Serene Scenery Sunday

Hello, everyone!  It's me, Cammie!  For this week's dose of serenity, why don't we take a look around the gardens here at Ao4 Headquarters to see what's happening!?!

"I think I see some activity over in the Friendship Garden!"

Look at how colorful the Sedum are!

A sea of Sedum!

They were all planted as cuttings from friends!  Isn't that nice?!?!

"This place was fluttering with butterflies before we got here!"

I saw butterflies all over the Sedum, but they flew off before we got over there.  Let's look at a couple things in bloom, then I'll send Mom out with the good camera to see about those butterflies!

The Rose of Sharon bushes are in full bloom!

Mom and Dad cut them WAY back this Spring, and they seemed to like it!

Our Mums are just now starting to bloom:

Actually, Mom did take that shot with the Canon 7D, not the iPhone.  There had been a butterfly on them, but she wasn't quick enough to get a shot.

Down in the Butterfly Garden, though ...

Monarch!!!

There were Monarch Butterflies all OVER the Butterfly Garden!  This really made Mom happy!

They especially like her Hummingbird Mint!

When she looked closely at the Butterfly Weed plants, she was delighted to see several of these:

Monarch Caterpillar!!!

The gardens have really struggled this year, due to the drought, then the flood, then workers setting up scaffolding in the Butterfly Garden, so Mom is just so happy to see all the Monarch activity!

There are also all sorts of bees buzzing around:

Mom is considering it all a big success - and yes.  It makes her feel very serene!

"WHEE!"

We hope you have a wonderfully serene Sunday!

Cammie!

It's A Good Morning

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie.  We're waiting on Mom to process her photos before we fill you in on our recent birding adventure, so until then ... it's a good morning to do this:

"Zzz..."

I mean once I've had my walk and all and before the heat kicks in!

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

Peopled Out

Hello, everyone.  It's me, Cammie.  As many of you know, we've been going through some home renovations here at Ao4 Headquarters.

"Too many people, too many interruptions to my schedule."

There were no workers scheduled to be at the house yesterday, so the four of us had a little getaway to Quivira National Wildlife Refuge.  It was just what we all needed!  We'll tell you all about it once Mom processes her photos.  For now, with no workers here again, all I want to do is this:

"Ah... sweet serenity!"

With the exceptions of Maggie, Mom, and Dad ... I'm peopled out!

Cammie!

Easy As ABC

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie.  The other day, the nice delivery guy left a box for me on the front step!

"What was IN the box, Mom?"
"Wait.  Something came inSIDE the box?"

Cam's sensors were going off.  She always knows.  She can read people as easy as ABC, and she was reading "new treats came in that box" right off Mom's face.

"Mom?  I know you got us new treats.  You know what to do."
"Do the right thing, Mom."

I don't know how Cam knows, but she always does.  She's the best!

... and so are the treats that Mom broke down and gave us.

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher

Wordless Wednesday

Mags and Cam

9/11

We will never forget 17 years ago today when Islamic terrorists attacked our nation.

The Twin Towers in New York City.

The Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia.

And over a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

We will never forget.

Today we not only honor those who lost their lives on this day in 2001, but also those men and women of our Armed Forces and other brave Americans who have lost their lives in the continuing War on Terror.  God bless them all, and may God bless America.

BFF

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie!  As you all know, Cammie and I aren't just sisters (and niece/aunt), but we're also the bestest of friends!  I also have another BFF - sort of my neighborhood BFF!

Chelsea is a Border Collie and she lives on the next street over.  When we're out on our walks, we can sense each other coming from about a block away!  I start walking really tall and perked up, and she does this cool Border Collie low crawl thing.  It's awesome!  Anyway, so there Cam and I were the other morning ...

"What a great morning, huh, Cam?!?"
"It's wonderful!  I feel a little chill in the air!"

Me?  I felt something else!  I felt like ... my Chelsea detector was going off!  I knew she was out there, heading toward us!  And sure enough, after we rounded the corner ... 

"MAGGIE!!!"
"CHELSEA!!!  Play bows, my friend!"

We just love each other and love it when our parents let us stop and visit with each other!

"Ooh.  This grass is cold on my belly!"
"How 'bout a nose bump?"

That walk was beyond wonderful.  What could be better than running into my BFF on our walk?  How about running into her TWICE on our loop around the neighborhood!  Wowzers, how fun!

I should add - Cam and Chelsea like each other, too, but Cam doesn't get as excited to see her as I do!  Do you have a neighborhood BFF?

I hope your weekend was as great as mine!

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher

Serene Scenery Sunday

Hello, everyone!  It's me, Cam.  We've had a long, overly hot, incredibly dry Summer here at Ao4 Headquarters.  We were in severe drought for a long time, then on Labor Day we were hit with about 5 inches of rain in a very short period of time.  Other parts of town received between 8 and 9 inches, and we've had more since.  Parts of town had horrible flooding, as you may have heard, and many people are still without power and had their homes destroyed.  But now ... serenity:

The temps have cooled, the sun is out, and we have a beautiful day!

"Look, girls!  The sun is out!"
"So are the neighbors!"
"I need my shades, Mom."

Let's hope we've seen the last of the really hot temps for a while!

Cammie!

PS:  Ao4 HQS sits on top of a hill, so we are soggy, but fine.

It's All In How You Look At It

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie, welcoming in the weekend.  It's been quite the week here at Ao4 Headquarters.

"Hey, Mom.  This is still a dry zone, right?"
"Umm ... yeah."

"Awesome.  Oooh, look!  I can see myself in the mirrors from here!" 

My new box remains dry.  I think that's a good thing; apparently not everyone around here shares my sentiments.  Hey.  It's all in how you look at it, right?  One man's weed is another man's wildflower.  One man's bait is another man's sushi.  One man's trash is another man's ... yeah.  OK.  You get the picture.

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher

Studio Work

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie!  As you may have noticed from yesterday's post, Cam and I have been helping our mom in her Studio.  Oh, don't worry about us -- we're Working Breed pups, and this comes naturally to us!  Here are some shots of us in action:

"Oh, yeah, Mom.  That looks really good."
"Uh-huh!  Very nice."

It's important to encourage her.

"Glad to be of help, Mom!"
"You can count on us!"

In other news, see how there's that little pass-through in Mom's cabinet?  It's AWESOME to use in a sneak attack if ... let's say a round of Crazed River Otter Games (CROG) breaks out.

"GASP!  Where did you come from?!?"
"HA ROO!"

... not that we'd just be playing a round of CROG and not helping our mom.  Really!

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher

Wordless Wednes---ohforcryingoutloud---Thursday

Cam and Mags

Super Floof And Super Thankful

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie.  Sunday morning, before it got too hot out, Mom used the Master Blaster blower on me.  My floof came out by the bucketloads!

Me!  Polargold's Margaret Thatcher, Super Floofed!

She blasted me for about an hour, then gave up.  I mean called it "good enough for now".  Whatever.  My floof flew all over the west side of town and I still have plenty left!  She spent a little time on Cam's coat, too, but Cam doesn't really have the floof I do right now!

Speaking of whom, Cam had one of her 3-month routine checkups with the Oncology team yesterday.  Can you believe it's been over a year since her surgery and since she started her Chemotherapy treatments?!?!  They like to re-do X-rays, ultrasound, and blood work every 3 months just to make sure something hasn't kicked back up.

Here she is in the waiting room of the Kansas State University Veterinary Health Center:

Cam relaxing on her quilt at the vet's

She was a very good girl for all of her tests - and then the wonderful Dr. Coffee gave Mom the good news -- no significant changes since last time!  YAY!!!!!!  We are so thankful once again for the kind, caring, professional people at the KSUVHC and for all they do.

Have a great day, everyone!  Day 85,753 of the Great Remodel of 2018 here.  We don't have a functioning shower, toilet, or sink in there yet, but we do have a door!  This week could bring big things, though.

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher

Feels Like A Monday

Hello, everyone. It's me, Cammie. I know it's Tuesday, but it sure feels like a Monday.

"Come on, girls!  Up and at 'em.  I need to make the bed!"
"Five more minutes, Mom.  Just five more minutes!"
"We're soooooo comfy ..."

I think all four of us will be glad when the remodeling is over and we can get back to our normal schedule!

Cammie!

Labor Day

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie.  Since Cam and I are Working Breed pups, we love Labor Day!

"C'mon, Mom!  Get to work!"

"Yeah.  What Maggie said!"

Have a great day - whatever you might be laboring over!

Oh.  And it's not like Cam and I were out of breath and panting in those photos because we had been engaged in a round of Crazed River Otter Games or anything.  Reeeeeeally.

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

Serene Scenery Sunday

Greetings to all!  It's me, Mags.  One big "positive" about this remodel thing is me having access to the catwalk!  Since Mom and Dad have to climb up and down the stairs to the guest rooms all the time, it's easier for her to put the gate at the end of the hall, blocking the guest rooms, but leaving the catwalk and bathroom available.  I love being able to go up there!

"Wowzers, what a view!"

It's important to appreciate the little things in life, you know?

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher

Afternoon Fun

Hello, everyone!  It's me, Cam.  As many of you know, we are still in the throes of the Great Remodel of 2018.  I think it's Day 11,952, but don't quote me on that.  Anyway, once the fun is over for the day, Mom goes into a cleaning frenzy, then if there is time left over in the afternoon we have some fun!

Lately, we've been heading downstairs!  Maggie and I play and play in the outer part of Mom's Studio, and eventually (and I DO mean eventually) she does this:

"Zzz..."

That's when I like to sneak off so I can relax a bit!

"Ah, this is great!  Maggie won't find me in the inner part of the Studio!"

I'm sure she'd assume I'd gone back upstairs!

"Don't tell Maggie I'm in here, OK, Mom?"
"OK ... you do know the doors are glass though, right?"

Hmm.  She has a point about the French doors; Mags can see right through them.  Oh, well.  Peace and quiet for a while, anyway!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Cammie!

PS:  For anyone interested in what our mom is doing in her Studio lately, other than play with us, she has restarted her blog - Bags & Quilts by KZK.

Friday!!!

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie, and it's FRIDAY!!!  My advice?!!?  Grab it and shake it for all it's worth!

"YEAH!"

Have a good one, everybody!

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher

TV!!!

Greetings to all! It's me, Maggie! The other night, Mom was trying to get a shot of my snooter for some reason - you know, she wanted one of those head-on shots.  I'd normally oblige, but we stumbled onto a TV series I've really been enjoying!

"Not now, Mom.  'Campion' is on!"

I couldn't help it!  We've been watching Campion (also known as Mystery! Campion) and it's a very interesting show!  Basically, it's a British mystery show set in the 1930s.  It's fun, sort of campy (no pun intended with the name Campion!), and intriguing all at the same time.  Great mysteries, cool cars and costumes, quite the enjoyable show.  

I think my profile shot is good enough, given the circumstances, don't you?  Check out Campion if you're into mystery/detective shows - you might enjoy it!  (We found it on Britbox!) 

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher

Wordless Wednesday

Mags and Cam

It's Greenies Night!

Hello, everyone!  It's me, Cammie!  About every fourth night here at Ao4 Headquarters, it's Greenies Night!  I shared the routine with you a year or so ago, and it's pretty much the same.  Here's what we do!

I send Mom a mental reminder that it's Greenies Night.  She looks at me and caves because ... well, let's just say I have a certain power over her.  We go to the magic closet, AKA the pantry, and Mom reaches down to get the box.  I always come in, do a little cat stretch between her legs, then stand there to supervise -- like so:

"There they are, Mom!  There they ARE!!!"

I wait while she gets two out, then I run into the living room to tell Maggie!  She joins me in the kitchen, and we line up while Mom comes out of the pantry.

"Ready, sweet girls?!?!"
"Ready, Mom!"
"Totally!"

She gives us our Greenies, then we run with them into the living room and chew them on our beds.  One of these days we'll try to get Mom to get a shot of us actually chewing them, but truthfully, by the time she makes it into the other room, we're almost done.  Maybe we should get Dad to give it a go.

Anyway, we sure do love our Greenies!  Do you have a favorite occasional treat?  Let us know!

Cammie!

PS:  This post was not sponsored by the Greenies people or anything.  We just thoroughly enjoy them!

A Fine How-Do-You-Do

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie.

"Hey."

So ... the good news on the remodel front is that the cabinet part of the vanity is in.  The bad news?  They ... brace yourselves, pups and kit-cats, brace yourselves ... they destroyed the box it came in.  DESTROYED IT!!!  You know - the box to end all boxes that I showed you!??!  Can you wrap your furry heads around that?!?  Destroyed it!  Without so much as a by your leave!

"Such a fine box ... and now it's gone.  GONE!  Before I could even hop inside!  Sigh."

Oh, sure.  It's "easier to break the box down" than to lift the incredibly heavy cabinet up and out.  Right.  Don't think about my happiness or anything.

This is a fine how-do-you-do!

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher

Serene Scenery Sunday

Hello, everyone. It's me, Cam. Sometimes, you just have to stop, sit down, and enjoy the view.

Whatever that view might hold.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Cammie!

Tutorial

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie.  My mom's been watching a lot of tutorials lately, trying to get back into the quilting groove.  It's been fairly successful, as we've been spending some time in the Studio doing sewing stuff.  I thought I'd try doing a short tutorial of my own.  I've found that the short ones are a bit more effective -- you know, easy to follow, keep your attention, that sort of thing.  So ...  that being said, here's my very own tute:

How To Get My Mom To Do Anything
A tutorial by Polargold's Margaret Thatcher

Do the Head Tilt.  See illustration below.

Illustration 1:  The Head Tilt

Use sparingly, as repeated tilts lose effectiveness.

Disclaimer:  Results may vary.  Not available in all 50 states, international inquiries welcome, use only as directed. Activities described in this blog may be potentially dangerous, if not used carefully. We are not responsible for what your biped might do when confronted with The Head Tilt.  If you choose to engage in this activity, it is by your own free will and at your own volition. Avoid any and all modifications.  Do not take unwise risks, consult a certified professional if you are not sure of something. Remember: Safety first. Never drink and drive! Never do more than you are comfortable with. Always wear safety belts and use all appropriate safety equipment.  Not recommended for puppies or kit-cats under the age of 6 months; you're already cute enough to tool your bipeds out of anything, The Head Tilt may send them over the edge.

Short and sweet - what do you think?

Let me know how it goes if you try it out on your own biped!

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

The Secret Is Out

Greetings to all.  It's me, Maggie.  I made a VERY interesting, important discovery yesterday.  I now know what's really going on with this so-called "bathroom remodel".  Here's how it went down - and what I discovered!

Dad was downstairs working, so it was just Mom, Cam, me, and Ken the main remodel guy.  Again, due to doors being opened at any time by who-knows-who, Cam and I are either on leashes or in 10 Downing Street (my carrier).  Ken came in and needed to ask Mom a question in the bathroom.  Cam was hanging out in 10 Downing Street, so Mom latched the door and brought me with her into the construction zone.  I had only made it as far as the bedroom when I made my startling discovery.  Check. It. Out:

"SERIOUSLY?!?!  Ken has BOXES in here?!?"

That's right.  Ken has a secret stash of boxes!  Ha.  "Bathroom remodel".  He's in there BOXING!!!

"Yeah, right.  Nice floor.  Whatever."

To his credit, he did offer to let me keep the box.  I think he felt guilty.  I didn't accept.  I'm holding out for the box to end all boxes.  It's full now, but I hear it will be emptied today.  Step into the garage with me - and take a gander:

"I've got dibs on this one!"

Isn't that one THE box?!?  It has something called "the vanity" in it.  I want it.  I want it so badly.  And after discovering this secret stash of boxes the remodelers have got going on, I think I deserve it!  I'll keep you posted.

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher

About Yesterday's Photo ...

Hello, everyone!  It's me, Cammie.  Thank you for all the nice comments on yesterday's Wordless Wednesday photo!  I thought I'd explain a little bit about how it came to be.

There I was, letting my mom do some portrait work ...

"How's this?  Is the lighting OK?  Is my collar straight?"
"Perfect, Cam!  Perfect!"

"OK, I'm ready for my closeup.  ... and that treat you're holding."

And then ...

"Hey!  What are you two doing?  Did I hear the word 'treat'?"

We weren't trying to be sneaky ... it's just that Maggie was off doing other stuff!

"I hope you have more treats, Mom!"
"Wait - let me get into position!"

And that's how we got yesterday's Wordless Wednesday photo!

Oh.  One more thing.  It wasn't really all "wordless".

"Sigh."
"Hey, Cam! Hey, Cam! Hey, Cam!!!"

I hope you enjoyed the "behind the scenes" look at our photo shoot!

Cammie!

Wordless Wednesday

Mags and Cam!