Serene Scenery Sunday

Tail wags, dear readers!  It's me - Stormy.  If you remember yesterday, I mentioned that before I saw the big truck pull up in front of the house, I was doodling around the front yard with Mom.  You know - taking my time, walking around, checking everything out - just enjoying a beautiful Fall day.  I saw something that I thought you all would like to see for Serene Scenery Sunday.

I was over by the Mums...

"Hey!  What's that?!?"

...when something caught my eye. Mom tried to figure out what I was looking at, and once she did, we ran to get the Nikon so we could get a good shot to show you.  Fortunately, I have trained her to be quick - and our little visitor was amenable to posing.  Check her out:

Isn't she beautiful? We're right on the migration route for the Monarch Butterfly, so we see a good number of them in the Fall.

This one seemed very much at home on our Mums!

And not at all afraid of our mum! (Ha roo roo roo!)

It is starting to get mighty chilly in the mornings, so she better hurry on down to Mexico to stay warm!  I think Bart is heading that way soon, too; they might want to travel together!

I hope our Monarch pix helped you feel serene!  Have a lovely Sunday!

Tail wags,
Storms

That's Logistics!

Tail wags, dear readers!  It's me, Stormy.  So there I was, doodling around the yard the other day...

"Hey!  What's that!?!"

... when a big truck pulled up and stopped in front of Ao4 HQs.

"Ceva Logistics?"

Hmm. Logistics? ..."la la la, la la la... that's logistics!" Oh, no, wait...

"Hmm..."

... that's for a different company, isn't it?  Sorry.  Catchy tune, though, don't you think?

I wasn't expecting anything, but apparently Dad was. Part of that whole "changes" thing that's in the works.

"Hey Mister!?  Need any help?"

Seriously.  I would have called the boys out to help unload.  For some reason, Dad locked them and Ammy up in the bedroom.  Odd, don't you think?  At least I was there to supervise!

We'll keep you posted as more pieces fall into place!

Tail wags,
Storms

Photo Finish Friday - Portrait Time Again!

Tail wags, dear readers!  It's me, Stormy, here with Photo Finish Friday.  This week, I have some portraits for you that Mom took -- then put some cool frames and/or effects on using PhotoShop Elements 9 for Mac.  (Yes, she upgraded from 6 and is all kinds of excited about it.  Whatever.)  Anyway, we each picked our favorite and have them for you today!

For their portraits, the boys were both cooperative and serious!  Here's Dave:

Dave

Isn't that a great serious look? He's thinking deep thoughts, that's for sure! Maybe writing a new Haik-woo finally? He's way over-due in the Siberian poetry department!

Here's Zim:

Zim

Also looks serious! Probably plotting thinking about his next really cool adventure.

Ammy went for something totally different for her portrait.

Ammy

That's my girl! Giggling about something - and hopefully thinking of a new joke to tell all of us!  The cartoon-like special effects suit her to a "T"!

And me? Well... you know how I am about sitting for portraits. Here's what Mom and I came up with:

Me - Stormy

I think it adds a certain "je ne sais quoi" that I'm looking away ... don't you?

Have a great weekend, everyone!  And please stay safe on Halloween -- no bolting out of open doors and NO chocolate for pups and kit-cats!

Tail wags,
Storms

Off To The Water Tower!

Ha roo, pups and cool cats!  It's me - Zim.  Ammy, Dave and I took Mom on a great walk around the water tower the other day.  It was so fun - it was crispy and cool out, the sky was as blue as can be, and the wind was blowing, so we could smell things from all over town up there!  Want to come along?  Let's go!

Here is a shot of the Yammer and me heading up the big hill:

Ammy and me (Zim)

Mom thought it would be a better shot if my leash wasn't going across Ammy's back ... but hey, that just didn't work out.  Oh... and you can't see Dave, but that's his leash on the left side of the photo!

Ammy was focused on GOING.  I was looking over to see if my friend the Tuxedo Cat was out.  He wasn't.

We had a great time, walking all over the place up there, sniffing everything Mom would let us. Here's a sweet shot of Ammy:

Does she have a beautiful smile, or what?

Here I am:

Mom and Dad think I walk like the Pink Panther and that this photo shows you my strut. Ha roo roo roo!  

We're just past the water tower in this one:

Ammy and I just kept walking, but Dave remarked on the red sumac stuff back behind me.

"Is that a great shade of red or what?!!?"

Mom's Guide Dog for the Color Blind is always working!

Once back at the house, we had to wait for Mom to throw our bags of poop good neighbor bags away. Ammy said she'd say magic words so the garage door would open for us.

"Open sesame!"
"Hey, yeah!  'Open' says-a Yam!"
"Woo.  I think it's working, you guys!"

Isn't that cool?  I have no idea how Ammy does that!

"Hee hee hee!"
"Race you guys to the water bowl!"

What a great walk!  Thanks for coming along with us!

Play bows,

Zim

Wordless Wednesday

Tail wags,
Storms

A Blinding Flash of the Obvious

Ha roo, pups and cool cats - it's me, Zim!  Hey, remember the other day when I told you there were going to be lots of changes around here?  Apparently, Phase One has begun.  Notice anything different in the foyer?

Compare it to the photos in this post.

That's right:  mini blinds on the sidelight windows. It's not that bad, though. They only go about half-way down.

The best seat in the house!

See? I still have a great view from my Sitzbank. Then it hit me. They could probably be lowered.

"Uh - oh..."

Yep. Lowered. Yeah, well ... I can get lower, too.

Hmm... Not a great view, but I can still see out.

Then Mom had the audacity to ask me how I like the new blinds. How I "like" them?

"How do I like them?!?"

In a blinding flash of the obvious, Mom realized I wasn't exactly thrilled.

I won't give up my post, though!  And  I will not allow this to affect my ability to perform my watch dog duties!  Or ...

"Zzzz..."

... to catch a few Zs.

The rest of the impending changes better be better than this one!

Play bows,
Zim

It's Monday

Woo, everypup and everycat.  It's me - Dave.  It's Monday.

Just wanted to make sure everyone was aware of that.

I've got to get back to work now.

You know... recharging my batteries after breakfast, a couple walks and zoomies & wrestling with Zim.  It's been a full morning already!

Have a good one.

Luv,
Dave

Serene Scenery Sunday

Hi everypuppy and everycat! It's me - Ammy! Stormy said I could show you all of our serene photos this week and oh, MY, did I have a hard time choosing! You know how Stormy and the boys sometimes call me "Chatty Cathy" just to be funny because sometimes I talk a lot? Well, I think they might call me "Pictures Polly" or something after today because I'm going to show you a BUNCH! I hope that's OK with all of you! Let's get looking, OK?

As many of you know, the moon was full on the 22nd. It's known as the Hunter's Moon or the Moon of Falling Leaves, according to Native American legend. I'll go with that last one, since I was born near the Potawatomi Indian Reservation. We didn't get photos of the full moon Friday night because we had severe thunderstorms, but once the skies cleared the next morning, we could see the moon setting!

Full moon setting over the Flint Hills

And here is a shot a few minutes later:

The clouds and the rising sun made everything keep changing colors! It was just beautiful!

Since it's the Moon of Falling Leaves, I thought I'd show you some of our leaves! Here is a shot of our White Ash Tree:

Down below, you can just make out our Amur Maples! Here's a close up of what they look like:

So that same night - of the 23rd - we had an awesome sunset! Mom and I walked down the street a bit to catch some different views.

Oh... wait...

Yes. That's the view between our house and the neighbors'. Let's move down the street a little!

Doesn't it just make you feel all kinds of serene?!?! Here's another look:

Later that night, the moon, though it was a day past being full, put on a great show for us!

I think it's dreamy looking, isn't it?

We love how the neighbors' tree is cradling the moon in this next shot:

We hope you enjoyed Serene Scenery Sunday -- the Moon of the Falling Leaves Edition.

Love,
Ammy

PS: Mom also uploaded more leaf photos and some Mum shots to our Garden Pix set on FlickR. Feel free to click here to visit!

APB

Ha roo, pups and cool cats.  It's me - Zim.  Our internet has been messed up all day, so we're running late.  I just wanted to fill you in real fast:  I still haven't seen The Limestone Cat.  In fact, I'm getting a bit concerned.  This has lead me to issue an APB (All Points Bulletin) to be on the lookout for my kit-cat pal.  This is exactly what he looks like:

Totally realistic artist's rendition of The Limestone Cat

I'm also having a bunch of these made up:

I think that should help, don't you?

Keep your eyes peeled for him!

Play bows,
Zim

Photo (I'm in a Funk) Finish Friday

Ha roo, pups and kit-cats. It's me again - Zim. Before I get to today's post, I have to tell you I do not have a picture of The Limestone Cat to show you. I'm working on it - trust me! He's a bit elusive, so I might have to get creative about how to provide you with a photo.

So anyway, you might be wondering why I'm in a funk, as per the title of today's post. There's been a lot of talk and a lot of internet surfing and a lot of telephoning and a lot of measuring and a lot more talking going on around here lately ... and Mom and Dad are making some drastic changes. Yep. That's right. They're switching out the living room furniture within the next month. The living room furniture! And did they consult with me?!? No. I have only one thing to say about this whole scheme. And since it's Photo Finish Friday, I'll say it with a photo.

Seriously.

I hope your Friday's going better than mine!

Play bows,
Zim

Limestone? Is That You?

Ha roo, pups and cool cats - it's me, Zim! So there I was, out on a walk the other day...

...when I thought I saw one of my kit-cat pals.

"Hey, Limestone Cat!  Is that you?!?"

He didn't respond right away, so I thought I'd just get comfy and wait for him to come over. Sounds like a good plan ... only someone else wanted to keep going. 

"Give it up, Zim.  That wasn't Limestone, it was a chunk of limestone!"

Oh.  Well, you can never be too sure.  I thought I should study the situation a little further just to make certain!

"SGT Zim!  I said to get up and start walking!!"

There are some "people" in our life who you don't have to listen to right away ...

"Yes, ma'am!"

... and others that you just don't want to push.

"Sorry, Storm.  I really did think it was the Limestone Cat."
"No sweat, Zim.  Race you to the house!?!"

We don't call him "The Limestone Cat" for nothing -- he does look like a chunk of limestone! I check the limestone retaining walls in his yard for him every time we pass his house.  I'd hate to walk by and not say "ha roo"!

Play bows,
Zim  

Wordless Wednesday

Play bows,
Zim