Exploring Illinois

Greetings to all!  It's me, Mags!  As Ragnar told you, we had been in Illinois, visiting our grandmother.  It was awesome seeing her again.  In addition to visiting her, we did a lot of exploring in the little town she's in.  We were able to keep up with our "5 mile a morning" walk schedule AND got a few fun afternoon adventures in, too!  Here are just a few of the highlights ...

The very first night we got there, we explored the downtown area, which is where we were staying. Ragnar and I did our best to take it all in!

"Look, Ragnar!  A beautiful old church!"
"Oooh!  Pretty!"

We discovered lots of similarities between our town and Mascoutah, IL.  One such likeness is both towns' high schools are the Indians!  We even saw an Indian on a horse:

"I wonder what he's looking at, Mags."
"I think he's checking out the parking lot.  Maybe the football field ..."

They also have a park!  It's sort of a cross between CiCo and City Park here, but the COOLEST thing there was the SQUIRRELS!!!  Here we are in the park, with a kamikaze squirrel running right in front of us!!!

"SQUIRREL!!!"
"SQU--lookatthatthinggo--IRREL!!!"

They were amazingly fast!  And CRAZY!!!  They are smaller than our squirrels and are grey instead of red.  We found them fascinating!!!

We found a bike trail that sort of reminded us of Hudson Trail!

Me and Ragnar on the bike trail!

We even found a BRIDGE near the trail!

"Hey, look, Raggi!  A bridge!"
"BRIDGE!!!  Oh please, oh please, oh please!!!"

We weren't going that way, but Mom and Dad let us cross over it and back anyway just because ... you know.  Ragnar ❤ bridges!

There were frequently other people out enjoying walks, so we were polite and would pull over to the side and stop.  

"Hi.  I'm Ragnar Jimmysson!"
"And I'm Margaret Thatcher."

We tried our hardest to be good ambassadors from the great state of Kansas and good ambassadors of our breed.  Mom and Dad said we did an awesome job of both.

More adventures to come!  Stay tuned -- and thanks for the warm welcome back!

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher

We're Back!

Hi everybody!  It's me, Ragnar!  We're back from our short blog break.  You haven't forgotten us or anything, have you? Anyway, we went to a far away land called "Illinois"! Maggie has been there a couple times before, but this was my first big trip. It was all so new to me -- except the first night we were there, the tornado sirens went off a few times, so that made us feel right at home! Anyway ... it was all very exciting --- so many new smells, great places to explore, oh, we have so many things to tell you about! BUT the big reason we went on the trip was this:

 

"Hi, Grandma.  I'm Ragnar!"
"Well, hello there, puppy-dog!"

"Remember me, Grandma?!?  I'm Mags!"
"Hello, Maggie!"

She's the BEST!  She really loved seeing us.  She'd say, "I wish I had something to give you!" then magically a cookie would appear in her hand and she'd give us each one!  A WHOLE one!  (They looked oddly similar to ones I had seen Mom slip into her pocket earlier, but who cares?!?  They were cookies!!!!)

Here's a great shot of the three of us:

Me, Grandma, and Mags

We got to meet a lot of the other people who live in the same place she lives in and they all told us what nice puppies we are, how soft our coats are, how pretty/handsome we are, how well-behaved ... it was really fun!  They'd talk about dogs they'd had and we'd sit and listen to them.  We made a LOT of them smile and that made our mom and dad smile, too.  We even got to go to a little concert there and the guys dedicated a song to us!  It wasn't rock and roll, but it was still really cool!

So ... that's what we've been doing!  More to come, but we're all pretty wiped out from the trip.  We'll fill you in over the next few days.  Wait 'til you hear about the squirrels they have there!!!

Sköl!

Ragnar

PS:  A word from our mom:  We spent a week visiting my mom at her assisted living place.  I could not be prouder of Ragnar and Maggie!  They were SO GOOD!!!  Quiet, extremely gentle, friendly, greeted anyone who wanted to meet them ... it was awesome.  THEY were awesome.   Oh, the love they shared!  We are SO PROUD of these wonderful Polargold Siberians!!!  ~KZK

Announcement

Hi everybody and greetings to all!  Ragnar and Mags here with a blog announcement. 

"Hi!"
"Greetings!"

"Everyone is fine and all, but ..."
"... we're going to be taking a short blog break."

"You won't forget us, will you?"
"Less than a week and a half, and we'll be back on air -- promise!"

We'll see you again soon -- we'll miss all of you!

Mags and Ragnar 

So Fun!

Greetings to all! It's me, Mags. Have I mentioned how fun it is to have a little brother lately?!? Take the other day, for instance ...

There we were, having a very important meeting, when Mom came up on us ...

 

"And so then ... oh ... oh ..."
"... yeah.  Ixnay on the ansplay ..."
"Hi, puppies!  Look at how cute you are!"

Well ... shucks.  Sweet.  But then she insisted on taking pix!

"Just ONE, then it's Raggi's turn!"
"But you look so adorable!  And regal!!"

Hard to argue with that, but I called Ragnar over to bail me out; I'd had enough of the paparazzi!

"Hi Mom!  What are you & Mags doing?!?  Can I play, too?!?  How about a close up?!?"

Having a kid brother is SO FUN!!!!!

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher

Wordless Wednesday

Ragnar and Mags

Sunrise!

Greetings to all!  It's me, Mags.  This morning we saw a glorious sunrise on our walk!  Ragnar and I had to stop to take it all in:

 

"Check out those rays, Ragnar!"
"WOW!"

We stood there for just a minute or two and watched our world brighten as the sky changed.

 

"God is an amazing artist, isn't He?"
"I'll say!!!"
"❤❤❤"

Are you enjoying awesome Autumn skies where you are, too?

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher

Road Trip!

Hi everybody!  It's me, Ragnar!  Yesterday morning after our walk, we set out on an adventure!  We went to Quivira National Wildlife Refuge to see birdies.  Now, there are tons of birdies around our house, but not the kind that are at Quivira, apparently.  Anyway, we might post some of Mom's birdie pix eventually, but in the meantime, here are the highlights as far as Mags and I are concerned!

Here's what we did on the way down:

 

"Hey, Mags!  Let's see how many different
license plates we can see!  I see lots of Colorados!"

"OK!  I've got Iowa ... Nebraska ... does Kansas count?"

That was a good question.  Do you count the state you're in?  We decided we would!

We took a break about halfway there. We got to walk around for a bit, and that was nice. Mom didn't take pix.

Then we got to the Kansas Wetlands Education Center:

 

"Have I told you there are Prairie Dogs in there, Ragnar?"
"Wait.  They're allowed in, but we aren't?!?"

That just seems wrong.  Anyway, we had a nice walk there, plus got water and a snack. The snack part was REALLY great!  I'll bet the Prairie Dogs don't get snacks!!!

After that, there were a whole lot of birdies and lots of stopping and Mom getting out to photograph them. We might have been snoozing ... I'm not sure. Anyway, after that, we drove to the little town of Ellinwood!

 

"Ha roo, people of Ellinwood!!!"
"Sköl!"

We had another water & snack break there, and took a short stroll:

 

Mags and me

After that, we piled back into the vehicle and headed home.

 

"Thanks for bringing snacks, Mom!"
"❤❤❤"

Everybody had a great time!  Mom and Dad were really happy with all the birdies they saw (plus coyotes, armadillos, and deer!) and Mags and I loved all the new sights and smells.  And snacks.

Sköl!

Ragnar

Serene Sunday

Greetings to all! It's me, Mags. Here's a shot of Ragnar and I out on our walk, looking mighty serene:

Have a fabulous Sunday!

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher

How About A Hug?

Hi everybody!  It's me, Ragnar.  If you're out on a walk with ... oh, I don't know, let's say with my mom ... and you want a hug, all you have to do is ...

"Hi, Mom!  How about a hug?!?"
" ❤❤  Oh, Ragnar! ❤ ❤"
"Get a cookie for me, too, Ragnar!"

There's a real good chance you'll get a tiny treat, too. Just in case you were wondering.  (And don't forget to ask for one for your sister, too!)

Sköl!

Ragnar

Photo Finish Friday

Greetings to all! It's me, Mags. Not much new to report today, so here's a cool action shot of me on our walk the other day:

Me - on Anneberg Perimeter Trail

It was a great walk - we hadn't gone on the woodsy part of that trail for quite a while!  There are SO MANY cool smells in there!

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher

Notice Anything?

Greetings to all! It's me, Mags. I have two photos for you today ... and the question is do you notice anything? Any difference? Here we go!

Ragnar and me this morning on our walk:

 

"Hi, everybody!"
"Hey."

And us just now out front:

"Hi again!"
"Whatever ..."

We look the same, right?!?  I mean maybe we didn't look as bored this morning -- we WERE on a walk and all.  But the same.  Right?  All I can say is this -- that's an hour Ragnar and I won't see again.  An HOUR!  Being de-floofed out on the deck.  Sigh.  We could have been Snooter Jousting!!!

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher

Wordless Wednesday

 

Mags and Ragnar

Adopt-A-Maggie Day!

Hi everybody!  It's me, Ragnar!  Today is Adopt-A-Maggie Day!  Eight years ago, before I was even born, our parents drove out to meet up with our breeders/first family to adopt Mags!  I heartily encourage you to click here to see her first day home; wow, was she a tiny ball of fire!!! 

Anyway, we've had all kinds of fun to celebrate already today - a nice, long walk, play time with our Pickles, zoomies, some snooter jousting, and just a little bit of this:

 

"Hi, Mom.  We were just ... uh ..."
"QUICK!  Look innocent!"

Now as to why we were laying on the upstairs landing together, I can't say.  There's an outside chance our mom could read this ... so ... just going to leave it right there.

Another highlight so far today was getting to taste a little peanut butter - that was really special and very tasty!  And the day's only half over!

Everyone please join me in wishing Mags a very happy Adopt-A-Maggie Day!!!

Sköl!

Ragnar

Serendipitous

Hi everybody!  It's me, Ragnar.  After our walk this morning, Maggie and I dutifully guarded the house while Mom and Dad worked in the garden.  It was hard work, but we don't mind!  After a quick jaunt to the yard to check on their work, Mags and I rewarded Mom by posing for her like this:

"Look at us!  Sitting sweetly together, looking at the camera!"
"Yeah, Mom!  Just out of the goodness of our hearts!"
"Really!?  It doesn't have anything to do with ..."

"... THIS, does it?!?!"
"Oh, how serendipitous!  A bag of super-tasty treats!"
"I have no idea what Maggie said, but ... do I see Fruitables?!!!?"

"I volunteer to be the taste-tester!"
"Make him define 'serendiptous' first!"

I'm pretty sure "serendipitous" means "pumpkin banana", by the way.  Not 100%, but there's a chance.

Sköl!

Ragnar

Selfie Sunday

Greetings to all!  It's me, Mags!  I thought I'd shoot a quick selfie for today's post ...

 

"Wait a sec ... is this thing on?"

"Yeah.  Here we go!"

I never know quite where to look for those things!

Have a great Sunday!

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher

Saturday Silliness

Greetings to all! It's me, Mags. So there we were, enjoying a walk through CiCo Park (they had GOATS there this morning!!!) when Mom spotted something and started laughing. Then she looked at us and REALLY started laughing. Then she looked at Dad and said, "You KNOW we have to do this!"  ...And the next thing Ragnar and I knew...

"Yeah, yeah.  'Stay.'  Whatever.  What's so funny?"
"I dunno, Mags, but there's a lady over there laughing, too."
"Look this way, puppies!  I have cookies!!"

"Hey -- no bull about the cookies, right?!?"

"HA!  'No bull'.  Good one, Raggi!!!"

Mom still can't stop laughing.  That other lady in the park even stopped and said how cute we are.  Well ... yeah.

Did I mention we got cookies?

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher

New Pose; Possible Problem

Hi everybody!  It's me, Ragnar!  Over here.

"Hi.  I'm working on a new pose.  What do you think?"

"Pretty comfy, fairly complex, what with the leg thrown in and all ..."

"There's just one thing I need to work out before I run it by Mags."

"How in the name of Thor am I going to get out of here?!?"

Sköl!

Ragnar

Dinosaur!

Greetings to all!  It's me, Mags.  When we got home from our walk this morning, I noticed something a bit unusual up in the cul-de-sac, across the street from Ao4 HQS.  I thought Ragnar and I should go check it out!

"Ragnar!  Check it out!  It's a dinosaur skeleton!!!"
"Not falling for that one.  Dinosaurs are extinct, Mags."

"That's why it's a SKELETON, Raggi!"
"Oh.  Right.  Still not falling for it, though ..."

Are any of you starting to see rather ... unusual things in your neighborhood?!?

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Sköl!

Ragnar

Perhaps I Am

 Greetings to all!  It's me, Mags.  Over here.  On the bed.

"Hey, Mags.  Whatcha --- you're not about to ambush your brother, are you?"
"Who, me?"

Well.  Perhaps I am.  Was.  Whatever.  How does she always know these things?!?

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

Repositioning

Greetings to all!  It's me, Mags.  Last night after dinner, Mom was trying to get a shot of us in front of her Petunias, but there was no way we were going to face the camera.

"Look, Ragnar!  The kids down the street are out!"
"Oh, I hope they come down here!"
"Would you two look at the ... no, never mind ... I'll move ..."

Well, OK, she moved the camera and it LOOKED like we were looking that way ... but only by happenstance. Of course, there are no Petunias to be seen, but Ragnar and I look pretty good, don't we? 

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

A Post About Nothing

"Hey."
"Hey."

 

That's all we've got. 

No, really. 

Ragnar and Mags

 

Umm ... Not Feeling It

Greetings to all!  It's me, Mags.  We had an awesome walk this morning - a little bit cool (in the 60s) and a beautiful sunrise.  When we got down to one of the dead ends where we often take a quick water break, Mom wanted us to pose.  Now ... yes, she had treats, but come on.  There's a time for walking and a time for posing.

"Just a nice shot with the sunrise in the background ... please?!?"
"Hoo, boy.  Here we go ..."
"Not feeling it ... stay with me, Ragnar!"

"OK, Mags.  How's this?"
"I can't see you, but I'm sure it's perfect."
"Sigh ..."

Oh, c'mon.  She was going to give us a treat anyway!  Besides, nice sunrise, huh?!?

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

YAY!

Greetings to all!  It's me, Mags.  Yesterday may have started out a bit lazy, as Ragnar said, but look at what arrived shortly after lunch:

"Is Maggie getting treats, Mom?"
"The box IS the treat for her, Ragnar ..."
"This is SO COOL!!!"

Now THAT'S how to add some excitement to the day!!!  YAY!  I love boxing!

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher