I found it first! It's MY stick!

Mom and I took a walk around the west forty today just to see what we could see. Mom checked out the daffodil sprouts and checked to see if the maple trees had red tips, but I found a BIG STICK!!!

I don't know where it came from but it's HUGE!  Mom said I should look up and that made no sense at all to me. Look up at what? Okay, so Mom said it fell from a tree, but once it's on the ground, it's MINE.

I'm Deuce and I know a prime stick when I find one!

Mom was going to pick it up and toss it on the burn pile but I convinced her to wait. I told her I wanted it and she sort of laughed at me. She dared me to pick it up and I couldn't it.

Darn it. I guess Mom is right and it can go on the burn pile. 

Deuce's Day, black Labrador Retriever, country living, rural living, a country dog, big sticks, spring clean-up, a writer's life

I'm seven years old now!

Yesterday was my seventh birthday! What did Mom do? She posted a baby picture of me on her Facebook page. I really was a cute little thing!

Mom and Dad got a pizza for dinner, and that's better than a birthday cake IMHO. I love, love, love pizza. And I got to go for a ride in Mom's car when we went to pick it up! Win, win! 

Sometimes it's hard to make a day seem special. Sure, it was my birthday, but I don't feel any different. Should I? I've never been seven before so I don't know. 

Mom says I might have to eat different food now, something made for mature dogs. I'm not sure what that means but I know I don't like the sound of it. Special food? Do they make pizza-flavored dog chow? Now that would be special!

Like I said, I got to go for a ride, but other than that the day was pretty normal. It was really cold outside and my paws don't like cold ground. I made short work of things every time I needed to go out, which Mom really appreciates. She doesn't like the cold, either. 

I guess being seven is okay. There's only one other option and I'm not ready to leave Mom and Dad yet. We have a good pack. We each have our place in it. I'm really lucky that way because I know some dogs never get to be part of a pack. 

I might have a few more gray hairs on my chin, but I'm Deuce! There is only one me, chin hairs and all. Mom says I'm irreplaceable. I think that means that Mom loves me a lot. It's really good to be seven and understand these things. 

Greenbrier Smokey Deuce, black Labrador Retriever, good dogs, rural living, black lives matter, a writer's life

I didn't mind the cold water

A couple of days ago, Mom and me went on a walk. Mom said we were having a January thaw and it was a good day to get outside. I certainly agreed. I've got den fever! 

Mom put my orange vest on me, and she wore orange, too. We matched! We walked back the old homestead lane and then down to where a creek crosses the path. Mom knew I'd hop right in, so she was ready with the camera to take a video of how it went down.

I had fun. I hope it warms up enough to go do it again soon!

 

Deuce's Day, walking, black Labrador Retriever, dog vests, cold water, good dogs, rural living, dog videos

I didn't agree to this!

Here we go again...

Sadie is here for the whole day. Why? Okay, I know why, but WHY????? What did I do to incur this karma? I'm a good dog! I really am! Mom and Dad tell me all the time how good I am, and yet I'm stuck with Sadie all day. 

Mom is staring at me, and it's not a good stare. 

Okay, so Mom took Sadie back to her office and left me watching TV with Dad. That was a smart thing to do. Mom knew she'd take a nap if she was in a quiet place, and I could have a lie-down, too. I won't sleep until she's gone. I have to protect my food dish, even though it is empty. 

How did my dish get empty? Mom didn't feed me, that's how. She didn't feed me and then Sadie showed up. I bet that can of wet food I had before Sadie got her is all I get until she's gone. 

Hmmm. That WILL keep her from eating my food, so okay! Good going, Mom! 

I guess Sadie isn't really bad. She doesn't jump on my head now that she's older. And she's only here for a little bit. I'm still the Big Dog and she knows it. 

I'll make it through the day.

Deuce's Day, black Labrador Retriever, English Springer Spaniel, a dog's life, country dogs, good dogs, a writer's life, simple country pleasures

That is NOT Loki!

SKUNK

What the hell is that smell?????

I'm not going outside. Nope. Nada. Not gonna do it.

Mom opened the door for me at about five o'clock this morning and BACK THE TRAIN UP!!! There's a SKUNK out there somewhere! I can smell him. So can Mom. 

We hustled back inside before the smell had a chance to cling to my fur. It can do that when there is a lot of moisture in the air. I don't want me to stink and neither does Mom. Even Loki, who I swear looks like a first cousin to a skunk, stayed inside this morning. Mom should have named him Pepe le Pew. 

FIRST COUSIN TO SKUNK

Seriously. Doesn't Loki look sort of skunk-ish?

I'm going to make Mom wait until daylight before I let her take me outside. Hopefully, the smell will be gone by then, and if not, I can at least see whether or not the coast is clear and pee-pee really fast. 

Mom says living in the country is fun, that it keeps us close to nature. <snort> 

Sometimes I think nature gets a little too close to us.

Deuce's Day, Greenbrier Smokey Deuce, skunks, wildlife, Loki, black Labrador Retriever, a country dog, a dog's life, a writer's life, good dogs, rural living, country lifestyle

New Year's again? How many are there?

Mom and Dad told me it was New Year's Day. Did we just have a New Year's Day like, you know, last year? How often does this happen? And if today is the Day, wasn't last night the party night? New Year's Eve? I kinda wonder because New Year's Eve is noisy around here. Humans go crazy with shotguns and fireworks and car horns. Not last night. I heard ONE gunshot. Mom and I went outside to see who was barking and it was quiet and I didn't get to bark and tell everyone to shut up. (They listen to me, don't you know.) And foggy! I've never seen such thick fog. It was weird. 

Mom and I are going over our blog entries for 2022, and I'm not a happy dog. Mom didn't help me blog hardly at all last year. I made her promise to do better in this new year. I know she's right and we've just been doing mundane things, but I'm Deuce! Everything I do is blog worthy!

Get with the program, Mom. You tell me I'm the best dog ever and then you don't keep my blog current. I might start to think you like Loki better than you like me, and that won't do. That won't do at all. 

So it's a new year and I'm willing to give Mom a new start. My birthday is in two weeks, and there had better be a blog. 

Just saying, Mom. Juuuuuust saying.....

Deuce's Day, Greenbrier Smokey Deuce, black Labrador Retriever, hunting dogs, sporting dogs, country dogs, black lives matter, dog blogs, good dogs,