Pool Shark 2

Hello, everyone!  It's me, Cam.  Last week, I had to fight off a shark attack in the bedroom ... and this week ...

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water ...

"GASP!"
"Ha-roo ... Cammie!"

That's right - SHARK!!!!!!  It's a Great (Red and) White!  I'm sure it's the same one I spotted last year.  As Police Chief Brody once said, "I think we have another shark problem!"

Cammie!

Splash Party!

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie!  The other morning, Cam and I got super hot on our morning walk, so we decided to have a pool party when we got home!  It was great!

We raced down the stairs to the lower deck:

"First one down gets to help fill the pool!!!"
"Wait!  I wasn't ready!"

There's a chance I got a head start.

At any rate, I helped fill up the pool while Cam relaxed on the landing.

"DIG DIG DIG DIG DIG!!!"

I was working hard, as you can see!

"Yeah ... that's just about right!"

The pool was about ready!  Time to call Cam.  How about a very short video?!?

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

Cam enjoyed her time in the water:

"Ahhh... that feels SO GOOD!"

And I certainly enjoyed mine!

"Squeaky Fish and I had a BLAST!"

Do you like to cool off in a pool after your Summer walks? Even Mom sticks her feety-feet in!

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

Wordless Wednesday

Cammie!

I'm Good!

Hello, everyone!  It's me, Cammie!  Maggie and I thought you might want to come along with us on our morning walk today.  Given the projected temps for the day (over 100℉), we got a bit of a later start than what Mom wanted to, but hey!  We were game.

Here we are, heading out:

"Be alert, Cam!"
"Hunting mode ... ON!"

Those bushes mark the dividing line between our next-door neighbors' house and the next house.  We often see bunnies in there - so it pays to stay alert!

We decided to go down this hill:

"Look at that view!"
"Awesome!"

Down at the bottom of the hill, you can  (1) turn left - the shortest route, (2) turn right and right (my favorite hill to go up) - the second shortest route, or (3) go right and left - the longest route (past the Kansas Ocean).  Mom let me choose, thinking I'd choose the shortest route.  Now, I admit, normally I would indeed take the shortest route.  BUT my Siberian Husky ID card is up for renewal so I HAD to choose the least-likely way.  I HAD to!

"Oooh, the Kansas Ocean!  I didn't think we'd go this way!"
Mom:  "I didn't either, Mags..."
"La la la la la ..."

These tiny wildflowers were all over the place:

Quite possibly Camphor Weed, but we aren't sure
It's Wild Lettuce!

Once we got to the shopping center, we took a little break:

"This is so fun!  Toasty, but fun!"
"Yep.  And I think my Siberian ID card should be good to go for another year."
"My sunscreen is melting off my face."

Anyway, then we got back out on the big road:

Maggie and me on a downhill stretch

All three of us had fun, despite the heat!  We made sure to get a big drink when we got inside, and now we're going to chill out in the air conditioning - except for Mom, who is heading back out to do some garden chores.  

As per my Siberian ID card renewal -- I'm good!  (I'm very, very good!)

Cammie!

The New Dryer

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie!  Now that we've had the new washer and dryer for a few days, I'm starting to figure things out.

"So much lower to the ground!  This is going to be a piece of cake!"

Of course, it would seem the only time I have access to the dryer is when Mom is swapping loads in and out.

"Hey.  Could you get these towels out of here, please?  And ... step out of the room?"

Seriously.  How am I supposed to get in there if there are a bunch of towels in my way?

I'll keep trying.  Rest assured.

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher

Serene Scenery Sunday

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie!  For Serene Scenery Sunday this week, I thought I'd take you for a stroll around our backyard gardens - how does that sound?  Lots of pretty flowers and serenity back there!  Please get a nice drink of water and follow me on out there.

Let's start up in the Friendship Gar---WAIT!

"SKINK!!!"

OK, sorry.  Just ... a little lizard-hunting before we get started.  Those Great Plains Skinks have been sighted scurrying under our Skidmore Lilacs!  I must remain vigilant (and true to my Siberian high-prey drive instincts).

The pavers leading to the hose are ones that Cammie told you about a few weeks ago.  She supervised the whole thing.  Awesome, Cam!  OK - Friendship Garden:

"'Sit on the limestone and don't step on the tiny sedums and Butterfly Weed plants.'  Got it, Mom."

Mom was quite impressed by how well-behaved I was, by the way. Did I mention I'd already been on a 3-mile walk? And that she had treats? I'm sure those are unrelated coincidences.  Anyway, the Friendship Garden is one of our most serene spots.

Heading down to the Wildflower Garden, the first thing to catch your eye is the Coneflowers! Here is a look at a few:

PowWow Wild Berry Coneflowers

Mom doesn't like to play favorites, but yeowzers, just look at those babies!

Here's an overall shot of the Wildflower Garden:

"Right.  'Sit.  Stay.'  Whatevs."

In the foreground, you can see her other favorite Coneflowers -- here's a closeup:

Cheyenne Spirit Coneflowers

So colorful!

Speaking of colorful, to my left -- to your right from where I'm sitting -- are some Blanket Flowers!

Mesa Peach Blanket Flower

Mom has no experience growing these, but is really happy so far.

Speaking of happy ...

"Can we please get moving?"

OK -- if we run down the path a bit and stop here ...

"BIRDIE!"

Oops.  Sorry.  Where was I?  Oh, right.  Here we can see the huge white Rose of Sharon bushes down on the bottom tier.

Continuing down the path, below the Lavender plants, are our Crape Myrtle bushes.

"Oooh!  Go in for a closeup, Mom!"

Crape Myrtle, up close and personal.  Errrr... floral?

Aren't they crazy-cool?!?

Our daisies are still blooming!

Becky Daisy

I wonder ...

"He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me ... "

Moving right along ... here is one of the Butterfly Weed plants by the daisies:

Butterfly Weed and Becky Daisies

Mom took oodles of photos; she said I was a really good girl and was very helpful.

"I must not jump off the wall.  I must not jump off the wall.  I must not ..."

No, seriously.

"Ooooh!  What's that down there?!?"

Umm... I think this brings our garden tour to a close for this week.

"Boy howdy, that was fun!"

If you'd like to see more photos of our garden, please visit our FlickR Garden 2016 album!

Have an incredible Sunday - and remember to keep it serene!

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

Photo Shoot Outtakes

Hello, everyone!  It's me, Cammie!  As many of you know, the Blogville Pawlympics are coming up. Just a fun bunch of events for our blogging community.  Mags and I decided to enter a few events and had a photo shoot for one of them the other day.  We don't want to say which event (though you might figure it out) and we won't post the "money shot" that we entered, but we did think you'd like seeing some of the outtakes!

We decided to pose up on the stair landing - the lighting is good there and we can see if Mom has treats or not.

My glasses started slipping a bit in this one:

"Wait.  My glasses are crooked!"
"I've got a jaunty angle thing going on ... I kinda like it."

I straightened them out and we tried again.

"OK, I'm ready."
"Wait a minute, I'm scrunching."

I struck the perfect pose in this next one, but ... um ... make sure your bipeds don't have a beverage in their mouths; you've been warned.

Me, the perfect model, and ... Maggie ... 
"Hey, Mom.  Check this out."
"Bwahahahahahaha!!!"

Right.  So.  Once Mom finally stopped laughing ...

"Seriously, Mags?  Seriously, Mom?  I'm working here!"
"Sorry, Cam.  I'll try to behave."
"Sorry, Cam.  She just ... I just ... bwahahahahaha!"

I decided we'd best wrap things up.  This shot was close to being what we were after:

"I'm keeping my eyes on both of you, Mom."
"How's this?  Slight head tilt!"
"Yes!!!"

Whew. I must say, being in the Pawlympics is hard, hard work!  Of course, we were rewarded amply for our efforts, but still!  I can't wait to see the other contestants' work!

Cammie!

In Lock Up

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie.  Late yesterday afternoon, we had a lot of excitement around Ao4 Headquarters.

Just after Mom put a load of towels in the wash, some guy called and Mom said, "Now?"  She tried doing a quick "spin" on the towels, but that didn't work out too well and resulted in Dad carrying a bunch of sopping wet towels through the house and throwing them in the shower.  Interestingly enough, I don't think the towels used the shower ... if you know what I mean.

Anyway, before you could say, "Wait, let me vacuum behind there", two guys showed up at the house and apparently did this:

The view through the Laundry Room, looking through the garage and into the driveway

Ah. Right. Why did I say "apparently"? Well, that would be because I was put in Lock Up! That's right, locked in the bedroom! All alone, away from the action.  So I wouldn't really KNOW, I'm just piecing things together based on what I found on Mom's iPhone.  Where was I?  Oh.  Right.  Locked up!  All alone!!!

Yeah, not so much "alone" as in "with Cammie". And one of my GoughNuts. Oh. And Dad. And the TV and the bed and all. But I was put behind a closed door while there were people in my house!!! Can you believe that?!?

When I was finally let out, this is what I found in the Laundry Room:

A new washer and dryer!

Yep! The Samsung WA8600 5.0 cu. ft. Top Load Washer with activewash™ and Integrated Touch Controls and the matching dryer.  Mighty exciting.  Behold the washer's Diamond Drum:

Oooh, shiny!

Apparently, not the kind of diamonds Mom can wear on her finger or on a necklace, but diamond-shaped drain holes designed to reduce damage to fabric.  Who knew?

My main concern is this:

"Hmm... actually now that they aren't on pedestals, it might be a little easier!"

Can I still get into the dryer like my mentor Mr. Teddy Westlife showed me?  I believe I can.  I'll be sure to do a follow-up on that!

I still can't believe I was put in Lock Up, though.  I mean, what does Mom think - I'd run out the open door or something?  Oh.  Right.  Well ... yeah, I would.  Never mind.  

The Whirlpools are dead!  Long live the Samsungs!

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Thatcher

Is That What I Think It Is?!?

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie!  So there we were, out walking Mom and Dad this morning ...

"Maybe we'll get a better view of them up at the top of this hill!"
"Right!  C'mon, Mags!"

... when Cam and I saw something truly remarkable!

"Just right up here!"
"Let's pose at the top; maybe Mom can get a shot of them with her iPhone!"

Can you see what we were talking about?  Out on the horizon ... just above Cammie's head on this next shot:

"Oooh, that breeze feels nice!"
"It's almost ... almost like what I'd imagine a mountain breeze would be like!"

That's right!  MOUNTAINS!!!  Right here in Kansas!

"This is a momentous occasion!"
"I'm so happy!  Maybe we could take up skiing!"

Mom said it was really a storm out hugging the western skyline, but it sure looked like a mountain range to us!!!

"Yeah, well, it COULD have been mountains!"
"I'm not so sure it isn't, Mags!"

You never know. Once upon a time, we didn't even have an ocean in Kansas, but we most certainly do now! Maybe we're getting our own mountain range, too! I'll keep you posted!

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

Wordless Wednesday

Cam and Mags

Is It Still Shark Week?

Hello, everyone.  It's me, Cammie.  I hopped up on the big bed yesterday afternoon to get a little rest, when ...

".......click here........"
"Is it just me, or does anyone else hear the theme from Jaws?"

Is it still Shark Week? Just wondering.

Cammie!

Walk This Way

Hello, everyone.  It's me, Cammie!  Yesterday morning, bright and early, Maggie and I took Mom on a nice walk, just like always.  Only, when we got to this one corner, Mom wanted to go straight and I said, "No, I want to go right."  We all know who wins the battle of wills around here.

"Oooh, cool!  I didn't think we were going this way today!"
"Walk this way, Mom!"
"Sigh.  Got it, Cam."

It was very enjoyable. And when we got to where we'd normally turn right or left, I said, "No, let's walk this way!" and so we kept going up the hill. That led us to this pretty view:

"Look at THAT, Mags!"
"Wowzers!!!"

Neither of us girls had been there before, but Zim had told me about it -- it's Jellystone Park!!! Isn't that exciting!?!  Sadly, neither Yogi nor BooBoo were anywhere in sight.

After we watched Old Faithful for a bit, we headed back to the big road and crossed at the light. It's really fast, so no dilly-dallying!

"Hustle up, Mom!"
"Hurry, everyone!  Hurry!"

By this time, Mom had turned choosing the route over to me completely. I opted to walk behind the Fire House.

"We haven't gone this way in quite a while!"
"I know!  Isn't this great?!?"

As you can see, there is a nice trail back there.

Once we got around this bend ...

... we saw a fireman out having a cup of coffee. No photos of him, but he was very polite and said we were, too. (For the record, I'm fairly certain he meant me and Maggie.)

It was a great walk - and I loved choosing the route! Do you ever get to pick where you go?

Cammie!