 

Finally, Mom held her plate down for me to finish. We know a lot of people really frown on letting a pup have people food, and a lot of people think it's terrible to let a dog lick a plate. 

In my pack, we share. My parents are careful I don't get too much (I'm still svelte!), and Mom says hot water and dishwasher pellets will kill any germs I have. 

I have germs??? Seriously???

After dinner, Mom snapped a picture of me going down for a nap. It woke me up for a bit, but then I did go to sleep while Mom wrote this blog for me. I think we're a good team!

Thirty Days of Deuce - Day 14 - I'm Four!!!

Today is my fourth birthday! I know because Mom told me. She keeps track of everything about me to keep me safe, happy, and most importantly, well-fed. 

Food is good! I love food! Especially people food, but Mom watches me like a hawk whenever I get people food. Hey Mom! It's my birthday! Can I ask least have a little lick of chocolate??????

Maybe not. I got the stink-eye on that request. 

ANYWAY.... today is my birthday. Being four means I've been grown up for a while now. I know lots of stuff. Mom says I'm really smart, but I'm just me. 

We were looking at some pictures of me as I was growing to share today. I was quite a handsome lad, wasn't I?  There's a picture from my first night in my forever home, the first night I slept on the bed with Mom, and me in my orange safety vest. Mom says that's one of her all-time favorite pictures of me. We had a lot of fun on our walk that day. 

I'm not sure what being four will be like, but as long as I'm still in the pack and we're all looking out for each other, it will be a good year. 

Now... where is my birthday cake?

Thirty Days of Deuce - Day 13 - My book cover

I told Mom if she was doing thirty days of ME, she had to make sure she shared my book cover again. That's right. I, Deuce, posed for a book cover. And not only that, Mom patterned the hero of the book after me, with a little bit of my older brother, Jett, thrown in. 

I never got to know Jett, he passed on a long time ago, but Mom says I look just like him except I'm a good bit taller and leaner. There are two body types for Labs and he was more of the other one. Mom likes mine better, though. 

Mom makes book covers for a lot of people. She doesn't take the credit because it's not her main thing. She tells people that instead of paying her, to donate money to a charity. Once they send her the receipt, she sends the cover. Mom only does this with a couple of writers she knows really well. 

I keep Mom company in her office when she's working on book stuff. I'm Deuce! It's what I do. I think Mom's cover with me on it was a big success. Maybe she'll do another one, someday. 

Thirty Days of Deuce - Day 12 - Not a good toy for me

Mom got me a new toy she thought I might like. It was a Pet Zone IQ Treat Ball. 

I broke it. I'm sorry, Mom, but a guy has to chew!

Mom's not mad at me at all. She tried to do a nice thing for me and it just didn't work out. She got the 4" size, the big one, but I could get the ball into my mouth. Not that I could swallow it, but I could get it back far enough in my jaws to bear down and crack it. 

You'd think I'd get praise for being so big and strong, but noooo. Mom snatched the ball right out of my mouth! Then she checked the ball for blood, but I didn't break it into pieces, just put a crack in it. That was enough for Mom. She took it from me. 

I guess it's okay she did that. I don't want to cut my mouth and I really don't want to swallow sharp plastic and need emergency surgery. Maybe this toy will work for little munchkin dogs who can't get a good grip on it, but it's not for big, strong, determined Labs like me. 

Since I broke it, Mom can't even return it. Well, maybe she could but she doesn't think it right to return something WE broke. If it had been broken right out of the box, she would do that. She did go to Amazon and leave a review to let other Moms and Dads what happened. 

Mom says we'll stick to the Kong toys. I've had my bouncie and hex toys since forever. I've chewed and chewed those toys and not done much damage. Is three years a long time? Maybe Mom will go find me a better toy for my birthday. It's only a few days away, you know.

Gotta go! Mom's calling me!

Thirty Days of Deuce - Day 11 - Yea! Saturday!

breakfast in my Kong hex toy

Saturdays are pretty cool. My pack is together and I like that. Yes, even having Loki sleeping on the sofa as me, Mom, and Dad work through our Saturday morning routine is...acceptable. 

Mom always gets up first. She finds her slippers, not that they're lost because I don't move them, I swear, and then she takes me outside. I like it she always steps out with me, even in the rain. I have her trained that way. Then me and Mom go to her office until Dad gets up.

Once Dad is out of bed, we go to the living room with him. I get some chow in my hex while they have something called coffee. I think they're addicted to the stuff because they won't leave it be. 

After coffee, Dad watches the television if it's cold outside. If it's warm, he goes to the shed to putter around. Hot, cold, or in between, all bets are off as to which way Mom goes. Mom carries the weight around here. She does soooooooo many things. I stay with her if she goes outside or to her office, but if she's doing inside chores, I stay close to Dad. It's safer there. It doesn't go well for me if Mom trips over me. She can yell really loud if I lay down behind her feet without telling her. 

I won't make THAT mistake again. 

So here it is this Saturday morning. Dad just got up so now me and Mom will go find out what the plan for the day is. Mom told me she wants to go check on Grandma's house so maybe I'll get to go for a ride. That would be really cool. 

I'm Deuce, and I like Saturdays!

Thirty Days of Deuce - Day 10 - Winter is boring

I'm tired of winter. My paws get cold when I go outside. And the squirrels aren't always out playing. I like to watch them and even chase them, sometimes. Winter is awfully boring. 

But there's hope! This morning Mom and I saw a chipmunk! He was a fast little sucker. Mom wondered what he was doing awake and outside his nest running around. It's supposed to get warm today, maybe in the fifties, so maybe the little bugger wanted to get a headstart on collecting more acorns. 

Anyway, I sniffed all over the ground where I saw him, but he'd vanished - again. I think I've seen him right there at that spot before. There was nothing to do but finish our walk and go back inside the house and wait for the sun to rise over the mountain. When that happens, maybe I can convince Dad to take me back outside. 

Winter is soooooooo boring. 

Thirty Days of Deuce - Day 9

1/9/2018

I had a really quiet day today. I took my usual walks. Mom takes me before she goes to work, and
Dad goes with me during the day. Then when Mom gets home we go again before it gets dark. But hey! The days are getting longer!

Hmmm. Are my parents telling me the truth about that? I hear them saying the days are longer, but I don't think so. Twenty-four hours is twenty-four hours, if you know what I mean. 

Mom asked me if I remembered what I was doing two years ago. Um, no. I'm a smart dog but I don't keep my calendar. My secretary, er, Mom does that. Anyway, two years ago I hurt my paw and had to go to the vet. He squeezed this sore bump and guck came out. It hurt! 

I don't go to that vet now. Mom didn't like it he didn't spray any numbing agent on before he squeezed so hard.

It's a good thing Mom and Dad look out for me. Even on quiet days, it's good to be the pack. 

Thirty Days of Deuce - Day 8 - It Snowed!

It snowed yesterday! What fun! Mom took a video of me while we were outside (after she came home from work) and she says we're going to let the video speak for Day 8. Sounds good to me!

Thirty Days of Deuce - Day 7 - Just me and Dad again

January 6, 2017

It's a Tuesday and Mom had to go back to work. Her schedule will go back to normal now. She says "more or less" normal and I think I know what's going on. Mom wants to be home with me and Dad all the time. I think she's planning something. 

It's really quiet when Mom is not home. Dad and I watch TV a lot, and he plays on his computer. It's too cold for him to be outside. He'll take me out a couple of times a day, but he won't stay out. I could stay out for a little while without him and sniff around the back yard, but it's no fun if he's not with me. 

Mom asked me if I remembered my very first snow. It was three years ago yesterday. We went out before the sun came up to play in it. Mom threw the Frisbee for me. I miss being able to play with the Frisbee, but it would damage my leg more so I can't. Mom lets me chew on one every now and again, though. 

We were talking about snow when we went to bed last night. When we walked down to get the mail yesterday, Cousin Dave told Mom the roads had been brined and she said it was okay, that she was taking the truck to work whether it snowed or not. 

I knew it! I'm not going to get a ride today. Bummer, dude.

***January 7th Note from Mom: It did indeed begin to snow between eleven and noon on January 7. Deuce's Dad reported they've been outside to see the snow. 

Thirty Days of Deuce - Day 6 - That's my truck

Mom and Dad worry me sometimes. I heard them talking about maybe making a run to the dumpster. I know what that means - a ride in my truck! 

I really thought it was going to happen. Mom took a trash bag out and put it into the bed of the pickup and everything.

I went along to keep an eye on her. You know - so she wouldn't leave without me. Then she went back into the house and I heard her tell Dad she'd drive the truck on Tuesday and dump the trash then. 

This helps ME how??

Thirty Days of Deuce - Day 5 - Keeping an eye on Loki

Back when I was a little guy, we had a cat named Shooter. He was older and he let me know right away I'd better not mess with him. So I didn't. Now we have Loki and I think that darn cat is out to get me in trouble! 

He KNOWS I don't like it when he gets between me and my favorite inside ball, but what does he do? Mom says a picture is worth a thousand words. I was on my cushion, beside Mom's chair, and Loki strolled over and flopped down on the floor. Mom thought it was cute Loki turned and turned and turned in circles before he went down. I thought it was an annoying attempt to get me in trouble. 

I bet that cat thought I was going to pounce on him, but hey. I did not. I just kept my eyes on him until he stretched out and went to sleep. I was good and stayed with Mom. 

He's lucky he didn't make a move to get my ball. I'd have shown him who the Big Dog really is. 

Thirty Days of Deuce - Day 4

It's another rainy day. Mom took me outside to ...you know... and she stood at the edge of the patio while I went up the hill and said, "I'm not impressed." Mom says that a lot and today I'm right there with her. 

Then she walked up to see what I was sniffing. I don't know what it was, but it was interesting for a few minutes. She took my picture because, well, I'm me and it is thirty days of ME!

The good thing is, whatever it was I smelled, I did not roll in it. Rolling in stuff is BAD. Mom gets all worked up when I roll in stuff. She gets the hose out to wash me and that water is really cold, so I can't say I like what happens when I roll in it, either. 

It's Saturday and I'm going to stuck inside a lot. Mom says we need to be on the lookout for squirrels. Once we see the squirrels running around, we can go for a short walk. I didn't know that those little varmints can tell you went it's not going to rain for a while. But Mom says they're good indicators of when it's going to rain or snow. 

Being inside a lot might have a few perks since Mom is home with me and Dad. Maybe she'll make something good for lunch that I can have a spoonful of to taste. That would be a good thing for me.

Thirty Days of Deuce - Day 3 - Roombas are noisy

Mom and Dad have this gizmo called a Roomba. It's this little round thing that glides over the floors and scoops up my shed fur. 

I don't like it.

It's noisy and it runs into things. Dad has it programmed to come on in the middle of prime nap time. Around and around it goes, and sometimes it drops a big wad of my fur and then has to go back to pick it up again. 

I can be napping, minding my own business, and the Roomba will head straight for me. I don't like it. I've even hopped up into Mom's chair to get away from it. 

Mom says it's helpful even if it doesn't get all my fur off the floor. I mean, she still has to run the little cordless vac when she gets home from work. It seems like I shed fur all day, every day. 

It's a good thing Mom loves me. 

Thirty Days of Deuce - Day 2

I love to be outside when stuff isn't falling from the sky and landing on my head. Well, snow isn't all that bad because it only happens a few times a year. Anyway... Mom and I went out for a short walk between rain showers. There were squirrels everywhere! I saw one way down in the yard so I went down to check it out. Then I realized I had to run all the way back up the hill.

Mom did warn me but I didn't listen. I still got a treat when we finally went back inside the house.

Thirty Days of Deuce - Day 1

Happy New Year! Mom says it's the year 2020, not that I know what that is. We stayed up really late last night to watch the ball drop. Hey! I remember now! We've done that before. It's a Mom and Dad thing. The neighbors got a little rowdy, but we were quiet.

Mom says she wants us to try something special to kick off 2020. She says we're going to do Thirty Days of Deuce. I like it! That's thirty days of ME! 

We'll try to get a good picture of me every day and post it at my blog. It sounds hard, but it should be fun. Mom said the challenge will be to get different pictures of me. I need to behave and be still so I see what she means. 

We're off to a good start. First up is me having breakfast. I love breakfast. Mom put a cup of chow in my hex and I settled down to play with my food. 

Remember - be the pack in 2020. It's the best!