Pink Socks

I was just thinking about what beautiful stockings I have on my front legs when I remembered a story about the Duke and his socks.

It was a cold, cold winter and the Duchess couldn’t seem to keep her feet warm. She complained incessantly about her freezing toes so the Duke suggested she wear a pair of his socks. Since the Duke is on his feet a lot his socks are thick and soft. So the Duchess agreed to try it and found, to her delight, that her feet were toasty warm all day. But the Duchess, being a woman, declared the Dukes socks to be too dingy for her to wear and so they set out to buy the Duke new socks. They settled on a large package that could be divided. She would keep six pairs and he could have the other six. Now the Duchess is a real persnickety female and she decided there had to be a way to keep their new socks separated since they all looked the same. So she got the brilliant idea to paint a pink fluorescent dot, about the size of a kibble, on the toe of each of her socks! Then they would always know which socks were hers.

When the pink paint dried and the Duchess wore her new socks she discovered a problem. The paint had hardened into a little ball that irritated her tender feet. So the socks eventually found their way into the Dukes sock drawer. Well, the Duke was loathe to wear them but the Duchess said “Don’t be silly, no one will ever see them through your shoes”. So over time the Duke became accustomed to wearing the socks with the pink dots and pretty much forgot about it.

Much later that year, when the seasons had changed and the sun was warm, the Duke headed off to Costco in his khaki shorts and sandals. Now the Duke is not one to wear his sandals without socks and he was blissfully unaware of the bright pink spots on his toes. He walked all over Costco, filling his cart with groceries and toys, and then headed for the check out register to pay his bill. The store was full of people and the lines were long. In front of him waited a mother and her daughter who looked to be about 5 or 6 years old. The child studied the Duke for several minutes before quite loudly asking “Mister, why do you have pink dots on your socks?” Suddenly there was a hush in the crowd as the Duke’s face turned the same color as his socks. The child’s mother raised her eyebrows as if to say “Well?” So the pink-faced Duke calmly explained to the little girl that his wife painted the dots on her socks so he wouldn’t wear them. And all around him the chuckles began, bubbling into laughter and moving like a ripple in a pond through every checkout line. My poor Duke. It’s a good thing he has a good sense of “husband humor”. The Duchess still laughs out loud whenever she washes a pink sock.

Auntie M

Welcome, welcome, welcome to my first follower Auntie M. I am so thrilled to have a follower of my blog. Auntie M is related to my humans but she is my favorite Auntie. She has a genuine soft spot in her heart for all creatures and she loves me (what’s not to love?). So welcome Auntie M, I hope you enjoy my newest entry. It’s the story of my royal love affair. Grab the tissue!

My Royal Love Affair

This is the story I promised you about the love of my life. His royal title was Peat Moss. His father was Moss and he came from a long line of blue blooded Border Collies. He was so important he even had a real certificate of birth, a registered name, and a very illustrious ancestry. He was one handsome hunk of canine and I fell head over paws for him.

Let me start at the beginning.

The Duchess felt I needed a companion to run with. A Court Jester to entertain me would be perfect because Sir Bear just wasn’t up to the challenge. She spent months searching for the right canine and finally, after much correspondence she chose Peat. There were many obstacles to overcome but finally we climbed into the Dukes royal carriage and drove 2 hours to meet him. I will never forget that day. I was so overcome by his presence I completely ignored him. I had to get control of myself in order to assert my position in the Castle. Bear was not impressed with him and paid little attention to what was going on. He didn’t understand that Sir Peat was to become a serious threat to his happiness.

The Duke and Duchess bonded with Peat on the spot. He was such a charmer! After a few minutes we climbed back into the royal carriage for the trip home. Bear and I were in the back, Peat was curled up between the Duke and Duchess in the front. It was an uneventful trip for everyone but me. Just being close to him made my heart race. He truly was magnificent. We came seeking a Court Jester and we left with a Knight in Shining Fur! Wow.

Over the course of the next week or so, Peat and I became soul mates. He was gentle spirited and quite noble. He could run like the wind and we spent many hours getting to know each other. When we’d race across the grounds the Duchess said it was like watching the angels dance in Heaven. I saw tears on her face several times during those first few days. Peat was such a gentleman he even let me destroy his favorite toy that he’d had since he was a puppy. He loved me and I knew it. It was hard not to let him know how much I loved him too. When you’re a Queen you must always be number one and that’s difficult when you’re in love. The Duchess said Peat was a gift from God. The day we brought him home the Duke got a phone call saying that his Mother had gone to Heaven. When they needed it most, Peat brought much joy into their otherwise sorrowful lives.

So, life was good for everyone but Sir Bear. As the days wore on he became testy when Peat and I would run together. He thought Peat was going to harm me and it was his job to protect me at all costs. I appreciate his loyalty, but it was terribly misguided when it came to Peat.

One Saturday morning the Duke left to take care of some business far, far away. The Duchess had a meeting in town and left us together in the kitchen for an hour. We had shared the kitchen all week long while the Duke and Duchess were off to work and we’d had no problems. But this morning was different. Peat and I were playing and Bear could take it no longer. He simply thought he was defending his Queen. There was a terrible fight and blood was spilled. When the Duchess arrived it was like a scene in a horror film. She became hysterical and called her son for help. They took the wounded warriors to the vet in separate carriages and left me home alone. Sir Bear came home. Peat did not. At least not right away. He needed to be sedated before all of his injuries could be attended to. This was the blackest day of our life at the castle. The Duchess cried for hours and the Duke was too far away to help. When Peat came home later that day it was obvious that the fight was not over. Bear and Peat had become sworn enemies.

Peat stayed with us for another week. It was a heartbreaking week for everyone. I finally had to take sides and I chose Bear. Not because I didn’t love Peat, but Sir Bear was clearly the winner, and so it goes.

Peat went to a nice home, but the Duchess felt that no place was good enough for him. She suffered for many months afterwards and blamed herself for everything. Of course it wasn’t her fault, but she was pretty traumatized none the less.

Bear recovered completely from his injuries, as did Peat, and life in the castle went back to normal. But the Duchess swore an oath to the Duke that there will never be another “Peat” in the castle while Sir Bear walks this earth. And that may be a very long time.

Sir Bear

Good morning friends! It’s another beautiful snowy day here at the castle. I decided to let Bear put his portrait up because you hear about him but never see him. I didn’t want to do it, but we got into a bit of a tussle over it so here you go. (Mind you, this may be the only time you ever see him here.)

Now onto more important issues. I have several new photos of the Kingdom to share with you, and later on I may even tell you the story of Peat. He was the love of my life and the story is quite tragic if you ask me. A true fairytale romance in the castle. Stay tuned!

The Duke is off to work again. His truck somehow survived the crash with little harm. The Duchess is in residence today which means I will get more than adequate run time on the grounds. Yay! Life is good.

As it turns out we will be having guests for Christmas dinner so the Duchess is quite preoccupied with the dining hall decorations, the chamber pots, and so on. They will be dining on ham while Bear and I get kibble. (I have a royal bone to pick about that!)

Enjoy the pictures!

Gumdrop Bird Bath

My Forest

The Faucet

Always be prepared!

Ice Fantasy

Guest Quarters

Snow Queen

Calm Morning

Garden Gate

Blue Mail Box (click on picture to enlarge)

Still Snowed In

Another day of snow, snow, snow. The Duke went to work this morning in his big truck ( the Duchess says he loves that truck more than he loves her). A lady in a silver Toyota Camry ran into him and then drove away. He couldn't get her license number because it was mostly covered with snow. He is in a very dark mood now. I hope he's better before he gets home! The Duchess stayed home with me again today. We have tons more snow now and I have been busy patrolling the grounds for trespassing varmints. (squirrels, rabbits, etc.) We were supposed to have loads of company on Christmas day, but now everyone is snowed in and it will be just us. All I have to say is "what about my presents?" Why can't the humans just walk, for goodness sakes?

I love my Royal Bed!

How it All Began, or Where I Came From

Since today is my birthday I decided to share my story with you. You are my friends and loyal subjects so you should know it all. Happy Birthday to me, and God bless you all!

The details are a little sketchy because I don’t remember all of it. And some of it I just don’t want to talk about, but I will.

I was born on December 22, 2005 in the state of Washington. Somewhere around Vancouver, I believe. I don’t have a proper certificate of birth, just a classified ad clipped from the newspaper that has already yellowed. I assume I had siblings, but canines are not big on family unity so it doesn’t matter much. I do know that I was offered for a goodly sum of money and that a nice young family paid that sum and took me home. I was pretty small but evidently a handful because they named me Taz. That’s short for Tazmanian Devil. (Now I ask you, is that a proper name for a Princess?) In any case, it was a great family. Four little kids and one other canine, and of course the adult humans. I was so hopeful that they would all love me and we would be a big happy family. I think the kids did love me in their own way, for awhile at least. But it wasn’t long before I began spending my days on the end of a chain in the yard.

Then one morning, when I was 18 months old, my lady human made a frantic phone call that would change my life, and many others, forever. She found a place called Border Collie Rescue and she asked them if they would take me off her hands. She was crying the whole time she talked. The lady, named Jill, said she would see what she could do, and that my lady would have to pay a surrender fee and give up all rights to me.

Now, about that same time, the Duke and Duchess were looking for a companion for Bear. They had lost a beloved canine a few months before and Bear was inconsolable. The Duchess saw an ad on Craig’s List that said foster homes were desperately needed at Border Collie Rescue. So she talked to the Duke and then answered the ad. She had to fill out tons of paperwork for the lady named Jill before her castle and kingdom were finally approved.

One day Jill called her and said she had a canine in need and could she come out over the weekend to introduce him to Bear? The Duchess said yes and then waited anxiously. The day before the scheduled visit the canine suddenly went lame and was put on kennel rest for the next week or more. That day was the same day that my lady human called hysterically wanting to be rid of me. So, without meeting me at all, Jill called the Duchess and told her I was in need of a foster home right away. They all agreed to have me meet with Bear the following day. My human lady and 2 of my kids brought me to see the Duke and Duchess, and of course Bear. It was a pretty tense meeting for me. I bared my teeth at Bear and tried to bite the Duke. When things finally calmed down a bit my lady gave the Duchess my water and food bowls and my pathetic excuse for a bed. Then she took my kids and walked out of my life. No one cried, they just said “Good bye Taz”.

I watched them go through the gate and then for weeks afterward I watched that gate in case they came back for me.For the next month I tried to fit in but couldn’t. The Duchess called Jill and said things were not working out very well and how long did she think it would take to find me a permanent home? Jill said she would double her efforts and stay in touch.

About a week later Jill called and said some people were interested in me and could they come to visit? The Duchess said yes and they set a time. Now the funniest thing happened. The Duke and Duchess were faced with losing me forever to strangers they knew nothing about. It didn’t take any time at all for them to realize they couldn’t and wouldn’t let me go. They LOVED me. And so did Bear. I had finally found my real forever home and I am living Happily Ever After. Really.

Freezing Rain

Yesterday we got over 6" of snow. What a day it was. The Duchess wasn't happy but the Duke and I had a grand time! Today the freezing rain came and ruined all my snow. Now it's covered with a thick layer of ice that makes it hard for me to walk - and running is pretty much impossible. I'm a very frustrated Bossie today. Not to mention, there is no place to do my business with ice everywhere.

The Duke just put tire chains on the truck and is going to venture out. The Duchess is worried, but she worries about everything. In fact she's still worried about the Christmas ornaments I ate 2 days ago! You'd think she would figure out that I would have been sick by now if it was bad for me. Maybe next year she won't make ornaments out of dog treats! Ok, only one of them was a treat, but that shiny red apple looked too good to pass up. My mouth and paws were bright red and so was the carpet. You should have seen their faces! They were not too happy with the Queen that morning.)

The Duchess hasn't been herself lately. First she broke the coffee pot, then the television shorted out, blew up and took the computer with it. Then the Duke lost his cell phone in the snow. I think she's over-reacting. She could have lost me. Then she would have something to cry about!!!!

Suncatcher

Crunchy Morning

Today was a great day. We woke up at 5am to a crunchy morning. That’s when the temperature dips below freezing and the grass makes a crunchy sound under my paws. The Duke and Duchess were home all day so I had free run of the castle. Most days they are gone to work and I’m left to rule in the kitchen with Bear. We have lot’s of room to play but there’s nothing to chase so you can imagine how boring it is.

But today was a great day. The Duchess washed clothes in the dungeon and I got to go downstairs with her and roll in the laundry. (She doesn’t much care for that though). The dungeon is a wondrous place. There is so much stuff down there I could sniff around all day. It’s kind of like going to Disneyland – you can’t see it all in one day. But I never get to stay down there very long so I have to move pretty fast when I’m there.

Today was also a big day for cookies. The Duchess has a cupboard in the kitchen where she keeps a box of canine treats. Bear has to sit for his treat and I have to spin first, then sit. Well now she’s come up with a new word. She marches in place and says “Dance Emma”. Now, mind you, Bear has already gotten his cookie and I’m trying to figure out what the heck “Dance Emma” means. So I figure I’ll just spin and sit like I always do and see if that makes her happy. It does, and I get my cookie. So why didn’t she just say “Spin Emma”? Humans!