Howlamutes and Turtles

J and I are sitting on the back deck, while it's still cool. I feel so lively!!  Here are the sounds:  a cardinal, boats going fast on the lake while it's still smooth, squirrels knocking stuff out of trees, a ticked-off mockingbird chasing a crow, some birds I don't know, little dogs yipping and big dogs barking, an airplane, sprinklers on the neighbors' lawn, cars now and then. So all in all, it's pretty quiet. I'm doing a little off-and-on gruffing at some dorky doves waddling around under the bird feeder,  just to make sure they know I'm here.

It's a little too early for the malamute behind us,  AKA Howlamute, to be outdoors, but I'm sure he'll start in pretty soon.  I feel sorry for him, but....  all I want to do is sit on my deck and enjoy the peace and quiet.

On the days when we do the church/ Pine Cove walk, we walk by his house where he lives with two other dogs. All three of them are tied out front but Howlamute never gets to be close to the other two, so I'm sure he gets lonely.  Wish I could visit with him.  Well, I guess Howlamute could be a girl.  I don't know, I never get to get close enough to see. Anyway, when we walk by, Buzz usually ignores them, he's too busy giving K the stinkeye for making him walk in front, but I turn my head to say hello and acknowledge them. They stare at us and never say anything.  Buzz says they're a gang and I should avoid them if I know what's good for me.  Ahhhh....Who's tied up, and who's walking, gang??  I try not to feel smug but they ask for it. They have an electric underground fence, but they are still tied up.

Later in the day, Howlamute starts in. Well, K and J call it "howling" which kind of annoys me. If they would just take a minute to listen to the words.  "IDITAROOOOOOOOD! ALASKAAAAAAAAAH! SNOOOOOOOOOW! MUUUUUUUSH!"   (Buzz says, "That jackbooted thug of a Husky is anything but mute. It needs to move back to the Great White North, where I hail from..." and I think, Wait a second, I thought you were deaf?)

Yesterday was such a good day. It didn't get so hot. We did the Pine Cove walk and got let off the leash in the usual spots  - the church, and the road to the cul de sac.  I know now that my freedom depends on whether I come when I'm called, and every so often J or K will have me "check in"  where I have to come back and put my nose on their hand to prove that I'm listening - then they say, "Stick around, Maxie" - and I can run off again. Buzz and I are not allowed to run around in the cemetery or lift our legs on the grave stones, not even this one!

JK says it would be ridiculously disrespectful and they are very grateful for the church being so nice about having a walking path for us to use, so they make us observe the rules. As far as I know, we are the only dogs who have to do this but KJ says oh, and if other dogs ran into the middle of the road after a pack of squirrels, butterflies, bird shadows and rabbits, would you follow them?  Well, umm.

Yesterday J was mowing the lawn and I was doing my usual hanging out with her, when all of a sudden she stopped the mower and bent down and looked in the grass.  Then she said, Oh my word and I  raced over to see what she had.  A tiny baby turtle!

I have met only one other turtle, last month.  You've probably seen the picture on the front page.  That day, K pointed it out to J, it was in the middle of the busy, fast road, so they brought it to the woods by the lake and let it go.  But this one was was soo little!  J had pushed the mower right over it and she was worried that she had hurt it, but it must have been down far enough in the grass to be safe.  I was extremely excited, "Show me! Show me!"

so I got to sniff it, then we took it upstairs to show K.  He liked it a lot too, they talked about how cute it was.  J said she thought it was a hickory nut, then it moved. K said he couldn't believe she actually saw it at all and they talked like that for a while, BORING, let's get back to the sniffing!!

Then J made a little resort for it, with a potting soil beach and a leaf tent and a plastic lid for a pool. I talked to it for a while. It really is so cute.

It's just as big as a spoon.  J wants to keep it for a little bit, then she's going to let it go free in the woods by the lake.  But she doesn't want snakes to get it or whatever. I'm keeping an eye on things. No sneaky snakes on my watch.

K and J had a houseful of company last night. Eight adults and two babies. It was noisy and they laughed A LOT.  Oh I LOVE babies, I mean, their adorable wiggly feet, I just want to lick them to death!!! Buzz and I got big old ham bones and had to stay outside. But I didn't mind.  Buzz finished chewing his bone (he says ham bones are not as good as beef and that "purebreds just know these things" whatever!!) and then spent most of his time staring through the door at the people inside.  I told him just to relax and enjoy the cool of the evening, but he gets a little grumpy when I suggest things (he says he doesn't need to be told what "relaxing" entails... so after that I just ignored him. Yowza). 

Well, I have been doing other things like running through the sprinklers and waking K up, so now I need to herd everyone toward the garage. The sun is up.  Time to walk before it gets too hot.