Tooth Brushing!

Ha roo, pups and cool cats!  Today, we have a little photo tutorial for you about brushing your teeth!  Or actually of letting your biped brush your teeth.  Whatever.  Anyway, Dave and I have shown you before how both he and I can be pretty cooperative about having ours brushed.  I just thought I'd post a photo reminder about doing the brushing!  (And mom apologizes in advance for the poor quality of the photos; apparently it's hard to brush my teeth and take pix at the same time.  Go figure.)

The first step around here for my sessions seems to be getting me tired.  Fancy that.  Once I'm tired, Mom makes her approach:

"Zzzzz...."

Before I even know what's going on, I've got this yummy poultry-flavored goop in my mouth.

"Mmm!  Poultry!"

I can't get enough of that stuff; Mom knows that once I taste it, I'm totally in for the brushing!

Check my pupil.  Do I look a tad excited?!?

"Dish toonf psnst ish grent schtuff!"

Sorry.  Hard to talk while you're brushing your teeth.  But seriously, the toothpaste is the key for me.  

"Looks like we're out of ammo, Mom..."

I have to say, Mom's pretty good about re-loading the brush.  And then - we're back in business!

"Dish ish more like it!"

Check out this action shot:

Mom's like a buzz-saw with that thing!

Davy actually uses a battery-operated brush.  That thing freaks me out, so we stay with the old-school brush!

Now... just a little more on the other side ...

... and I'm good to go!

The final step, of course, is to check out your million dollar smile:

"Oh, yeah!  Looking good!"

And that's how my tooth brushing sessions are done!  How about you?  I hope you're taking good care of your pearly whites!

Play bows,
Zim

What's Wrong With This Picture?

Woo, everypup and everycat.  It's me, Dave.  Instead of Photo Finish Friday, I thought I'd present What's Wrong With This Picture? today.  It's kind of startling, so make sure you're sitting down when you read this, OK?  Don't say you haven't been warned!  Here's the story ...

The night started like many other nights here at Ao4 Headquarters:

"Mom?  Hi, Mom!  Whatcha watchin', Mom?"

Mom and Dad were watching a movie called The Battle of Britain.  That sounded good to me, so I ...

"Wait a minute!  What in the name of Balto is going on around here?!?"

I mean ... I went to get into position and ... I just couldn't believe my EYES!!!

"NOOOOO!  I ... I can't even LOOK!!!"

Can you believe that?!?!  It's shocking, I know.  Right there, by my mom's leg!  Take a closer look:

*GASP!*

That's right, my kid brother, Mr. I-Need-My-Own-Space, was snuggling!  With MY mom!!!  Well, not so much "snuggling" as laying next to her without her making him.  Did I mention he was next to MY mom?!?!

"We'll just see about this nonsense!  Woo!"

That's right - we mixed it up but good and I made him move!  Wooo!

......

Did anyone buy that?  Sigh.  I'm just kidding; we didn't mix it up at all.  All it took was for me to say, "Hey, Zim!  Did you know you're laying like an inch away from Mom?"  ...And I might have mentioned that she had our brush on her ... maybe.  Ha woo.  He decided to go lay elsewhere for movie night.

And me?

"Mom!  Mom!  Hey, Mom?  Hold my paw?!?  Mom!"

Normalcy restored!!!  All is good in the world!

I hope this wasn't too shocking for any of you.  I know it had both me AND Zim a bit rattled!

Luv,
Dave

PS:  Mom said that second-to-the-last picture of me should get me an award for someone pretending to be mad.  I couldn't get upset with my brother for ANYTHING!!!

Hey! (Or Is That ...?)

Ha roo, pups and cool cats!  It's me, Zim!  Or as the bipeds say around these parts - "Hey!"

Hey! from Kansas

...or is that "Hay"?  Ha roo roo roo!  That one never gets old.

Play bows,
Zim

Wordless Wednesday

Luv,
Dave

Even More Fun!

Ha roo, pups and cool cats.  It's me, Zim, back with even more fun in the garden!  Where were we yesterday?  Had we gotten over here yet?

"Ha roo?"

OK... no, really.  I don't spend all of my backyard play time trying to convince my mom there are creepy crawlers and stuff in every rock crevice or under every bush!  Really!  Right, Mom?

My million dollar smile!

See?  I'm a sweet guy, really!  In fact, after that lovely smile, Mom decided I should do some posing for her; she walked around and down to the next tier to snap some pix.  You know.  Because she can trust me.

"You just take your time, Mom.  I'll get into position and strike a nice pos----oooh!
What's that down there?!?!"

Oh, come on.  It's not like I'd jump off a 4-foot retaining wall to get something.  I mean, come on.  I'm 12 and a half years old.  I know better than to do that!

...  unless Mom isn't holding onto my leash ...

"Dive!  Dive!  Dive!"

Mom was too busy to snap a photo of my beautiful jump.  I think she was praying.  Yep.  That's how serene it is out there - a great place to commune with God!  It was sweet - I think she was praying for me.  What a great mom, huh?

Based on the look on her face, something told me I'd best do something really cute pretty quick-like.  I decided to pose by the Butterfly Weed.

"Hey, Mom!  How's this pose grab you?"

She did say she wanted me to pose.  I don't remember her saying exactly where.  Exactly.

Err... how about another one by an ornamental grass?  (Sometimes you have to go the extra mile to please your bipeds.  Besides, Mom still looked a bit pale.)

"Who's the handsomest redhead, Mom?"

She was starting to come around, and had switched over from her prayer to muttering about why God made the Siberian Husky so cute.  That told me she was going to be OK!  We walked up to the top of the yard together and I gave her a few more good ones.  Check out my profile shot:

I'd say both Mom and I got what we wanted out of our play session - wouldn't you?

"I think that's a wrap, Mom!"

I hope you all enjoyed playing around in our yard with me, via the photos.  Next best thing to being here?  Hope so.  Let's go hit the water bowl!

Play bows,

Zim

Fun in the Garden

Ha roo, pups and cool cats!  It's me, Zim!  As I promised yesterday, I'm back to share some more pix of me out exploring our gardens!  Before I got down the steps and into the backyard, Mom asked if I wanted to see something cool.  How could I resist!?!  We went down here:

"Ha ROO!"
Me!  Going where no Siberian has gone before!

It was a great moment, as you can tell from the photo.  It's one of the side tiers on the north-ish side of our house.  Mom and Dad totally redid the tier this year and now there's room for me to go down and check it out!

"This is great, Mom!"

Mom put those cool rocks in there, so I thought I'd pose by them.

That area was crowded by some bushes that died out, so Dad dug them up and Mom planted new stuff (some Echinacea, a Russian Sage, and a Maiden Grass).  To make it easier for Mom to get into that tier to pull weeds and stuff, Dad build this cool set of steps:

"Nice job, Dad!"

Now Mom (and the meter reader!) can get down there lots easier.

It was my first time going down -- then climbing up -- the steps.  It went really well for me - a little bit close quarters, but Mom said after the lilac bushes bloom next Spring, she'll trim them back a tad more and it'll be good to go.

"Piece of cake!"

Dad built another set of steps over on the south-ish side of the house, and I can't wait to try those!  They're lots higher, though, so Mom thought we'd start with these ones.

I decided to have a little fun on my way up.  I mean ... you guys know me by now, right?

"HEY!  What's this in here?!?!"

Ha roo roo roo.  I love trying to freak my mom out in the garden.  Unfortunately, it didn't work in there.  There IS one part of the garden where she always gets a bit of the heebie-jeebies, though... right ...

Zimmle Mawson, Explorer Pup!

... right in there.  It's a space between one of the retaining walls and a group of Eskimo Viburnum.  It's near where our control panel and post for the outdoor lighting and outlets are (you can see the post in yesterday's pic of Fluffy Black) and sometimes the rocks don't quite cover all the cables that lead out to it.  When Mom goes in there to rake or to trim the viburnum, she always has to remind herself - it's electrical cords, not a sneaky snake!  Of course, she got down in there one day, doing her thing and got a little freaked out when she saw something - then tried to calm herself with the "No!  It's just an electric----" only it wasn't.  It was a big ol' sneaky snake.  Ha roo roo roo!!!  Priceless, folks.  Just priceless.

So ... I know what you're wondering.  Did I act like I found something?  Did I pounce?  Did I jump?  Did I try my bestest to freak my mom out?

"Wow, Mom.  You can work up some speed when you really want to!"

Who ... me?  C'mon!  How well do you know me?

Ha roo roo roo.

Play bows,
Zim

Serene Scenery Sunday

Ha roo, pups and cool cats!  It's me, Zim, here with Serene Scenery Sunday!  How about we take a stroll through our backyard today and check out the scene?  Ready?  Let's go!

Before we get started, let's look at a sunset from out here:

30 JULY 2012 sunset over the Flint Hills

Mighty tranquil, don't you think?  And do you know who else loves a good sunset?

"Good eeeeevening!"

That's right, our friend Bart the Bat!  And thanks to our bug-eating buddy, the backyard is much more serene for us all to enjoy!

The Purple Emperor Sedum plants in the back are trying to bloom:

They don't look like much, but it's been a tough year.

Here I am, checking out one of the ornamental grasses:

It's called a Zebra Grass.  I didn't find any zebras, but I did pounce on and eat a cicada I found at the base before Mom could do anything about it.  Ha roo roo roo.

Yep.  Even though the heat and drought may have done a number on most of our plants this year, there is still plenty to find in the garden that can make a guy feel really great!  Like over here:

Crunch... crunch... crunch...

Oh.  What was it?  Well, I won't say for sure, and Mom couldn't get it out of my mouth before I swallowed it ... but I will show you this very area a day or two earlier:

"Meow!"

My friend from next door, Fluffy Black Cat.  She left me a little ... something on the retaining wall.  Thanks, Fluffy Black!

In order to keep Mom serene, I had to give her a couple nice poses.  We think this one might be the best:

I know, I know.  You're wondering just why I was willing to pose and how on earth Mom got me to sit still and look in the general direction of the camera - am I right?  The answer should be obvious!  She had a couple Stinky Goodness treats in her hand!  Sure, she could have used something else to bribe me, but I don't think she'd be willing to walk around the yard with cicadas or cat crunchies in her pocket.

"Cicadas in her pocket.  Ha roo roo roo!"

OK... I may have slipped over the edge of the Zen of Zim Zone and gone right into the Silly Sector.  I better wrap this up for now and head back inside.

"Hey, Mom.  A guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do!"

I'm not sure why bipeds are so surprised when we actually act like dogs.  Some things are just irresistible!   (Would it be too cliché to say that I get a real buzz out of having a cicada flying around inside my mouth?  Ha roo roo roo!!!)

OK.  More pix from my backyard antics within the next few days.  Have a serene Sunday, everyone!

Play bows,
Zim

It's Not the Heat...

Woo, everypup and everycat.  It's me, Dave.  The weather bipeds say we're going to get a bit of a cool-down this weekend, with our highs only in the 90s (32-37 for our friends who do ℃).  That's still pretty toasty, but it beats what we've had.

Here's a picture of me from a couple nights ago:

"I ... I can't look!"

You read that right - after 7 o'clock at night and the outside temp was 110.2℉ (43.4℃).  I guess it's like they say, "It's not the heat, it's the ... " No.  Actually, it IS the heat.  And you don't want to know what the humidity did to our "heat index"/"real feel" temperature!

Zim and I are hoping for the forecasted cool-down AND some fun adventures this weekend!  Do you have any exciting plans?  Stay cool and happy weekend!

Luv,

Dave

Photo Finish Friday: Thinking of ... Us?!!?

Ha roo, pups and cool cats!  It's me, Zim, here with my big brother Dave.  We were given the coolest award by our kit-cat pal Savannah!  It's the Thinking of You award!

We are very honored, Sav - many, many thanks!  (Our mom loves the pansies, too, by the way!)  We are supposed to tell you 7 things that we like, then pass the award along to 7 blog friends.  Dave and I will  alternate, then take #7 together.  Since this would normally be Photo Finish Friday, let's say it with photos!

#1:  Zim.  I like to lay on the bipeds' bed and think deep thoughts.

"If my feet smell like Fritoes, why don't Mom and Dad's smell like dog treats?"

#2:  Dave.  I like to be right where my mom is!

"Mom?  Hi, Mom!  Wanna play with me and Squee-Kee Moose?  Hi, Mom."

 #3:  Zim.  I like to go for car rides!!!

"Take the next right..."

#4:  Dave.  I like to play with my mom.  And my toys.

"Is that my squeaky bone behind your back, Mom?!?!"

#5:  Zim.  I like to challenge the rules.

Me.  On MY sitzbank. 

#6:  Dave.  I like my mom.  Have I mentioned that yet?

"Mom!  Mom!  Mom!"
"Davy, Davy, Davy!"

#7:  Both of us!  We LOVE going on our walks and adventures!  Here we are from our second walk of the day today:

"Hey, babe!"
"Hi, Maddie!"
"Hi, boys!"

That's our neighborhood pal, Maddie.  (And yes, I was greeting her with a kiss.  We're great friends - and that's a show of respect!)  Isn't she beautiful?!?  I wish you could see her "socks".  They're white with with brown freckles - just killer cute!   She's a very nice girl!

OK!  That's our list!  It's very hard to choose who to pass this along to.  We are honored any time you take to read our blog - and even more so when you leave a comment or zip us an email.  In keeping with #5 above, Dave and I tag ALL of you!  If you accept the award, take it with our compliments and please link back to us!

Thanks again to Savannah!

Play bows,
Zim (and luv from Dave!)

Home Alone

Woo, every pup and everycat.  It's me, Dave.  Mom and Dad had a bunch of stuff going on yesterday, and they had to leave me and Zim here at Ao4 Headquarters all alone a bunch of times.  Like a billion times.  Or was it twice?  The number doesn't matter; it was horrible.

One of the times, they were gone a really, really long time - maybe an hour.  I'm not sure.  Mom snuck into the house when they got back, and I thought you'd like to see how well-behaved we are while they're gone.  This is what I was doing:

"Zzzzzz..."

Yep.  Laying on my quilt in the living room like a good puppy!

And Zimmie?  He was WORKING!  Isn't that commendable?!?  Check out this action packed series of him on Guard Duty by the front door!

"Oh... hey.  You're home early."

" 'Get down'?  Me?  Really?  You can't be serious."

"If you had called first, we could have avoided all of this unpleasantness."

Woo.  Zim's not just working on guarding the house, he's still working on helping Mom trash that whole "no Sibes on the sitzbank" rule.  What a work ethic!

What do all of you do when your bipeds leave you home alone?

Luv,
Dave

Wordless Wednesday

Play bows,
Zim