Mystery Night

Hello, everyone, it's me, Cammie!  Something very strange happened the other night while we were watching TV!  The photos we have aren't very good, due to the low lighting, but we had SUCH a mystery on our hands that I just HAVE to share with you!

As I said, we were all watching TV together, when Mom asked where Maggie had gone!  I was watching her, but she was umbilical corded, so I didn't think she'd wander off.  Perhaps I dozed off for a moment or two...

"Zzzz...."

... but really!  How could one little puppy just up and disappear?

I searched everywhere, then saw something very odd!

"Her leash leads right to the ottoman, but I don't see her anywhere!"

I checked the other side!

"She should be over here, right?!?"

It was such a mystery!  Where could my little Maggie have gone?!!?

I had all but given up hope of finding her, when all-of-a-sudden, out from under the ottoman ...

"MAGGIE!!!"
"Umph.  Hi, Aunt CamCam!"

"Oh, my little Maggie!  You scared me!  I couldn't find you!"
"BOOM!!!"

Whew!  Mystery solved!  But it was mighty scary for a while there!

I hope you found Mystery Night as suspenseful as I did!

Cammie!

Photo Follies Friday

Ha roo, pups and cool cats!  It's me, Zim!  As you all know by now, our mom is a bit photo crazy.  Lately, it's been even worse, as she's been trying to get "good" pictures of the girls and me doing those crazy things -- sitting and looking at the camera.  Crazy!  Who wants to do that?!?  We are far more amenable to her taking shots of us while we go on walks or play Crazed River Otter Games, but hey, she keeps trying for the "perfect" group photo.

Here's a look into how one session went the other day.  Remember, Cammie's words are in pink, Mag-a-roo's are in purple, and mine are in blue.

"Oh, I just can't bear posing for photos one more second!"
"What are you doing, Aunt Cammie?  Should I close my eyes, too?"
"Mom's got treats, girls!"

"Wait!  Did you say 'Treats'?!!?"
"You betcha!"
"Are they down there?"

"Look at Mom, Maggie!"
"Yeah, Mags.  Look at her or no treats for any of us!"
"Ohhh... OK.  I'll do my serious Prime Minister look." 

Don't judge us too harshly for being semi-cooperative (you'll note I'm not sitting); we aren't food-aggressive at all, but we are food-motivated!

Play bows,

Zim

My First Thanksgiving!

Greetings to all, it's me, Polargold's Margaret Thatcher!  It's my very first Thanksgiving, as you may know, so I've been trying to learn all I can about this wonderful American holiday. I asked Cammie and Zim, and they said it's about WAY more than turkey, sweet potatoes, and football. They told me about the Puritans - the Pilgrims - who came to America seeking religious freedom. I went back through the Ao4 archives and learned a great deal from some previous posts, then I saw Mom watching a new video and decided to watch it with her.

"Oooh, the voyage of the Mayflower!"

"The signing of the Mayflower Compact.  A very important document in our nation's history!
Wow.  The very first line mentions God!"

"Sharing their feast with Squanto and friends- 
and giving thanks to God!!!"

Here's the short video we watched -- please take a look!



I hope you enjoyed that as much as we did!

"What a great Thanksgiving lesson!  Thank you, Mr. Stuart Shepherd!"

Here at Ao4 Headquarters, we give thanks to God for our countless blessings and freedom!

"We are the Pilgrims!"

I shared the message with Cam!

"We are the Pilgrims!"

And then we shared with Zimmie!

"We are the Pilgrims!"

Psalm 107:1

"Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!"

Happy Thanksgiving - from all of us to all of you!

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher

Wordless Wednesday

Cammie!

Dreadfully Sorry

Greetings, everyone.  It's me, Maggie.

"Oh... hello!"

On behalf of Cammie, Zim, and myself, please allow me to apologize for posting so late in the day. We're dreadfully sorry; it was rather busy here at Ao4 Headquarters this morning.  An "old" friend of Mom, Dad, and Zim's came by and we had a lovely visit with him!  Time slipped away from us and we forgot about posting to the blog.  I do hope you'll forgive us.  Please?

How about if I do this:

"Apologies!"

That usually works on Mom and Daddy.

Thank you for understanding and we'll resume normal posting tomorrow.

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

Toy Tutorial

Greetings, everyone!  It's me, Maggie.  I hope everyone had a delightful weekend!  I did - but I ran into a little problem and was really struggling until my Aunt Cammie helped me out.

See, we have a toy that looks like this:

"Wait ... it slipped."

Mine is yellow on one side and purple on the other.

"It slipped again."

I was having a hard time holding it, so I asked Cammie if she could help.

"See, Aunt CamCam?  I can't hold it still!"
"Oooh, a 'Beyond Tough' toy!"

Cammie has one just like it, only hers is blue and yellow. It's lasted so long that our Mom bought me one!  I want to be just like Cam, you know!  Anyway, Aunt Cammie showed me exactly how to hold it!

"See, Maggie?!?  Put your little footy-foot through the hole, then chew the corner!"

Isn't she just as clever as can be?!?  I watched how she did it, then gave it a try with my own toy!

"I got it, Cammie!  I got it!!!"

Mom said something funny. Does anyone know what "Maggie see, Maggie do" means?

If any of you have one of these "Beyond Tough" toys, I recommend following Cammie's tutorial! I found it ever so helpful!

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

Serene Scenery Sunday

Hello, everyone!  It's me, Cammie, here with Serene Scenery Sunday.  This morning, our temps were in the teens, with a slight wind was blowing things all around - what a perfect time for Zim and me to walk Mom to the Kansas Ocean!  We waited until the sun came up, then off we went!

"Look, Cam!  The KSO!  And I see some of my duck friends!"
"I wonder if there's any duck ..."

Moving right along -- (you all know what I was looking for!)

Look at how peaceful it was:

The Kansas Ocean - starting to freeze up

Mom took a bunch of pix, but didn't get any real clear shots of the ducks (something about juggling two other redheads, having gloves on, carrying a poop bag, and holding the camera still).  Here's the best one from this morning:

Here is a Redhead Duck couple from earlier in the week:

That same day, there was a gorgeous Red Tailed Hawk soaring above the KSO:

He was quite majestic!

For more birdies that we helped Mom find, please feel free to click here to visit our Birds set on Flickr.

"C'mon, Zimmie!"
"I wanted to go bond with my duck friends!"

On our way home, we saw some sweet birdies, puffed up, trying to get warm!  Here's a little Junco:

Dark Eyed Junco

And look!  It's the Bluebird of Happiness!  What could be more serene!?!

Eastern Bluebird

The little Bluebird didn't stay long - Mom caught him just as he was taking off!

"I'm outta here!"

It was beautiful seeing him - and all the other birdies!

Of course, it will make Sunday even more serene with a little snuggling action... right?

My Maggie and me

She really is a sweet, sweet puppy!

I hope your day is a bit more beautiful now!

Cammie!

Saturday

Ha roo, pups and cool cats - it's me, Zim!  It's the day of the week so many of you have been waiting for -- Saturday!  Whether you spend it catching up from the busy work week ...

"OK... helped changed the sheets, played with my favorite toy, working on a new cute pose ... "

... putting your feet up for a well-deserved rest ...

"Zzzzz ... "

... or you're heading out on an adventure ...

"It's the Kansas Ocean!"

... we hope you make it a good one!

Play bows,
Zim

Photo Finish Friday

Greetings to all, it's me - Maggie.  This week's Photo Finish Friday is a collection of some of my favorite shots from the past week that didn't really fit anywhere.  Ready to take a look?

As you saw yesterday, Cammie and I are quite the team. Here's a shot of us truly working together:

"Hello, Aunt Cammie!  Guess who?"
"Sigh."

We look like one nice, cohesive unit there, don't we? For some reason, Mom and Dad keep telling Cammie she is the kindest, most patient girl in the world.

"Hello!"
"Sigh."

Does anyone have any idea what they're talking about?

Anyway, Zimmie usually gives us our marching orders for the day:

"OK, girls!  Listen up!  Here's what's on tap for today..."

He's named after a Drill Sergeant, you know. He's good at barking out orders. Ha rohrohrooooo!

My duties have been expanding lately and I've begun to tackle KP:

"Yes.  I can fit a bit more in here."

We take being in the Working Breed group very seriously!

I've also been working on my very large Wubba:

I have no idea how that hole got there! Must have been my mom!

Remember I showed you two weeks ago that I also have a small Wubba? That one doesn't show any signs of wear yet. Here I am, out on Guard Duty, with it:

Me, doing my serious Guard Duty look

I like taking toys out with me sometimes, but I can always improvise with leaves or a stick!

Here's a shot of Aunt Cam and me:

"Hey, Auntie CamCam!  Want to go see what Zimmie's doing?  I think he's in the kitchen."

We have our sweet moments, too!

"I have no idea why Cam's ear looks wet."
"Sigh."

Sometimes, we go on a "Just Us Girls" walk:

Checking both ways before we cross the street

After a walk, you should always re-hydrate!

"Might I have some tea rather than water, please?"

Sometimes, Cammie and I really do "just" snuggle.

Cammie and me

For some reason, Mom praises us a lot when we do this. But we aren't "doing" anything. I don't get it. It's like that's what she wants us to do - nothing!

"Good girl, Maggie.  That's my sweet puppy!  Don't try to figure Mom out, just snuggle in here."

Cam really is the very best big sister/Aunt a girl could ask for.

I don't get to go on the really long walks first thing in the morning yet, but in addition to playing with me while Cam and Zim walk Dad, Mom takes me for a short walk, then we wait for them to come home! Look - here they come now!

"Look, Mom!  Look!  Here they come!"

That's the sunrise beyond our neighbors' house. Isn't it pretty? We get a LOT done before the sun comes up here at Ao4 Headquarters!

Here I am, hanging out with Aunt Cam again:

"Want to go do something, Aunt Cammie?!?"
"Let's rest a bit first, little one, OK?"

And here's another look into one of our team meetings:

"OK, girls!  Time to launch into River Otter Games.  Who's with me??!!??"
"I am, Zimmie!!!"
"I'm in!"

Those are just a few highlights from the week.  I hope yours was as fun as mine.

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher