Last Saturday's Trip

Hello, everyone!  It's me, Cam!  Mom has finally finished going through her 87 million photos from last weekend, so Mags and I thought we'd share some with you.  Are you ready to take a look?  It's photo-heavy, so I'll try not to be too chatty!

Here is a shot of us girls at the Kansas Wetlands Education Center's Butterfly Garden:

"Don't lose your head, Maggie!"
"Too late, Cam!"

They have a lot of beautiful flowers that attract all kinds of butterflies - especially Monarchs!

KS Wetlands Ed Center's Butterfly Garden

They're even having a Butterfly Festival in a couple of weeks! I wonder if they have little rides for the butterflies to go on and stuff? Probably.

On to birding! We saw lots of different kinds of Sandpipers, like ...

Pectoral Sandpipers

Stilt Sandpiper

Least Sandpipers

Am I the only one who feels bad that some are called "Least"?  And there's the "Lesser" versus "Great" thing, too.  For instance ...  we have the Yellowlegs:

Lesser Yellowlegs

Greater Yellowlegs

Who decides who is "great"?  Just seems sort of judgmental to me.

We saw this little guy down on one of the beaches:

Killdeer

For some reason, Mom was glad Maggie and I were snoozing in the backseat when she spotted this guy:

Ornate Box Turtle

For those who may be wondering, that is not a bird, it is a TURTLE!!!!!!! 

A TURTLE!!!!!!!  TUR-TLE!!!!!

OK, sorry.  I'm OK now.

We saw lots of these:

White-Faced Ibis

And though this is the only duck species we saw, they were there by the score!

Blue-Winged Teal

Almost every time we go down there, Mom sees a bird she's never seen before, and this trip was no different. Her "lifer" this time:

Marbled Godwit!

Nice beak, don't you think? And check out the ones on these guys:

Long-Billed Dowitchers in front,
photo-bombed by American Avocets

There were lots of egrets down there!

Great Egrets
... or perhaps just some cattails!

Great Blue Heron, Great Egrets, and two Blue-Winged Teals coming in for a landing

Snowy Egrets

Mom was trying to get a shot of that guy on the left, when the other one walked right across her shot. The nerve of some birds!

One last species for you:

Black-Necked Stilt,
doing his Flamingo impression

We saw lots of the adults, but this was the first youngster we've seen:

Black-Necked Stilt puppy!

I love puppies!  Even when they're birdies!

I hope you enjoyed seeing some of Mom's photos.  If you'd like to see more from that trip, please click here to visit our FlickR album.  (It's three pages, and includes a video.)

Have a great weekend!

Cammie!

Too Busy?

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie.  Sorry I'm late getting a post up.  Mom claims she's been "too busy" to take my dictation for the blog.  Well, fine.  There has been a lot going on the past few days.  But do you know what she hasn't been too busy to do?

"Wow, Mom!  Check out the size of that baby!"

You know.  Because it's really important for me to go outside and check on things across the street!

"No, I don't need to go potty.  Thanks for asking though, Mom."

I just said I needed to go outside; I didn't say I needed to do my business!

Hey, by the way, does anyone know who Gladys Kravitz is?  Asking for a friend.

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher

I've Got Work To Do!

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie.  Over here, by the door.

"Oh.  Hi."

Sorry.  I think it's my turn to blog today, but I'm on watch dog duty.  Yes, I know "they" say Siberian Huskies are not good watch dogs ...

"Oooh, they've got the Bobcat fired up!"

... but our new neighbors across the street are having yard work done, and I plan to watch these guys all day!

Come to think of it ... maybe I need to go outside.  Of course, ever since The Turtle Incident, Mom hasn't been as easy to convince, but maybe if I drink a bunch of water or something.  Have a great day, everybody -- I've got work to do!

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

Wordless Wednesday

Cammie!

New Favorite!

Hello, everyone!  It's me, Cammie!  After seeing some of our fellow bloggers post about the new Apple Orchard Clusters Blueberry Crunch treats by Blue Buffalo, Mom decided to spring for a bag for Maggie and me to share. I think you can see what we think of them by checking out my pupils in this photo:

"YES!!!!!!"

You could saw we're rather fond of them.  I mean, apples and blueberries ... yogurt, flaxseed, dried apple pectin pulp (try saying that three times real fast!) -- what's not to love?!? Frankly, Maggie and I were a bit concerned Mom might reach in and sample one!

"No worries, Cam. She sealed it up nice and tight!" 

You just never know!

Rumor has it there is a bag of the cranberry ones in the magic closet!

Thanks to those of you who posted about these treats!  

Cammie!

PS:  We do not do the monthly product reviews for a well-known on-line pet supply company.  We purchased these treats and really enjoyed them!  We wanted to spread the good word!

We Did Our Part

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie.  Mom is still processing the 87 million photos she took at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, but we'll share some of those with you eventually.  In the meantime ...

Mom wanted Cam and me to pose by one of the planters out front.  She said she had treats, so we sat and looked at her:

"What kind of treats?"
"Do I smell Old Mother Hubbard treats?"

Well, OK - I sat. Cam posed nicely, though.  And we hadn't been shown any treats yet, so I'd say that was mighty good!  Mom, however, didn't think that was quite the shot she was after.

She decided she wanted us closer to the planter - and could we both sit, please?  Fine.

"We've earned at least two treats now, right?"
"Yeah, Mom -- right?!?"

We did our part. It's not our fault there were shadows all over the flowers!  (That's my best "Skeptical Look", by the way!  Pretty good, don't you think?)

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

Serene Scenery Sunday

Hello, everyone!  It's me, Cammie!  Yesterday, Maggie and I got to go on a road trip with Mom and Dad.  We went down to Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, also known as Mom's Happy Place.  We saw lots and lots of really beautiful birdies and stuff.  Mom is still processing her 87 million photos, but we thought we'd share the very best photo of the day for Serene Scenery Sunday!  Ready?!!?

"Is that a sammich?!!?"
"Sharing is caring, Mom!  C'mon!!!"

We had such a good time!  And both Mom and Dad shared their sammiches - that's what made it so serene!

Have a great day!

Cammie!

It's The Weekend

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie!  It's the weekend ...

"Ha roo!"

...who's ready to PLAY?!?

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

There Is A Time To Be Calm ...

... and then ...

Hello, everyone.  It's me, Cam.  You know, Maggie and I see all kinds of things out front - other pups, kit-cats, birdies, bunnies, squirrels, sometimes even a coyote or a deer, the occasional skink or lizard, etc.  And we're fascinated by these things.  We are always very calm and quiet; we take the approach of silently staring at them.  It's what we do.  Except ...

Maggie saw him the first day.  It was right in our driveway.  Check it out!

"Hey ... what's this?"
"Uh oh."

Then it hit her.  It was a TURTLE!

She did what comes naturally to a normally calm Siberian Husky. Mom caught part of it on video.

To watch on YouTube, please click here.

Seriously. It was a TURTLE!!!!!!  A TURTLE!!!

Maggie told me about it, then we did this the whole rest of the day:

"No, really.  I need to go outside, Mom."
"Yeah.  Me, too.  I'll go next."

Unfortunately, Mom didn't buy it.

The very next day, I was walking past our neighbor Tao's yard, when ...

"TURTLE!!!!!!"
"Oh, @$%#!!!"

Ornate Box Turtle, Latin name Terrapene Sibertauntus ornata ornata. Mom shot some vid of me and the TURTLE, too.

To watch on YouTube, please click here.

I couldn't help it.  It was a TURTLE!!!!!

I did this at least every 5 minutes after Mom brought me inside:

"I need to go outside, please.  It's the steroids they've got me on.  Really!"

I was a bit more convincing than Maggie, but only because of the meds I'm taking.

"Awesome, Cam!  Scream as loud as you can if you see him!"
"Don't worry, I will!"

Unfortunately, Mom only bought it a handful of times, then she accused me of faking it.  Technically, I didn't say I needed to pee, I just said I needed to go outside.

"OK, Mags.  We'll take shifts.  You get some rest, I'll stay by the door.  Mom's bound to weaken sooner or later."
"Sigh."

Mom has no idea why we'd get so excited over a turtle when we're so calm about everything else.  What can I say?  It's a TURTLE!!!!!

Cammie!

PS:  Yes, we are still looking for it.  It was last seen in the vicinity of Tao's Mums.  I think I should go next door and thank him for the Eclipse Glasses, don't you?

PMQs: More On Eyes And Shoes, Plus Foil Beanies And Seashells!

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie, here with another installment of PMQs - Questions to the Prime Minister.  We received some great questions, plus some super follow-ups from last week, so let's jump right in and get started!

Hunter's sweet mom, Noreen, wanted to know more about heterochromia iridum -- being bi-eyed. She wanted to know if there is a potential for bi-eyed pups to go blind, because she heard it (heterochromia iridum) is a "genetic flaw". Great question - we get this a lot!

Me!  Polargold's Margaret Thatcher

Addressing the "genetic flaw" part first -- it is genetic, but it is not a flaw! In the show ring, where they are looking for everything that exemplifies perfection in a dog (that's my oversimplification), being bi-eyed is not considered a "fault" or "flaw" at all! In fact, my canine mama Bebe, Dancing Winds Polargold Legacy, is a champion -- and she is a bi-eyed beauty! (Click here to see a photo of her with me and my sisters!)

As per the potential to go blind -- no more prone than anyone else, I'm happy to say.  In fact, reputable breeders are very careful about eye disease and have certified canine ophthalmologists check the eyes of the dogs in their breeding programs.  They ensure their dogs are not passing along any genetic eye conditions.  Some breeders go beyond that - like mine and Cam's!  As part of the contract Mom and Dad signed when I was adopted, not only were my canine mama and dad's eyes examined before they even considered breeding them, but Mom and Dad had to agree to take me to a certified canine ophthalmologist when I was between 12 and 18 months old.  Our breeder wants to ensure none of us in their breeding lines have any eye issues.  AWESOME!   I was given a very thorough eye exam by the great folks in Ophthalmology at KSU Vet Med Teaching Hospital.  I remember them complimenting me on my eye health and saying what a very good girl I was -- especially for a puppy (remember, I was still a youngster!), and something about "especially for a Siberian Husky puppy".  Hmm.  Not sure what they meant by that, but Mom was super pleased, as was my breeder when Mom told her.  Everyone at Ophthalmology (students, residents, and the Ophthalmologist herself) wanted to meet me - it was super fun! They were very impressed that my breeder would have that in our contract and had great things to say about her!  GO TEAM POLARGOLD!!!

Oh.  And in case anyone is wondering, there isn't a chart at the far side of the room with drawings of cats, bunnies, squirrels, etc.  Cam told me there would be, but she was just pulling my leg!

Back on the issue of shoes, our beautiful kit-cat pals Isabella and Angel wanted to know if our mom always wears shoes. They added, "Our theory is your mom wears them so she's ready to go on walks in a split second!"  The simple answer is yes, she does!  And for the very reason you mentioned!

"C'mon, Mom!  Shake a leg!"
"Not too hard or your shoes will come off!"

Ha roo roo roo! Good one, Cam!

Our friend Mr. Mark Albee had another great question! He wanted to know if our mom has a foil beanie. Ah, the foil beanie! Legend has it that bipeds make and wear these to protect themselves against Siberian mind control. Show him the drawer, Cam!

"Check this out, Mr. Albee!"

FOUR kinds of foil.  FOUR!  Why would anyone have FOUR kinds of foil, unless they're into beanie production!?!?  Besides, how else could you explain her ability to resist us?!!?  So the answer is yes, Mr. Albee.  A definite yes.  I'm not saying I've seen a beanie, but FOUR kinds of foil?  Can't be for anything else.

Our last question comes from our dear kit-cat pal Madi!  Actually from her mom.  She wanted to know if we've seen any pretty seashells on the shore of the Kansas Ocean!

"She shells she shells at the -- no, wait.  That's not right..."

Alas, Mom-o-Madi, we have not.  (There is frequently goose poop there, though, which is way more exciting, in my humble opinion!). We have found some lovely shells in our garden, though for some reason Mom just grumbles about them.  

"Hey, what are these down here?  Mini escargots?"

I thought they were cute, but Mom said the guys that live in them eat her plants.  So do I, but she loves me!  (I didn't really write that, did I?  What I meant was I THINK ABOUT eating them.  But I don't.  Really.).  Anyway, they are garden snails, distant relative to that French delicacy escargots!  They are the only shells we see around here.

That reminds me of a great joke passed down in Ao4 HQs lore. Please click here to read it; you won't be sorry.  Our great-sister Ammy was a master joke-teller!!!

That's it for this week!  Thank you for some GREAT questions!  If there is anything you would like to ask, please leave a comment, zip us an email, or leave a comment on Mom's FB page.

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

Wordless Wednesday

Mags and Cam!

Fun With Solar Eclipse Glasses

Hello, everyone!  It's me, Cam!  As Maggie mentioned yesterday, our neighbor Tao brought some Solar Eclipse Glasses over for Mom and Dad.  As Ao4 Headquarters was right at the 98.6% viewing point for the eclipse, Mom and Dad were able to go out onto the deck to view the event.  The clouds obscured a lot of it, but they were able to see enough to make it exciting -- plus, there was TV coverage.

Back to the glasses.  Mom just had to try to get us to wear them for a photo shoot.  We knew it was coming.  Let's cut to it - with quick captions!

"Seriously, Mom?"

"Yeah, this is a lot better."

Let's look at how Maggie is doing with hers.

"Oh, hey, look at that.  They're falling."

Mags and I changed positions, then took another run at it.

"Umm..."

"Ha roo?"

Right.  Then I mustered up every bit of supermodel powers I possess and ...

"Here's the money shot, Mom!  Is Maggie ready?  I can't see anything!"

I'm not sure how Maggie ended up on my other side - again, I couldn't see anything - but this was the best we could do for Mom:

"I don't even know where to look!"
"Who turned out the lights?"

Given the challenge those glasses presented (lightweight, nothing to hold them in place), I'd say Mags and I did mighty well!

Did any of you or your bipeds get to see the eclipse?  What an exciting event!

Cammie!

Are You Ready?

Greetings to all!  It's me, Mags, here with Cam.  Are you ready for today's total eclipse of the  heart  sun?

"Don't look directly into Mom's eyes!"
"I ... I can't look away!  We need protection - quick!"

"Do you think this is enough, Cam?"
"Enough to look at Mom, yes.  Enough to watch the eclipse, no."

Yep.  We need the big guns for that.  C'mon, Mom!  ENGAGE CARTOON MODE!!!

"Oh, yeah.  This is good."
"Yeah.  Totally set."

Just kidding.  I think humans are the only ones  stupi  interested enough in the eclipse to go out and stare directly at it.  Besides, we're expecting thunderstorms today.  Maybe.

For those who do get to see it, please be sensible and safe!

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher

PS:  My very favorite neighbor brought over a couple pairs of eclipse glasses yesterday.  I'm sure if he realized what Mom was going to do with them, he would have refrained from doing so.  We'll have some "outtakes" for you tomorrow.  

Serene Scenery Sunday

Hello, everyone!  It's me, Cam.  This week for Serene Scenery Sunday, we thought we'd share a quick shot of us posing on the porch.

"We've got this, Cam!"
"Give it your best shot, Mags!" 

What can we say?  Mom had treats!  Talk about serenity!

Oh.  Right.  And the porch planter is still looking mighty good, despite the heat!

Have a great Sunday!

Cammie!

Saturday Plans

Hello, everyone! It's me, Cam. We went on a nice all-family walk this morning and now we're doing this:

"Hey, everybody!"
"Hello!"

I think we'll be playing indoor games later; it's going to be another toasty one today!  Do you have any interesting plans?

Stay cool, everyone!

Cammie!