Tuesday, August 27, 2019

A Day Late and a Bunny Short

Hello. This is the Daily Bone and I'm your assiduous doggie reporter Chester L. W. Spaniel. 


It seems I missed National Doggie Day yesterday! It was not because we didn't know about it. It was because my ghostwriter had to work! In fact, she's been working way too much, in my humble opinion. She even worked on her own birthday recently. She says not to worry. By the end of this month all of her coworkers who took their well-deserved vacations, and one who was out on  maternity will be returning, and ghostwriter will go back to her three days a week schedule. Hooray! 

Anyway, we went out into the back yard for a photo session, and I started barking and ignoring all requests to be quiet and come sit for pictures (and yum yums.) 

Can't you see there's a bunny?

Look look look lookie look! Bark bark bark!

OK. The bunny ran away. 


In other news, ghostwriter met a little doggie named Bella who came in to visit at the nursing home. She had never seen a papillon doggie before and Bella was kind enough to sit for a picture. The word papillon means butterfly in French. This breed was named that because their big ears look like butterflies. We were surprised to learn that papillons are a type of spaniel. 


Hooray for spaniels!


Hey, did that bunny come back???


I've got to run now, and check on the bunny situation.  


Because, you know, bunny chasing is serious business. OK bye!


Thursday, August 22, 2019

Fox Fire

Hello. This is The Daily Bone and I'm your doggie reporter Chester L. W. Spaniel. 


As long time readers will know, my ghostwriter always has her head in the clouds. And she likes to take pictures of the sky too. (The neighbors probably think she's crazy.) Here are a few pictures she captured lately:

Big storm clouds

Rainbow after the storm

Amazing sunset

Beautiful moon
Amazing video:



Good night!

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Overdue News

Hello. This is The Daily Bone and I'm your diligent doggie reporter Chester L. W. Spaniel. We have a lot of stories to cover, so I'll start straight away.


First of all, I want to show you the beautiful post card I got from my dearest Princess Leah. As you may know, she spends her summer vacation at her own private royal tower at Chatsworth, or as she calls it, Chatters-Away. The postcard depicts the Great Dining Room. She said she wishes we could both have dinner at this amazing place. I can hardly imagine what fabulous, delicious, yummy gourmet food we would have! 


Please visit Leah here:  princessleahthecav.blogspot if you wish to see more of her adventures. But please be sure to come back to view the rest of the news. 


We are in the middle of summer here in Western NY, and our gigantic hydrangea bush is blooming, and smells wonderful! And to think this bush started out as a little stick that one of the siblings bought at a flea market! 


It's literally buzzing with bees and wasps and flies and moths and butterflies.


The echinacea flowers are also blooming in profusion. The bumblebees seem to especially love these flowers.


The other day, we found a fuzzy yellow caterpillar. My ghostwriter did not allow me to touch it because it can cause a painful rash. It's the larvae of the aptly named dagger moth. 


In other news, my ghostwriter saw two little bunnies run out of the underbrush by the birch tree in the front yard when she was watering the garden. As you may know, the front yard is out of my jurisdiction. But ghostwriter took me by a leash so I could root around and see if I could find any more bunnies. 


Nope! No more bunnies in here! But it was fun to look and sniff! 


At work at the nursing home, ghostwriter spied a bunny eating seeds under the birdie feeder.


She said there were a couple chipmunks there too, but they didn't hang around for long. I wish I could go and check out the critters there! 


Ghostwriter also said they were repaving the road that goes around the nursing home. Look look look lookie look! It's Ironing Board Man and his friends! 


Long time readers will know that Ironing Board Man is my favorite super hero. Sometimes he looks like this:


And sometimes he looks like this:


But in summer, he likes to do some road work. He and his family can be seen at just about any repaving site in Western NY. 




I hope many of my trusty readers remember that goldfinch who was making messes all over Dad's rear view window. 


Well, he seems to be slowing down on his attacks on his own reflection in those mirrors. We think perhaps his babies have grown up enough to leave the nest, so protecting territory isn't as important as before. We'll sure miss that little bugger! 


And now it's getting late. It seems the sun is going down a little bit  earlier every day. I'm just going to take a little nap


I have to save up my energy for tonight. There will be a full moon, and I want to go out and howl a message to my dearest Princess Leah!


Good night everyone!

Thursday, August 8, 2019

Another Goldfinch Attack

Hello. This is a TDB fast-breaking news flash. I'm your reliable doggie reporter Chester L. W. Spaniel. (Oh, and I have a tennis ball squeaky toy too!)


My humans went out for a little while this afternoon. As soon as they arrived home and parked in the driveway, and before they even turned the engine off, a goldfinch zoomed out of nowhere, and started attacking the rear view mirror on the passenger side. 


Dad had his hand on the door opener, and the little yellow birdie landed on the window. And then, BLAM!  He threw himself at the mirror! 


Doesn't he look fierce?

Hey, what are you looking at?


All that haze on the mirror is from him pooping, and then smearing it around when he smashes himself into it. He doesn't seem to be getting hurt by doing this. But apparently he's been busy for quite a while!

What a mess!


Hey, maybe he thinks it's a portal to another universe! After all, it says objects in mirror are closer than they appear.


Perhaps my humans had better put covers on those mirrors before he bashes himself into oblivion!


Of course we have links to some scholarly information about goldfinches and their activities if you want to know more about them.



Wednesday, August 7, 2019

Meet Clem

Hello everybody. This is The Daily Bone and I'm your diligent doggie reporter 
Chester L. W. Spaniel. 


It's been really dry outside lately. The grass is getting brown, and some of the flowers are wilting. Ghostwriter has been watering them with the hose. Don't worry. She hasn't sprayed me with it. Yet.

Yesterday she was pulling weeds and dead plants in the back yard, and look what she found: (Can you see him? He's very well camouflaged.) 


 She was very happy to see him and invited him into the house for an interview and a photo session (in the kitchen sink.) 


She asked him what his name was, but he wasn't very talkative. So she gave him a name that she said reminded her of many happy times watching TV as a kid: Clem Kadiddlehopper.


(She said if you know who that was, then you're as old as she is!) 


I have no idea who that was, but I guess it's a good fun name for a big jolly hop toad like this one.


She put Clem out into the garden in the front yard where he would find lots of bugs to eat, and where I wouldn't be able to catch him.


She said I might accidentally hurt him with my sharp teeth. Plus toads like this have poison glands that could give me a bad stomach ache. Of course, we have a link to a scientific treatise if you want to learn more about toads like this.

American_toad

One more thing, this morning it finally rained! I bet Clem was happy about that!

It's a good day for sleeping.