Bella's Song

Today on CBS's Sunday Morning show, Bill Geist had a segment about camp letters . . . letters that children would write after their first day at camp. It was accompanied by the Alan Sherman song, Hello Mudda, Hello Fadda . . .

Well, it got me to thinking about what song Bella would write to her family after going to Camp Norton . . . so here it is, to the Alan Sherman tune, in Bella language:

Hello Mommy, Hello Daddy,

Why'd you leave me, with this red "fatty"

And the black one's really mean,

Staying with the Nortons doesn't seem too keen;

They keep driving in the car,

Getting dog bones, not too far,

Going walking, learning heeling,

Mother, Father, Gads! my little brain is reeling.

Take me home, oh Rick and Susan,

Take me home, it's not amusin'

All we do is sleep, and eat, and play

We do it every day . . .

Take me home, I miss my dog door,

Take me home, the Neighbs are a bore,

And get this: The dog bowl doesn't tip,

So all I do is sip . . .

Hello Family, it's your Doggy,

I am very, very soggy,

From chasing sprinklers, Hunting "wabbits,"

Mother, Father, Hope you like all my new habits!

Musings from Bella part IV

The Dog Lady thinks 5:50 a.m. on a Saturday morning is too early, so she needs to be glad that after I went outside I went back into my kennel for about 20 minutes before I couldn't stand it anymore. The Dog Man got up with me, but by 7:00 we were all taking a walk. It is cooler this morning - 76 degrees felt like 50! It was really nice, and I did a very good job of heeling. But once I got home, I was wired and ready to go . . . the black dog and the red dog didn't know what hit them.

We went to the arches place again, and the Dog Lady sat in the back seat with me. The black dog and the red dog sat in her seat, though the red dog decided he wanted to sit on the console. Who made him king? Anyway, I was very good in the back seat, and I even sat some of the time.

You should see me now, sporting my new collar. I have grown so much that my puppy collar is too thin for me, and the Dog People thought I needed a thicker one that wouldn't cut my skin. Luckily they had a pretty purple one already at their house. It has some words on it - something about Kansas State University. I don't know why they have them "on hand" . . . they must really like purple. Anyway, I look very cute in my new collar. They told me if my people don't like it, they don't have to keep it, but I think I remember that my people like purple too!

Yesterday, I overheard the Dog Lady say that the time was going fast and she was going to miss me when I went home. She says I keep things lively around her house. I don't know how much more lively it could get here. Didi came home, Joey and his mother stopped for the night, it was hotter than you can believe, there was a small tornado in Manhattan that hit Anderson Hall . . . it has been a barrel of fun.

Jarred is going to come home today to mow, and then, since he has to work late and be at the pool in the morning, he is going to stay with me tonight . . . at least that what the Dog Lady said. But I will be back with the Dog People tomorrow.

I thought you might like a picture of me, keeping watch on the stairs. I am very scary!

Thoughts on dog bowls and stairs

The Dog Lady told my owner that she had just the answer for my habit of tipping over my dog bowl. She has a big purple paw-shaped bowl for me that she doesn't think I can move. At first, it scared me. I would drink out of it, but that's all. I have figured out, however, that it is not going to hurt me, so now I am trying to figure out how to tip it over.

First, I get my drink. Then I put my paws into it and splash and splash. What fun it is! I haven't figured out why it doesn't dump over, but the end result is the same . . . water everywhere.

Did you know I can blow bubbles in the water? I am especially good at it in the metal water bowl they keep in the bathroom. I haven't tipped it over, but if they put enough water in it, I put my snout in and blow bubbles. I bet Jarred would like to use me as a demo-dog when he teaches beginning swimming!

Also, I have found the best place to sit and chew my bone - on the stairs. I just lay down, put my left feet on one stair, my right feet on the stair below, and chew my bone. That way no one escapes the basement without having to go by me first. I love the power!

The Dog Lady and her husband said the sprinkler clock turned on perfectly today. Don't know what the problem was, but it is working now. And it is nice and cool inside the house. So everything is going well. And Didi is home now . . . she let me sleep with her. The Dog Lady has been so careful not to let me on the bed, so she wasn't very happy when she found out that Didi let me sleep with her this morning. The Dog Lady has told her she can't do that anymore. I enjoyed it a lot, so I am sad.

Well, now it is time for me to find my tail again . . . here I go.

More Musings

The Dog Lady is trying very hard to keep me from getting bad habits (such as getting on the furniture), but she certainly is teaching me about getting dog bones at the drive-ups. Today we got to go two places . . . the bank and the arches place. The bank had really good dog bones . . . the arches place was out, but the Dog Lady planned ahead and brought some extras. I got a lot of pieces, though I think she used them to keep me in the back seat! I don't understand why the black dog and the red dog persist in sitting in the front seat . . . I wish they would sit with me. But the Dog Lady keeps her hand across the console so I can't get up front with everyone else . . .

I was sitting next to the Dog Lady a few minutes ago, and suddenly something crunched in my mouth. The lady heard it and was concerned about what I had in my mouth. She even put her hand in my mouth . . . all she pulled out was a baby tooth. Crunch, crunch. I think she is saving it for my owners . . . but maybe not. I found some Kleenex in the bathroom trash - that's really soft to chew on. I am tired of trying to get the piece of dog bone out of the Kong . . . so Kleenex is a good alternative.

Patty Sue and I really had fun this morning. We ran back and forth, back and forth. After two walks through the park, I was actually pretty calm. The Dog Lady is trying to write a speech, so I will sleep at her feet under the desk. I have found everything fun under there, so now it is just a cool place to lay down. But this afternoon, I have to go rid the backyard of "wabbits."

I did better at heeling today, but the Dog Lady isn't sure I am going to get it before my owners get home. By the time I was done with my second lap, I was not pulling so hard. She even used my bone and put peanut butter in it . . . that worked for about 10 seconds . . . then I got tired of the peanut butter. What she hasn't figured out is I almost have her trained to let me do what I want.

I Found My Tail

The heat is getting to everyone except one little black and white dog. She has been chasing "wabbits" in both yards, gulping sprinklers at will, and trying very hard to heel when she is supposed to. But today:

What's this? It is black with a white tip on the end. Maybe I can catch it. If I reach around maybe I can grab it. Oh boy, here I go . . . now all I can do is run in a circle. Yikes! I am getting dizzy . . . wow, the only way I can quit is to fall down. But there's that white tip again . . . let me try once more . . . oh no, I am falling down again! This is almost as fun as chasing the bunnies around the yard.

Bella, the Flying "Wabbit" Hunter

One thing I have learned about Bella is that she loves to hunt "wabbits." And now that we have plugged all of the holes in the fence, we can let her hunt to her heart's content! She stands on our deck, surveying the backyard. Her eyesight is incredible - she seems to spot rabbits in the most difficult spots in the yard. She stands, stares, and then runs!

One of her favorite places to find "wabbits" is in the asparagus forest. She traverses the yard, then heads to the asparagus to see who is hiding amongst the fronds. Sometimes she finds something; sometimes not. But she is not deterred. As long as she doesn't catch one, we love it . . .

Today Bella got her new name. I took her to her own backyard. She immediately began sniffing and looking . . . for "wabbits." She ran along the fence between our yards, both in front of and behind the bushes. After two runs through, suddenly she jumped - all four legs pulled up underneath her - over one of the bushes, as if she were high jumping. Her leap received a rating of a "10" - and hence, her new name. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought she was flying.

The Dance of the Arachnophobics

It's that time of year again. Time to do the Dance of the Arachnophobics.

I wasn't familiar with the dance when I came to Kansas. As a matter of fact, I had never heard of it. But not long after we bought our first house, I went outside one August night, only to walk into the web of an orb spider. I screamed, madly trying to tear the web off my face, hair, and arms. Dancing around, I finally rid myself of the dreaded sticky hairs, and the supposed spider that I knew was crawling in my hair.

Several days later, Don went outside, only to hit the ground trying to escape the webbed monster. Every year since, in the early August mornings or evenings, we tip-toe around, looking for the harmless spider and her web. We know the webs catch nasty flies, mosquitoes, and other insects. We just hate it when it catches us.

Last week, we were taking our usual walk through the park with the dogs and Bella. Suddenly up ahead, I see Don start the Arachnophobic dance - swatting his head, grabbing his arms, kicking his legs. The dreaded web had been built across the sidewalk. Doesn't any self-respecting spider know you can't do that?

Then this weekend, Don had to go to the neighbor's backyard, and I saw him start the same dance. I laughed . . . until I realized he wasn't doing the Arachnid dance, but was instead doing the deadly Wasp dance. Not so funny. He escaped unstung, thankfully.

So if you are in an area where the orb spiders build their web, be watchful. You may see some unsuspecting person suddenly begin the Dance of the Arachnophobics. Don't laugh - you could be next!