Under the Strawberries

In the spring, I was tidying up the garden when I noticed that one of my strawberry plants had died.

Strawberry bed without chicken wire cover.

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The strawberry bed has a foot high metal wall with chicken wire on top. When I lifted the wire to pull up the dead plant, I found that some stupid b*tch bunny had hopped on top of the chicken wire and clawed and chewed her way into the bed. She dug a hole under one of my unlucky plants and laid her clutch of fur-covered destroyers. When I picked up the plant, I found a huge wad of her hair where the roots should have been and three sleeping vermin underneath.

Evil lagomorphs where strawberry should be.

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I tried to shoo the undersized monsters away to wreak their havoc elsewhere, but they were stubbornly reluctant to leave.

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Voracious cuniculus is trying to blend in with the dirt.

(I’m not gonna eat that strawberry. Honest.)

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Hence the term “harebrained”.

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You can’t see me!

(Oh yes I can.)

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For the rabbit lovers out there, no cottontails were (seriously) harmed in the making of this blog post. (My turnips, peas and strawberries suffered, however!!) I did tell them that if I caught them in the garden again I would make Hasenpfeffer out of them. So far they’ve wisely heeded my warning.

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Murphy putting his terrier stink in the garden to try to keep the pests away.

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Hello? Are there any bunnies in there?

The Mysterious Case of the Blue Poo

What the heck is this?? It's july! It's blueberry season!

I’m afraid this is what passes for patriotism with my boys.

Happy Independence Day everyone!

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*Nom nom* That blueberry was delicious.

I’ll eat all the rest in those buckets, thank you.

Murphy has figured out where blueberries come from, and he is quite willing to pick them himself. What a helpful lad.

“Yeah, Whatever” or “The Visit”

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I was hoping that Cousin Doogie would entice Murphy to play, but Murphy seemed determined to nap his way through the weekend. Why didn’t I get any pictures of them together? This was about as close as they got the whole time. Both turned out to be shy guys who preferred to stay near familiar humans.

(The next time I or anyone in my family adopts a dog, I think I am going to insist they get a Westie. Then all I will have to draw are eyes and a nose and not fuss with all these colors!)

I wasn’t ignoring you. You just weren’t very interesting.

What Are You?

So, what are you?  What do you mean?  I'm a dog, same as you.

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No, what kind of dog?  Like, we're both Cairn terriers.

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I'm sorry.  As the rescuers were pulling me out of that hoarder's house, they neglected to ask who my parents were.  I really don't know who or what I am.

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I guess you're just our little brother.

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Before

So far…..

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I guess Murphy’s uncle got tired of everyone speculating about what kind of dog Murphy is and sent us this.

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To me, Murphy resembles an Australian Terrier.

My mom thinks he looks like a Norfolk Terrier.

Google thinks he looks like a Yorkie.

I guess we’ll find out in a couple of weeks if any of us guessed right.

Sitting in the Dark

So, what's going on with...um...this here?

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Technically nothin. Then why are you sitting in the dark?

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The short answer is that my eyes hurt, and I'm getting eye strain headaches. How come?

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Insufficient tears, poor quality tears, worse cataracts n one eye, ocular rosacea and the always popular Bell's Palsy. Lucky you?

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Don't you wish you hadn't asked? Yeah, kinda.

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I’m sorry. Were you still talking?

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I’ve had to see the eye doctor a number of times in the past months. During my last visit, the doctor asked me a bunch of questions then declared, “This Bell’s Palsy isn’t acting the way it should”. Yay. It feels like someone might finally be hearing me. I guess other underlying conditions can exacerbate the palsy, and that is what she is considering. Paws crossed that in the coming months I get some relief.

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Handmade afghan with roses and bows.

Mothers’ Day is coming fast. Consider giving your mom something handmade to show her how much you care. Handmade gifts such as this Rose Cross Stitch Afghan are available from my shop at L Bowman Studios.

Where’s Mom?

Have either of you seen mom lately? Now that you mention it, no. Can't say that I have either.

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Maybe we should check in here.

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Holy crap, what happened to you? Yikes. Isn't that what she always looks like?

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You mean that’s not what you always look like?

I didn’t realize. I haven’t known you that long.

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6 weeks on steroids +1 new medication + < supplement – 7 vials of blood = I guess we’ll find out!

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Dream Our World

Join Bitey and Toby in some mischief before Murphy arrived when you pick up a copy of Dream Our World. Inside Geordie and Toby view the world of art from a canine perspective and enjoy a day of unsupervised fun!

Dream Our World, and other fine gifts, can be found at my shop at L Bowman Studios.

Favorite Foods

Oh dear.  What do you think we should do?  Should we tell him?

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So New Guy, what kinds of foods do you like?  Ooh...my name is Murphy by the way....I LOVE chicken.  And Tofu.  tofu is the best.

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There is another food I remember from Before.  I've smelled it when we're around other humans, but mom hasn't let me have any.  I really loved it.  What was it called?  Pizza, I think.

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Do you think if I am a really good boy that she would let me have it again?  ??

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Um,  yeah.  Sure.  Yup, just keep being a good boy, and maybe mom will let you have pizza.  Maybe we'll all get pizza.

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Poor little Murphy – as if life hadn’t handed him enough challenges – suffered such extreme malnutrition when he was trapped in the hoarders’ house that he now has heart damage. When I took him for his first vet visit and handed over the paperwork from the rescue, the vet asked where the rest of it was. What? This is what they gave me. The vet said that Murphy’s heart damage was pretty severe and that the rescue had to have known. She was upset that they withheld the information and let me adopt a sick dog without realizing it. I would have still adopted him, but at least I would have known more about what sort of future he might have and what his medical costs might be.

On top of heart disease, Murphy also has high blood pressure. (“How do they know he has high blood pressure?” you may ask. Turns out the answer is “itty bitty blood pressure cuff”.) He’s not on blood pressure medication, but I do have to make sure he doesn’t eat foods with salt. Sadly that means no pizza for Murphy. I can tell he’s had it in the past and really, really, really wants more, but I can’t let him have it. Instead he gets dried beets with his dinner which is supposed to help with blood pressure. I wish I could do even more for my little guy. It brings me so much joy to watch him smile and get the zoomies……but then he coughs.

The same company that makes Life Gold that I gave Geordie for his cancer also makes a supplement to help pets with heart issues. I started Murphy on that, but I can’t tell if it has made a difference. We don’t have a follow-up visit with the vet until late summer, so it will be a while before we get feedback

Please? Please may I have some pizza? I’ve been such a good boy.

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Oil painting of Westie puppy.

For more information on having a portrait of your beloved pet done, please visit the Pet Portrait page at my site, L Bowman Studios. There you will find suggestions on choosing source photos and guidelines for pricing.

Boing Boing Boing

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Ack! Yeah, that's why we don't jump for our supper. Plus the food doesn't get there any faster.

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So I fell in my water dish. So what?

I know we’re supposed to teach our dogs to wait quietly for their meals, but honestly it is so nice to see him excited.

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Dream Our World

Find out what Bitey and Toby liked to do before Murphy joined them. In Dream Our World, come with them to the Museum of the Imagination where they view the world of art from a canine perspective and enjoy a day of unsupervised fun.

Dream Our World, and other fine gifts, are available from my shop at L Bowman Studios.