Stalking Robins

Hello, everyone!  It's me, Cammie.  This morning's walk was for the birds!  Literally, not figuratively!  Mostly Robins, and they were everywhere!  Mom always loves seeing birdies, Dad certainly loves the kind of birdies he gets on the golf course, and Maggie and I have been known to show interest in birdies as well!  Especially Robins!

Let's take a look!  We got mighty close to this one:

"... Stalking Robins, tweet, tweet, tweet..."
"We're stalking Robins!  Tweet, tweety-tweet!..."

He flew off at the last minute!

We heard a lot of birdies along the Hudson Trail, but didn't get close to any:

"I can hear them, I just can't see them!"
"They're all OVER the place today!"

And THEN... when we got a bit closer to home ... I got one!

"Mags!  Check it out!  I got a birdie!!!"

"Oooh!  Good get, Cam!"

I'm not sure what kind it was.

"Hmm... it reminds me of Foghorn Leghorn's sidekick.  You know, that Henery Hawk dude."

Editor's note:  Here's a link, for those who may not have had the same TV viewing experiences as a certain someone did around here.  Ahem.

Anyway ... I don't think it was him, but it was still a cool discovery!  Who knew we'd actually get a birdie today?!!?  It was very exciting!

Cammie!

Wordless Wednesday

Cammie and Mags

Porch Posing

Hello, everyone.  It's me, Cammie.  Mom took Maggie and me out front the other day to do some porch posing.  You know - get on the porch, sit on the porch, look at the camera ... it's an awful lot to ask of us.  Sigh.  She had treats, though  We are members of the Working Breed group, though, so we gave it our best shot.  It went like this:

"Yeah, yeah.  On the porch, sitting down, look at -- oh!  Mags!  The guy across the street is out!"
"He's got his disc golf thing set up!"

The guy across the street is quite the disc golf aficionado.  We love watching him practice.

"Ohh, that one took some wind!"
"Cam, wait - it's turning back around!"

"Oh, he's GOOD!"
"Isn't he?  I'd love to chase after those Frisbees - then run off with them and make him chase me.  You know, a little Siberian Rules Fetch."

Anyway, Mom let it slide - two out of three requests were good enough.  At least there were treats involved - and no hats!

Cammie!

Business

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie!  This morning, Cam and I took Mom and Dad on a great walk, just like we do every morning.  Today, I thought I'd get a little business done along the way.

Not that kind! This kind:

"Hey, crew!  Everybody hard at it this morning?!?"

Yep.  I saw one of my trucks and thought I should check out how things are going at the work site. Good to see them up and at it so early!

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

Serene Scenery Sunday

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie!  Spring is blooming all over the place here in the great state of Kansas!  Of course, this being Kansas means our winds could shift and get all crazy and it could still get bitterly cold and snowy (yay!), but things are starting to bud out and bloom, so we thought we'd show you around our gardens a bit!  Ready to take a look?

Cam and I helped Mom take photos of some of the things out back.  Well, actually, we stayed on the deck and did this for the most part:

"BOOM!"
"BOOM!"

... but you get the idea!

This is the time of year when Mom actually likes our Texas Quince bushes.  They are in full bloom!

Texas Quince

Dad dug out a whole bunch of them (like ... 87 million, I think) last year and the year before, and they are thorny, invasive, nasty things.  Those red flowers sure are pretty, though -- right?

Moving along ... the Day Lilies are sprouting up:

Day Lilies

And so are the Irises!  Mom's friend Linda gave her a bunch of (oh, wait -- she's our friend, too) gave her a bunch of Iris rhizomes in September and I supervised her building an Iris garden.  (You can read the details here.)  She's excited that they all lived and are coming up!  Here's a look:

The Linda R Iris Garden

Isn't  that cool?  Mom and Dad did a HUGE re-do of the back gardens last Fall, and planted lots of new things.  In some areas, Mom knew the plants would go dormant and she might forget what was where.  To ensure that she didn't pluck things out, thinking they were weeds, she stuck little flags all over the place and drew a map.  With any amount of luck, this is a Hummingbird Mint:

Hopefully a Hummingbird Mint

There's always a chance that a weed popped up right where she stuck her flag in, but let's stay positive!

While we were out on the deck supervising the garden photo shoot, this guy came by and serenaded us:

Northern Cardinal in the neighbors' tree

Isn't he handsome?  I hope a female Cardinal heard his song and was impressed!  Mom loves it when the birds come to our backyard!

Oh! Do you know what else is out back? Our sunsets.

Sunset over the hills

God does amazing work, doesn't He?

Let's see what's going on out front, OK?  How about the Hen and Chicks?

"Check it out!"

Oh.  Right.  I meant the plant variety, not the birdie variety!

The Dragon's Blood Sedum is already looking good:

Really cool Dragon's Blood Sedum

And the tiny Grecian Windflowers Mom put in a few years ago are up and blooming!

"They're right here in front of m---oooh!  The neighbor kid is out!"

Sorry.  I got distracted.  Two things you should know - the Windflowers are the tiny, purple flowers right in front of me and apparently you're not supposed to eat them.  Who knew?  Are these rules written down somewhere?

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed your tour around our gardens.  We'll let you know how everything progresses!  Have a serene Sunday!

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher

The Weekend!

Hello, everyone!  It's me, Cammie!  It's the weekend - and guess where we're going?  Come with us -- you'll see!

"Look at that view!"
"You can see the K-State football stadium from here!"

"I love this meadow area!"
"And the woods on the left!  Listen to all the birdies!"

"HILL!  Engage fur-wheel drive!"
"It's my favorite hill!!!"

"Ah!  A flat part of the trail, just for Mom!"
"Such great smells here!"

"I love that twisty-turny part up there!"
"So do I!"

"I'm having so much fun!"
"Me, too!  I love this!"

"And now the straight part!  Listen to all those birdies!"
"I love the shade and all the birdies singing!"

So ... do you know where we were going?  Nowhere and everywhere!  It's all about enjoying every little thing along the way!

What a great walk!  Thanks for coming with us!  Have a great weekend!

Cammie!

Photo Finish Friday - Selfie Fail

Hello, everyone!  It's me, Cam.  I was playing around with Mom's iPad last night, trying to take a selfie to use for Photo Finish Friday.  I leaned it against the ottoman and was trying to figure the whole thing out when ...

"OK, wait ... do I look at myself or at that thing at the top of the screen ...?"

"Uh oh."

"I hate it when that happens!"

Yep.  It slipped.  Of course, it would have gone better if I had opposable thumbs, but let's not go there.  Mom said we'll make a new iPad stand, then I can try again.

Happy Friday!

Cammie!

Formation

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie.  Cammie and I were getting into a great formation the other night and Mom was able to take a few shots.

"OK, Cam.  Move just your hips toward me a bit."
"Like this?"

"Yeah, that's great.  Now hold it!"
"Doing my best, Mags!"

"And ... perfect!"
"We've GOT this!!!"

Isn't it great?!? V for VICTORY!

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

Wordless Wednesday

Mags and Cam

How About This One?

Hello, everyone!  It's me, Cammie.  I think the picture Maggie posted yesterday of us posing on the deck was a BIT too serious - don't you?  After all, we were having fun out there AND Mom had cookies.  I like this one better:

Me and Mags, all smiles!

Did that make you smile? I sure hope so!

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

Cammie!

Weekend Events

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie!  Cam and I had such a wonderful weekend - I thought I'd show you some of the highlights.  Ready?

We went on lots of walks:

Me and Cam, putting in some road work!

Helped Mom in the Studio:

"Are you up for more Crazed River Otter Games?"
"Bring it on, Maggie!"

Played on the deck:

"Tag!  You're it!"
"OK!  You better run fast, little one!"

Watched a little TV:

"Oooh!  Midsomer Murders!  I love this show!"

Spent some time supervising Mom:

"Seriously, Mom?  You fell off the ball doing 'crunchers'.
Are you sure you're ready for the 'reverse hyperextension'?  I'd best stand by..."

Watched and listened to my friends Max and Zorro as they had a great skijoring outing:

"Oh, yeah!  I hear ya, Max!  Let's go, go, GO!!!"

Posed for treats on the deck:

"You DO have treats, don't you?"
"Mags, she has the fruity kind!"

And helped some more in the Studio:

"What a blast!"

Now that I'm rested up, I'm ready to take on the week!

How was your weekend?

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

Still Life Sunday

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie, here with an artistic approach to our Serene Scenery Sunday series. As many of you know, I have a creative side, and have shared a few of my more meaningful still life pieces with you -- to review, please click here and here for the pieces I've soloed on, and click here and here to view some art pieces Cam and I collaborated on.

Anyway, spending a couple afternoons down in Mom's Studio this past week got my creative juices flowing, and I decided to come up with a new still life.  Mom took some photos of my work in progress, and I thought I'd share those with you.  You know.  To help you relax on a Sunday.

Here I am, getting my objet d'art into place:

"Yep.  That just about should do it."

Having the piece so close to the edge is mighty tricky.

"Wait!  That didn't move, did it?"

I had to make a very small adjustment.

"There.  Now ... stay put ..."

YES!  Got it!

Living On The Edge.
Still Life by Polargold's Margaret Thatcher.

It was a lot of work, but my art is very important to me. I hope this put a little serenity into your day.  Today, I will focus my creativity on some window nose art.  I thought I had a piece just about finished, then it mysteriously disappeared.  Hmm.  Have a great Sunday, everyone!

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

Hello

Hello, everyone!  It's me, Cammie.  I'm here helping out in Mom's Studio.  In case anyone was wondering ...

"Hello!"

... I have the red KONG.

Have a happy weekend!

Cammie!

Road Block

Greetings to all! It's me, Maggie! So, as I told you, I've found the job I'd like to have in my mom's Studio. Sadly, we seemed to hit a snag yesterday afternoon.

"Can I drive now?"
"No."
"How about now?"
"No."
"How about now?"
"... I think Cammie needs your input on what she's doing."

She was right, of course. Cammie was playing with the red KONG and needed me to cheer her on. I did that for a bit, then delivered an important political speech for her for about half an hour, then Mom said we should probably move our party upstairs.

In unrelated news, did you know my dad's office is right next door to our Studio? He really appreciated being able to hear my speech. He teaches Political Science (among other topics), so he probably picked up some important points from what I said.  I'm hoping he'll let me sit in as a guest lecturer or something eventually. Maybe do a voice-over for one of his videos! Wouldn't that be cool?

Anyway, we sure hit a road block as far as me driving the sewing machine. I'll try again today.

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

Finding My Job

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie!  Apparently, before I livened up Mom's life, she used to do quite a bit of sewing - quilts and bags, things other than cool leashes and collars.  Who knew?  Anyway, she's getting back into the groove now, and I've decided to help!

All of the Sibes in our family have had really important jobs in Mom's Studio, and I've decided I need to figure out mine will be!  Cammie, Mom's "calming influence and great company", said I need to do what comes naturally to me.  Hmm.

"Whatcha doing, Mom?  Quilting a denim bag, huh?  Cool."

I like to be right in the middle of the action, preferably touching Mom, so I positioned myself under her chair at the machine.  It was pretty cool.  And there's this den-like area sort of between Mom and the sewing machine, under the table and chair.

"This is nice.  Almost - dare I say? - like a box."

I love to den.  Dens make me feel so peaceful.  Sleepy, even.

"I feel so ... sleeeeeeepppp--NO!  Must focus!  I'm here to work!!!"

Then I saw what Mom was doing.  There's a pedal on the floor - sort of like in a car.  She drives the machine with that.  Since it was right there in my den, I thought ...

"Keep your footy-foot here, Mom.  I'll drive the machine!"

It was cool!  I laid on Mom's foot, then pressed down on the pedal.  She got all kinds of excited, so I think she might be happy with my first choice of jobs - Machine Driver!  We're heading back into the Studio this afternoon.  I hope she'll let me drive again!  I just may have found my calling!

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher