Mom says I can sleep on the bed

It's been raining for a WEEK!!!!  Every time I need to go outside to, you know, do my outside activities, I get wet. I do not like this!

I need to adjust my thinking about Mom's umbrella. Maybe it's a good thing she tries to shield me with it, but it feels weird to have that thing over my head. What if I can't see a deer or a squirrel because of it? I can't chase what I can't see. 

And then there is Loki. He's been sleeping on my...er...Mom's bed. Mom doesn't seem to care. She says he doesn't need to be out on the patio when the rain blows in on him. This does not bode well for the coming winter. I bet I'll have to put up with him on the bed all the time. Mom says I need to get over being petty about it because Loki is getting older and he'll probably stay in the house more. I like him better when he stays on the patio. It's screened so he's perfectly safe out there. 

Dogs don't measure time the way people do. Mom says Dad has been gone for six months now. I'll always miss him. I sleep on his side of the bed. Mom doesn't even fuss me for putting my head on his pillow. It's been quieter without Dad. I miss the sound of my parents talking in the background when I nap. 

I miss sunshine, too. Maybe tomorrow. Right now, I have to go push Loki off the bed. Just because I'm Deuce and I can. Does that make me a bad dog? I think not because it'll make Mom laugh at us. 

Deuce's Day, Greenbrier Smokey Deuce, black Labrador Retriever, a dog's life, Loki, rural living, good dogs, Hurricane Helene, rain, sunshine, patio, dog parents

Loki is soooo annoying!

I'm in a spot of trouble and I don't know why. Just look at the smirky expression on Loki's face. He plays all innocent-like and Mom falls for his act. I know better. 

Mom says I have to play nice with Loki, but that cat is an IDIOT!!!!!  He jumps at me all the time and I don't like it. Mom says he's trying to play with me and that's just the way cats do it. 

I DO NOT CARE! I don't like being smacked in the face! Yes, he keeps his claws in. Yes, his little paws are furry and soft. It doesn't matter to me. I DO NOT LIKE IT!

And I'll tell you something even worse. Loki has begun to sleep on the bed with the pack every flufffing night! Even Mom doesn't like this because he sleeps ON her feet, but she says he's a cat and there is nothing we can do about it.

Nothing? 

I'm Deuce, and we'll see about THAT!!!!

Deuce's Day, Greenbrier Smokey Deuce, black Labrador Retriever, dog with a blog, cats and dogs, Loki, pack living, rural life, country lifestyle, a writer's life, KC Kendricks

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

It's not funny - but IT IS!!

 

Oh, I'm such a bad dog!!!!  Mom let Loki run out of cat food and I'm rolling on the floor! Mom and Loki don't think it's too funny, but little Deucie does! He hasn't said anything, but I bet Dad agrees with ME. 

Okay, let's not judge Mom too harshly. The store didn't have Loki's favorite food, and Mom didn't want to get him something he doesn't like. I can relate. It's happened to me, but I don't prowl around the house screeching about it. I just let Mom put broth over the icky food and then I ate it. 

Mom let him have a spoonful of my canned food to make him happy. That did not make ME happy. That's my meat! 

C'mon, Mom. Let him go outside. He'll catch a mouse or something. He doesn't need my food! 

Mom's going to go to the store as soon as she finishes her coffee. She'll probably get me a bag of Grillers while she's there. That's a good thing. But until she gets back, I'm going to tease Loki because he'd do it to me. 

Yep. I'm a bad dog today (but not really). 

Deuce's Day, Greenbrier Smokey Deuce, black Labrador Retrievers, Loki, cats, cat food, dog food, Grillers treats, coffee, rural living, country lifestyle, pets

My cat Loki stares at me

I have a cat and his name is Loki. Okay, so maybe he's really Mom's cat, but she keeps telling me he's mine, like my little brother. What if I don't want him? 

He was cute when he was a little kitten, but now? Maybe not so much. He likes to jump at me and bat at my face. I do not like this. 

And he drinks from my water bowl. And if I get canned food when he happens to be watching, he wants to nibble some. I do not like this, either! 

And sometimes he sleeps on my bed! I really do not like this! There's only room for me, Mom, and Dad on the bed. Loki can sleep anywhere else he wants and I tell him so in no uncertain terms. 

I guess Loki is okay - for a cat. He spends a lot of time on the patio and he never claws the screens. He just looks out and watches the birds. Sometimes he'll go catch one, but not too often. Mom says he'll never catch healthy birds because they're too fast for him. He catches old ones that would probably die when the weather turns cold. 

But here's the thing - all of a sudden Loki is in the house all the time. What's up with that? It's like he's tired of fresh air or something. He watches me ALL THE TIME! Last night he sat and stared at me for a long time and he never blinked! He's making me nervous. I wonder what he's up to but Mom says I should ignore him. 

Seriously, Mom? I can't ignore him. I can't turn my tail on him because he'll jump at me! You say he's trying to play, but I say he's attacking! 

Mom! He's looking at me again!

Deuce's Day, black Labrador Retriever, country living, rural lifestyle, cats and dogs, dog with a blog, dog stories, a writer's life, tuxedo cat, Loki, black pets

That's a bird of a different color!

Settle a debate for me. Mom says the strange bird on the roof is pretty, and I say NOT! You can't really see it in the picture, but trust me. That thing has beady little eyes. Like, scary beady eyes. And it stared at me and didn't blink. Mom gets some weird ideas sometimes. 

Mom told me to leave the bird alone so it could fly home. No worries, Mom. I don't want to get involved. I'm sure between Loki, the fox, and the Red-tailed hawk, the matter will be dealt with but Mom would prefer the owner come to get him instead.  

And what is a pigeon doing all the way out here? Pigeons don't live in the woods. They live in a town or in a coop. 

I'm going to ignore the pigeon, I don't care if it's descended from the dinosaurs. I'm descended from the St. John's Dog, so there! 

I'm a smart dog, and problem pigeons are above my pay grade. I'm going to find a nice cool, quiet place and take a nap while Mom and Dad are working on their computers. The parents will have to handle this one without me. 

Deuce's Day, black Labrador Retriever, pigeons, a country dog, smart dogs, Loki, a writer's life, black lives matter, Red-tailed hawk, foxes, country living, rural lifestyles

He's daring me again

 Loki is one weird cat. Sometimes he likes to play, and sometimes he's a nutter. The other day I was napping under Mom's desk while she was working and he strolled into the office and flopped down on the floor and just stared at me.  I mean, he just stared! 

I didn't know what he wanted. He looked like he died or something. I tried to ignore him because he hates that and he'll leave and go do Loki things, but not this time. 

Bet me he was hoping I'd ask Mom to let me out the door so he could pounce on me. He's tricky that way. Mom says he's just being a cat but I say he's being annoying. 

Really, Mom. I'd rather have a puppy to play with. What do you say? Can I have a brother? 

*_*_*_*

Note from Mom: NO!

He's behind me, isn't he?

I love Saturdays! Mom is home with me and Dad on Saturday. We do what Mom calls "puttering." It means we do a lot of little chores. Today, Mom helped Dad hang two lights in the shed and then she took the John Deere 1023 around the yard and picked up big sticks. 

Dad was tidying his workbench while Mom picked up sticks. I had to stay with him because Mom does not like it when I get in front of the tractor. I know how to stay out of the way but she doesn't care. She'll yell at me if I get in the way and that is not a good thing for me. 

Mom was ready to park the 1023 when Dad said he wanted to check the air in the tires. I was resting on a little pile of leaves when Mom got out the cell phone to take my picture. I wasn't paying enough attention to what was going on. I was focused on Mom and Dad, like I should be. 

Then I heard Mom call out to Loki. 

He's behind me, isn't he???

And she let him back in the door

I like it when Mom laughs, so I do things so she will. Sometimes, I don't even know I've done something funny. Like this morning. 

I needed to go outside to do...you know... and when Mom opened the door, Loki ran right outside, lickety-split! I'll say one thing about that skanky cat, and that is that he is fast on his little white feet. Anyway, Mom called him to go back inside and he ignored her - so she closed the door. 

That did it. Loki got all scared. He's a wimpy creature. I was out in the yard but I heard Mom laugh. Then she got her phone and took some pictures that weren't of me. (I talked to her about that. I AM HER FAVORITE SUBJECT, not that skanky cat.)

When Mom opened the door for me, Loki ran inside and stopped. Then he swatted at me like it was my fault he'd gone outside in the cold. 

Stupid cat. 



Editor's note: Mom struck through the word "skanky." 

It's about time he did something useful!

I've been watching and waiting to figure out just why Mom wanted a kitty-kitty. I've really wondered why she picked LOKI, but that's another blog. Last night, that darn cat finally showed me what his real job is.

Loki caught a mouse.

Mom says the little mice always come inside when the nights start to get cooler. They're looking for a place to winter. Sure enough, one got in.

When Mom came home from bowling last night, we couldn't find Loki. He usually comes when Mom calls him, but he didn't. So we looked down the basement stairs and called him. Wouldn't you know it, this little dark thing darted past the foot of the stairs with Loki in hot pursuit.

Well, right away I barked. Mom asked me if I wanted to go down and help him. Um, no. I didn't. I remember when Shooter would catch a critter. Icky. I just say no to rodents.

Anyway, Mom went downstairs to get a closer look at what was going on. Then she came up and told Dad about it. Sure enough, this morning the mouse was lying beside Loki's food bowl. Mom disposed of the body. At least Loki didn't chew it up. Icky. Really icky.

I guess it's okay that Mom got a cat if the cat is going to catch mice. I'm still number three in the pecking order. It's Mom, Dad, Deuce, Loki around here and that cat better remember it. He'd better keep up the good work, too. Mom will appreciate it. 

I'm Deuce and my job is looking out for Mom and Dad. I'll leave the mice to Loki.

Who says cats rule?

Friday evenings are special when it's not bowling season. Mom comes home and usually just chills out with me and Dad for a while. before she goes into what she calls 'the writing cave'. Tonight, she came home and took us back to town to treat us to dinner at Sonic! With bowling starting in just two weeks, she wanted to do something different. I got a burger!

Well, I got to ride in Mom's car, too. That's pretty special. I don't get to do that very often. We generally take my pickup. Okay, it's really Dad's pickup but I have my own seat. 

But you know what I really liked? Other than the burger, of course. LOKI didn't get to go with us. Take that you skanky little cat! I told you Mom loved me best, didn't I? You don't even get to leave the house. I get to go everywhere! 

Okay, cat. Mom says I'm being bratty about you and I need to stop picking on my little brother. Whatever. Just remember one thing, Loki. 

I'm Deuce and I get to ride in Mom's car!

He's not amusing

Would you like to take a guess as to where my toys are stored? 

Mom's mom got that basket for her a long time ago. Mom used to keep magazines in it back when the only magazines you could get were printed on paper. Now she gets them on her Kindle. 

When Dad got his new lift chair, we decided it was time to store my crate. I sleep with Mom and I'm mature enough to stay loose in the house when Mom and Dad go away. They never go away for very long. Mom has a strict four-hour rule that says I'm never left alone in the house for more than four hours at a time. 

When Mom took my crate to the shed she needed a place to store all my toys. She put them in the basket since it has a lid. Now that skanky cat has decided to "guard" my stuff. 

This is not copacetic. In fact, I do not like this at all. It's MY stuff. 

I'm warning you, cat. You'd better be careful. If you mess with my stuff, I'll hide all your little catnip mousies you have strewn all over my house. 

I'm Deuce. I'm not going to take this lying down. 

Oh, yeah. One more thing, Loki. I heard Mom tell Dad the appointment is made for your snip-snip. I'm going laugh until I howl when you get home from THAT!!!!

Now he's attacking me from under my bed!

Drat that cat! 

This morning he got under Mom's bed and when I walked past, he attacked me! 

I was minding my own business and WHAM! 

Mom laughed so I'm not talking to her. She even took a picture of me with my head under the bed looking for Loki. 

I really have to have a talk with Mom about that darn cat. 

I'm Deuce. I'm a Labrador Retriever, not a pin cushion. 

This little bugger was not what I expected!

I have a kitten! It turns out his name is Loki which is the name of a Norse god who got into all sorts of mischief and misadventure. Mom and Dad brought him home last night. Nooooobody slept last night but that's another story. Right now, I'm a little worried and sad. I don't think Loki likes me.

Mom says he has to settle in and get to know me. I heard her tell Dad that Loki only weighs three pounds. That must not be very much because he's a little guy. 

I guess I'm a little jealous that he can sit on Mom's lap. Dad's, too. I can't do that. I'm too big. But Mom made sure to invite me up on the loveseat with her. She didn't give Loki any chicken liver, either. She says that's all for me. 

Mom says Loki has to stay inside for a long, long time. He can't even go outside on the patio with us unless he's in a crate. Apparently, those skanky foxes could eat him! I don't think I'd like that to happen. Mom has a plan for Mr. Mummert to build Loki a cat house outside the guest room window. That way she can open the window and he can enjoy getting out in his very own screened enclosure for some fresh air. She saw the plans on Pinterest, whatever that is. 

I suppose having Loki here will be okay as long as he remembers one very important thing. 

I'm Deuce! I was here first and I knew Mom and Dad before he did. That means they loved ME first and longer. And don't you forget it, cat!

Oh, yeah. Hey Loki! when Mom starts talking about the snip-snip, I'm going to laugh at you.