It Seems Like Just Yesterday...

Ha roo, pups and cool cats!  It's me - Zim!  And that's the way a lot of the conversations went around here yesterday:  "It seems like just yesterday..." and the bipeds talked about the warm weather and sun.  Remember the day Dave posted pix of him playing on the deck out in the 77-degree Kansas sunshine?  The local meteorologists were right - after midnight, our temps started falling and falling ... and the next thing we knew ... well.  You saw yesterday's post.  SNOW! As one of the Topeka meteorologists put it:

"Kansas....January 29, 2013 (the 152nd anniversary of the founding of the State of Kansas): 12:01 am - 71 degrees with high thin clouds....This could easily be mistaken for any summer night. 05:30 am - 54 degrees with scattered showers ....If the calendar said April, it would certainly make sense. 10:30 am - 42 degrees and overcast. If you were sitting in any of the hundreds of HS Football stadiums, looking down at the grid-iron with dozens of football players, you would think this is definitely Autumn. 10:30 pm - 31 degrees and heavy snow falling...There is a Winter Weather Advisory for the area, you guess what season this represents. Yes people, that is all 4 seasons in one 24 hour period..." 

We ended up getting 4" here at Ao4 Headquarters.  But let's back up to Monday!  Here's what I did while Dave was playing with Purple Panda:

Mom squirted toothpaste in the Kong Jack for me; it was great!

After Davy went in with Double P, I thought I'd engage with Mom a bit.

"Hold this while I chew on it, OK?"

She's pretty good at that.  I made sure to praise her.  For some odd reason, though, when I stepped back and gave a "Ha roo!" of appreciation, she threw the toy across the deck.  It was odd.  I felt compelled to go get it, though, so I could finish getting all that yummy toothpaste out of it.

"This seems to have flown out of your hand, Mom..."

Here's a very short video:

If that won't play, please click here.

No.  I did not "fetch" the toy.  I simply brought it back to my mom so she'd hold it for me.  And she did.  Then we played the Creeping Fingers Game:

I love the Creeping Fingers Game.  Sometimes we play that without any toys -- and the Creeping Fingers try to touch my feety-feet.  It's crazy-fun!  Only ... you know what's better than that, right?!?  Fast forward a bit ...

Making a really cool snow fort!!!

It was tough sledding, as they say, as I had a lot of ice to deal with.  I was up to the job, though, and was able to get a decent fort built.

"Dig my crazy snow nose, pups and cool cats!"

What a difference 24 hours makes, don't you think!  I ❤ Kansas!

Play bows,

Zim

Wordless Wednesday

Play bows and luv,

Zim and Davy

Deck Time? In January?

Woo, everypup and everycat.  It's me, Dave.  You'll never guess what Zim and I got to do yesterday!  It was a crazy, crazy day here in Kansas - for January!  Our high was 77 degrees!  Mom said it was her reward for all the single digit and teens we'd been having - AND she said, "Let's go play outside on the deck!"

Zim and I each got to take a toy outside!  He chose the Kong Jack toy that he likes and I thought Purple Panda should come out and enjoy the day with us!

"C'mon, Double P!  Let's soak up some sunshine!"

Purple Panda was smiling, as you can see, so I think he was happy to go outside for some SQUEAK time, too!

We walked around a bit, then we played that Fetch game that I like so much!

"Here we come, Mom!"
"Squeeeeak!"

Look at Double P smiling!  He's always like that - such a happy guy!

We played lots of Fetch!  I love bringing stuff to Mom when she throws it!

"I am not a Labrador, Zim!  Besides ... you should try this -- it's FUN!"

Zim was playing on a different part of the deck.  He doesn't quite get the Fetch game, since it goes against Siberian Husky Rule Number 107 - We don't fetch.  I understand staying true to the code and all ... but really!  It's so fun, I just can't help it!  I think Zim should give it a go, don't you?

Anyway, Mom and I played some more ...

"Here, Mom!  Throw him again!"
As I've said before, I have no idea what happened to Purple Van Gogh's ear.  Woo.

... then Double P wanted to go inside.

"Are you OK, Purple?"

He seemed exhausted.  I went in with him to make sure he was OK.  There's a chance that we took a nap together.

We sure enjoyed our 77 degree day!  We tried our best to make the most of it.  To show you how crazy Kansas is, just after midnight this morning (you know, the middle of the night!), our temp was still at a record high of 70℉ ... and now tonight we're expecting "measurable snow".  This is why meteorologists love our area -- there's always something going on!

Zim will post pix of his playtime in a day or so!  He really had fun, too.  And so did Mom!

Luv,
Dave

Who's Hungry?

Ha roo, pups and cool cats!  It's me, Zim.  Wowzers, have I been busy on KP Duty lately!  Would you like to see some of the assists I've been in on?  Let's get cooking!

A lot of the hubbub started the other day when Mom and I got some new baking dishes in.

These babies can go from the freezer to the oven to the table!  What to make first, though?!?  Dave, being from Texas, suggested burritos. Smothered burritos!  Great idea, Davy!

I had already helped make some yummy shredded pork, so we decided to put that and some cheese in the middle.  And more cheese on top, with some of the juice from the meat.  Here's how they looked before we put them in the oven:

As you can see, I'm right there, supervising.  (Oh, sure, Mom says I'm the "sous chef", but we all know who's really in charge here!)

And here's how they looked after baking:

Look at that goldeny goodness!  You should have seen it all bubbling and stuff!  Oh, wait -- check out his video:

If that doesn't play, please click here.  Yeah.

Mom decided to whip one of these up this weekend, too:

Cinnamon Streusel Bread

I think if I was a bread, I'd be Cinnamon Streusel Bread.  What do you think?

Last night, Mom made French Onion Grilled Cheese sandwiches.  Basically, you make onions like you're making French Onion Soup, but you only put a splash of wine in as per liquids -- not any broth.

"Y'ello!"

Note I'm in the background supervising.  I'm a Working Breed - it's in my blood to be engaged at all times like this.

You stack the onions and cheese up on some sourdough bread, then pan grill them like grilled cheese sandwiches.  Here's what you get:

French Onion Grilled Cheese sandwiches

Well, that's what your bipeds get.  Pups and kit-cats do NOT get onions!!!

And me?  I don't get people food at all, being on a restricted diet.  I still help out, though.  It's my duty and I do love my work.  So ... until tonight when we cook again ... you can find me here:

"Zzzz..."

Unless I'm out on patrol or on an adventure or doing zoomies or something!  (I have no idea why I look so bleached out in that photo!)

Play bows,
Zim

Serene Scenery Sunday

Ha roo, pups and cool cats!  It's me, Zim, here with some pix we snapped during the week that we thought you'd enjoy seeing.  The first one is from one of my trips to the Kansas Ocean:

Can you see the two hawks near the center of the photo?  They were duking it out over something!  It was beautiful to watch them - they were so graceful, yet strong!  I hope they were able to sort out their differences.

The rest of the photos are from a road trip Mom and I took out to a little town we've shown you before - Keats!  I love going out there!  Let's get buckled in and head out!

"The rear's clear.  Let's roll, Mom!"

I always help check the road with my side mirror.  That's part of the duties when you ride shotgun!

On the way to Keats, there are some really cool old limestone buildings.  Some of them aren't in the greatest condition, but Mom thinks that makes them look more interesting.  We don't have permission to go onto the property, but we shot shot these from the main road:

Here is the same structure, but from a little different vantage point and with some special effects thrown in:

Pretty cool, don't you think?  Here's a place I'd like to check out:

Wildcat Hollow

Mom wanted to straighten it, but didn't want to cut off those arched tree branches, so please excuse the odd framing.  Oh.  Yeah.  Well, have I mentioned we went out with out the camera?  iPhone through the sunroof.  That explains why it was crooked.  Camera next time - right, Mom?

We took another shot of that gas station in Keats:

Mom loves that building!

There's also an old church in Keats that was dedicated back in 1889 - we thought we'd share some different shots of that!

Isn't it beautiful?  It made us feel so peaceful and reverent!  How about some special effects shots?

Two different takes on the same photo; a double-dose of 1880s serenity!

On our way back home, we passed our favorite barn.  Mom had to take another shot of it:

Partial limestone barn, a windmill, stacked stone wall ... pure Kansas, don't you think?

We hope you enjoyed this week's take on Serene Scenery Sunday and I hope you can take some time to get out and enjoy the beauty around you!

Play bows,

Zim

Feeling Bored?

Woo, everypup and everycat.  It's me, Dave - here with my kid brother, Zim.  Have the Winter Doldrums got you down?  Need a little excitement in your day?  Feeling bored?  Here's what you need to do!

Take it away, Zim!

"Dave and I are bored.  How about a nice walk?
... Or ... we could always find our own entertainment ..."

"You're really good at that, Zim!"
"What can I say?  It's a gift."

That ought to do it!  I hope this helps the rest of you!

Luv,

Dave

Photo Finish Friday: Dual Portraits

Woo, everypup and everycat.  It's me, Dave.  Have you been following the saga at all about our mom trying to get a "nice" picture of me and Zim together?  I think when we last mentioned it, we were at Team Siberia 2, Mom 0.  We thought we'd show you some more of the process today for Photo Finish Friday.

Here's what Zim and I thought was a nice shot of us relaxing together in the living room:

Apparently that wasn't quite what Mom had in mind.  Something about wanting us closer together.

She thought maybe outside would be better, and tried to get us to pose in front of the Yew bushes.  Hmm.

Have we mentioned there's something in there lately?

Anyway, we ARE close together there, but Mom thought maybe we should actually look at the camera.

"Oh, Mom ... please!"
"I am soooooo bored!"

Sure, she had treats... but sometimes treats just aren't enough!  We totally lost our focus.  And yet ... she tried again.

"Is that a squeaky toy, Mom?"
"Hey ... whatcha got, Mom?"

Yep.  She was holding up a squeaky toy!  She's never tried that one before!  Tricky, Mom!

OK, so she got what she wanted in that last shot ... but I think it's probably Team Siberia 87, Mom 1.  Ha woo.

Happy weekend, everyone!

Luv,
Dave

Buckled In and Ready to Roll

Ha roo, pups and cool cats!  It's me, Zim.  The other day, Mom needed to run an errand.  Being the ever-so-helpful guy that I am, I offered my services as a navigator and escort.  We can't have Mom running around town alone - right?

We got buckled in ...

Here's a good look at my seatbelt system, for those of you who were curious!

... and we were ready to roll.

We took care of what Mom needed to do, then wow!  What do you know?  We ended up driving by the Kansas Ocean!  Isn't that a coincidence  since I was navigating ?  I thought we should get out and stretch our legs, take in the sea breeze, enjoy the 15 degree (F) weather!

We walked right down to the shoreline - and I just couldn't believe it.

"Wowzers!"

The sea level should be up to the top of the rocks I'm standing on in the photo above; that's a pretty good illustration of how bad our drought is.

Some of the tributaries to the Kansas Ocean are frozen:

"Ooh!  Ice!"

The main body of water isn't frozen, though.  We're not sure why not, given what our temps have been like lately.  Must be because it's an ocean!  You can see it out there in this next picture:

Oh, I know.  You might wonder if I had stuck my snooter into all those dried  weeds  wildflowers and snoofed around, right?  And maybe you might think you can see some pieces of leaves and stuff stuck to my fur.  Come on!  How could you (or my mom who kept brushing my face off) accuse me of such behavior?!?  Look at the other side of my face.

See?  Clean as a whistle.  Nothing to see here.  Let's head up to the boardwalk.

"Sticking my snooter in the dried stuff!  Puh-lease!"

We had fun walking around for a while, enjoying all the sights, sounds, and smells.

"Anybody want to join me for a stroll along the boardwalk?"

It was a great way to cap off the afternoon!  I could have stayed there all day!

"Mmm!  One last whiff of those Kansas Ocean breezes, Mom!"

I love helping to run errands!  Especially when I get to navigate! 

Play bows,

Zim

Wordless Wednesday

Luv,
Davy

Clip, Clip Here, Clip, Clip There...

Woo, everypup and everycat.  It's me, Dave.  I got to have my dew claws trimmed over the weekend!  I love being groomed.

"Do you want me to do some smoothing, Davy?"
"Thanks, Mom, but I can do that part!"

It always reminds me of that part in the Wizard of Oz.  You know, the "... Clip, clip here, clip, clip there, we give the roughest claws that certain air of savoir faire in the merry old land of Oz ... " ?!?  I love that part.

♩"Buff, buff here, buff buff there..."♩

I know what you're wondering.  Did Zimmie get to have a little trim, too?  Well, he doesn't have dew claws -- and the rest of his nails get filed down nicely by all the sidewalk walking we do.  Besides ... he seemed to disappear when the nail clippers came out.

"They can't see me here, right?"

I have no idea where he was.

Luv,
Dave

Discovery Update

Ha roo, pups and cool cats!  Remember just shy of a couple weeks ago Dave and I showed you an important discovery we made in the neighborhood?  Right - where the moles had absconded with the neighbors' sidewalk, put up their HQs flag, and tried to cover the whole thing up?!?  Good to our word to stay on the case, Dave and I approached the scene from a different angle the other day ...

"Dave!  The crime scene tape is down!"

Things looked different, alright!  The crime scene tape was gone, there was a new sidewalk in place, and the moles had clearly tried to smooth out their molehills.

"They left plenty of damage in their wakes, Zim.
And I think they brought in reinforcements - they have blue headquarters flags everywhere!"

Most peculiar, don't you think?  We'll stay on it to see what happens.  They'll be back.  They always come back!  Besides, they left one of these:

"See if it tastes like candy corn, Zim!"

(For the record, it did not taste like candy corn.)

I'll keep you posted!

Play bows,

Zim