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

I must have incurred karma somewhere

Saturday! Yea! Mom said we were going for a long walk and I was there, baby! 

I got a little antsy at first. Mom said we were going and then she sat down at the computer. What was up with that? Thank goodness she wasn't there long. I would have had a spasm or something!

It was really misty outside and Mom thought it was really cool. I didn't care. We were going for a walk! 

Mom said we were going the long loop so down the road we went, not up the hill to the old reservoir. And then things got weird. We turned back on the old homestead lane and it was all different. Like really different. So that's what all the noises I've been hearing have been about! The people who own the lane have smoothed it out and put down a really firm gravel base. It's a lot easier to walk on now and I don't need to be careful and watch for broken glass. That's all good. Mom says that since they're almost finished, we can walk back there more often again.

So we were checking it all out and went up to the one stream. It dries up a bit in August and sure enough, no water. We turned around to get back to the trail and that's when Karma kicked my black ass. 

There stood Sadie. 

In the middle of my walk - in the middle of MY woods. There she was. Cousin Dave and Cousin Sharon were with her, but I was so piqued I didn't talk to them. When Mom said we could walk together, I wanted to howl. What if she came home with us again? We babysat her once and that did not make me very happy.

I don't know what I did. I've been good. I don't pee in the den. I don't even growl at the UPS guy or the mail lady these days. Yes, I chased Bambi a few times but I didn't hurt her. I don't think I deserved this dash of Karma. 

But maybe it was just a fluke. We got to a cross trail and Sadie went that way and Mom and I finished our normal route. Whew! I was sooooo relieved! 

Mom says I need to get over it, that Sadie is a nice girl and once she's older she'll be fine. I sure hope Mom is right because the occasional play date might be fun. Once she learns not to jump in my face, of course. 

It was great to get out and then get home before it got too hot. Mom says we're probably staying inside for a couple of hours since we got so overheated this morning. That sounds like a good idea to me. I need a nap and to rest my tired paws! 

A big change

Today was very different for me. First off it's something called Labor Day. It sounds sort of fishy to me because a lot of people are on a holiday but Mom and Dad know things I don't. 

The day started out okay. Mom fixed me breakfast. She fed Dad, too. I'd better mention that. Breakfast is important. Then they got ready to go away. I was not happy because when they go away without me, I have to go in my crate and it's boring. But today was different. Mom said I could stay loose in the house! 

I was good all day. They left at eleven in the morning and didn't get home until six in the evening! I really had to pee but I held it all day long - just like the good dog I am. Mom told me she was sorry they were gone so long, but the place they went has no concept of how valuable time is or how important it was to her to get home to me. I think she was more stressed than I was that I had to hold myself for awhile. 

But that's not the strange part of the day. They left in my truck and came home in a different truck. Well, you know I barked like a big dog at first because I didn't know it was them. Mom came into the house and got me lickity-split and showed me how to jump into the new pickup. The back seat has a door on each side! I can jump in from Dad's side and that is so cool. I like it! I bet Dad likes it, too, now that he won't have to go around to the other side to let me in. It'll be a lot easier for him when it's just the two of us. He still needs to put on a set of running boards to make it easier for him to get in and out, and then the truck will be as good as old Silver. I wonder what Mom will name this blue truck?

Mom fixed dinner and then we all went for a ride in the new pickup. I had plenty of room to sit and I can see out the windshield better now. Plus, my windows go up and down! I like that, too. The back seat is what Mom calls a split seat. She says it's a one-third to two-third split. The smaller seat is perfect for me! I might get to sit there when Mom is along. 

I liked the old truck but I'm learning that things change. The new blue truck has made Dad really happy so I'm happy, too. I wonder where he'll take us tomorrow?