We're Related

 Hi everybody!  It's me, Ragnar.  On our walk yesterday, Mom and Dad hadn't really planned to walk up to the hills above Colbert Hills, but Mags and I really wanted to. When we got to the top, we did this:

"Yay, we're at the top!"
"What an awesome hill!!!"
"❤️❤️ Good puppies!!!! ❤️❤️ "

Tell me that's not worth the climb! 

Later in the walk, Mom asked Mags and me to pose. I was still feeling really happy so ...

"I'm so happy!  Isn't this great?"
"Raggi!  Do your serious look!"

"OK, sorry, Mags.  Is this better?"
"PERFECT!"

Mom said she can definitely tell we're related. I wonder what she means by that?

Sköl!
Ragnar

Aventures d'Alice Au Pays Des Merveilles

Greetings to all!  It's me, Mags.  While Mom was quilting away the other day and Ragnar was working on his Pickle, I browsed around the Library a bit and found something interesting.

"Aventures d'Alice Au Pays Des Merveilles.  Huh."

It's Alice In Wonderland. Only en français, as they say.  You know ... Ragnar did such a great job explaining Little Red Riding Hood, I think he should tackle Alice next. 

"I think this is a great idea!"

 What do you think?

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

Wordless Wednesday

Mags and Ragnar

 

Focus!

Hi everybody!  It's me, Ragnar!  This morning, we took another great walk to The Top Of The World!  We had a super pretty sunrise on the way out:

"Look at that sunrise, Ragnar!"
"Stunning!"
"Your coats are glowing!!!"

Mom loves the early morning "Golden Hour" lighting! There were some awesome breezes going (probably about 20 mph), and Maggie and I kept raising our snooters to check the great smells they brought in:

"I think I smell Oklahoma!"
"Could be Colorado!"

It was a south-southwest wind, so it could have been either one.  Or the farm near the trail.  Who knows?!?  But they were great smells!

When we got up top, we paused to take it all in:

"Let me survey my kingdom!"
"This is so perfect, Mags!  It's my kingdom, too, right?"

She said it was.  

We were very focused on checking out the whole park down below.  Mom even shot a very short video of us:

   

To view on YouTube, please click here. 

Apparently Mom had a hard time focusing on the mission at hand -- a video of us!

"I think it was a crow!"
"BIRDIE!  I mean, yeah.  Big crow, Mags."

But then ... maybe we get distracted easily, too. 

Sköl! 
Ragnar

Something For Everyone

Greetings to all! It's me, Mags! This morning, we took our mom and dad up to The Top Of The World. We hadn't been up there for a few days, so we were super happy to go that way. When we got to the top, we did this:

Ragnar and me

 I think that made Mom super happy!  Something for everyone at The Top Of The World -- right?!?

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

Serene Scenery Sunday

Hi everybody!  It's me, Ragnar.  Mags and I thought we'd share pix from our walk today - it was really serene and long and lots of fun.  Ready to go?

First, we hit Anneberg Park.  That was great.  We hadn't been to Anneberg in quite a while.

"It's fun to be back in Anneberg!"
"It is!  I love the woodsy parts of the trail!"

And we all know what else I love in Anneberg, right?!?

"It's the BRIDGE!!!  Can we?!?"
"Yeah, Mom & Dad!  You can't say 'no' to Raggi!!"

Mom and Dad couldn't refuse. 

Once over the bridge, we kept going and going. We walked up that Miller Parkway Trail we've shown you a few times:

"This is so great!"
"I love going up this hill!"

Here's a pretty scenery shot along the trail:

 

When we hit the top, instead of turning around, we kept going. We stopped and did this quick pose while Mom took some landscape shots:

Mags and me

Here's one of her landscapes:

 

You can see forever up there! We continued for quite a while, until we hit a new-ish housing area. Our side of the street was undeveloped, but there were houses on the other. In one of the yards, we noticed something REALLY odd! Mom said it was a robotic lawnmower, but we thought we should sit and stare at it for a while.

"Full alert, Ragnar!"
"I'm not taking my eyes off that thing!!!"

We stared until we were sure that thing posed no harm to the world and all of mankind.  You can't be too careful!

We eventually headed back, but came home a different route. It's always fun to walk a different way -- more smells! Here we are along Scenic Drive, crossing back over Wildcat Creek:

"BRIDGE!!!"
"The creek's looking good!"

That bridge isn't as fun as some of the others, but it's still a bridge. And I do love bridges! 

That was our walk today! We got 9.5 miles in. It was a record, so Maggie did zoomies to celebrate when we got home.  She's kind of wild and crazy like that.

Thanks for coming with us! I hope you feel nice and serene! 

Sköl! 
Ragnar

Pink It Up!

Greetings to all!  It's me, Mags.  This morning, we drove downtown again, to do our walk up to the zoo!  It was so awesome!  Here's a shot of us up at the top:

"How cool is this, Ragnar?!?"
"I love it, Mags!  This place smells SO GOOD!"

On the way back down (the zoo sits at the top of an upslope), we kept seeing these signs:

"Huh.  'Pink Up The Pace'."
"I'm going as fast as Mom will let me--wait.  What?!?"

That's right - "pink", not "pick"!  Apparently there was a run/walk about to take place - and that's why Mom and Dad wanted us to do a downtown walk this morning!  We were there to support the runners and walkers and the great cause -- breast cancer research!

We decided to pose by one of the signs:

Me and Ragnar!

The race didn't start until 8:00, so we were pretty much done with our walk by the time it started.   Before too long, we saw the first of the runners!  We stared and sent mind-meld messages:

"Hey!  Way to go!"
"You got this, buddy!"

"When bipeds race, Ragnar, they don't have to pull sleds."
"Wow.  Really?"

As the big sister, it's my duty to fill Raggi in on stuff like this.

"Yeah, strange but true.  Still, they have fun, get exercise, and raise money for a worthy cause."
"Then it's totally worthwhile ... but a little strange!"

We went around greeting people for a while, then ran into a friend of Dad's.  He's the mayor of our town and was volunteering at the race, handing out beer and pizza.  Sadly, we got neither.  We posed for a photo with him anyway:

Left to right:  our dad, me, Wynn, and Ragnar

Mom had treats, but Ragnar and I were busy doing one of our favorite things -- staring at people!

We sure had fun at Pink Up The Pace!  Thanks for coming along!

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher

Thoughts On Friday

Greetings to all! It's me, Maggie.  Did you see the post Ragnar did yesterday?  It was his take on the story of Little Red Riding Hood.  I thought he did an awesome job.

"I'm ready for story time again!"

I think he should tell us another classic, don't you?

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher

Little Red And The Handsome Wolf

Hi everybody!  It's me, Ragnar.  I was helping my mom in her Studio the other day and was intrigued by the new quilt/runner she was finishing up.

"Hey, Mom!  Whatcha got there?  Ooh, who's this handsome fella?"
"This is the story of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Allegedly Bad Wolf."

I told Mom I hadn't heard the story before, but thought I could figure it out by looking at the pictures on her quilt.  It goes like this:

"Once upon a time, a girl named Little Red Riding Hood was walking through the forest.
She got really lost, but then ran into a very handsome wolf."

"'Hey there, Little Red Riding Hood,' said the wolf.  'Need some help?'
'Thanks, handsome wolf!  I live somewhere over in that direction ... I think,' said Little Red."

So the wolf ran ahead and found Little Red's house for her!  What a great friend!  Unfortunately, Little Red locked her keys in the house, so ...

"'No problem,' said our hero, the handsome wolf.  'I can jump in through the window!'
And he did!  He let Little Red in through the front door."

"'Oh, handsome wolf!  You saved me!' said Little Red.  'You just get comfy on the bed and ... here!  Here are some cookies!'
'Aww... thanks, Little Red!' said the handsome wolf."

"And that's the story of Little Red Riding Hood and her handsome wolf friend.
Sure, our hero had to wear goofy clothing from time to time to humor Little Red, 
but other than that ..."

... they lived happily ever after!

I'm like 99% sure that's how the story goes.

Sköl!

Ragnar

Wordless Wednesday

Ragnar & Mags

Springtime In Kansas!

Hi everybody!  It's me, Ragnar!  This being my very first Spring in Kansas, I haven't known quite what to expect!  I can now say I LOVE it!!!  Here's why!

Remember yesterday, Maggie said there was snow in the forecast?  Well, here's a shot of us at The Top Of The World yesterday morning:

Mags and me at TTOTW

... and here's a shot of us today!

"I'd say the view's improved, huh, Mags?!?"
"What a difference a day makes!"

 Is Kansas a great place or WHAT?!?!  Let's back up to the start of the trail! The first part of Hudson Trail was super muddy, but we plunged on through. The next couple legs are paved, so we knew they'd be OK!

"I wonder if Duke's out?"
"Better now, Mom?"

Duke is a shepherd mix whose house backs onto the trail.  He's a pretty cool dude.

Maggie did a little hunting along the way:

"I know you're in there, Mousie!"

Once we got to the Washington/Marlatt Park trails, it was paradise!!!

"So incredible!"
"Are you as happy as I am, Mags?!?"

Here's a cool shot of Mags out on the open trail. 

My very cool sister Maggie

And here's a shot of me.  Can you tell how happy I am?

Me -- Ragnar Jimmysson

You already saw the shot of Mags and me up top; here we are coming back around the other side:

"How does that poem go, Mags?  'April snow...'"
"...'makes your heart glow?'  Something like that!"

What a wonderful, snow- (and mud, by the way!) filled walk!

"Hold up!  I see something!"
"Me, too!"

It was a birdie.  Oddly enough, there weren't many people out enjoying the day.  I don't quite understand that.

Anyway, Springtime in Kansas gets a big high five from me and Mags!!!  What a great day!

Sköl!

Ragnar

This Morning

Greetings to all!  It's me, Mags.  This morning, Ragnar and I took our parents on a great walk to The Top Of The World.  It was about 40 degrees, with 15 mph winds coming out of the north.  We're expecting a cold front later today, and ...

"Nice and squishy under foot, Mags!"
"I love the feel of mud between my toes!"
"MUD!!"

... there is snow in the forecast for tonight!  Is this a great day or what?!?

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher

The Aggieville Showdown!

Hi everybody. It's me, Ragnar. Remember yesterday, Maggie told you about us seeing cows at the park?!?  That was SO exciting!  Mags also mentioned that Mom said she might have a surprise for us in the evening?!?  Well, guess what?!?!  We got to go to the cattle drive in downtown Aggieville!  It was so cool!  Mom took 10 million pix; I'll link to her FlickR album later but for now, here are our favorites!

At first, we hung back from the crowd a bit, so Mags and I could sort of get acclimated.  There were probably about 500 people there, and we haven't really been around crowds like that.

Me, Dad, and Mags

Eventually, we made our way through the crowd ...

We headed toward that brick building in the background

   ...and to the back part of the stage, where the cows were going to come in.

A look from the other end!

We made 100s of friends. Mom and Dad said they were so proud of us -- we were calm and quiet and friendly to everyone. I even got to meet tiny bipeds who like to giggle. That was very fun.

"Nice meeting you, lady!"
"Yeah.  And -- ooh!  I love your purse!"

We had a bit of a wait to see the cows. There was music, and vendors selling stuff, and a fashion show and all kinds of stuff going on! Dad even took a picture of us with Mom:

Me and Mags with Mom

 We did get a little bored after a while, so ...

"Might as well get comfy!"

THEN ... before we knew it ...

COWS!!!

"Did you see them, Raggi?!?!"
"Yeah!  How COOL!!"

We had front-row seats! 

COW!!  (He might need a drool cloth ...)

Brown cow!!!

A spotty-faced cow!!!

That spotty-faced cow had my complete, undivided attention!

"Oooh, I really like that spotty-faced one!"

There were people walking past us from behind, so we made sure to let them know we were available for ear scratches and general petting.

"Hello!"
"Hello people of Aggieville!"

Maggie has helped me learn how to work a crowd.  It was fun and the people were all very kind.

Then it was back to the cows!

"That's a handsome one!"
"He IS!"

"This guy could be his twin, Raggi!"
"He could be!"

We loved seeing ALL the cows ... but we both were kind of partial to the spotty-faced one.

"Mom?  Dad?  We'd like to adopt the spotty-faced cow, please."
"Yeah!  Can we?!?!"
"I ... uh ... remember how much room he'd take up in the bed!?!"

I forgot about that.    

What a great, fun evening, even if we didn't get to bring a cow home! AND we parked a mile away from the festivities, so we got a nice walk in, too! If you'd like to see any more of our pix from last night, please click here! 

Sköl! 
Ragnar