When a new delivery driver started this route, she memorized every home that had a pup and left a Milk Bone on top of each package she delivered. It didn’t take long for all the dogs dog in the neighborhood to recognize the sound of her truck and bark like crazy whenever they heard it.
Toby can hear the engine a half mile away. If we happen to be out for a walk when it is coming, he will plant himself in the middle of the road to wait for his personalized biscuit delivery. He puts on such a performance that sometimes the driver has to stop traffic to give my little monster a Milk Bone. Woe to the dog several houses away that can see my boy eating his treat and yet is too far away to get hers!
And yes, Toby will climb the steps to get to his biscuit if he gets the chance.
What can I say? I am a sucker for Milk Bones.
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Would you like to see what else Bitey and Toby are up to? Then pick up a copy of Dream Our World. Inside the boys visit the Museum of the Imagination and enjoy a day of unsupervised fun.
Against my will, I got to learn something recently.
A couple of weeks ago I failed to duck low enough when walking under some stairs and whacked my head. I bump myself often enough that I quickly forgot about the incident. A few days afterward, I started getting a big lump on my head. Then I developed chills and fever with joint pain, skin pain, muscle pain and what I presume to be tendon pain because there aren’t a lot of muscles in the hands. Just to make things more fun, I got terribly itchy as if I had dipped my head in poison ivy.
The fever came and went for a few days before I felt like it was behind me. With the fever seemingly gone, my head now feels like someone beat on it with a hammer leaving little circles of pain all over it. While we all know our hair moves in some throwback to when it was more efficient at capturing heat and signaling our emotions, we are rarely aware of it. I have been blown away by how much my hair moves in a day. It is an agony every time it does, yet it constantly does so. The swelling, pain and itchy rash have moved down from my scalp to cover my forehead and the left side of my face to my cheekbones.
Initially I thought I had hit my head hard enough to split the scalp and develop an infection, but I don’t believe that is what happened. It looks like more like I am having an autoimmune reaction to an injury.* I think the itchiness and the swelling are Koebner phenomenon where 11% – 75% (Way to narrow down the numbers, scientists!) of lucky psoriasis patients can develop symptoms that resemble psoriasis whenever their skin is injured (mosquito bites, tattoos, acne, etc). With the way I hurt myself, I can’t see this as being good news. Plus, symptoms can take anywhere from as little as 3 days to as much as 20 years to develop. Sure, that will be easy to keep track of. No problem.
In the meantime, the only way I can get through my days is with an ice bag on my head. I haven’t been able to sleep more than 3 hrs a night since this happened because the itching is so bad and it’s too painful to have my head touch a pillow.
I think what hurts the most is that my hair was finally starting to grow back. All the swelling from this trauma is likely to make it fall out again.
I really need to order a chemo hat.
*Funny since my doctor told me explicitly that I do not have an autoimmune disease.
You should have my fur instead. It is glorious!
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If you would like to see what Geordie and Toby do when they aren’t bringing me ducks, check out a copy of Dream Our World. Inside the boys explore the world of art from a canine perspective and enjoy a day of unsupervised fun.
Toby has altogether too much time on his hands. Um, paws.
Why, what do you want me to think about?
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Don’t forget to pick up a copy of Dream Our World. Inside, Bitey and Toby explore the museum of their dreams and enjoy a day of unsupervised fun! (Dream Our World is also available through your local library’s Inter-Library Loan System.)
For years, scientists have known that plantsemit chemicals into the soil to communicate with each other. The plants send chemical messages through fungal networks to warn other plants about threats in their environment. Plants also emit electrical signals to sense and respond to what is going on around them. That lovely scent of a freshly mown lawn? It is actually all those blades of grass and flowers releasing chemicals as a cry for help with whatever is damaging them.
For those who feel they are doing something extra ethical by not eating “something with a face” and instead eat plants, this article might be interesting.
It turns out that not only do plants use chemicals, electrical signals and fungi to signal distress, they also make sounds. While above the limits of ordinary human hearing, the sounds plants make can be heard by insects and animals.
Last week we had an island of sunny dryness in an otherwise cold and rainy fortnight. Everyone in town cut their lawns at the same time. Imagine the disturbance in the Force that day. For those with ears to hear, the clicking-screams must have been deafening.
Like I care. I’m going to keep eating grass whenever I want!
I think Toby’s biggest complaint about the Great Mow Day was that all the tall grass clumps he chooses for #1 were gone at the same time. It was so hard to decide where to go.
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Feel like celebrating something galactic for May the Fourth? Then why not add an Alien Hand ASL pillow to your decor! The pistachio green hand forms the American Sign Language sign for “I love you”. This pillow would make a great gift for someone you think is “out of this world”!
Don’t worry, it’s not till July, but you should get your tickets early.
I wanna be a ball retriever!
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If you would like a picture of your beast and his/her favorite tennis ball, then visit the Pet Portrait Page at L Bowman Studios for information on sizes and pricing. Trust me, you can never have too many pictures of your fur babies!
If humans dug the way they’re supposed to (with their paws), they wouldn’t need shovels.
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If you would like to see what else my pups are up to, then join them at the Museum of the Imagination as they explore the world of art from a canine perspective and enjoy a day of unsupervised fun!
Alert ears heard that an official from Rancho Cucamonga helped to broker a sister city agreement between a nearby town in California and the Hindu nation of Kailaasa.
*Image borrowed from the internet*
People in my state would never do something that silly. Oh wait…
Tony DeLuca, a longtime Pennsylvania representative, was re-elected despite having died in October after a battle with lymphoma. Photograph: Rep. Anthony DeLuca facebook page
Not just re-elected. Re-elected by a landslide.
Geordie had a thing for Shelties. I like all girls!
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Come have more fun with my boys at the Museum of the Imagination in Dream Our World. Inside they enjoy a day of unsupervised fun as they explore the world of art from a canine perspective (including naughty pictures of near-naked poodles!).
(Terriers may look all little and cute, but they weight as much as a cinder block.)
I have no idea what you’re talking about.
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Do you find yourself in need of a portrait of your pet elephant, Stampy? Then visit the Pet Portrait section of my website, L Bowman Studios, to see what I might be able to do for you! I have various examples of my work as well as information of sizes and pricing. A pet portrait is a great gift to yourself or someone you love.
Easter is right around the corner. If you find yourself in need of adorable basket stuffers, consider givingDream Our World! Inside Bitey and Toby experience the world of art from a canine perspective and enjoy a day of unsupervised fun. (All rated G!)
Would like to have a picture of your evil, bitey monster (or very sweet monster)? Then visit my site L Bowman Studios. Pet portraits make great birthday gifts as well as loving tributes to a loved one who has passed.
Information about sizing and pricing are available on the Pet Portraits page.
The Adventures of Bitey Dog 