Hello everybody. This is The Daily Bone and I'm your diligent doggie reporter
Chester L. W. Spaniel.
Today is a very ominous day. In fact, it's so ominous that the humans call it Black Friday. It marks the official beginning of the Christmas shopping season in the USA. (I don't understand why the humans need a special day for that.) Anyway, it involves some grueling rituals. First, the day before, the humans stuff themselves with mountains of food, sometimes to the point of becoming obtunded. The next day, they get up really early—like 3am early!—and dress in their warmest coats and sweaters and hats. They proceed to the nearest shopping center and stand in line outside in the cold along with masses of other humans who are also heavily dressed, and probably hung over from yesterday's eating and drinking. As soon as the store opens, a stampede ensues and everyone rushes to buy whatever they can get their hands on. Occasionally this part of the ritual becomes violent. Upon completion of the sale, the humans all go home and collapse on the couch, and then stuff themselves with left-overs from the day before.
My humans never go anywhere near any kind of store or shopping center on this day. Instead, they enjoyed a calm and peaceful morning doing nothing special. Upon looking out the window to the back yard, ghostwriter spotted this squirrel:
It's totally black! Ghostwriter says she's seen this squirrel around the neighborhood lately, but it's just recently ventured into my yard to snarf birdie seeds along with the rest of the Evil Squirrel Cartel. I went out to chase it away …
… and then did a thorough inspection of the premises for signs of other invaders.
Here's what I found: The neighbor's oak tree has finally started shedding its leaves, and now they're all blowing around on top of the snow.
The Stodgy Robin Society was perched in the silver maple. Some of them were even singing!
It's still mighty cold out!
Now I think that was a lot more fun than jostling through a crowd of humans and buying stuff at stores! Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving Day.
We are enjoying a quiet day.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you! I like your version of black Friday, complete with the black squirrel better than going out into the craziness, which is what we did today too, complete with leftovers! :-)
ReplyDeleteOh, those darn oak trees - they always want to be the last to shed their leaves. Mom remembers winters in Massachusetts raking wet cold oak leaves into bags that then weighed a ton. She doesn't miss that at all.
ReplyDeleteWe had a nice day today too, no shopping, just spending the last few hours of our human brother's visit before he and grandson J. headed for the airport. It was a super family Thanksgiving Day.
Woos Lightning, Misty, and Timber
Chasing a black squirrel on Black Friday sounds like the pawfect occupation, Chester! Winkie and I spent the day at the Wag Hotel. Mommy and daddy were shopping, but not at a store. They went to something called a Craft Festival. Apparently it's fun fur them!
ReplyDeleteMom mom thinks EXACTLY the way ghostwriter does, Chester. She will shop online - but leave the house? -NO WAY!
ReplyDeleteWe hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving. Lady and Man bought a tv last weekend (which was on sale for a good price). The Man checked yesterday and it was more $. Peeps who are crazy enough to go to Black Friday may not be getting the deals they think.
ReplyDeleteWhaaaaaaaaaaaaaT? a totally black squirrel? Surely it is evil reincarnated!! BAck away Chester.
ReplyDeleteHugs Cecilia
Our pawrents don't go out on black Friday either. We've seen black squirrels in a small area in Perinton too. Our cousins in Michigan have them all over the place.
ReplyDeleteBrrr. That snow looks cold. We've heard Black Friday is a good day to stay home.
ReplyDeleteMa never goes out on the big shopping days, and avoids the Mall places if she can. I saw all the kerazy peeps fighting in the stores for the 'deals' and thought, those must be some REALLY good cheesyburgers!
ReplyDelete(I would knock you down for a really good cheesyburger....)
Kisses,
Ruby ♥
We agree with your mom. Why go out there with the crazy people when you can safely stay inside.
ReplyDeleteHi hi hi! Ojo here! We don't even live in the United States place, and Black Friday has still come here too! Our people are hiding out in the house. Also, we have black squirrels too! I have never caught one though, I've only caught the grey ones. I bet if you and I teamed up we could get it!!
ReplyDeleteWe stayed out of the stores on Black Friday but did do some Cyber Monday shopping! You stay after those squirrels so they don't eat all of the birdie food. They have no shame!
ReplyDeleteOMDog, we have one black squirrely too! And he is quite the pest, scaring all the others away and frightening our birdies. And he is Mr Piggy also! We read tho (online) that they used to live at the Wash Natl Zoo and the Wash Natl Cathedral and were "released" into the communities nearby (that's us) ... and some neighborhoods prize them! Oh, noes! Not us ...
ReplyDeleteOurs is not a nice boy at all. Wish he'd go back to the zoo, or the church!
PS ... Dougie Dog here (again) ... my hu-Mom (Grandma) wants to say THANKS for stopping by so often; she is trying to get better (for me) about visiting friends and is making that her
ReplyDelete"resolution", whatever that is! We'll see. Me too had a little snow with leaves on top, silly weather. I thought it should be the other way around ...
OMDogness.....what is all that white stuff??? And what are robins still doing there? And why are there black squirrels? And why are the leaves just falling off now? Hmmmmm..... gotta think about all of that! BUTT Chester, you look so handsome as always!
ReplyDelete:)
Jan never goes shopping on Black Friday either. Good day to stay home and scoop litter pans, right?
ReplyDeleteWe alll stay home,here,too. Crowds like that? Who needs that kind of stress...its just a sign of greediness...
ReplyDelete