Behind The Scenes

Tail wags, readers - it's me, Stormy.  I loved reading all of your comments yesterday on our Wordless Wednesday post.  Many of you hit the nail on the head about what was really going on - I was giving Zim orders.  You see... Mom wanted to get some pictures of us "sitting nicely together".  Ha roo roo roo.  Like that's going to happen unless I want it to!  Zim started to cooperate - he can't help it:  he loves the camera and knows how to work it.  But I told him this wasn't the time.  Here's a little glimpse behind the scenes...

Don't do it, Zim!  Don't look at the camera!

Then Mom asked nicely.  So ... sure ... I'll look at the camera.  How's this pose?

Fine... I'll look at the camera...!

That's my grumpy face; pretty good, isn't it?  Thanks; I've worked hard on it.  Oh, but then I saw something across the street:

Fortunately, Zim was looking the other way, so it wasn't what Mom was going for.  Even so, it was more than I'd planned to give her, so I decided to jump Zim:

We had fun rolling around on the grass, doing the "arr-arr"s, and jumping on each other.

Gotcha, Zimmie!

And then... he had to do it!  He... he looked straight into the camera!

Hey, Mom!  How's this?  Going for the blue-eyed side?  

...so I had to do this:

I told you not to look at the camera!

Ha roo roo roo!  Oh, we had such a great time!  Even if he didn't quite follow my orders completely.  That's half the fun of it, though.

Tail wags,

Storms

Wordless Wednesday

Tail wags and play bows,

Storm and Zim

Gardening With Zim

Ha roo, pups and cool cats, it's me - Zim.  Yesterday was a gorgeous Spring day here at Ao4 HQs and Mom and I did a little gardening!  I was a huge help to Mom, so I thought I'd have her take pictures so I could show you what I did.  Ready?  Let's go!

It started when Mom showed me this cool box we got in the mail!

Hey, cool!  I smell... Airedales!

It was from Maggie and Mitch!  Isn't that exciting!!!  And look at what they sent!

WOWZERS!  Pink Lily of the Valley!

Isn't that cool?  They dug up some of their mom's pink Lily of the Valley and sent them to us!  Oh... I should point out that I'm pretty sure they had their mom's permission to do that.  Pretty sure.  Anyroo, they packed them really well and they were still damp and healthy-looking.  Mom said we needed to plant them right away and give them a nice drink of water!

I decided we should put them with our other Lily of the Valley; it's a nice, shady spot for them to hang out in!

Let's put them under the Burning Bush with the other guys!

I got Mom busy with her little shovel while I went on Guard Duty.

I've got the south-east flank covered!

Good thing I was there, too!

Alert!  Something's coming!!!

Sure, it was just school kids this time, but it could have been something ELSE just as easily!

Mom got them all in and settled, and gave them a nice, easy drink from the hose.  Maggie and Mitch had packed the little pips in sawdust (from their dad's workshop, I'll bet!), and I suggested we scatter that around them to help them feel at home.  

Good luck, you guys!

As if I wasn't tired enough from that, we also put flowers in the mailbox planter.  We put in some white Wave Petunias and some red Geraniums and this thing we've never planted before called a Mandevilla.

Here's a bloom on the Mandevilla.

In a short period of time, those ought to fill the planter up nicely!

Hey, Oswald!  Let's see you hop up there and try to eat those!  Ha roo roo roo!

Oh, don't feel bad for Oswald!  We put a pot of deep red Geraniums on the porch that he can reach much, much easier.

Maggie and Mitch!  Many thanks to you and your mom for the really special Lily of the Valley.  We hope they'll be happy here; we'll do our best to help them thrive!  We love having a new addition to our garden - Maggie and Mitch Lily of the Valley!

Play bows,

Zim

When It's Sibe-Plucking Time in Kansas...

Hi everypuppy and everykitty!  It's me - Amber.  We weren't really sure what we were going to post about today and so Stormy said, "OK, Chatty Cathy, you're up!" and she was looking right at me and even though my name is Amber (or you can call me Ammy or Ram-a-Lamb or Yams or any number of other nicknames) Zimmie said, "Yeah, Ams is never lacking for something to say!" and I really don't know what they were talking about but Davy sort of winced but didn't say anything other than, "Woo!" and so we went out front and Mom took some pictures and here's a pretty nice one of us:

Davy and me

Well, it was one that Stormy really liked and she said she was glad to see Davy acting like a true Siberian and refusing to look at the camera and - oh, speaking of Siberians, I know a lot of you know our friends in the Thundering Herd and given their most recent post I'd like to show you this picture:

See, Natasha (who they call Queen Natasha the Evil, but I don't really think she's quite as evil as they say!) is blowing coat right now and they showed some of her little cotton balls fluffing out of her coat and my mom, who is a SERIOUS pluck-a-holic, wanted to reach in and start plucking but instead while she was doing the photo shoot of Dave and me she reached in and started plucking my coat instead and she started singing some song called "When It's Sibe-Plucking Time in Kansas" and I'm pretty sure it's a song she made up and...

Woo, Am.  You're givin' me suuuuuuch a headache!

I think she made it up, don't you, Davy?  Because I don't really think there's a song like that and...

Excuse me a moment, please.  (Yes, Stormy?  Really?  OK, sorry!)  Oh... Stormy said there's a special time limit on our posts for today, so I need to wrap it up.  Have a happy day, everypuppy and everycat!  And beware of pluck-a-holics!

Love,

Ammy

Serene Scenery Sunday

Ha roo, pups and cool cats!  Zim here, with this week's fix of serene scenery!  Let's start with some garden pix, shall we?

That volunteer pansy Ammy showed you last week has another bloom on it!

Oddly enough, it seems to be doing better than the pansies did when they were up in the mailbox planter.  Ha roo roo roo!

The rose bush Aunt Janet sent us back in '07 has a bud!

Rose.... bud.

I'll do my best to protect it from Oswald.  And his wife.  And the twins they apparently had...

How about some Minuet Weigela?

And here's another look at the Miss Kim Lilacs:

Can you smell them?  They make Mom feel very serene!

Mom also took another picture of one of our favs - the Snowball Viburnum:

But uh-oh!  Check the sky behind them!  Here's a better look:

Mammatus clouds!  

OK... maybe they aren't too serene, but Ammy wanted me to post the picture.  How about a nice sunset, instead?  We haven't shown you one of those for a while!

Ahhh!

Yep.  That's better.  The close of a sunny, beautiful day.  And you know what I was doing earlier, right?

Zzzzz..... sunshine..... zzzzz....

Now that's serene!

Play bows,

Zim

Sienna Saturday

Ha roo, kit-kits and pups.  Stormy here.  In sienna.

Or something close to sienna.  Maybe raw sienna.  The Guide Dog for the Color Blind is snoozing, or I might have a better handle on that.

Have a great day!

Tail wags,

Storms

Photo Finish Friday

Hi everypuppy and everycat.  It's me, Amber.  You know - the victim of a horrible combing session the other day?  Yes.  That's me.  You remember.  Hrumph.  Combs and brushes.  Hrumph!

Here's how I look today:

I look fine, don't I?  But Mom keeps looking at my coat with "that look" she gets.

Me, looking a tad worried.

What does she mean that she still has a lot of work to do, especially in my neck and chest area?  Take a look:

Don't let Mom see!

My coat is fine, isn't it?  I think so, too.

Anyway... before the Evil Comb Lady comes after me again, and I know she will... I'd like to address a few of the comments/questions we received!  

Yes, that was my fur - after about a ten-minute combing session.  We are never shaved (except for a surgery) and as Siberians shouldn't be.  Our coats not only insulate us against the cold in Winter, but they help keep us cool and protect our skin in Summer.  To read Stormy's thoughts on this, please click here.  I have the thickest coat of all of us and am in full blow.  :)  I will continue to do this for a few weeks, while Mom combs, brushes and plucks me.  I could even get a b-a-t-h before too long, but hopefully not!

Since all of that was part of my under coat, it pains me to admit this - but yes, I do feel a bit cooler.  Sigh.  But it's still horrible to be combed and brushed.  :)  It's what we Sibes have to put up with to lose our Winter coats.  Don't tell my mom, but there's plenty more where that came from.  Hee hee hee.

The spray bottle you saw in Wednesday's picture is  HyLyt Bath Oil.  It has essential fatty acids to condition and moisturize my coat and skin, and can either be used after a b-a-t-h or while grooming.  My coat is very static-filled, and this helps avoid the zap-zap when Mom brushes or combs me.  When Dave and Zim first joined our family, their coats were very dry and brittle (especially Zimmie's).  Our vets recommended the HyLyt shampoo and spray.  They smell nice (if you're into "clean") and make our coats bunny-soft!

I think that's about it.  Except for Huffle's concern that Zimmie exploded.  Hee hee hee!  I'm still laughing about that one!  She's so funny!  

I think Mom's looking at my fur again...

...so I better go.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Love,

Ammy

Guard Duty

Ha roo, pups and kit-cats.  It's me - Zim.  You know, "they" say Siberian Huskies aren't good watch dogs.  Well, "they" are usually wrong about the weather, and "they" are wrong about us not being good watch pups.  I watch everything that happens and everyone who goes past our house.

Me, on Guard Duty by the front door

Oh, it's not like I'm going to bark about anything, but I am watching!

Ha roo?

If Mom and Dad want to know if there's anything going on, all they have to do it watch the watch dog.  Ha roo roo roo.  "Watch the watch dog."  Where's Ammy?  I've gotta run that by her!

Play bows,

Zim

PS:  Ammy thanks everyone for their concern over the terrifying picture she posted yesterday on Wordless Wednesday.  Mom took that after ten entire minutes of combing... then said something about "not having made a dent in Ammy's thick coat."  (If anyone needs Am, she said she'll be hiding under the dining room table.)  

PPS:  AND thanks to my bestest friend Huffle for the comment she left - as you can see by today's photos, I didn't explode.  Ha roo roo roo, that was such a good one!

Almost Wordless Wednesday

Hrumph!

Love,

Ammy

Rules?

Ha roo, pups and kit-cats!  It's me - Zimmie!  I'd like to thank our very dear friends, Dakota, Phantom and Thunder of the OP Pack for this wonderful award:

Thanks, pups!  We are very honored you chose to pass it along to us!

As with most awards, there are some rules attached to it.  Stormy said we're Siberian Huskies and we don't have to abide by rules.  COOL!  I decided to celebrate by doing this:

Rules? I don't need no stinkin' rules!

Today the Studio furniture, tomorrow the living room!  Ha roooo!

Play bows,

Zim

PS:  Note from Ammy:  Zimmie did this a week or two ago - can you believe it!?!?  We aren't allowed on that furniture!  He jumped up there and I came in and went, "Oh, NO!" and ran into the Library!  As soon as Mom snapped the picture, Zimmie jumped down and ran off.  He said he made his point.  Hee hee hee!  Mom said he better not get any ideas about trying it again.  I wonder what that means?

Decked Out

Woo, everypup and everycat!  It's me.  Dave.  Decked out.

Get it?  'Cuz I'm on the deck and all....

Ha woo.  I've got to remember to tell Ammy this one!

Luv,

Dave

Amaversary!

Hi everypuppy and everykitty!  You heard right - today is my Amaversary!  Ten, count 'em, ten years ago today, Mom and Dad brought me home to Stormy (who had just given birth to me!) and great brother Booter!  You can read the full story at this link, if you'd like!

I have some "then and now" pictures for you!  Here I am on my first Sentry Duty on the deck with Boots and Storm!

Booter, me and Storm on Sentry Duty!

And here we are, taking some time for PT:

Stormy and me running, Booter waiting for Mom to ask him to round us up!

And here are some more recent pix!  First is all of us on Sentry Duty on the deck:

The Ao4 on Sentry Duty on the deck

And here are some pictures of me and Stormy from a walk we took just yesterday!

Checking for p-mail by our neighbors' mailbox

Checking for Oswald!

Mom tried to get us to pose for some pictures, but Stormy said we shouldn't... so we didn't!  Hee hee hee!  A lady walked by with a baby in a baby stroller, though, and while we were checking them out, Mom snapped this:

Look Am!  A baby!

And a lady!

Whew!  We almost looked at the camera!  Hee hee hee!

Mom also took this video of us.  It's not exciting, but it's us heading home on our walk.

And finally... it's also Mother's Day.  Happy Mother's Day to all those who play the role of mom, whether they stand on two legs or four!  As a special treat to our mom, one of her VERY favorite flowers came up as a volunteer by our mailbox and is in full bloom today!

Happy Mother's Day!

Everyone is invited over to Ao4 HQs to help celebrate my Ammyversary.  There will be walks, zoomies, "arr-arr"s, NO brushing, nail clipping or baths, and lots and lots of love and giggling!  Come on over!

Love,

Ammy

Serene Scenery Saturday

Tail wags, everypuppy and everykit!  It's me - Stormy!  I know... we usually do the Serene Scenery on Sunday, but tomorrow is a special day here at Ao4 HQs, so I'm running with it today!

Last week, I showed you two of our lilac varieties - the Old Fashioned and the Skidmore.  This week, our two other varieties have bloomed, so here they are, as promised!

First up, the Dwarf Korean Lilacs.  We have three of these bushes right by the garage door we go in and out of about a million times a day, so we enjoy their fragrance a lot!  

Don't you want to just stick your snooter in there and smell them?

Mmm!  Heavenly!

As you can see, they are lighter in color than the varieties I showed you on Sunday.

Also lighter is the other lilac that came into bloom this week, the Miss Kim Lilac.  Here is what they looked like on Thursday:

...and here they are today!

Let's go in for a close up!

Aren't they a lovely lavender color?  They are especially fragrant; we can smell their blossoms from all the way up on the upper deck.  Here's what they look like from there:

If you could turn to the right a bit in the picture above, just on the other side of the fence are the Snowball Viburnum I mentioned last week.  They're nice and white now!  Check 'em out!

For more photos, please feel free to visit our FlickR album!

I think it's time to let Mom grab some coffee, and head out on the deck with us to enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of Spring!

Have a Serene Saturday!

Tail wags,

Storms