Just a bunch of Bull

Hi ya Dawgs! Whassup?

I took Mom a walk with the leash yesterday and she grabbed the camera before I dragged her out the door. Most of the time I get to run helter-skelter thru the fields but now that the crops in the fields are growing, we will be taking more walks on the road so the leash has to be used. (You never know where she will wander off to if I don't keep her on a tight leash.)

Here's where the bull comes charging in. The neighbor down the road is raising these as rodeo bulls. Mom was hoping they would come closer for better pictures but since they have young'uns they stayed out in the field a little farther. Sometimes when we walk they will run alongside the fence beside us. I make sure to keep a close watch on them when they do that.

Can you see the size of those horns? Think I couldn't get some chew time on one of them!

Mom went shopping for a little bit yesterday and although she didn't bring me any new toys, she did pick me up a new orange bandana. Here's a couple pictures of me modeling it. She hasn't washed it yet so it has that stiff look. I think it really enhances my complexion-even if I do say so myself!







Gotta run! I got a cousin that just graduated from college and I gotta go get ready for the party the 2 leggers are throwin' for him tonight.

Chester's Mom: Uh, Chester. I really hate to tell you this, but you aren't invited to the party.
Chester: What? You're gonna have food there, right? I just assumed............
Chester's Mom: Sorry dude, you know there's nothing I like better than taking you along but Sasha the Weimaraner is a little high strung and I don't think she would play well with strangers. And Sophie, the Italian Greyhound you might mistake for a scrawny groundhog and it might turn out ugly.
Chester: So what you're sayin' is, I got the place to myself for a couple hours.
Chester's Mom: that's what I'm saying.
Chester: Charge up the laptop. I've got some important business to tend to while you're gone.
Chester's Mom: Parental controls are already set.
Chester: That's a bunch of bull!!!

Enjoy your weekend, and I'll try to enjoy my lonely little kennel.
Woofs and crappy slobbers,
Chester

May Be, May Be Not!

Well here we are gang, the month of May is just about shot in the keister. It's not been a happy month for my Dad. You see, he loves to hunt wild mushrooms-or morels if you want to be politically correct. It's not that he didn't try. And believe me, he is good at it. Many family members will attest to this fact, they even say he can smell 'em. If they are there, he will find them. But not so this year. He found one. Yeah, O-N-E. One morel doesn't make a meal for Dad. Now, Mom says that one morel is more than enough for her. She doesn't mind hunting as long as she's finding morels but let it go too long without finding a morel patch and soon you will find her bored and  wandering off to other distractions. But she does not eat fungus as she calls them. Why they didn't grow this year we have no clue. There seems to be no rhyme or reason why or where they grow. You just got to go with the flow, as they say. Just to give you some idea what the heck I'm talking here are a couple pictures from last year. 

This is a typical morel found in our area:

Now look in this picture-how many do you see? (Some are much harder than this to find.)

Here's a bag from one of his hunts: 

(the mesh bag is supposed to let the spores fall through so there will be mushrooms "seeds" scattered to grow another year. Apparently it's not working.)



This is me and Dad taking a break. I was helping him eat his apple.



Speaking of helping, I also helped Dad last week plant a couple English walnut trees. Dad hopes they will grow into big trees someday and we will be able to pick the nuts and eat them. I made sure he planted them just right.



On another note, did I mention to you the bouquet of flowers I picked Mom for Mother's Day? I am so behind that I forget what I've told you and what I haven't. Well, here they are. She was so happy knowing I cared enough to pick the very best. And speaking of happy picking, she is getting excited because she sees all the wild raspberry bushes started to fill with buds and she loves to pick and eat raspberries. I'm sure I'll have a post about them at a later date.



Well, that about does it for this post. I am trying to keep you all caught up on my activities and I try to skip around and see all of yours, but it's been hard here of late. So many things going on it wears a dawg down. Just want you to know I do the best I can but at the end of the day, I'm tired and I need my beauty sleep.



Best wishes for some outdoor fun!
Chester

Weird Wednesday

Lest We Forget Our Fallen.......

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it's difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. It is more likely that it had many separate beginnings; each of those towns and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the war dead in the 1860's tapped into the general human need to honor our dead. It is not important who was the very first, what is important is that Memorial Day was established. Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all. Memorial Day was first observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.

With the Memorial Day holiday upon us it got me thinking now would be a good time to honor our canine soldiers as well. Not to take away any credit from our human soldiers-for the loss of human life is never to be taken lightly, but almost as long as man has been waging war, dogs have stood at soldiers’ sides. Whether serving as sentries, messengers or search dogs, these loyal hounds share a unique ability: they can simultaneously save troops’ lives and destroy enemies.

My quick google of "dogs who have died in the service of our country" led me to this site:
http://www.uswardogs.org/

I'm sure there are countless others but if I tried to compile all the information available this post would become excessively long and I might lose some of you along the way. So with this post I hope to pique your interest enough to do some googling about our canine heroes on your own.

As you enjoy your long holiday weekend, let's take a moment and remember all who gave the ultimate sacrifice so that we may live in freedom.


Canines-we're more than just a pretty face. But if you are reading this, you probably already knew that.

Woofs and Memorial slobbers,
Chester

Warpath Wednesday

There's a Monster in da House!

Hello friends! I am finally making it back to DogBlogville after a small absence. Along with the beautiful spring weather has come all the work that goes with it. Mowing, mulching, weeding, planting, not to mention the illegal alien surveillance that constantly needs my supervision. Whewwwwww! Busy, busy, busy! My social life has taken quite a beatin' from it all, I must say.

I'm sure none of this is a big surprise to any of you, for we all have our chores to do. Not the least of which is being man's best friend. We all know how hard that can be sometimes, but we dawgs must keep in mind that they are only humans and we can't expect too much of them. I know it takes alot out of me just being there to help them bear their human burdens.

I had a sort of birthday celebration on Friday May 15th. I turned two and a half years old. I know I'm getting to the age where I probably shouldn't be counting the "halves" but dang it, if I can get a present out of it, why the heck not?

For quite some time now I have had a round Kong named "Treaty Ball" that Mom puts a biscuit in and I chomp on it until the biscuit spews out in little pieces and then I gobble them up. The first time I was given Treaty Ball, it took me about 15 minutes to get the biscuit out and into my belly. Once I mastered it the first time, I quickly narrowed the time down to about 5 minutes. This did not necessarily please Mom for she thought it would divert my attention away from less desireable (to her) interests a little longer than that.

So for my two and a half birthday I did manage to get one new toy, a new twist on an old game-if you will. It is called a Monster Mouth.

Let me tell you, this is one tough nut to crack! Kinda like a Rubik's cube for dawgs. This sucker took me a good 45 minutes to get all the biscuit out-and it wasn't even a big one! Mom was quite pleased for she knew I was not roamin' the house lookin' for trouble like I normally am.

This video shows me trying it out for the very first time. You'll have to excuse the poor lighting, for it was about 5:00 am. and the sun had not peeked into our windows yet. This may also explain how long it took me for I had not had my coffee yet and my brain was still a little sluggish.



My jaws were gettin' tired but this Monster was not going to beat me!

I took a breather and found Mom and Dad's bed much more comfortable for workin'. Don't worry about me dirtying up the bedspread. What you see is the bedspread cover that Mom keeps there just for catching my hair and slobbers.



FINALLY I got all the biscuit out! Oh the joy of winning! I must admit I really liked the challenge. Me and my Monster are gonna have some great times together-but only after my chores are done!

I love you Monster Mouth!



Woofs and Monster slobbers!
Chester

TRUTH Thursday

Ok Dawgs-I see I'm gonna have to "up" my game when trying to pull the fur over your eyes. On my Wheelin' Wednesday post I was hopin' you would think that was me but you are too smart and saw right through it.

Mom and Dad were traveling a few years back, around 2004 BC (BC=Before Chester) and Dad told Mom to look behind them. Luckily she had the camera handy and she practically crawled over the seat to get a picture. She thought - and still thinks - it is one of the coolest things she has ever seen. Could this be a seed that was planted that grew to the point of wanting to bring a big hunk of chocolate (ME) into their pack? We may never know but one thing's fur sure, I'm glad they did. They don't have a Harley but they do have an SUV and a truck so either one takes me where I need to go.

So for bein' so smart I'm gonna let you watch me play football. Please bear with the sloppy filming, as usual Mom was multi-tasking and doin' both the tossin' and the filmin'.



And just because it's spring and we all enjoy pretty flowers, here's a picture of her azalea bush that's in full bloom. And who doesn't love an azalea in full bloom?




Happy Thursday!

Woofs and bloomin' slobbers,
Chester

Wheelin' Wednesday

May Day! May Day!

I was walkin' in the woods one day



in the merry, merry month of May.

when much to my surprise

I saw an axe of decent size ......................................




Ok Dawgs, this is where you come in. I'm havin' problems comin' up with a finish to my poem.
Let me hear what you got out there!

Woofs and blank slobbers,

Chester

Happy Mother's Day

This little bit of greenery
is for all the Moms out there.
I was taking in the scenery
and found this lovely pair.



All Moms are included
for none should be left out.
But I have a special feeling
for Moms who's kids have snouts.

Happy Mom's Day to ALL you dawg lovin' Moms!

Woofs and lovin' slobbers,
Chester

Pet Reflections on a Thankful Thursday

Hi Dawgs! The post you are about to read is a collaboration between me and Mom. She's been wanting to do this for some time now and with the rainy weather having us housebound more than usual, she figured now is as good as time as any. She has told me basically what she wants to share and I will weave the story. It may get long and somewhat sad, but please stick with us, we hope to end on a good note.

Last fall took the dogs of 2 of Mom's coworkers over the Rainbow Bridge. One was Tucker, an older lab fella who had a large cyst growing on his belly for a long time and it suddenly ruptured and within a day he was gone.

Tucker


Only a month later, it was time for another of Mom's co-workers dogs, a big Rottie named Zeus, to make that difficult trip. You can visit his memorial movie if you click on his name. 

February brought the passing of a friend's beloved poodle, Petey, who was too young to suddenly pass away with an inoperable brain tumor. He was a special little fella who lived with his 2 leggers and a 4 legger brother Bennie, who had adopted him into their pack when his elderly 2 leggers could no longer care for him.

Petey


Then came time for Honey who just passed away less than 2 weeks ago. We only knew Honey because she was a resident of DogBlogville but we loved seeing her in all her outdoor adventures, loving life with her very own 2 leggers who obviously loved and cared for her very much.

Honey


All this has gotten Mom to reflecting on some of the furry 4 legged friends who she has been honored to live with over the course of her lifetime.

The first one that came to live with her and became her best friend as a little girl was Whiskers. Pappy carried this little black and gray tiger striped kitten home one day from the neighboring farm in his shirt pocket. He knew once Mom and her sister saw him, Grandma would be powerless to say no. He lived for a very long time and put up with Mom's determination to turn him into a baby doll.

Whiskers





Then there was Herbie. Mom's sister bought him for a boy she was dating but much to Mom's delight, he was not able to keep him so Herbie was given to Mom. This was Mom's first rodent and it never occurred to her to be scared of him. He was a loveable fella and she took him to school several times for show and tell over the course of her elementary school years. He lived to be about 6 years old which is good for a pigger.

Herbie


Then came Puff, another hand-me-down from Mom's sister. Mom can't remember the details but somehow she came to live with Mom, Grandma and Pappy. She does remember that she came sometime after Mom's sister moved out of her apartment and got married. Puff was a unique cat who had 6 toes on her left front paw.

Puff


Then Mom, Grandma and Pappy moved to a new house. This house already had a dog kennel which of course gave Mom ideas of getting a dog to fill it. About this time her sister bought a Golden Retriever named Jessie and mentioned there was one male left in the litter. It didn't take long till Buck was calling that kennel home. (Although he was much happier living inside the house with his pack of 2 leggers). He lived there for 7 years when he suddenly became ill and died while at the vet office. She never knew what happened but suspected he had possibly eaten some poison at a neighboring farm.

Buck



Even though Buck was still living, the opportunity came that Mom could buy a horse named Lacy from a friend, an appaloosa she had ridden on several times. She had no clue what she was getting into but she bought her anyway. After Lacy had a foal, she came to live at the "next door" neighbor's farm that Mom rented a stable from. It didn't take Lacy long to figure out she had a rookie for a rider and she was more than Mom knew what to do with. She even threw Mom off in a field one day (which Grandma never knew till years later 'cuz Grandma never wanted her to get Lacy in the first place). Then Mom met Dad and it came time for them to get hitched and she sold Lacy. She admits that it was probably one of the hardest days of her life (the selling of Lacy-not the hitching to Dad). She says it just didn't feel right selling a pet.

Lacy


Mom was itching for a dog from the time she got married but had no luck convincing Dad. Then one day he was out in the fields and found Grits-the smiling face you see in my sidebar. I won't go into the details again but if you'd like to read about him, just click on his name. 

During the time that Grits lived here, another co-worker of Mom's put a sign on the board one day that said "Free to Good Home-2 Guinea pigs", all accessories included. Long story short, Mom convinced Dad she needed them and Shadow and Smore came to live here. Shadow lived here about a year when she died of respiratory problems and then Smore (aka: Miss Piggy) lived another 2 years alone in her guinea pig apartment. It was during this time that Grits traveled the Rainbow Bridge. A few months later is when I came to live here. I was just a pup then and was curious about Miss Piggy but learned early on that she was off-limits to me. 



I told you this was going to be long, but in reality it is short considering the amount of time that Mom spent with each one and the unique memories she will carry with her forever. The funny part of it is, as different as each one of them was-they all had one thing in common. All were faithful and loving companions, never asking for more than their basic needs of food and water. Anything else was a bonus. 

Chester's Mom: Not to take anything away from our human relationships, but why do you 4 legged, furry critters mean so much to us and it hurts so bad when you are gone?
Chester: It is the unconditional love that is offered by us and the fact that we live in the moment. We don't hold grudges, we don't judge each other, and we don't whine and complain about "what the other dawgs have". We all have "issues" but we learn to adjust and work with them. We try to do the job we were meant to do and leave it at that. And if we have to work together we all pull our own weight. We have figured out that life is way too short to not enjoy every minute. Come to think of it, you 2 leggers could learn alot from us dawgs.
Chester's Mom: I guess that's why we tend to live longer, we just need more time to figure that out.
Chester: Hallelujah! I think the light bulb over your head is getting brighter!

Woofs and loving slobbers,
Chester and Mom

Pee. Ess. 

I am happy to report that Tucker's pack now has another lab named Bosley who was rescued from a shelter.

Petey's pack has rescued a Yorkie named Murray-who never had a name because his first 4 years he lived in a puppy mill.

And last but certainly not least-Zeus's family is about to travel to China to welcome a small 2 legger into their pack.

So for those of you who have recently lost a loved one-2 or 4 legged, your heart will heal and when it does, another compartment will open up and be ready start again the wonderful process of loving.  

;0=)

Wooden Wednesday

Friday Flowers

Happy Friday Dawgs!!!

Woofs and good-smelling slobbers,

Chester