Toy Tower

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie!  Ever since I was a little puppy, Mom and I have played this cool game with my toys.  She builds a tower - and I knock it down!  It's great fun!  Here's a relatively short tower we made the other day:

"Wrecking ball to swing in 3... 2... "

A few of the toys are of the "can't leave down all the time" variety, which makes it even more fun!

Cammie was playing with one of the KONG dental stick things:

Cam.  With a KONG dental stick.  In the living room.

I'm not allowed to play with that one.  Something about "chunks of rubber", "less than 10 seconds", "don't want her to swallow them" ... I don't know.  Trust me - it's nothing important!

Cammie, up close and personal!

I really wanted Cam's dental stick, but Mom (and Cam) said "no".  We do have a KONG dental ball, too.  I am granted very limited access to that - if Mom is sitting on the floor right next to me, taking any of those alleged "chunks of rubber" away from me.  I happened to notice it near the bottom of my toy tower, so I decided to go for it!

Cam and me with our toys!

It was the next best thing to having what Cammie had - AND I got to chew on it for a good 5 minutes before Mom decided I should play with something else!  ...and something about those pesky "chunks of rubber"!

Have a lovely weekend, everyone!

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

Wow!

Hello, everyone!  It's me, Cam.  And look!

"WOW!"

I found a giant sneaky snake!!!

Cammie!

As American As ...

Hello, everyone.  The other day, Maggie and I were  snoozing  working in the kitchen together something like this:

Maggie and me, working in perfect unison

... when we saw Mom start gathering supplies to do something.

This  woke us up  got our attention, and we decided we should lend a hand.  Or our taste buds, as the case may be.

"Are you sure the apples are OK, Mom?"
"Yeah.  I'd hate for you to use sub-par apples!"

Seriously.  If she was going to make an apple pie, with some special crust she wanted to try out, the least we could do was give the apples a taste test - right?

"Ooh!  Granny Smith!  Nice and tart!"

"I thought you were making a pie, not a tart!"

Here's how our efforts came out:

Apple Pie with Sugar Cookie-like Crust!

Would you like a slice?

So would we.  Sadly, all we got was a taste of the apples.  Better than nothing, though!

Do you all like helping in the kitchen as much as we do?

Cammie!

Wordless Wednesday

Mags and Cammie!

Without Treats Versus With Treats

Hello, everyone!  It's me, Cammie!  Over the weekend, Maggie and I took Mom and Dad on a nice, long afternoon bonus walk - it was great.  The wind was kicking up and we could smell so many interesting things!  Mom wanted to show Dad the view we discovered on a walk earlier in the week, so we walked and walked and walked until we hit the cul-de-sac with the wide-open vista!

When we got to the cul-de-sac, Mom wanted us girls to pose while Dad checked the view. It went something like this ...

No treat:

"Whatevs."

Treat:

No treat:

"Seriously?"
"Ooh!  What's this?!?"

Treat:

No treat:

"Not feelin' it, Mom."
"What's th--oh, right.  Just Mom's watermark."

Yes. You get the idea. You'd think Mom would get the idea by now, too, wouldn't you?

Cammie!

Blue Mini Bars!

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie!  This month, our wonderful friend Sydney at Chewy.com gave us the option of reviewing all kinds of cool stuff.  May I just say that if the people at KONG made the Triangle Play Mat for Cats in my size, I would have been all over that!  (Note to KONG:  think about it?)  Anyway, what we did select was the Blue Mini Bars by the good folks at the Blue Buffalo Company.  We chose the Chicken and Cheddar variety, as that's different from what we'd normally have, but honestly, all the flavor combos sounded awesome!  Chewy.com carries so many different ones - there is something for everyone!

OK, now ... let's get the photo shoot over with so we can enjoy a treat or three.

We gave the bag a quick read, then struck a pose like the perfect angels that we are:

"Blue Mini Bars are made in the USA!"
"They're jam-packed full of wholesome ingredients like whole grains, fruits, and veggies!  Nothing artificial!"

Mom opened the easy-open, resealable bag, then put us in the dreaded "down-stay".  That one is SO HARD!!!  But we could smell the Blue Mini Bars by then, so ...

"Great Dane in the morning, do those smell awesome!"
"Mom, hurry.  You're killin' us here!"

She held them up while we did a quick scan:

"What do you think, Mags?  1 1/8th by 7/8ths by 3/8ths of an inch thick?"
"Cam, I can't hear anything other than those Blue Mini Bars calling me!"

Seriously.  I couldn't think!  I could just hear the cookies calling my name - and I could smell the chicken and the cheddar!  I even smelled carrots and apples - more of our favorites!  Mom finally let us have one, and oh, my word, are they WONDERFUL!!!  We savored every morsel, then ...

"C'mon, Cam!  Let's play!"
"URNFFF!"
"Girls?  We weren't done here, girls!"

We couldn't help it!  They energized us!!!

"Come back here, Cam-a-roo!"
"How about you both come back here?  Girls?  Girls?"

Cammie may be older than me, but wow, can she move out smartly when she wants to!  We both felt a great surge of energy from the Blue Mini Bars!

"Try to catch me, Peep!"
"You're on!"
"Girls?  Cam?  Mags?  Anyone?"

"GOTCHA!"
"Not for long you don't!"
"Anyone?  Bueller?"

Cam has an awesome twisty move!  What fun!

"Ready for another round?"
"You bet!  Play bows, Cam!"
"Sigh..."

And then Mom did what she should have done all along, if she wanted our attention.  She got two more treats out of the bag!

Cam and me - once again posing like the perfect angels that we are!

As Cammie likes to say, there is nothing wrong with being food-motivated!

Anyway, wow, do we love these Blue Buffalo Blue Mini Bars! The Chicken and Cheddar variety is GREAT - and they gave us a great energy boost during the afternoon doldrums!  We give this crunchy treat 5 out of 5 stars!  Mom loves that they are made in the US of all-natural ingredients, help clean our teeth, and that they CAN be broken into smaller pieces but really are a nice treat-size for us!  We just LOVE the flavors!

Many thanks to Sydney at Chewy.com for the opportunity to review this yummy product!  We would definitely order these again - and encourage you to give them a try!

Yours sincerely,
Margaret  Thatcher

DISCLAIMER: We received no payment for this post, but did receive the Blue Buffalo Blue Mini Bars free of charge from Chewy.com - in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are our own. And mom's. And really, to the people at KONG -- what about making one of those cool triangle tunnels big enough for Siberian Huskies?!?  I dare say I'm not the only honorary kit-cat who'd love something like that.  Of course, that mouse would be mincemeat in a matter of seconds ...

Serene Scenery Sunday

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie!  As we just MAY have mentioned, Mom ran off to go birding yesterday before helping us with our blog.  Oh, sure, we had a nice walk first, got breakfast, went out to potty a few times, but what about the blog?!?!  Sometimes I wonder where her priorities are!  Anyway, being the very nice girls that we are, we thought we'd share some of the shots she took with you for Serene Scenery Sunday.  Ready to go birding?

Mom and her birding buddy hit the duck jackpot on one of the little beaver ponds in the park.  Beautiful sunlight (at the right angle) and a pond full of ducks.  Oh, sure, there were lots of bushes and reeds and trees and stuff in the way and the ducks were on the far side of the water, but hey!  It was still a beautiful sight!  Here's a sampling of what they saw:

Mallard Drake

Green-Winged Teal in front,
Gadwall in the grasses behind him

Gadwall out in the open

Mostly Green-Winged Teals
The two at left, front are Ring-Necked Ducks
The two at right, front are Mallards

Two Mallard Drakes and a Mallard Hen in the middle

Mom said, in the photo above, that the Mallard on the left reminded her of "someone" who has a lot to say.  Cammie giggled and they both looked at me.  Hmm.  Anyway - back to the pond!

A better look at the Ring-Necked Ducks

It was quite the happening place!  There hasn't been water there for quite a while, but the beavers have been busy (as they say), and made a nice little pond for everyone!

Mom also saw a lot of tiny birds, most of whom wouldn't hold still or pose where she could get a clear shot of them.  She did manage to get these two:

Dark-Eyed Junco

American Tree Sparrow

What Mom was also very excited about was seeing a lot of raptors - birds of prey.  She didn't see any of the Bald Eagles, but here's what she did see!

Coopers Hawk

Northern Harrier

The Coopers Hawk and the Harrier were in the park having some sort of territorial dispute with a couple of Crows.  This morning, Mom thought it would have been a good idea to shoot some video of that.  A little late on the draw, but hey, maybe next time!

On the way home, Mom pulled off the highway and got one more raptor for the day!

Red-Tailed Hawk

Isn't he beautiful!?!

Have a serene Sunday, everyone!

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

Almost Silent Saturday

Hello, everyone.  It's me, Cammie.  Mom went birding this morning instead of helping us with our blog.

"Didn't you ... Mom?"
"Yeah ... Mom."

Cammie!

A Tad Breezy

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie!  Before we got these lovely, cooler temps in, we had a couple days of what we here in Kansas call "breezy" weather -- which means 40-50 mile per hour gusts.  Here's a very short video of me on patrol in the front yard, checking things out:

If that won't play, please click here to watch on YouTube.

Cammie and I would like to sincerely thank the wind for bringing in some much nicer weather -- even if Mom's not quite on board with us on that one!

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

Cooler Temps

Hello, everyone!  It's me, Cammie!  Cooler morning temps have finally arrived here in the great state of Kansas - and that means more, longer walks for Maggie and me!  Cooler temps also mean ...

"Crazed River Otter Games begin in 3... 2..."
"ONE!"

Do the rest of you love the drop in temperatures as much as we do?!!? What a great time of year!

Cammie!

Veterans Day 2015

Memorial Day, the last Monday in May, is a day to honor those who have fallen in the service of our country - our war dead.
Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday in May, is a day we celebrate and thank all those who served or who are serving in our military.
And Veterans Day, the 11th day of November, is traditionally when we pay tribute to those who served or who are serving in combat. It has become a day to salute all who have served honorably in our military.

Monument honoring our veterans
Manhattan, Kansas

Freedom is not free - it must be fought for and guarded. All of us here at Ao4 Headquarters thank our veterans for their selfless service, dedication to duty, and their courage. It is because of these men and women that we enjoy the great freedoms we have today. They are the strength of America.

Monument honoring our veterans
Manhattan, Kansas

We extend a special salute to the patriots in our family - especially Mom's dad, a Vietnam War veteran who served over 30 years in uniform:

Mom's dad, c. 1963, 
with his counterpart, a Captain in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)

And our own dad, a Desert Shield/Desert Storm veteran who served our nation for over 27 years:

Our dad, 1991, in Iraq

We are especially proud of these two combat veterans and the rest of our family members who served or who are serving!

To all US veterans - past and present - we thank God for you and pray for His blessing on each and every one of you.

Cammie and Mags

The Sweet Smell Of ...

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie.  The other morning, Cam and I took Mom and Dad on a lovely walk that took us past Chicago.  I mean "Old" Chicago - apparently, it's a restaurant, not a town.  Anyway, it was a great walk and we posed for some shots beside the restaurant.  It went something like this ...

"Do you smell that, Mags?"
"Oooh, yes!  That's the sweet smell of ..."

"Success?"
"No.  Calzones.  Definitely calzones."

"Mmm!  We should take a seat in the outdoor area and order one!  I don't have any money, though."
"Me, neither.  Of course one of us has a 20 tucked in her iPhone case, doesn't she ... Mom?"

"Mom?  Is that true?"
"Don't try to deny it, Mom!"

Apparently, Old Chicago doesn't serve calzones at 0830 - or so Mom and Dad would have us believe.  Maybe once it gets cold out, we can walk later in the day, then sit outside on their patio for a nice calzone!

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher

New Garden Tool

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie!  Dad got Mom a cool, new gardening tool - it's for digging, cutting,  sawing, weeding, planting, measuring - all kinds of great stuff.

"Aw, c'mon, Mom!  Just for a minute?!?  What could possibly go wrong?"

She wouldn't let me try it out.  Apparently, it's one of those "NoNoMaggie" things. Sheesh.  And it didn't even come in a box or anything.

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher