It's A Turtle

Not long ago, Molly and I encountered a baby turtle who happened to be too fearless to hide. He posed for a few selfies and I sent him on his way. On our walk this morning, Molly and I encountered the full sized turtle and he retreated to the comfort of his shell and stayed there. Molly tried to get him to come out and play but that wasn't happening. I tried to get him to pose for a few selfies but he would have none of it.

On The Road Again

As much as I would have liked my last move to be the absolute last one, it looks like Molly and I are going to be packing our bags and moving again. It is a prospect that I am not that fond of. I like it here, Molly likes it here, and we have plenty of room to roam, and a whole forest to hike through at our leisure. I have not broken it to Molly yet...

The Third Degree

Molly has that rare ability to give me the third degree that would have made Sam Spade proud. I had gone to get pizza last night and then I dropped by my Mom's house to take her the leftovers. My Mom still has a couple of dogs and one of them is a real attention hound. I feel kind of bad for the little guy so I gave him belly rubs until I thought my hand was going to fall off.

I came home immediately after that and that was when Molly pounced. As soon as I walked in the door she raised her nose and started sniffing. She is like "Why do I smell pizza? I smell other dogs on your clothes? You had pizza and were with other dogs? How could you?" I had to pay her off with pizza crust and I immediately took a shower to try to erase the smell of other dogs. I think all is forgiven.

The Evil Eye

Every man has experienced the withering glare of the evil eye. If a man has messed up or it has been perceived that he crossed some imaginary line and committed a faux pas- maybe you farted in public or somehow insulted your mother-in-law (which was my favorite. Who am I kidding? They were both my favorite)- you have gotten the evil eye from your significant other. It is usually one raised eyebrow with an imaginary laser shooting out of the eye itself meant to instill shame and fear, all with one glare. Heaven forbid if you get two evil eyes in one sitting.

Molly gave me her own version of the evil eye this morning. She knows I am getting ready to go somewhere and she will lay in the floor right behind my chair and every time I get up, she follows me with her eyes. If I don't make a move for the leash, I get the evil eye. She is bound and determined that I am not leaving this house without her.

Slow Motion

Watching Molly and I slog through the heat has to be painful to see. I try to stay in the shade as much as possible but that must not be where all of the good smells are because Molly insists on being directly in the sunlight. Now that I am on vacation this week, Molly is insistent on going out 10 times a day. If Molly wants to go out, we will go out. Who am I to deny her that right? The first leg of our walk is usually pretty quick but the last leg of our journey is done at a slow stagger like Otis Campbell on a Saturday night. This has also been the hottest week of the year by far.

The Rude Dog

Several years ago the phrase "rude dog" became a catch phrase for whatever reason. The phrase had its own logo and it was on t-shirts and anything else they could put it on. That phrase came to mind this morning when Molly farted and got up and left the room before she could get blamed for it. Molly did not stop and consider the fact that we were the only one's in here. Maybe she thought "Wow! That one is seriously going to stink! I am out of here!" She was not wrong because it curled my nose hairs and watered my eyes. The rude dog left in a hurry.

Scratching The Itch

Last night Molly "demanded" that I give her a belly rub (she started rolling around on the floor barking at me) and so it started with a belly rub and then I gave her a neck scratch. When I started scratching her neck, she wrapped her paws around my hand and started squinting her eyes and she had such a look of pure joy and contentment on her face. I remember my Mom and Dad had a dog named Sheba that used to scratch her back on the underside of their 1984 Buick Skyhawk. Molly also used to scratch the area right above her tail on the couch that we had. Dogs can figure out a way to scratch that itch.

The Scent Of A Deer

My father owned and worked with hunting dogs his hole life and I remember him telling me one time that once a dog picked up the scent of a deer or started chasing one, that the hunting dog was ruined. He said the scent of a deer was that powerful and had that kind of effect on a dog.

When Molly and I were out on our walk this morning Molly picked up the scent of something. Molly has a good nose on her but this scent was extra special because her nose was glued to the ground and all over the place. I thought it was going to take a tractor to pull her off that scent. I finally got her to focus on something else and we were going to walk up the rest of the driveway. We were on the concrete portion of the driveway and I heard something "clop-clop-clop-clop-clop" coming up behind us and I turned around real quickly and it was an adult doe. I was as surprised as the deer was but Molly was indifferent because she knew what was out there. I looked at the deer like "Now what.....? and the deer was looking at me like "What are you looking at.....?" before she darted off down into the woods. Naturally I left my cell phone in the house and couldn't even get a picture.

I love seeing nature in their natural habitat but that is the closest encounter to a deer I have ever had. I have seen the YouTube videos of a deer laying a whoopin' on people so I always view wildlife with a great amount of caution. We are not separated by a fence or a cage out here which is the way it should be but I am on their turf.

Afternoon Rains

For the last couple of weeks we have been getting an afternoon shower just about every day and it is messing up mine and Molly's walking vibe. These are not your typical rain showers. There is thunder and lightning and the whole works and I am not one to tempt fate especially when it involves lightning. Molly is not a big fan either and during the really intense storms, Molly and I can be found hiding under the covers waiting on the next flash of lightning and the next house shaking clap of thunder. We shall live to walk another day.

The Watcher

Molly's eyesight may not be what it used to be and she may not be able to hear worth a damn but she still keeps a close eye on me. I keep a close eye on her as well. It is very hard for me to watch her struggle to get on the bed and off the bed and to sometimes even get up off the floor. She is still in relative good health and she insists on going everywhere I go. She still has that Molly spunk and spirit and I cannot deny that.

Knowing How To Listen

As a dog owner, you learn how to listen to your pet and to read their body language. There are times when you get your signals crossed and you do not know what your dog wants. Yesterday I misread what Molly wanted and I had to pay the price with some extra dog treats, an apology belly rub, and she got an extra nature walk. I thought she wanted outside when I had made the unforgiveable dog owner mistake and let her water dish run dry.

Easy Like Sunday Morning

I slept in this morning. Those that know me know that sleep does not come easy to me so me sleeping until 9 on a Sunday morning only happens about once a year. I was reminded of the Lionel Richie and the Commodores classic "Easy" (although I think heavy metal group Faith No More did a great version of that song).

"Everybody wants me to be
What they want me to be
I'm not happy when I try to fake it! No!"

Molly allowed me to sleep in which was amazing in itself. When I finally woke up she was snoozing right beside me so she want to take it "Easy like Sunday morning as well.

Dancing In The Rain

Molly and I love taking walks in a light rain. If it is a heavy rain, I am going by myself because Molly does not do heavy rain. Sometimes I have to hold an umbrella over her and I have seen dog rain suits before but I do not think I would get one of those on Molly. We had a thunderstorm that lasted about two hours this afternoon so Molly and I waited that one out inside the house. I do not take any chances that a stray lightning bolt may light me or Molly up. Not that it would be intentional or anything for any misdeeds on our part, but you never know.

A Dog's Life

If there is such a thing as reincarnation I believe I want to come back as a dog. Not just any dog, but I want to come back as Molly. At the very least come back as Molly with an owner like me. I take her out when she wants to go (like I ever had a choice), she gets treats whenever she comes back in, I am more than generous with my bacon, she sleeps on the bed, and there are belly rubs given on command 24/7, and her two food bowls never go empty. July and August are often referred to as "the dog days of summer" but Molly naps all day in the air conditioning and has the prime real estate right in front of the air conditioner. That is not a bad life.

Early Morning Walks

Since we have reached the "dog days" of summer, I have noticed that Molly is much more energetic when we take our early morning walks as compared to our late afternoon walks in the heat of the day. There is a nice breeze usually brewing, the shade encompasses most of our walk, and all you can hear are the birds trying to wake up the day. In the late afternoon, the heat is stifling, there is a lot more sun, and the bugs are swarming. There is a big difference but luckily for Molly, I am an early morning person and I love the solitude of the early morning.

A Learning Experience

Being a friend to a dog is a true learning experience. A lot of life lesson's can be learned from your dog. Molly has taught me patience, discipline, caring, and this morning's lesson was to slow down. I am always in a hurry but I have no place to go. Molly stops and smells everything. I do not have that kind of a nose but Molly refused to go one step more until she smelled that flower and tasted some of the grass. Her opinion was "You have no where you have to be right now." Lesson learned.

The White Trail

Molly is a real bad shedder (I guess I should say that Molly sheds badly but this is me and Molly I am talking about), the worst shedder of any dog I have ever had. Every time we go on one of our nature walks I will brush her off just using my hand. I just swipe her coat with my hand. There is a trail of Molly white dog hair from one end of the property to the other and that covers about five acres. People who are visiting the property for the first time might think that a flock of birds got hit by something or that it was the scene of the world's biggest pillow fight. I do not care how much I brush Molly more and more hair comes off. It is too bad I can't bag it and sell it.

The White Trail

Molly is a real bad shedder (I guess I should say that Molly sheds badly but this is me and Molly I am talking about), the worst shedder of any dog I have ever had. Every time we go on one of our nature walks I will brush her off just using my hand. I just swipe her coat with my hand. There is a trail of Molly white dog hair from one end of the property to the other and that covers about five acres. People who are visiting the property for the first time might think that a flock of birds got hit by something or that it was the scene of the world's biggest pillow fight. I do not care how much I brush Molly more and more hair comes off. It is too bad I can't bag it and sell it.

Bad Attitude

I committed the worst of all doggy daddy deeds the other night when I allowed myself to run out of dog treats. Molly develops a bad attitude when I run out of dog treats and she let me hear about all night long. Bark, bark, bark..... All I got was lip from Molly. I tried to placate her with some Ritz crackers but Ritz crackers are not dog treats. I respired proper order last night when I made a special trip to the other side of the store to buy some dog treats. Molly gave me a treat of my own and she let me sleep in this morning.

Independence Day

In celebration of Independence Day, Molly and I celebrate our day in a different way because she really hates fireworks. I also have to work tonight so I am hoping my neighbors will take it easy on the fireworks and not set the woods (or my house) on fire. Molly had her own independence day back 14 years ago when I adopted Molly from a local animal shelter. Molly was about eight weeks old. She has been by my side ever since. Molly and I take every opportunity we can to have a celebration of life and Independence Day is just one of many.

Copperheads

In historical terms, "Copperheads" were Democrats that opposed the Civil War and wanted a quick peace settlement with the Confederacy. In wildlife terms it is a venomous snake that can kill you dead (and before I get comments or e-mails, I know that is redundant but it helps to emphasize how dangerous they can be).

I went out to take some pictures this afternoon and I decided to leave Molly at home. She has really been looking tired lately, it's hot, and I wasn't going to be gone long. I went to a local place where I thought there was a walking bridge. There was a bridge there but I did not feel comfortable walking on it. It had concrete barriers across the entrance and I walked up to it but did not feel like hopping over the top of it. It turned out to be a good move because in a crack of the concrete barrier, was a Copperhead that was curled up napping. I would have had to go right over the top of him to get across the top of the barrier. I decided that the phot op was a little more than I bargained for and I got back in the car. This is one time I am glad Molly was not with me.

"X" Marks The Spot

Whenever Molly spots something new she is like "That's something new. I had better pee on it to let everyone else know I found it first." I don't know if that is how Lewis and Clark did it but it probably would have saved them a lot of time. Molly always tries to keep a little bit of pee in reserve just in case we find a lot of new things. I don't take her exploring as much as I used to because she is getting some age on her and we have to take it a little bit easier.