grass

The Grass

I'm sick or this. I'm going to go poop in the neighbor's yard. Where are you guys? Hey, who is pulling my tail?!

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Forecasters were predicting two weeks of rain with one, brief, dry afternoon in the middle. I got home from work on the middle day and ran outside to deal with the lawn before the next round of storms came. But what should occur – like a kick to the a** – but a mower that refused to cut any grass.

I spent hours on the phone with the mower company because it was under warranty. They agreed it was faulty battery and said they would send a new one. The only problem is that they send at their own speed – not the speed of well-watered weeds growing in springtime. All I had access to was a string trimmer, so I went out and cut a path for poor Murphy like the one I shoveled for him in the snow in winter.

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I don’t like the tall grass. Can I poop in the house?

(Murphy really did pull me over to the neighbor’s well-manicured lawn to do his business whenever anyone wasn’t looking.)

The sad thing is that we’ve had droughts the past two summers, so the mower barely got used. With 90% of the cost of a mower being the battery, this seems like a lousy deal.

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Dream Our World

Come see what my other boys have been up to in Dream Our World.  Inside Dream Our World, Bitey and Toby visit the museum of their dreams, view the world or 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.

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He’s Baaack!

Well, it turns out Doogie is just as cooperative for photos as Murphy is.

I think I’m going to ignore him and eat this grass.

Ignore me, will ‘ya? Well I’ll ignore you right back!

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This evening I found Doogie lying in Murphy’s bed. He gave me a look that whispered, “Don’t tell him I’m here.” OK. I won’t tell him, but I bet before this visit is over, I’ll find the two of you curled up together like best friends.

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I Felt a Great Disturbance in the Force

Toby Wan stands with his light saber.

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For years, scientists have known that plants emit 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.

Plants make audible sounds to communicate stress

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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ASL Alien Hand Pillow with Galaxies

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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”!

This Alien Hand Pillow and many other fine items are available from my shop at L Bowman Studios.

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