Valentine's Day Walk!

Hello, everyone! It's me, Cam. Maggie, Mom, Dad and I had a GREAT walk this morning.  And what could be more appropriate on Valentine's Day than to run into our friend MURPHY!!!

"Murphy!  Ha roo!"
"Happy Valentine's Day, Murphy!"
"Hi, girls!!!"

Running into Murphy inspired us to come up with the following poem:

We are white and reds,

Murphy's eyes are blue.

So is Maggie's left one,

Happy Valentine's Day to you!

Our Valentine, Murphy!

Can you feel the love?  Happy Valentine's Day to all of you, too!

Cammie!

Yeah, But I Made Mom Laugh!

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie!  So, yeah.  Cam showed you how her portrait sitting went yesterday -- is she a supermodel or WHAT?!?  Awesome talent.  But we all bring gifts to the party, right?  They're just ... different gifts!  Anyway ...

I had a photoshoot, too.  I gave Mom this great pose:

"I don't think you really HAVE treats, Mom."

... but she wanted more. Come ON! It was perfect! I sat. I looked at the camera. What more could she want?!?  She said I had that "skeptical look" on my face.  Ha.  "Skeptical"?!?  I'll give her "skeptical"!

"Oh, reeeeeeally?"

That was perfect, wasn't it?  Seriously.  I've been watching Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda, and I think I've got his skeptical look down-pat!

So apparently that wasn't the look Mom was after, so we moved over to another area of the yard.  Fine with me.

"Mmm... that breeze!  I smell ... pancakes!"

That's kind of supermodel-ish, isn't it?  Gazing off into the distance?  Right?  Mom kept shooting.

"Or wait!  Could be waffles..."

Mom said we weren't getting anywhere out front and thought we should try out back on the deck.  She mentioned the lighting might be better out there.

"Does this sunbeam make my snooter look big?"

Yeah.  Once Mom stopped laughing, she said maybe we'd have better luck if Cam got in the shot and showed me how it was done.  Great idea!

"You don't have any treats left, do you?"
"Yeah, this was a great idea.  Here's my imitation of Cam."

I mean - I did my best to study Cam and mimic her look.  That's what Mom wanted, right?  And then the breeze kicked back up and ...

"Sigh."
"No, wait.  It IS pancakes!"

That's pretty much how my session ended. After that, Cam and I decided to get in a little Crazed River Otter action. That was WAY better than posing for portraits! So maybe I'm not a supermodel like Cam ... but I did make my mom laugh.  A lot!

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

Serene Portrait Sunday

Hello, everyone!  It's me, Cammie.  Today, I thought I'd share some of the more serene portraits Mom took yesterday.  Ready to take a look?

Here I am, out front by some of the grasses:

My "The Neighbors Are Out" Look

Same grasses, but a different angle:

"Hello, readers!"

This is my Demure Look, down in the side yard by the retaining walls and grasses:

And here I am, on the side yard steps, doing my Bored Super Model Look:

Oh. In case you're wondering, since this is Serene Sunday ...

"... I think that's a wrap for now."

... we'd best save Maggie's portraits for tomorrow.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Cammie!

Portrait Day!

Hello, everyone!  It's me, Cam.  Mom wanted to do some outdoor portrait work with Maggie and me this morning.  I sat in front of some pretty grasses and did this:

Me!  D'Azul's Girl From Ipanema!

Maggie sat ... but she wasn't sure Mom really had treats.

Mags - Polargold's Margaret Thatcher

You can't blame her for that rather ... questioning look.  Mom can be tricky sometimes!

Cammie!

Pickle? What Pickle?

Hello, everyone.  It's me, Cam.  There I was the other day ... Mom gave Maggie and me our Pickles, stuffed with a couple yummy treats, and we had both been enjoying them to the fullest.  Maggie got the treats out of hers first, of course, because she's really good at that.  And then ...

"Cam?  Do you still have stuff in your Pickle?"
"Umm..."

"Pickle?  What Pickle?  Do YOU see a Pickle?"

Yeah, that didn't really work.  She saw it under my arm and I let her check it out.  I was done with it anyway, so we launched into zoomies and Crazed River Otter Games.  There is no fooling Maggie!

Cammie!

Indoor Soccer Arena

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie!  I still had oodles of energy after yesterday's walk, a Crazed River Otter Games session with Cam, Pickle time, more CROG, zoomies, etc. ... so Mom decided we could turn the living room into an indoor soccer arena.  Awesome!

She shared this photo with her FaceBook friends, with the caption "Indoor soccer with Maggie. There IS no getting the ball past her!":

Mom's foot, my ball, and me!

Lest anyone think she was exaggerating my soccer skills, check these shots out!

"Got it!"
"Hey!!!"

Oh.  Yeah.  You may have noticed I may have found a slight rip in the cover for my ball.

"Ha!  Got it this time!"
"I don't think so, Mom!"

... And that rip appears to be getting bigger.  Crazy, huh?  What can I say?

I don't always depend on grabbing that, though.  I mean, it IS soccer, so ...

"Gonna get it past you this time, Mags!"
"No chance, Mom!"

Gotta be quicker than that to get one past me!

I think the final score was Mom -1, Mags 87.  She got a point subtracted for kicking the ball onto the dining room table.  That's not only out of bounds, but she could have broken something.  Sheesh!  Don't bipeds know to be careful during indoor soccer?!!?

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher

Wordless Wednesday

Cam and Mags

Invitation To Play

Hello, everyone!  It's me, Cammie.  The other day, Mom let us have some supervised time with our Pickles.  We just love them!  Maggie had finished getting the treats out of hers and came over to see how I was doing with mine.

"How's it going, CamCam?  Are you done?"
"Well ..."

I mean, I was done with my Pickle, but I knew what was coming next, and I wanted to relax for a bit. Oh.  She didn't want my Pickle.  She wanted me.  Here's some footage for your viewing enjoyment.  Please have your speakers on so you can get the full experience of what it's like to be ... invited to play.

To view on YouTube, please click here.

Maggie can be very persuasive!

Cammie!

Deutschland 83

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie!  The other night, Mom and Dad were watching a spy/intrigue series - Deutschland 83.  It was a pretty cool movie, lots of action, subterfuge, suspense ... and some pretty unlikely things, too, but hey, it's a movie.  Series.  Whatever.

Mom sat on the floor with us for a while, but then moved up to the chair and ottoman with her quilt.  She looked comfy.  I mean COM-FY!

"Mind if I just rest my chin here for a minute?"
"No, Mags, but how can you read the subtitles like that?"

Oh.  Right.  The series is in German.

"It's OK, Mom.  Dies ist gut.  Zzz..."

Like I'd NEED the subtitles.  Please!

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher

Serene Scenery Sunday

Greetings to all!  It's me, Mags!  Cam and I thought some of the sights and sounds we saw the other day on our morning walk might bring you a bit of serenity.  Ready to take a look?

It was a nice, sunny, cold morning and we decided to take the route that goes past the Kansas Ocean.  Things got most interesting about when we hit the trans-oceanic bridge.

"Cam!  Look on the shoreline!  Gooses!"
"Mmm... gooses!"

They saw us and started honking their horns - I think there was a traffic jam trying to get into the water for some reason!

"Hey, gooses!  Where are you going?"

I'm not sure why they were so anxious to get away from us!

"DINNER!"

Oh.  Well, yeah.  She may have been thinking that, but she was very calm and quiet.  I was, too -- eventually.  Yes, "eventually".  See ... when they honk and stuff, they sound remarkably like squeaky toys!  So, yes.  I got a tad excited at first, then gained my composure and just looked at them.  Here's a short vid Mom shot on her iPhone:

Please click here to view on YouTube.

See?  Just like squeaky toys -- am I right?!?  Anyway, once I settled down, Mom took this closeup of one of the geese:

Canada Goose

Rather handsome, isn't he?

Cam and I decided to sit and watch them for a while.  I tried my best to feel the serenity.

"Must not think of them as squeaky toys ..."
"Quit squeaking, gooses!  We're trying to be serene here!"

"Much better!  Thanks, Cam!"
"Silly gooses!"

Cam's always got my back!

I hope your day is nice and serene!

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

Pitching In

Hello, everyone!  It's me, Cammie!  As you know, Maggie and I are Siberian Huskies -- Working Breed dogs!  This week, both Mom and Dad have been bogged down with a major cold, so we've been pitching in, helping with the household chores.  Take the other day for example - we helped Mom change the bed sheets!

I got there first and was giving it my best.

"Pace yourself, Mom.  I'll be right here if you need me."

Maggie thought Mom might need even more help, so she jumped up and offered to join us.  You can just see her snooter on the far right in this next shot:

"No, we're fine, Mags."
"Hey... isn't that my GoughNut?  I wondered what I'd done with it!"

She jumped off, then came around to see if I'd change my mind about her helping out.

"C'mon, Cam.  Many paws make for shorter work!"

"Many paws make for shorter work"?  Hmm.

"I think she may have come up with something quite profound!"

"I think I may have come up with something quite profound!"

I mean really!  She did have a great point, so I gave her the green light and she jumped up and started right in.

"Let's get this party started!"
"Good job, Maggie!"
"Umm... Mags?"

That last line is Mom's.

"Yes?  I'm working as fast as I can!"

I can't believe Mom interrupted Maggie like that - just when she was really getting into her work!  Maybe she didn't want Mags to over-do.  She's nice like that.  Maggie decided to take her GoughNut and go in the other room.  Mom thanked her (for all the work she did, no doubt!), then addressed me.

"So... uh... Cam?"
"Yes, Mom?"

She just gave me snooter kisses and rubbed my face after that, so I decided to lay down in the pile-o-sheets for a while so she'd take a break.  You know.  I didn't want her to over-do, either.

Do you pitch in and help with chores around the house?

Cammie!

Kinneared!

Hello, everyone.  It's me, Cam.  The other morning while we were out on our walk, it would seem that the paparazzi (or is that "pup-arazzi"?) kinneared Maggie and me!

From the Urban Dictionary:  Kinnear - To surreptitiously photograph a celebrity or person of interest because you are too nervous or respectful of their privacy to ask for a photo.

Let's take a look:

Me, clearly caught off-guard

Mags in a candid moment

I'm not sure people use the term "kinneared" any more, but it seemed to fit here.  Especially because there is an element of respect in the term.  The paparazzi ARE everywhere, though!

Cammie!

Back To Victoria

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie.  This week, we watched the next episode of the TV series Victoria -- remember I mentioned it a couple weeks ago?  Yeah.  So I settled in to watch, expecting the same drama as before.

"Hey.  When do they get to that famous line 'Do you have Prince Albert in a can?'
Ha roo ro--- oh.  Oh, right.  He's not the prince yet.  Got it."

Just when it was starting to drag a bit ...

"Look, everybody!  It's Dash!"

Isn't that cool!  It was Dash!  Or rather it was Tori, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who plays Dash! He had a much larger role in this episode!

"We all know Dash was her REAL advisor, not that Lord Melbourne dude!"

Anyway, as I said, he had a much larger role.  In fact, he had to do a scene where he gets injured and it was very convincing.  Mom had to look away!  It's great to see his role expanded like that -- honestly, it's like the show's writers read my blog!  Don't you think?  I hope this trend continues!

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

Wordless Wednesday

Cammie!

The Après-Pickle

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie.  The other morning, after our walk, Cam and I got to play with our Pickles for a while.  After that, we played Crazed River Otter Games (CROG) for a bit, then went back to our Pickles.  After that, we entered into a bit more subdued version of CROG - Winding Down. You know - sort of the après-Pickle.  We thought you might want to take a look.

To view on You Tube, please click here.

What an enjoyable way to spend the morning!  If anyone would like to join us, come on over!

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

Training Mission

Hello, everyone!  It's me, Cam!  Yesterday, I got to go on a special mission with my mom.  Our friend Beth recently adopted a Border Collie baby named Flynt.  She is in the process of training and socializing him and wanted him to be around another dog who would be calm and basically just ignore him and Moss, her other BC.  Mom said I was just the girl for the job!

(For the record, Maggie and I both love other dogs, but Maggie is a bit too exuberant for this type of work.  I like to play, too, but as a former show dog, I know when to play and when we're working!  I've also had two litters and am extremely good with puppies!)

OK - so Mom and I set out to meet everyone at the park!  I ignored Flynt as best I could, then also met Moss, and was good at ignoring him, too.  We went on a nice walk together, ignoring each other along the way, and being calm.  After our walk, Mom asked us all to sit so she could get a group picture - here is one of them:

Moss, Flynt, and me.  Mom didn't even have treats.  That's how good I was!

Mom said she thought I'd be good, but didn't think I'd be as good as I was. She was really proud of me.  Not to brag, but the word "perfect" was tossed around a bit.  I would have LOVED to play with those boys, but understood I was working.

To make up for it, this morning on our walk, Maggie and I did a bit of this:

"Ha roo!"
"Ha WOO!"

... and a bit of this:

Maggie and me, thoroughly enjoying a bit of Crazed River Otter Games as we walked

It was super fun.

I'll hopefully get to see Flynt and Moss again soon!  Maggie will get to meet them eventually; she said she knows all kinds of great things she could teach Flynt.  Mom said that's what she and Beth are afraid of.  Ha roo woo roo!

Cammie!

Serene Scene!

Hello, everyone!  It's me, Cammie.  Maggie is usually the one who is right by the door when Mom and/or Dad come home - the first to greet and tell them how much we missed them.  Yes, sometimes we mix it up just to keep them on their toes, as we showed you the other day, but generally speaking, I hang back and let Maggie do the meet and greet, then I come and say hello.  Friday, however, after Mom being gone all day long all week ...

I heard Dad talking on his iPhone.  I knew he was talking to Mom.  I just knew it.  And I knew she was on her way home this time, not just on a late lunch break.  Maggie hadn't figured it out yet, but I had!  So what did I do?

Me, when Mom was a few blocks from the house.
Photo courtesy of our dad.

What can I say?  It was a long week for me, too!

Cammie!

Sticking Close

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie.  Our mom's been gone all week for Jury Duty.  Sure, Dad was here with me and Cam, but we missed Mom like crazy!  We're doing a lot of this now:

Mom and me

It's been a long week for all of us!

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher