Who We Are

Sunday, January 31, 2021

Scenes On Sunday

Greetings to all!  It's me, Mags, here with today's post.  Ragnar and I thought you might like tagging along on today's walk.  It wasn't terribly scenic, but it was long and it was fun -- so grab your gear and let's go!

Most of the cool stuff happened right here, by the Kansas State University football stadium:

IMG_3158MagsRagnarKSUFootball
"Yeah!  Let's have a look around!"
"Sounds good, Mags!"

We checked the place thoroughly and I did find one thing that interested me.

IMG_3159MagsHeadCoach
"This seems fitting."

IMG_3160MagsHeadCoach
"Hey, Ragnar!  What do you think?!?"
IMG_3161RagnarOffensiveCoord
"No offense, but I like this one, Mags.
'Offense'.   Get it?  Ha wooo!"

IMG_3164MagsKSUAthletics
"You've been hanging out with Mom way too much, Raggi."

OK ... it was a LITTLE funny.

Thanks for exploring with us!

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

Saturday, January 30, 2021

More Like It!

Hi everybody!  It's me, Ragnar!  Yesterday, we took a great walk up into the Colbert Hills area.  It's hilly and wonderful up there and there is one subdivision that I absolutely LOVE going into.  We don't always get to, but I LOVE it in there.  Maggie has mentioned it -- it's called Bellerive.

IMG_3117RagnarBellerive
"There it is!  Bellerive!  I LOVE that place!"

   In fact, I like it so much that I think ...

IMG_3120Belle-Ragnar
"Yeah.  Belle-Ragnar.  Pretty good, don't you think?!?"

That's more like it!       

Sköl!
Ragnar

Friday, January 29, 2021

Game On!

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie.  We don't have much going on here today.  We had a great walk this morning, but sadly our snow is melting.  Ragnar and I are occupying ourselves with indoor games.

IMG_2511Mags
"🎶  Oh, Raggi.  🎶 Come here a second ..."

He'll never make it out of the kitchen.  Trust me.  About to BOOM my brother in 3 ... 2 ...

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

Thursday, January 28, 2021

More Snow!

Greetings to all!  It's me, Mags!  Night before last, as you might be able to tell from yesterday's post, we got more snow!  It was great!  The temps fell, making it even better.  So how best to celebrate?  Go to The Top Of The World!  It was even snowing as we went!  Ragnar and I thought you might enjoy seeing more snow pix! Get your boots on and let's go!!! In order to avoid as much of the road chemicals as possible, we started at the very beginning of Hudson Trail.

IMG_3033MagsRagnarTrail
"Good morning, Mr. Squirrel!"
"One runner has already been here!"

Whoever it was must have gotten out mighty early!

We enjoyed our walk out on the open trail an awful lot!  Here we are, about to head up to the top!

IMG_3054MagsRagnarTrail
"Could be a little slippery today!"
"Better use our fur-wheel drive, Mags!"

When we got up to The Top Of The World, we did some exploring, and then ...

IMG_3063RagnarMags
"Hey, Mom.  How 'bout a hug?"
"
 ❤❤ Oh, Raggi!!!  ❤❤
"
IMG_3617MeRagnar
" ❤❤ ❤❤ ❤❤"
 "❤❤ ❤❤ ❤❤"

Oh, sure.  I do that sometimes, too.  I even give kisses.  But there was snow on the ground -- places to go, people to see.  You know!  But Mom didn't want me to feel left out, so I gave her some lovin' real quick, then ...

IMG_3624MeMagsRagnar
❤❤ Maggie!!!  ❤❤"
"Yeah,  
❤❤ ❤❤, Mom.  Whatever.  Hey, Raggi.  3 ... 2 ..."
"Uh-oh!  Get me outta here, Dad!"

Was I really about to BOOM him?  Let's just say Mom and Dad thought I needed to start walking again.

IMG_3067MagsRagnarTrailTTOTW
"Much better, huh, Ragnar?"
"Umm ... yes, Maggie."

We walked like this for a while:

IMG_3068MagsRagnarTrail
"Follow me, everybody!"
"Oooh!  I feel like a sled dog."

... and headed to the other lookout point.

IMG_3073MagsRagnarTTOTW
"You know, technically we ARE sled dogs, Ragnar."
"Oh, right.  I forgot."

After we looked out at the lookout, we turned and headed home.  Back on Hudson Trail ...

IMG_3083RagnarMagsTrail
"You weren't really going to BOOM me back there, were you, Mags?"
"Yes.  Yes, I was."

I can't help it.  It's who I am!

It's supposed to warm up tomorrow, but we've sure enjoyed our snow days!  Thanks for coming with us!

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher 

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Snow Day!

Hi everybody!  It's me, Ragnar!  After rain and freezing rain all day yesterday, it finally changed over to snow last night.  We woke up to about 1-2" of lovely snow!  Sure, the roads are a mess and there's ice under the snow, but Maggie and I took Mom and Dad on a GREAT walk this morning to The Top Of The World! Here we are, heading down Hudson Trail:

   IMG_2954MagsRagnarSnowTrail 

By taking the trail to get there and back, we avoided the chemicals all over the roads for the most part. We do have to cross a couple streets to get to the part of the trail we like best, though -- like this:

IMG_2955MagsRagnarSnow
"Ha!  'Trail ends'.  I don't think so!"
"More like 'trail gets more fun', right?!?"
 
Before we knew it, we were walking in our own Winter Wonderland!

  IMG_2963MagsRagnarSnowTrail

Surprisingly, hardly anyone was out! It was cold and windy - Mags and I thought it was great! (Mom asked that Alexa thing what the windchill was when we got home and it said, "11 degrees." That was interesting. I like it better when it says things like, "Based on your shopping history, it's time to buy Zuke's dog treats. Would you like me to add them to your shopping cart?" I mean ... I'm pretty sure Maggie programmed it to do that, I just don't know how. Yet.) Moving right along ...

Here's an awesome shot of Mags:

IMG_2969MagsSnowTrail
My really cool sister, Maggie!

And here we are, heading up to The Top Of The World:

  IMG_2974MagsRagnarSnowTrail 

We had a good look around the top, while Mom and Dad took scenery pix.

IMG_2980MagsRagnarSnowTTOTW
"Isn't it awesome up here?!?"
"YES!  Hey, you have a snow beard!"
 
Since there was no one else around and the weather was so nice, we went all the way to the other end up at the top:

IMG_2992MagsRagnarSnowTTOTW
Mom's favorite picture from today!

  IMG_3001MagsRagnarSnowTTOTW 

We took the least steep hill to get back down:

  IMG_3007RagnarMagsSnowTrail

I was pretty sure something was in the woods!

IMG_3012RagnarSnow
"Somebody's stalking us!  Could be the Abominable Snowman!  How cool!"
  
Once back at where the trail "ends", we looked wistfully down the western most part of the trail:

IMG_3020MagsRagnarSnowTrail
"Let's DO IT!"
"Oh, please!  Oh, please!  Oh, please!"
   
Mom mentioned something about the ice, the emergency room, and "no way", even though we both mind-melded her really hard to take that leg! Oh, well. We had fun anyway. 

One last shot - here we are, coming back home via Hudson Trail:

  IMG_3022RagnarMagsSnowTrail 

What a great snow day! AND ... there's a bit more forecasted for tonight! YAY!!! 

Sköl! 
Ragnar

Monday, January 25, 2021

Teaching The Double-Juarez

Greetings to all! It's me, Mags. Ragnar and I have mentioned our abilities to do a single paw tuck (known here as a Half-Juarez, in honor of my biological dad) and my own ability to do a Double. I thought it was time for Ragnar to go a bit further, so we settled in for a tutorial today.

IMG_2649MagsRagnar
"See, Raggi?  Like this!  Channel your inner Juarez!"
"Mom's distracting me!  I can't focus with that camera clicking away!"

Mom saw the look on my face and understood she was interrupting something extremely important, so she left us alone.  Ragnar scored a Single-Juarez, but hasn't done a Double yet.  I know he can do it - he'll get there!

As always, sending a big shout-out and love to my biological daddy, Juarez (CH D'Azul's El Presidente) and our wonderful family & breeders back at Polargold HQ!!!  Special note to Ragnar's and my mama, Bebe (CH Dancing Winds Polargold Legacy) -- don't worry!  I'm taking really good care of Ragnar and am teaching him all kinds of great stuff!  He said I remind him a lot of you -- isn't that cool!??!  Oh, yeah -- and he's taught me how to lift my leg!!!  It's so awesome having a brother!

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

Sunday, January 24, 2021

Serene Scenery Sunday

Greetings to all!  It's me, Mags.  This week, we had some rather spectacular sunrises.  I thought I'd mostly share a collection of them with you today.

We enjoyed sunrises in the neighborhoods:

IMG_2850MagsRagnarSunrise
"Oooh, check it out, everybody!"
"That's gorgeous, Mags!"

And at Anneberg Park:

IMG_2867RagnarMagsSunriseAnnebergSpur
"Mom?  What are you doing?"
"I just ... oooh, the sun!  Don't anybody move!"
"We got to cross the bridge!!!"

(We had just crossed the bridge on the Anneberg Perimeter Trail because Ragnar REALLY loves doing that.  Mom spotted some ducks on the creek and asked us to hang onto Dad while she checked them out.  She said NOTHING about taking our picture!)

Moving right along ...

The sunrises at The Top Of The World make for some awesome lighting -- like in this shot:

IMG_2887MagsRagnarTrail
Me and Raggi in the Golden Hour Lighting on the trail

When we get to the top, we are treated to this scene:

IMG_2896MagsRagnarSunriseTTOTW
"What a view!"
"I'll say!"

Here's a look at the sunrise along the earlier part of the trail:

  IMG_2906SunriseTrail

And here's a look when we go down the road that connects the two parts of the park system:

  IMG_2908SunriseMarlatt 

Of course, we also have moments on our walks like this ...

IMG_2683MagsRagnarGrandMere
"I don't see it, Ragnar!"
"Oh.  Sorry, Mags.  I thought I saw something cool.  Hi, Mom."

 ... but that's OK, too.  Ragnar's so fun!!!

I hope you enjoyed our serene photos!

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher 

Saturday, January 23, 2021

Today's Agenda

 Hi everybody.  It's me, Ragnar.  This morning, we took a nice, long walk, then Maggie and I played with our toys while Mom and Dad worked out.  There was nothing on the agenda for after lunch, so I think I'm going to do this:

IMG_2141Ragnar
"Zzz ..."

 That photo is actually from a couple of days ago, but you get the idea.  (I had my snowshoes trimmed since that picture was taken; Mom and Dad said I was a really good boy!)

Anyway ... I'd best get busy!  Have a great Saturday!

Sköl!
Ragnar 

Friday, January 22, 2021

Training Session

 Greetings to all! It's me, Mags. I'm just here having a little training session with Ragnar.

IMG_2840MagsRagnarVac
"Umm ... could you two please ..."
"Don't do it, Raggi!  Let her work around us!"
"Sorry, Mom.  Maggie said we don't have to move."

At Polargold Headquarters, we were taught not to fear the vacuum. I'd like to think I'm teaching Ragnar to take it to a whole new level here.  He's coming along really well!

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

Thursday, January 21, 2021

Watching And Waiting

Greetings to all!  It's me, Mags.  This morning, we had another stellar walk to The Top Of The World and back.  Given that it was a beautiful morning - frosty and 18 degrees! - there were a lot of people out enjoying the trails.  We like to give the people with loose dogs as wide of a berth as possible, so when we got to the top, we surveyed the lower trails.

IMG_2806RagnarMagsTTOTW
"I see one walker ... two dogs ..."
"Another walker over to the right, Ragnar ... with a loose dog ..."

We try to figure out which way they're all heading on which trails at what pace, so we can avoid them.

IMG_2815RagnarMagsTTOTW
"So, if Train A leaves the station at 0800 ..."
"And Train B is on the other tracks ..."
IMG_2818RagnarMagsTTOTW
"I think this is going to take a while, Mags."
"Yeah.  That's OK.  Safety first and all!"

Mom tried to sneak around in front of us to get a picture while Dad held our leashes.  We let her take this one ...

IMG_2820MagsRagnarTTOTW 

... then had had enough of the "waiting" thing and started walking.  

Due to our great math skills, Ragnar and I were able to avoid all people and dogs for the last 2.5 miles!  Pretty good, huh?

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Photos

Hi everybody!  It's me, Ragnar.  We had a great walk yesterday and Mom - of course - took lots of photos.  Some came out nice, others ... not so much.  Here's one of Maggie and me when we hit the dirt part of the trail:

  IMG_2610MagsRagnarTrail 

It was still sort of dark, so that one wasn't really her fault. 

There were lots of loose dogs that we needed to dodge, which fortunately for me meant we needed to duck into the woods to avoid them.

IMG_2629RagnarWoods
"Oh, boy!  The woods!!!"

I might have been going too fast for her to get a good shot.  And it's darker in the woods.  

Here's Mags, out on the open trail:

IMG_2619MagsTrail

Much better photo!  

Once we got up to The Top Of The World, Mom took lots more photos!  Most of them came out better, like this shot of me:

IMG_2636Ragnar

She even took a nice shot of the view:

IMG_2635ViewFromTopOfTheWorld
View from The Top Of The World

Then ... somehow ... this was the next shot on her camera roll:

IMG_2641RagnarMags

Mom said her camera slipped.  Hmm.  All I know is Mags and I had nothing to do with it!  Look at how innocent we are:

IMG_2642RagnarMagsTOTW
"Oh.  Look at that view, Mags!"
"Fantastic, Raggi!"

I guess sometimes you get good photos, and other times it's too dark. Or someone's going too fast.  Or maybe your camera slipped.  'Cause it sure couldn't have been our fault!!!!

Sköl!
Ragnar