Signs of Spring

Ha roo, pups and kit-cats!  It's me, Zim!  I took Mom out back yesterday, in between the rain storms, to have a look around.  Like my bestest friend Huffle Mawson, Explorer Cat and Honorary Husky, I love to explore things.  (Is anypup or kitty missing Huffs as much as I am?)  I saw some signs of Spring and thought I'd share them with you.

As we went down the stairs on the deck, I had to stop on the landing to survey everything.

Ha rooooooo!?!?

This guy answered me back, can you see him?

It was a very dashing male Cardinal.  He sang a real cool song while we were out there.

We saw this one kind of sedum that gets pink flowers that look like broccoli.  A bunch of them are starting to green up!  Oswald and the birds love to munch on those.

I forget exactly what variety of sedum they are.  Other than the pink kind that look like broccoli.  

Speaking of Oswald, I looked around for him.

Hey Oswald!  Are you out here?  It's me, Zim!

I thought I saw him and was going to leap off the retaining wall to go say ha roo.

Mom and the leash she had me on said, "Oh, no you aren't."  It's like ... it's like she doesn't quite trust me or something.  Can you believe that?

Anyroo, we also saw this other kind of sedum springing up:

They're Purple Emperor Sedum; they are a purply-red color and get blooms the same color.

That's about all I have to report for today.  I'll show you more of our garden as things progress!

Play bows,

Zim 

Bedtime Formation!

Tail wags, pups and kitty-cats!  It's me - Stormy.  We've shown you our various Walking Formations and the ever-important Banana Formation, but here's one you haven't seen before!  When Mom and Dad say it's time for bed, we all run into the bedroom and dive into position before getting a bedtime cookie.  

Are you ready?  BEDTIME!

Bedtime Formation at Ao4 HQs:

Bottom left corner, Ammy; In the carrier, Zim

Me (Stormy) and Dave on the bipeds' bed

We don't sleep in those positions, we just go there for Formation.  We can get into Formation in a split second, especially if a certain LabraDave who shall remain nameless opens the gate into the bedroom for us.  Ha roo roo roo!  We've got this down to a science.

Tail wags,

Storms

Serene Scenery Sunday

Hi everypuppy and everykitty!  It's me, Amber!  I have a little bit different Serene Scenery Sunday post for you today.  In reading your blogs, it seems to me that some of you might need a peaceful place to escape to.  A place where no one can find you, no one can do evil things like brush you, bathe you, or brush your teeth.  A place where you can hide!  I've offered to share my own secret retreat with some of you, and I thought I'd show you just how serene it is!  Everypuppy and everykitty, I give you... the dining room table!

There it is, behind me.  When I need an escape, a place of solitude and serenity, I just go under there and I'm safe from all the world's problems.  Let's go in, shall we?

Doesn't it look quiet in there?  Not that you can see me... but if you could!

I can see what's going on in the breakfast room from there and the living room, too.  Here I am, checking out the living room:

See, even though I'm tucked away from where Mom can find me, there are other elements to deal with.  Can you see one of those elements in this next picture?

Yes, that's the Zimstigator on the right side of the photo.  And can you see just over my head, who's back there?  Take a look in this photo:

Yes, it's Davy.  And when the Zimstigator starts zimstigating, Davy just has to respond.  

Dave and Zimmie

Fortunately for me, I'm safely tucked away in my own special tranquil oasis.

Ah!  Sweet serenity!

Have a serene Sunday.  And seriously, if any of you need to share my escape with me, just let me know.  No one will ever find us!

Love,

Ammy

Shocking Tale! Brace Yourselves!

What the ...!?!?

Previously, at Army of Four Headquarters...

My Redspire Pear Tree stood at the north corner of the driveway.  We've shown you this tree before.  Here's what it looks like in Winter:

The Redspire Pear Tree.  My friend.  

Woo, everypup and cat.  It's me, Dave, with a sad, sad tale to tell you.  Scary, sad tale.  Shocking, scary and sad.  Let me get right to it.  I'm using lots of pictures to help.

The great part about this tree, in addition to the nice shape and the pretty blooms is all the ornamental fruit it drops all over the place!  We can't go anywhere without Mom or Dad stomping on it (and apparently it stains the carpet so Mom gets to spend time scrubbing the carpet; I'm sure that gives her joy since she does it so much!) or without one of us -- especially me! -- trying to snarf up some of those lovely fruits.  Once they've fermented, they are sooooo good!  Oh, sure, they make us horka sometimes and give us loose stools sometimes... but they're so worth it!  Mmm, smooshed ornamental fruit!  Mmm!

Here's Zim, showing you the bee-woo-tiful array of fruit!

Wowzers, Mom!  Wait 'til Dave sees all the new fruit that dropped!

Imagine my surprise the other morning.  There we were, having coffee on the back deck, when suddenly Zim sounded the alarm!

Hey!  There are some guys out front!

Mom was all excited for some reason and went out to see them.  She even took pictures while we ran to the front windows for a look.  

At first, it seemed innocent enough.  And then ... brace yourselves pups.  And cats.  Here it comes.

They just kept cutting ... and cutting!  And before we knew it...

...our tree was gone.  Like it never even existed.  I couldn't believe my eyes!  It had to be a bad dream!  

Mom took me outside so I could see for myself.  Even then, I was shocked.

Great Balto!  My tree!  My lovely, smooshed fruit-throwing tree!

Zim was there for me, like the great kid brother he is.

It's gone, Dave.  And there's nothing you can do about it.

He was right.  He was also right that I should have gotten the hint about what was going to happen when Dad started calling my tree "Fredo".  (Please follow that hyperlink that name doesn't ring a bell for you.  Then follow this one.)  Woo.

I'm still shocked every time I go out front.  Somepup wake me from this nightmare!

Luv,

Dave

Photo Finish Friday

Tail wags to all, it's me - Stormy.  Three quick photos for you, for Photo Finish Friday.

Up first, a lovely award from our dear friend Marvin.  We've had the good fortune to know Marvin for quite a while now, and it means a great deal to us that he presented us with this:

Many thanks, Marvin!  We truly appreciate it and your friendship!  Like Marvin, we'd like to pass this along to all of you, but in keeping just a tad bit within the rules, we'd like to give this to the OP Pack, Echo and his pack-mates (Shadow, Shyla and Meeka), and our long-time pals Frankie, Maddie and DomiNO.  

Speaking of sharing, giving and the like... on to the other photos! 

Yep.  That's me.  Snuggling up to Dad.  Aren't I just the sweetest little thing?  Don't you just want to...

...share your ice cream with me!?!?!  (Or as Dad said, "Ice cream or you'll scream!"  Ha roo roo roo!)

Have a great weekend.  And remember to encourage your bipeds to share their treats with you!

Tail wags,

Storms

Prize Package, Part Two!

Ha roo, pups and cool cats!  It's Zim again, here with "part two" of my prize package!  Receiving the medal was so cool... but then Mom said there was something else in the box, too!  Pumpkin Cookies!  Wowzers, we all love pumpkin!  I asked if we could each have one!

Mom gave a quick ingredients check, gave them the thumbs up (we can't decide that for ourselves; I think it's 'cuz we don't have thumbs...), then let me have a sniff!

Heavenly!

I got to try them first, since the package was addressed to me!

Wowzers, are they good!  

I asked Mom to give one to each of my sisters and Dave!  Here's Storm:

Yummy!  Zim, make sure you thank Mango!

Seriously!  Thank you, Mango!  You sure know your cookies!   

Here's Ammy, sampling one:

She's sort of at a weird angle there.  You might be able to tell how sweetly she takes things, though - like she's taking a Communion Wafer.  We may not do many tricks, but we DO know "take it nice".  Mom says it's important and we work hard at it; I say if practice means getting cookies, I'm all for it!

Let's ask Am what she thought of the cookies!

Finger-licking good!  Or should I say, "thumb-licking good"?

Hee hee hee!

Ha roo roo roo!

And last, but not least, here's the Deeve:

These are great!  

I wonder if Mango chose punkin 'cuz they're the color of mangoes?  

And they sort of match your fur, Zim!

I think he's been working too hard at his Guide Dog for the Color Blind gig.  

Thanks again, Mango!  Have a great one, everypup and everykitty!

Play bows,

Zim

Prize Package!

Ha roo, pups and kit-cats, it's me, Zim!  Remember Stormy told you I got a package in the mail!?!?  It's true!  And it's so exciting!  I get to take two days to tell you about what was in the box!

Could you tell who it was from by the photo I showed you of the box?  It was from Mango!  He sent prizes from the big Mango-Minster competition!  Mom and Dave helped me open the box; this is the first thing we saw!

Whoa!  A gold medal!  Check it out, Dave!

Woo, Zim!  That's so cool!  We need to celebrate!

There is a cool paw print on one side and writing on the other:

"Mango Minster 2009, Reader's Choice, Zim"

AND "Made in the USA".  Like me!

It was a proud moment, as you can imagine!  Storm helped me put it on and she made a little speech, while Dave and Ammy stood at attention.  Mom took pix while I made a few remarks.

I'd like to thank Mango for hosting Mango Minster 2009, 

all of Mango's readers,

my fellow contestants,

Bolo, the Working Group judge ...

...and especially all you babes out there...

OK, sorry.  I got carried away.  Anyroo...

After the ceremony and a little photo shoot, I wanted to go see if Oswald or any of my kitty friends were outside so I could show them my medal.  (I told Mom I had to use the yard.  She always falls for that one.)  I went out and plunked myself down in the driveway.  I gave my best "cool look", in case Tuxedo Cat or the Huffle Impostor or Striped Kitty were strutting by.

I think Oswald was hopping around in the front condos, but that's about it.  Oh well.  Maybe Mom will let me wear my very cool medal for a while today.

Tune in tomorrow to see the prize I got to share with my sisters and brother!

Play bows (and thanks, Mango!),

Zim

Storm and Dave Get "Honest"

Tail wags, readers!  It's me - Stormy.  Our very lovely friend Ransom tagged Dave and me in the "Honest Scrap" tag.  Or as she put it, "Stormy, Dave and the other two."  Ha roo roo roo!  "The other two."  We had a lot of fun around here with that one.  Ammy did this tag award a little bit ago, so she's got an "out" anyway.  We may have Zim help us out with this one.  

Click on either of those two links for the rules and details.  Basically, we're to list 10 honest things about ourselves and tag 10 other bloggers.  Let's get started!

1.  Dave and I did stints in the same shelter.  Actually, Zim did, too.  I was about a year and a half old when I adopted my forever family; Dave was about 4.

2.  I'm about 13; Dave is about 11.  We'd like to think that neither of us acts like it.

3.  I gave birth to Ammy when she was about 4 months old; I gave birth to Zim when he was about a year and a half old.  Seriously.  Mom told me they were my puppies and she would never lie to me!  

4.  I have to take the lead when we are on our walks!  Dave and I frequently share the lead; he pulls less that way, so Mom is happier.

Me (Storms) in the lead

5.  Dave works hard as Mom's Guide Dog for the Color Blind.  You can follow their latest projects on Bags by KZK, if you're interested.  Here's Dave hard at work the other day:

Dave, Guide Dog for the Color Blind

I don't know how he does it, day after day!

6.  We each have our "signature color".  This is the color of collar we each wear, and the color our comments are on the blog.  And unless someone hooks up the wrong leash, it's our leash color, too.  It makes life less confusing.  I am red, Ammy is green, Zim is blue and Dave is purple.  Here's Ammy, sporting her green ensemble:

Ammy

7.  All of us in the Ao4 get along extremely well.  We and the bipeds worked hard to get us to that point.  That being said, Dave and I don't always see eye-to-eye on things.

Me and Dave, not seeing eye-to-eye

8.  I am the leader of the Ao4.  What I say goes.  At least for the redheads.  I've learned to accept that Dave marches to his own tune.  I probably wouldn't accept that from anypuppy else, but he's just so nice!  (Don't tell him I said that!)

9.  We are a very tight pack.  All six of us.  

10.  Zim got a package in the mail yesterday!  It was exciting for all of us.  He'll tell you all about it tomorrow!

Zim checking out his package!

Well, that's it!  I hope you enjoyed our list.  Thanks for the tag, Ransom; it was fun!  Have all of you been tagged yet?  Would you like to be?  If so, consider yourselves tagged!

Dave, Mom and I are off to find Dad and the redheads.  Have a great day!

Tail wags,

Storms

Busy Day

Ha roo and meow, pups and cool cats.  It's me, Zim.  Yesterday got pretty busy around here.  I was working on a sunbeam back behind the chair...

Me, hard at work

Can you see me?  Here... let's take a look from a different angle.

Same job, different angle

...then, when I least expected it, my sunbeam moved.  What's a Working Breed pup and honorary kitty cat to do?!?

Follow the sun

It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it.

Play bows and purrs,

Zim - Honorary Kitty Cat!

Serene Scenery Sunday - With an Emphasis on "Sun"

Ha roo, everypup and everykitty!  It's me, Zim!  This week's Serene Scenery focuses on the sun.  Let's start with a shot of the sun setting over the Flint Hills.  

Gorgeous, isn't it?  And here's a panoramic photo Mom put together:

I'll try to arrange it so you can click those for a larger view.  

Mom's been getting into the panoramic thing because our skyline is just so vast!  We have a great view off our upper deck and just can't fit our whole sunset into one photo!  In fact, Stormy had Mom shoot a couple videos.  They're both from Wednesday, the 25th.  So are the photos above!  Here's the first vid:

We hope you can get a good idea of how "much sky" we have here!  This next one was shot about an hour later:

Aren't all the changes in the sky remarkable!?!  

Speaking of changes... before our weather took a turn for the better (from the 60s/70s to being in the single digits) we spent a lot of time as a family out on the deck.  While I love snow and frigid temps as much as the next Siberian, the honorary kitty-cat in me just LOVES laying in the sun.  Here's my own contribution to Serene Scenery SUNday:

It just felt soooooo good!

Play bows,

Zim

We Interrupt This Blog...

...for an important weather p-update.

Amber here, resident Meteorologist here at Army of Four Headquarters.  After a terribly long period of horrible 60-70 degree weather, it is my pleasure to report that my prediction from yesterday was right on target.  At this writing, our temps are a lovely 10 degrees Fahrenheit, wind-chill is 4 below, and we have about an inch of snow on the ground.  Ah!  Sweet bliss!

It's still coming down a little bit; isn't that great!?  While Zim and I were out there trying to get a few photos to show you, I thought I smelled something else!

   Hmm... Zim, do you smell that?

Zim smelled the same thing I did.  Mom thought I was picking up the scent of more snow - but that wasn't it!  Do you know what it was?  Or should I ask who it was?!?

OSWALD!

He's hunkering down under the Mugho.  Mom made us leave him alone.  Spoil sport!   :)

Love,

Ammy

PS:  Storm and Dave were tagged by our lovely friend Ransom.  We haven't forgotten - they'll get to it next week - promise!

Photo Finish Friday

Ha roo, pups and kit-cats! It's me - Zim! Before I show you the latest PhotoShop Elements thing Mom has done, I wanted to thank my pal Mango for hosting Mango Minster 2009! It was a blast to compete; if you missed it, he posted highlights at this link. Mango already presented those of us who participated with a very cool ribbon that I've posted over in the sidebar ... but he also sent me this!

How cool is that? I won Reader's Choice for the Working Group and Mango made this cool certificate for me!!  Thanks, everyone!  And congrats again to all who participated!

On to Photo Finish Friday!  This week's photo features... ME!

Notice it takes a Sibe to liven things up.  Ha roo roo roo!

Play bows,

Zim

How Fetching! ...or not...

Ha roo, pups and kitty-cats!  It's me - Zim!  As Ammy mentioned, we all got to play out in the yard the other day.  It was great!  We go back there one at a time for some special playtime with Mom.  We LOVE doing that!  When it was my turn, I chose my very cool blue Wubba!  I played tug-tug with it for a while, then Mom wanted to see how I'd do with that "fetching" thing.  I mean... sometimes I'll do it.  If I feel like it.  Just to throw her off.  Ha roo roo roo!  Anyway, here's a little video for you; it's very short:

Oh, sure.  I chased after it.  I even ran back to Mom with it!  And then... I flew right past her with it.  Ha roo roo roo!  Always keep them guessing.  Stormy taught me that.

As I was exploring the yard,  I saw Oswald and those future condo renters he was showing around!  (For those of you who aren't familiar with Os, please click this link.)  It was pretty cool.  I wanted to say "ha roo" to them but they ran off.  See... I love to make friends with everyone I meet - from bipeds to other pups to kit-cats (fellow kit-cats, I should say, since my best friend Huffle decreed that I'm an honorary kitty cat!) and yes, bunnies, too!  By the end of last Summer, I had it to where Oswald would come running over when he'd see me!  Anyway, I think maybe he mistook me for another redhead around here who isn't quite as easy-going as I am and that's why he took off.  

Here I am, striking a rather cool pose, trying to see if I could see them.

"Come on back, little bun-buns!

It's just me, Zim!"

Maybe I'll see them next time.  I hope so.

Play bows to all,

Zim