Monday, August 31, 2009

Lessons Learned

Let me begin by sayin' that Mom and I are both startin' out the week just a little wiser than we were when we left you on Friday. The weekend made me realize that some of life's most valuable lessons are not learned in the classroom. Not that I've ever been in a classroom but Mom says she has and I think that just proves my point that classrooms don't always teach what is referred to as "common" sense.

Weekends always allow more time to be spent with my 2 leggers than what the work week permits. And usually they make for good entertainment but as it were, the neighbors were hosting a pig roast and I would have gladly given up my family time to join the party next door. As the evening progressed the sweet smell of roasting swine filled the neighborhood. My nose lifted and every fiber of my being wanted to leave all that I normally know and love just to find the source of that heavenly bouquet. What stopped me, you ask? Of course it was Mom and that blasted leash. She knows me all too well and has learned to take the necessary precautions to stay one step ahead of me.

I spent a restless night hearin' all the revelry next door and as the porker continued to spin, the air only got heavier with scent. Morning finally came but again, I was not allowed off-leash and this is where Lesson #1 was presented to me.

Lesson #1
INVITATION: A spoken or written request for someone's presence or participation.
Mom explained that this pig roast was "Invitation Only" which means it was only to be attended by those who are invited - of which I was not. I retaliated with the concept of party crashing but she won the battle once again and I was subjected to the leash on every outdoor venture. And then as if this already hasn't fallen under the category of "Cruel and Unusual Punishment", she put me in my kennel while she ran off and had breakfast with a friend. My jowls dripped as the scents wafted thru my outdoor prison. It was torture of the worst kind.

After what seemed to be endless hours she arrived back home once again and with leash in hand she released me from the stockade. She apparently was feelin' remorse for her actions and suggested swimming might take my mind off the the pork product that was so close, yet so far away from me.

An opportunity to go swimming is of course, never turned down by me. Unfortuately, we have yet to find a good place to swim without driving so far to get there. I gotta give it to Mom, she is determined she is going to find the perfect swimmin' hole that involves a short amount of travel time. It's gotta be around here somewhere because we live very close to the Conococheague Creek, or as the locals call it, "the Jig". It is approximately 80 miles in length, with 58 miles in Pennsylvania and 22 miles in Maryland. There just has to be a place for me to swim along it's banks somewhere, don't ya think? Mom had in her head a couple possibilities so we loaded up and took off, passing several bikers and a jogger who were in obvious need of a good barking at. I hung my head out the window and gave them my best impersonation of a mean dog and left them all with something to think about as they traversed our little country roads.


First destination: Sandy Bottom. Excitement quickly turned to disappointment as we saw the sign saying Road Closed. Mom didn't even take her lead foot off the gas and drove on to,

Second Destination: Rabbit Road. We parked at a pull off right next to the bridge that crosses over the Jig at this point. Now before any of you Greyhounds readin' this get excited, we didn't see any rabbits. One thing we did see made us think of Norwood, a fellow blogger who is addicted to frogs. This one's for you Norwood!





He was restin' on a 2 legger's sleepin' bag that for whatever reason had been left there. I don't know why some 2 leggers feel the need to junk up some of the best swimmin' holes 'cuz it can be distractin' to say the least checkin' out all the food wrappers, cans and other paraphernalia that are left behind. Not only that but broken glass is usually found and we all know that glass and flesh are not a good combination. Even so, Mom allowed me to get my fur wet and I did a little retrievin'. This is where Mom and I both learned Lesson #2.



Lesson #2

Always do a Wubba check before leaving the house to go swimmin'. Wubba had been left behind and all we could find that was retrieve ready was sticks. As we all know, a stick can be a dangerous thing if one end meets the ground while I am runnin' with the other end still in my mouth. This is my lesson to show any dog out there who likes to fetch sticks the WRONG way to carry one. (Mom made a quick but thorough check to see if this stick had googly eyes before tossing. One never knows when the evil Mr. Stick might be lurkin' about.)




Even knowin' this Mom threw a couple for me just so I could release some of my pent up energy. Here's a little clip showin' me searchin' for a stick that musta floated away without me seein' it because I never did find it. One problem you never have with a purple Wubba. The main reason I'm showin' it is because at the very end you will see that Mom learned Lesson #3.




Lesson #3


Flip flops do not make good water shoes. I only wish I coulda been the one holdin' the video camera. She learned first hand what it means by "the road that leads to destruction is a very slippery slope". We may not have made it to Sandy Bottom but in the end Mom and I both got to see a Muddy Bottom.

Third destination: Black's Woods.Several friends have told us about this little picnic area that is nestled in a secluded area beside the Jig. They say it is a good place for a dog to get wet. This is the second time we've scoped it out and the second time we've been disappointed to find the area already occupied by 2 legger activities. Determined to not give up we turned around and headed for Destination #4.

Fourth and Final destination: Concrete Bottom. This is really off the beaten path and was forgotten about until her breakfast buddy mentioned it to her. The reason it is called Concrete Bottom is because the one lane road leads right into the creek and up the other side. One could hardly even call it a road, more like a glorified cow path. We parked, got out and even though it was not deep enough to swim, it turned out to be a nice place to splash and romp, retrievin' every little stick Mom could dig up along the edge. This is where Lesson #4 comes in.



Lesson #4

This lesson actually stems from Lesson #2 which has to do with the Wubba check. We both learned that you can improvise and quickly turn a plastic water bottle into an object worthy of throwin' and retrievin'. Filled about half full of water gives it enough weight to be thrown and it fits nicely into my mouth for it's return to Mom for another round. And round after round I went until we decided we should probably call it a day and head back home for food to replace the calories we burned.





Last but not least, Lesson #5


Don't pet me after I've been lyin' in poison ivy. I think this is a lesson Mom will be ponderin' all week long.


As we all know this comin' weekend is a holiday weekend and I'm sure you are all itchin' to scratch this weekend off the calendar as am I. But probably none of us are itchin' and scratchin' near as much as Mom.

Chester ;0=)

Pee. Ess. If you think you know where that last swimmin' spot is but aren't sure, check back this week. As the sun begins to burn brighter and hotter, you should see some popcorn a poppin' along the edges. Then you will know it's the right spot.






17 comments:

Holly said...

Dear Chester and Mom:

I have been coming to take walks with the two of you for awhile now and I have to say, by far, this has been my favorite stroll with the two of you.

A lot of work went into capturing the adventures of the watering holes for our amusement! Thank you so very much.

And, stop scratching that!!!!

D.K. Wall said...

We always say, the best adventures take a while - and you learn a lot along the way!

Stella said...

You have a good Mom who wants to find the things you love for you.
You look very strong and beautiful swimming in the video.

Great spots for recreation!

Kisses,
Stella

Kori said...

Love this blog!!
So glad the stick didn't turn on you.
My Beagles loved to play with bottles...you gave me a sweet memory!
Looks like you AND mom had a great time swimming....LOL!!

Golden Samantha said...

What fiascos and what a pawesome Mom you have - so determined to find you a good time, Chester! (Sorry about the swine scent - know that woulda made me crazy too) - but! It seems like you had some great adventures in pretty places that, unfortunately, sometimes come with poison oak (or ivy back there...). Lucky it doesn't affect us hehee- but so sorry for your dear mom - caladryl anyone?
Hugs xo
Sammie

ajordan said...

Good times! Chester and Mom are awesome together! What a wonderful adventure.....:)

Nibbles Treats said...

One of our most favorite games is to get in the car and go for a ride... not knowing where the ride will take us. Life is an adventure.

Lots of treats,
Tinkerbell, Oscar and Tucker

Andrea said...

Chester,

I am appalled that your neighbors were not polite enough to include you. My parents have tried to explain to me about invitation only events, but I find it rude to invite some members of the family and not others. After all, I am far better behaved than many people's children.

Woofs and wags,

Sitka

Budrow Wilson Spain said...

How fun this little trip you took us on was. Thank you for letting us in. I sure wish I was a water dog some days!

Martha said...

Hi Chester
We were sorry to read about the sensory torture you had to endure at the hands of your thoughtless neighbours.
What is wrong with these guys that they didn't invite you round!
We are pleased however that you managed to go and have a great time anyway - have you thought of becoming a vegetarian Chester?
love and kisses
Martha & Bailey xxx

Nika + PARKER said...

Hi Chester!! Those neighbors of yours need a talkin' to, should I come and explain to them how we should ALWAYS be invited to any neighborhood BBQ, party, whatever they are! We ARE The party!!! Looks like you had a great time in the swimmin' hole!!

Life With Dogs said...

I see that fate had many lessons in store for your two legger this weekend. Be glad that she loves you so much, because I would have snapped by lesson three!
I really hope you spent the remainder of the weekend brushing up against human legs. It gets that nasty poison ivy off in a hurry. Come to think of it, next year you should roll in some poison ivy and rub up against that porker before they heat it up. ;)

Two French Bulldogs said...

Bonjour new friend
We like your story. Thank you for teaching us today. Lily thinks you are pretty handsome
Benny & Lily

Unknown said...

Chester
YOU FOUND A FROG! Oh BOY! Thanks for sharing with me.. I'm trembling... I haven't had a frog fix in a while... meanwhile mom was laughing about the flip flop lesson and the video ending. Hee hee.
norwood

Sierra Rose said...

Oh shoot! Poison ivy! What a drag!
My mom is determined like yours is! Yay for moms!!! Let's find the good spots, ok mom!

Thanks for visiting Sierra Rose!

Hugs and snaggle-tooth kisses,
Sierra Rose (and her mom)

Scout and Freyja said...

Ooooo, we were enjoyin' alla' you's adventures and then our momma read to us about the poison ivy and her eyes began to water and her arms started to itch and she had to stop readin'.☺

NAK and The Residents of The Khottage Now With KhattleDog! said...

Mom thought she smelled yummy porker when she blew past AGAIN last weekend!

AND she'll be travelling by again THIS weekend!

I almost think she's two timing me with some khanine in Merryland or West Virgin-ya!

Hugz&Khysses,
Khyra

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