We awoke to business as usual for a Monday. Breakfast, snooze, snack, snooze, lunch. The perfect preparation for an afternoon of scurrying around outside.
For some reason, it was very noisy today — no, not courtesy of that noise — but from lots of sirens whizzing by on the main street. Fortunately, none stopped anywhere near here, and equally fortunate was the complete lack of rain — inside and out.
Eventually heading into the yard with all eyes open for something to investigate, we spied something odd and seemingly out of place.
“What is that growing through the fence?” M pondered.
We took a closer look, but were none the wiser about the apparently rapidly growing leafy thing stuck between our chain link fence — yes, yes, “ours” is only a temporary sentiment — and the neighbour’s tall wooden fence. Adding to the challenge we faced was a corrugated plastic barrier that, from what we heard, has a purpose for down the line. For now, however, it merely served as a safe place from where we could witness the unruly green threat comfortably nestled on its other side.
Given that we have, of course, read the story about the beanstalk, let me say that we were concerned about “our” place being thrust way, way up into the sky, beyond clouds, higher than birds, and having to rely on some kid named Jack to save us. Especially when we had the power to stop things before they got out of hand.
Anyway, after a brief discussion, M and I recognised that there was no way we could get over the fence and down to the source of the potential problem. Instead, we opted to seek out the help of some other critters in the yard.
We spoke to Elisabeth Ladybug and her cohorts Adam Ant and Theodore Spider, all of whom agreed to either climb over, walk through or scurry around the fence maze to get to the source of the oddness. They would then compile their information and report back so we could take appropriate action.
Elisabeth managed to climb over both the chain link fence and the wooden fence where she saw similar growths in evidence in the neighbour’s yarn. After walking through the open link of the first fence, Adam was able to enlist the help of Webster Worm, who, after digging around a bit, reported that the soil in which the growths grew was very well aerated and the roots shallow and weak. Theodore carefully climbed one of the growths in question, webbed it up, and brought back a sample.
When we had all regrouped, we discussed the findings. Clearly, this was not an anomaly, but merely a repeated event in at least two backyards in the neighbourhood. The soil in which the leafy things were growing was too well aerated to support any kind of giant tree. And the things themselves were not likely to grow very big since they were obviously weak in stature, with shallow roots and spindly stalks.
The verdict?
Weeds. Just your good old common garden-variety weeds — albeit quite a few of them.
If we could, we would have peed on all the invaders to kill them dead. But hopefully we can bring them to Jenny and Leon’s attention so they can take care of the weeds themselves. After all, why should they rely on us for everything?!
T
Monday, July 19, 2010
Canine Capers 6
Today was the quietest day so far, and a little unexpected, to say the least.
After a long morning walk, we were left to our own devices for several hours. Thank goodness! All that cooking and cleaning and tidying up they were doing before they left was dizzying and quite disturbing for M and me.
“Let sleeping dogs lie,” I muttered under my breath.
They did, and we did, so it was all good.
Shortly after they left, while checking every nook and cranny for something to do, M discovered that the door had been left open.
“Wow, that’s a mistake,” he exclaimed, with a gleeful mischievousness in his voice.
And before we knew it, we were outside, way away from where we had begun.
I knew the area. It was the great big open park at the very top of our street, just south of the airport. And I, for one, was happy to be free. Running through the dandelions and the lush grass, leash free, our legs going as fast as they could, our ears and fur blown back in a way that made us look slick and handsome.
At one point, we saw a group of young kids coming in the other direction.
“Do you think they want to play?” asked M.
“It’s doesn’t matter,” I replied. “We have something more important to do.”
Somehow, we found our way to the pet store where there were loads of treats and toys on the top shelf. I tried to reach up, and was suddenly confronted by a large man who asked, “Are you going to pay for that?”
M checked his pockets, which were empty, and we looked at each other before hightailing it out of there.
Once outside, to our surprise, we were in a garden store, standing in front of the gnome section.
“What are we doing here?” I asked incredulously. “Don’t we have enough of these at home?”
But M wasn’t listening. He was staring at me, and then past me at the trees in the corner. It was quite a while before he said anything.
“I don’t think this is right,” he declared. “Those trees are too tall.”
I turned just in time to see the Ficus trees begin to move in our direction.
“Can trees hear?” was the last thing I remember saying before we turned around and ran along the bank of the river. It was good to feel the fresh air in our faces once again.
Overhead, the dark and angry clouds that had been gathering all day were now completely shielding the sun from view.
“I think we should have brought umbrellas,” despaired M. “There’s no shelter anywhere.”
“Too late anyway,” I cried as the skies opened up. But to my amazement, the raindrops were not as one might expect, and I rubbed my eyes in disbelief.
It took a few moments for me to figure out what was going on.
“M!” I bawled. “Quick! Wake up! We have something more important to do!”
And there it was, folks. We super sleuthy detective dogs had deduced that it was raining, in fact pouring, but not in any way you might expect.
No, the door had not been left open, we had not been outside, we had not visited all those places nor run wild and free in the dandelion field.
We had simply fallen asleep and dreamed it all, only to be rudely awoken when one of us — and I’m not saying which one — fell asleep next to the water bowl and accidentally tipped it over, sending water up over and under us, soaking us to the core.
“Come on, M,” I suggested. “We’d better dry off, or when those people come home, they are going to think we've been up to something!”
T
After a long morning walk, we were left to our own devices for several hours. Thank goodness! All that cooking and cleaning and tidying up they were doing before they left was dizzying and quite disturbing for M and me.
“Let sleeping dogs lie,” I muttered under my breath.
They did, and we did, so it was all good.
Shortly after they left, while checking every nook and cranny for something to do, M discovered that the door had been left open.
“Wow, that’s a mistake,” he exclaimed, with a gleeful mischievousness in his voice.
And before we knew it, we were outside, way away from where we had begun.
I knew the area. It was the great big open park at the very top of our street, just south of the airport. And I, for one, was happy to be free. Running through the dandelions and the lush grass, leash free, our legs going as fast as they could, our ears and fur blown back in a way that made us look slick and handsome.
At one point, we saw a group of young kids coming in the other direction.
“Do you think they want to play?” asked M.
“It’s doesn’t matter,” I replied. “We have something more important to do.”
Somehow, we found our way to the pet store where there were loads of treats and toys on the top shelf. I tried to reach up, and was suddenly confronted by a large man who asked, “Are you going to pay for that?”
M checked his pockets, which were empty, and we looked at each other before hightailing it out of there.
Once outside, to our surprise, we were in a garden store, standing in front of the gnome section.
“What are we doing here?” I asked incredulously. “Don’t we have enough of these at home?”
But M wasn’t listening. He was staring at me, and then past me at the trees in the corner. It was quite a while before he said anything.
“I don’t think this is right,” he declared. “Those trees are too tall.”
I turned just in time to see the Ficus trees begin to move in our direction.
“Can trees hear?” was the last thing I remember saying before we turned around and ran along the bank of the river. It was good to feel the fresh air in our faces once again.
Overhead, the dark and angry clouds that had been gathering all day were now completely shielding the sun from view.
“I think we should have brought umbrellas,” despaired M. “There’s no shelter anywhere.”
“Too late anyway,” I cried as the skies opened up. But to my amazement, the raindrops were not as one might expect, and I rubbed my eyes in disbelief.
It took a few moments for me to figure out what was going on.
“M!” I bawled. “Quick! Wake up! We have something more important to do!”
And there it was, folks. We super sleuthy detective dogs had deduced that it was raining, in fact pouring, but not in any way you might expect.
No, the door had not been left open, we had not been outside, we had not visited all those places nor run wild and free in the dandelion field.
We had simply fallen asleep and dreamed it all, only to be rudely awoken when one of us — and I’m not saying which one — fell asleep next to the water bowl and accidentally tipped it over, sending water up over and under us, soaking us to the core.
“Come on, M,” I suggested. “We’d better dry off, or when those people come home, they are going to think we've been up to something!”
T
Friday, July 16, 2010
Canine Capers 5
There’s a strange thing going on in our neighbourhood.
A funny noise — actually, a noisy noise — every now and then coming from somewhere across the street.
And given our success yesterday with the animal grapevine, M and I thought we would see who was around today to help in our investigation.
First things first, though. M has been so busy the last few days trying to come up with a name for the agency that he completely forgot to eat. Well, to eat his real food, but apparently not so busy for his treats. That man at the end of his leash would not have been impressed!
Anyway, today he decided that he needed to get back on track so he could keep up with the pace of our expanding business — and he scoffed down his breakfast like there was none tomorrow.
After we had our post-breakfast snooze, Jenny let us outside — although I’m sure we’re smart enough to let ourselves outside, thank you very much! — and we stayed out there while getting our grapevine together.
Madam Dragonfly was our first visitor. She landed right on M’s nose, much to his chagrin, before she settled on the neighbour’s fence.
“What are you two up to today?” she inquired. (Ladies don’t ask, they inquire.)
M spoke first. “We want to find out where that noise is coming from.”
“What noise?”
“Well, you can’t hear it now, but you will later on, and then we’re going to find out what it is.”
“And what are you going to do about it?”
“Put a stop to it!”
That M. Always with his pie-in-the-sky ambitions, although I have to admit, it would be nice to somehow silence that infernal noise.
“Can I help?” offered Madam Dragonfly, with a gentle flutter of her glorious transparent wings.
And before either M or I could answer, she added, “I have to meet some mosquitoes for lunch, but I’ll come back as soon as I hear the noise.”
Now, that’s what I call a plan!
Before long, we had our grapevine in place — Sammy Sparrow, Claude Squirrel, our friend Alice Bunny, Carli Crow and, of course, Madam Dragonfly. And then we sat back (actually, M and I snoozed) and waited ....
And waited ....
And waited ....
But nothing happened. No noise. How very disappointing!
Or maybe knowing that there was a plan to stop it was enough to scare the noise from ever happening again. Now, there’s a nice thought.
Oh well. At least we have a team in place if the noise decides to disrupt our lovely little neighbourhood again.
It’s been a long day — time to hit the hay. Waiting for danger that never comes is certainly an exhausting pursuit!
T
A funny noise — actually, a noisy noise — every now and then coming from somewhere across the street.
And given our success yesterday with the animal grapevine, M and I thought we would see who was around today to help in our investigation.
First things first, though. M has been so busy the last few days trying to come up with a name for the agency that he completely forgot to eat. Well, to eat his real food, but apparently not so busy for his treats. That man at the end of his leash would not have been impressed!
Anyway, today he decided that he needed to get back on track so he could keep up with the pace of our expanding business — and he scoffed down his breakfast like there was none tomorrow.
After we had our post-breakfast snooze, Jenny let us outside — although I’m sure we’re smart enough to let ourselves outside, thank you very much! — and we stayed out there while getting our grapevine together.
Madam Dragonfly was our first visitor. She landed right on M’s nose, much to his chagrin, before she settled on the neighbour’s fence.
“What are you two up to today?” she inquired. (Ladies don’t ask, they inquire.)
M spoke first. “We want to find out where that noise is coming from.”
“What noise?”
“Well, you can’t hear it now, but you will later on, and then we’re going to find out what it is.”
“And what are you going to do about it?”
“Put a stop to it!”
That M. Always with his pie-in-the-sky ambitions, although I have to admit, it would be nice to somehow silence that infernal noise.
“Can I help?” offered Madam Dragonfly, with a gentle flutter of her glorious transparent wings.
And before either M or I could answer, she added, “I have to meet some mosquitoes for lunch, but I’ll come back as soon as I hear the noise.”
Now, that’s what I call a plan!
Before long, we had our grapevine in place — Sammy Sparrow, Claude Squirrel, our friend Alice Bunny, Carli Crow and, of course, Madam Dragonfly. And then we sat back (actually, M and I snoozed) and waited ....
And waited ....
And waited ....
But nothing happened. No noise. How very disappointing!
Or maybe knowing that there was a plan to stop it was enough to scare the noise from ever happening again. Now, there’s a nice thought.
Oh well. At least we have a team in place if the noise decides to disrupt our lovely little neighbourhood again.
It’s been a long day — time to hit the hay. Waiting for danger that never comes is certainly an exhausting pursuit!
T
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Canine Capers 4
After a good night's rest, we were keen to get outside and see what was going on in our neighbourhood. Yes, we're still trying to decide on a name for our agency, but no time for that when there's sleuthing to do.
Before long, there was a knock at the door, and suddenly we were looking up at two tall people and two short people. M, of course, took off in the other direction, intent on doing his best to steer clear of the approaching hands that he knew were coming his way. I, of course, tried to leap right into their arms and get as many hugs as possible.
At first it didn't seem like there was anything for us to do, other than stay out of the way and stay as close as possible. Then, almost by accident, we saw the littlest of the four trying to scramble her way onto the chair.
Suddenly, M growled. "One of the chair legs has caught the corner of the carpet and it's starting to tilt!"
I barked, and together, we successfully got the attention of the tallest of the four, who scurried over to whisk the little mountain climber to safety.
Phew!
That was exciting enough, but what happened next was most surprising.
After the four left, we got on the Internet where we read that a few days ago, Isis, one of the Peregrine falcons in the Radisson Nest Box, did a crash-n-burn when she took her first flight. That made us sad and we wanted to find out how she was doing.
"This is something for the birds," I suggested.
So, we went outside again and enlisted the help of three crows sitting on the overhead wires in the back lane.
"Hey, you three," called M. "Can you do us a favour?"
Immediately, they came up with a plan to help us out. Carli Crow led the way as the three of them took flight. She called out to us over her left wing: "It's only a few miles as the crow flies, so we should be back with an answer for you in no time at all."
From what we found out later, the three flew as far as Route 90, where Carli asked her friend Jonathan Bee to buzz his way to Arlington. There he met Harriet Rabbit and asked her to hop as far as Spence Street, where she conveyed the mission to Darcy Dog. Darcy went as far as he could before flagging down a passing butterfly — oops, forgot to get her name — who agreed to go directly to the source — Isis' mother, Princess.
The relay worked equally well in return, and within the hour we had our answer. Isis had been scooped up by the concerned humans and taken to rehab where she was checked out. All was well and she was released, rejoining her siblings at the nest where they underwent intensive flying therapy.
Double phew!
Hard to beat a day like that, but as I always say, don't count your chickens before they hatch!
T
Before long, there was a knock at the door, and suddenly we were looking up at two tall people and two short people. M, of course, took off in the other direction, intent on doing his best to steer clear of the approaching hands that he knew were coming his way. I, of course, tried to leap right into their arms and get as many hugs as possible.
At first it didn't seem like there was anything for us to do, other than stay out of the way and stay as close as possible. Then, almost by accident, we saw the littlest of the four trying to scramble her way onto the chair.
Suddenly, M growled. "One of the chair legs has caught the corner of the carpet and it's starting to tilt!"
I barked, and together, we successfully got the attention of the tallest of the four, who scurried over to whisk the little mountain climber to safety.
Phew!
That was exciting enough, but what happened next was most surprising.
After the four left, we got on the Internet where we read that a few days ago, Isis, one of the Peregrine falcons in the Radisson Nest Box, did a crash-n-burn when she took her first flight. That made us sad and we wanted to find out how she was doing.
"This is something for the birds," I suggested.
So, we went outside again and enlisted the help of three crows sitting on the overhead wires in the back lane.
"Hey, you three," called M. "Can you do us a favour?"
Immediately, they came up with a plan to help us out. Carli Crow led the way as the three of them took flight. She called out to us over her left wing: "It's only a few miles as the crow flies, so we should be back with an answer for you in no time at all."
From what we found out later, the three flew as far as Route 90, where Carli asked her friend Jonathan Bee to buzz his way to Arlington. There he met Harriet Rabbit and asked her to hop as far as Spence Street, where she conveyed the mission to Darcy Dog. Darcy went as far as he could before flagging down a passing butterfly — oops, forgot to get her name — who agreed to go directly to the source — Isis' mother, Princess.
The relay worked equally well in return, and within the hour we had our answer. Isis had been scooped up by the concerned humans and taken to rehab where she was checked out. All was well and she was released, rejoining her siblings at the nest where they underwent intensive flying therapy.
Double phew!
Hard to beat a day like that, but as I always say, don't count your chickens before they hatch!
T
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Canine Capers 3
It was a home day yesterday, and with the promise of rain at some point, we were happy to stay inside and relax.
Jenny had a busy day doing all sorts of things, and then someone came to help her get some newsletters ready for the mail. M wasn't happy - he doesn't like strangers dropping by without warning, but we survived unscathed, so I guess it was all right.
And just when we were thinking that it was going to be an uneventful day, turned out it was.
Hey, even super sleuthy detective dogs need a day off!
T
Jenny had a busy day doing all sorts of things, and then someone came to help her get some newsletters ready for the mail. M wasn't happy - he doesn't like strangers dropping by without warning, but we survived unscathed, so I guess it was all right.
And just when we were thinking that it was going to be an uneventful day, turned out it was.
Hey, even super sleuthy detective dogs need a day off!
T
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Canine Capers 2
This detective business is fantastic fun! You never know what's going to happen.
Yesterday, we went out into the yard again - the weather is so incredible right now, who wants to be indoors! Anyway, M - that's code for Mojo - heard a crying voice somewhere in the yard.
"Do you hear that, T?" (Code for ... okay, you get the picture.)
"Yes, it seems to be coming from the back deck."
Together, we quietly creeped along the edge of the house and peeked around the corner. To our surprise, there, huddled against the downpipe, was a little baby rabbit. She didn't see us right away because she was too busy crying, and we decided to wait a bit so we wouldn't scare her.
A few minutes later, M spoke up.
"Hey, little bunny. What's the matter?"
She looked up, and she looked scared.
"I want my mommy!" and then she promptly burst into tears again.
My first thought was, damned cats! They've caught and killed the mom and left this little one all alone. So, I gently asked where her mom was.
"She's at home," she replied between sniffles.
Relieved, I then asked, "So, why aren't you home with her?"
"I was, but I went outside to play and ended up getting lost. I was having so much fun exploring that I didn't watch where I was going. And now I can't find the way back."
At that point, M asked her name, and she smiled a little as she said, "Alice". Then, when we told her that we were friendly detective dogs and would help her find the way back, she brightened up and clapped her tiny front feet together. I think she was happy we were small like her and not at all big and prowly like cats.
Lucky for Alice, with M and me on the hunt, so to speak, we were able to find the trail that would lead her home in no time at all.
"Over here, under the tree in the back corner!" yelled M. "I can see the way through the fence and under the neighbour's shed."
Without waiting for another word, Alice hopped over to where M and I were pointing our paws in the right direction. She was so very happy, and gave us a big smile as she disappeared down the rabbit hole.
And that was the start of a very different story altogether ....
T
Yesterday, we went out into the yard again - the weather is so incredible right now, who wants to be indoors! Anyway, M - that's code for Mojo - heard a crying voice somewhere in the yard.
"Do you hear that, T?" (Code for ... okay, you get the picture.)
"Yes, it seems to be coming from the back deck."
Together, we quietly creeped along the edge of the house and peeked around the corner. To our surprise, there, huddled against the downpipe, was a little baby rabbit. She didn't see us right away because she was too busy crying, and we decided to wait a bit so we wouldn't scare her.
A few minutes later, M spoke up.
"Hey, little bunny. What's the matter?"
She looked up, and she looked scared.
"I want my mommy!" and then she promptly burst into tears again.
My first thought was, damned cats! They've caught and killed the mom and left this little one all alone. So, I gently asked where her mom was.
"She's at home," she replied between sniffles.
Relieved, I then asked, "So, why aren't you home with her?"
"I was, but I went outside to play and ended up getting lost. I was having so much fun exploring that I didn't watch where I was going. And now I can't find the way back."
At that point, M asked her name, and she smiled a little as she said, "Alice". Then, when we told her that we were friendly detective dogs and would help her find the way back, she brightened up and clapped her tiny front feet together. I think she was happy we were small like her and not at all big and prowly like cats.
Lucky for Alice, with M and me on the hunt, so to speak, we were able to find the trail that would lead her home in no time at all.
"Over here, under the tree in the back corner!" yelled M. "I can see the way through the fence and under the neighbour's shed."
Without waiting for another word, Alice hopped over to where M and I were pointing our paws in the right direction. She was so very happy, and gave us a big smile as she disappeared down the rabbit hole.
And that was the start of a very different story altogether ....
T
Monday, July 12, 2010
Canine Capers 1
Bored now!
Been here, done that. Sleeping, walking, sleeping, eating, sleeping, pats, cuddles, play, sleeping ... blah, blah, blah. Yep, we're so bored, I sat at the back fence all afternoon Saturday watching the world go by. And Mojo can't even be bothered to pee inside. Not so far, at least.
Anyway, on Saturday night, we sat up till late trying to figure out how the heck we are going to enjoy our stay here. And although we were unsuccessful in coming to any conclusion whatsoever, fate and happenstance saved the day.
On Sunday, we were outside, me relaxing in the shade at the back fence, Mojo sunning himself on the lush, green grass. Up walked two dogs - both bigger than us, one black, the other black, tan and white, wearing collars, and the latter one, the smaller of the two, still with his leash attached.
"How very odd," remarked Mojo.
We asked them why they were walking around without their humans, and they said they were out with their human - both owned by the same person, apparently - when he suddenly disappeared. They were looking for him in the back lane.
Then Jenny came outside, and saw them talking to us. She spoke nicely to them, but they turned and walked away. We wished them luck, and off they went.
Jenny was very concerned and went looking to see if anyone was calling out for their dogs. Then Leon came outside, and she told him, "I'm worried about two dogs that were wandering alone in the back lane. They could get hurt, or worse. I think we should go for a walk and see if we can find them and/or their owners."
And that got me and Moj thinking.
All sorts of weird things happen in our neighbourhood. Usually cats are to blame, but sometimes it's all left unexplained, with no one held accountable and outcomes not revealed.
Ah ha! An instant cure for our boredom! WE will sort out the weird things. WE will hold people accountable. WE will make sure everyone knows what happened. And WE will start with the two lost dogs.
Not that they knew it, but we let Jenny and Leon team up with us on our rescue mission. We looked everywhere, sniffing markers along the way to see what we could find out. And then, partway down the front street, we saw them, joyfully reunited with their owner. I yelled out to him, "You better not let that happen again!" and then we walked around, very proud of ourselves, before going home.
Okay, so perhaps not as boring as we thought - as long as the weird stuff keeps happening. But I have a feeling it's going to keep us very busy for the next two weeks. Maybe we'll even open our own agency, but got to think of a name first ....
Stay tuned!
Tika
Been here, done that. Sleeping, walking, sleeping, eating, sleeping, pats, cuddles, play, sleeping ... blah, blah, blah. Yep, we're so bored, I sat at the back fence all afternoon Saturday watching the world go by. And Mojo can't even be bothered to pee inside. Not so far, at least.
Anyway, on Saturday night, we sat up till late trying to figure out how the heck we are going to enjoy our stay here. And although we were unsuccessful in coming to any conclusion whatsoever, fate and happenstance saved the day.
On Sunday, we were outside, me relaxing in the shade at the back fence, Mojo sunning himself on the lush, green grass. Up walked two dogs - both bigger than us, one black, the other black, tan and white, wearing collars, and the latter one, the smaller of the two, still with his leash attached.
"How very odd," remarked Mojo.
We asked them why they were walking around without their humans, and they said they were out with their human - both owned by the same person, apparently - when he suddenly disappeared. They were looking for him in the back lane.
Then Jenny came outside, and saw them talking to us. She spoke nicely to them, but they turned and walked away. We wished them luck, and off they went.
Jenny was very concerned and went looking to see if anyone was calling out for their dogs. Then Leon came outside, and she told him, "I'm worried about two dogs that were wandering alone in the back lane. They could get hurt, or worse. I think we should go for a walk and see if we can find them and/or their owners."
And that got me and Moj thinking.
All sorts of weird things happen in our neighbourhood. Usually cats are to blame, but sometimes it's all left unexplained, with no one held accountable and outcomes not revealed.
Ah ha! An instant cure for our boredom! WE will sort out the weird things. WE will hold people accountable. WE will make sure everyone knows what happened. And WE will start with the two lost dogs.
Not that they knew it, but we let Jenny and Leon team up with us on our rescue mission. We looked everywhere, sniffing markers along the way to see what we could find out. And then, partway down the front street, we saw them, joyfully reunited with their owner. I yelled out to him, "You better not let that happen again!" and then we walked around, very proud of ourselves, before going home.
Okay, so perhaps not as boring as we thought - as long as the weird stuff keeps happening. But I have a feeling it's going to keep us very busy for the next two weeks. Maybe we'll even open our own agency, but got to think of a name first ....
Stay tuned!
Tika
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