Mom and Dad and me live way out in the country (yeah, Loki is here, too). It's a great place to be a dog! I don't need to be on a leash and I can pee wherever I feel like. Well, not on Mom's car tires, but just about anywhere else. I know how lucky I am to have so much freedom. A lot of dogs can't run free.
Mom and Dad both walk with me a couple of times a day. Mom would like to go on one long walk, but she knows my leg can't take that much stress all at once. I have a torn cruciate, you know. It doesn't bother me unless I run too much or run too hard. Mom and Dad make me behave. Anyway, we go for several shorter walks a day and my leg is fine.
I remind Mom to stop and enjoy life. One of the things she really likes is the wild dogwood tree that grows on the bank. It is pretty right now, but I don't get it. DOGwood? I don't see any other dogs. Lots of white flowers, sure. But dogs? Nope.
I was curious so I asked Mom to look it up on that computer she has. Her computer knows all sorts of stuff. I know because she reads the articles to me. I do my best to look interested - and I am. All sorts of words I know are in those articles. They don't make a lot of sense, but I know it for sure when I hear "dog," "good," "food," and a bunch of other words.
So Mom looked it up and it turns out there doesn't seem to be a definitive reason the dogwood tree is called a dogwood tree. One possibility is that it may have been a Celtic word, "dag," or "dagga," and become "dog" over the years. That's like a lot of human stuff that just doesn't make sense to lil' ol' me.
That's okay. I'm Deuce and Mom says I'm a good dog just the way I am. Even if I don't have anything to do with a tree.
Except to pee on it.
Okay. What does "dorky" mean? Mom said I looked a little dorky this afternoon. All I was doing was taking a little snooze in front of her chair. Apparently, that's all it takes for her to snap a picture.
She said, "Puppy, you look like you have flippers instead of paws."
I love it when she calls me "Puppy!" Being called Puppy is a good thing! It's one of those pack things for just us.
It's a good thing that I made Mom smile, but honestly, I do not have flippers. I'm not a dolphin. I know what they are because I saw them on the television.
Next time I want to take a little snooze, I'll do it behind Mom's chair where she can't see me.
It's been a little strange around the manor the past two weeks. Something weird is going on because Mom has been home a lot lately. Like, seriously a lot. I like it, but it hasn't been all the fun you'd think it would be. Mom and Dad keep talking about getting or not getting "COVID-19." I don't know what that is, but it better not be another skanky cat. Loki is enough!
Our pack is fine the size it is, even with Loki. I guess he's not really much trouble. I even allow him to sleep with me some nights as long as he doesn't get between me and Mom.
Mom does something called "telecommuting." I think all that means is she does stuff for her job from home. That's nothing new, though. She's always done that. She says she can do more and do it better from home since Dad and I keep quiet and let her work. That doesn't happen at her office in town. I give telecommuting my paw print of approval, especially if it will keep Mom and Dad from getting COVID-19.
One thing I don't get is why Mom isn't bowling. Bowling is her thing. She even gave me one of her old bowling balls to play with! I love to bowl, too! It's a lot of fun. Maybe Mom will get the ball out for me today. That would be so cool!
Yesterday, Mom sprinkled grass seed all over the front yard. The day before yesterday, Mom and Dad took the John Deere 1023 around the yard and cut off a bunch of low-hanging branches. They burned a little brush pile that was really on cousin Dave's property so Dad can mow that spot. I got to help them once the fire was going, but I wasn't allowed to help them prune branches. It seems I'm not real good at watching what's happening over my head.
There's more to do. I heard Mom say she wants Dad to take the backhoe and scrape out a shallow trench along the back stone fence so she can separate daffodils and have more bloom next year. I don't get it. We have a lot of daffodils already. Why does Mom need more?
It's worrisome. If Mom likes to have more of what she loves, does that mean she wants another puppy? Or another cat?
Or worse, does she want a frog??? The peeper frogs were finally singing last night and Mom told me she loves to hear them because it means the cold weather is really over until next winter. I'm saying no to frogs. No, no, no.
I'd better pay closer attention to what's really going on around here! I need to head Mom off at the pass!
* * * * *
Note from Mom: Deuce is only four and he doesn't need to know everything about the COVID-19 epidemic. We don't want to worry him. If the worst happens, we'll explain to him he might have to go live with cousin Dave, but until that becomes a possibility, we want him to be a happy four-year-old.
Mom and Dad and me live way out in the country (yeah, Loki is here, too). It's a great place to be a dog! I don't need to be on a leash and I can pee wherever I feel like. Well, not on Mom's car tires, but just about anywhere else. I know how lucky I am to have so much freedom. A lot of dogs can't run free. 
