I Am the King!

That’s right! I am the King! I rule over all those who pass through my kingdom! My kingdom is far and wide and stretches from the back alley to the front curb and from the fence on the north to the fence on the south! I am a mighty ruler and am both fair and just…unless you happen to be one of my lowly minions, a squirrel, you taunter and conniver of peanuts! Whoa be the day when we meet face to face and you aren’t scampering along my fences, coward that you are! But I digress!

In My Kingdom!

In my kingdom, I am the Lord of all Mint…and the shadows under the Peach tree, the spot behind the yarrow, the spot where you can’t see me sniffing in the farthest berm, and over where the chives are in the front yard! Sadly, however, Sir Cat moved away last week and I won’t have his fresh, um, dinner scraps to partake of. I guess I’ll have to savor what he left behind then.

Dad and I were out in the front yard a few days ago and the neighbors, who left him this gem,

Elitch's Bench**

and left all of their potted plants in the front yard and one of them (beats me what it is) was sitting right on top of…well, you know….and I was sniffing at it and kinda nudging it with my nose but I didn’t want to make Dad suspicious of what I was doing there, so I just sort of looked innocent, you know……you know about my innocent look, right?

(Me looking innocent)

Well, he scurried over to snap a picture of me in the chives but I knew better and just moved away like I was just sniffing around the new plants. HAHA, Dad!

O, Hi, Dad

I guess he did see me. But see, I’m looking pretty innocent there, aren’t I? Who, ME? You got me confused with someone else! I was just checking out the new plants.

Well, Dad needs the computer so he can work on some photos so I guess I’ll let him have it.
BTW, my pulled muscle is coming along great, especially because Dad massages it….but the allergy bumps are getting out of control: I have about 8 on my head, alone!

Have a great week and weekend. Avoid all that pesky heat, cool down in the shade, and enjoy yourself!

I’ll be watchin’ for you!

** Dad says the bench came from the original Elitch’s Amusement Park Carousel. The old Elitch’s was torn down a dozen years ago or more and all of the stuff was either sold to Lakeside Amusement Park or installed in some way at the new “Elitch’s Sic Flags” or sold to the public. It still has a lot of the original artwork and paint on it but I don’t care…I’m using it to lay in the shade under!

There's One Now

Well, I did a bunch of barking but Dad wouldn’t let me outside because he didn’t want want me to make that pulled muscle any worse. He’s been really good about the muscle but I really do want to chase the squirrels again. He’s right though,  I need to get all better before I can chase after them again. The massages he gives me are pretty nice….they really get me relaxed and sleepy. 
So, anyway, I had to sit by the door and just look out at one of my “buddies” scamper around the yard, look for the peanuts that Dad leaves everywhere, and, the worst, taunt me on the fence. But that doesn’t mean I couldn’t woof at him!

Woofin' At It

That’s me looking pretty tough, huh? I may be small but it doesn’t mean I’m not tough. Grrrrrrrrrr!

When things calmed down and I was all relaxed and forgot about the squirrel, we went outside so Dad could take some pictures of the garden. While he was doing that, I sneaked over to his little water feature by the deck to get a drink, which he doesn’t like because “there might be bugs in there!” The heck with bugs! That water is tasty. I was about to take a drink while Dad took a picture and I looked around and….yep…

Busted!

Hey, I wasn’t doin’ nuthin’! I was just looking at the pretty green stuff, Dad! Really! I don’t like eatin’ them bugs in the water.
Hehehehehe

Drinkin'

I really had to lean over in it because he hadn’t refilled it in a couple of weeks (he said he was surprised that all the rains didn’t keep it full). And, hey, there weren’t any bugs in there, just nice cool, yummy water!

Oh, you want an update, I bet! I got the last 2 staples out of my back this week and I am “fit to go”. Well, I still have a ways to go to be really fit. I’m never going to climb the stairs again…unless Dad forgets to put up the gate. The vet also said that I need to get in to get my teeth cleaned again. I hate going to the dentist! But Dad and Spence say that it makes my breath so much better…….until I get out in the yard and look for my favorite thing.

Thanks for stopping by and checking up on me. And thanks again for just being out there for me. You know I love you guys!

I’ll be watching for you!

Sittin' in the Grass

I was out in the backyard with Dad yesterday while he pulled weeds (“there’s too many,” he says) and I love sitting in the tall grass, which he says there’s too much of, too (he hates cutting grass).
He got some nice pictures of me doing my favorite thing, which I don’t have to describe since you’ve already gotten an earful of that.

Mint Hunting I

Mint Hunting II - Closer Inspection

And then some dessert (not that I found anything…Dad got me out of the mint because I was crushing it and it’s his favorite herb), so I looked under the bench to eat some grass. Grass is a breath-freshener, you know.

Grass Hunting for Dessert

Thunder chased me back inside, not Dad. We’ve been getting way too much rain and Dad says some of the flowers just aren’t blooming enough and some others are loving the rain, so I don’t know what is problem is: the yard is beautiful, anyway!
Inside, I got me over on my back, which I do to scratch an itch. I haven’t been able to do that since my surgery and he was so surprised to see me roll over onto it!

Cute Side

He and Spencer call it my “cute side.” I am darn cute, aren’t I? (Well they think so….yea, and a few others, too!)

This post is just a short one.

Oh, yeah, I’m feeling pretty good but I’m still limping a bit on my left front side. Just a pulled muscle, I think. Gotta keep up with Dad in that department, y’know! My back is healing but it has a ways to go. I sure do want to climb the stairs to the second floor and chase the squirrels and cats from next door…but that’s a No-no. I give Dad and Spencer sad eyes but they just aren’t gonna fall for that!

Whoa! I gotta go….there’s one of them now!

See ya next time!

Portrait in the Barn

(That was taken on my first winter at the old house up in the canyon…but I was lookin’ at something. Maybe I was looking for you then, too.)

Cactus and Me

Well, it’s more than cactus. There’s penstemon, iris, something called sedum, which he has so many different kinds of but they all have the same name for some reason, even though they all are different.
Then we moved into the backyard, which has a lot of other stuff that interests me. There’s some long grass, mint, and all sorts of plants and flowers and things that Dad works with and it really is nice back there, I guess. I do things in the garden I won’t talk about, though, because some of you will just think it’s gross.
But I DO look for a couple of my favorite things, of course. I heard something in the tree and thought it was a squirrel but I didn’t see anything. They’re pretty quick, you know.

Whazzat?

A few minutes later, I was over in my favorite corner rooting around under the bushes while Dad was looking the other way…at least I thought he was looking the other way. He busted me over there looking for………you guessed it:

me?

kitty poops. They just taste so good….and they’re nutritious, too! No kidding! That’s what my vet says! You probably wouldn’t like them, if you’re a human reading this, but I bet your dog does!

OK, so you’re wondering how I am doing, I imagine. I’m doing pretty well. I spend a lot of the day sleeping and just resting because that’s what’s best to heal my back. I do have a little bit of limp because I pulled a muscle in one of my front legs but Dad and Spencer have been massaging it.

Cool Grass

Ah, it’s the life of Reilly, isn’t it?

Well, that’s it for now.
See you next time. I’ll be watching for you!

Always On Guard

Me? I’ve been chasing flies in the house and watching the squirrels through the screen at the slider door to the patio. One bold guy even came up to the slider and attacked the bag of peanuts Dad left in there. I think I may have pulled a muscle in my front left leg when I was barking my ferocious bark at him and jumping when no one was looking. My Bad. But those Dang Squirrels! I’ll get them when I heal!

I’ve also been lying in the sun getting some UV therapy on my back and pulled muscle, too.

Lounger on the Patio

I think I was looking at a fly in this picture since I should’ve been asleep and enjoying the sun. I’m glad it’s summer and not winter anymore. I like playing in the snow but summer is so nice and warm!

O, BOY! I almost forgot to tell you that I got my staples pulled yesterday. All but 2 anyway. There’s a spot on my back where they had to leave 2 in so the incision would heal better. That feels a lot better….but I sure do itch a lot and it itches in places I can’t reach. Thankfully, Dad and Spencer have been scratching those spots; I usually give them a lick when they’re done.

Well, I’m going out in the sun now and going to see if there’s some good grass to chew on….OK, and maybe some kitty poops. I know that sounds gross but they sure are tasty!

Hey, one last thing, I thought I’d post a picture of my old pal, Iris. She was living with us when I first arrived in 2002. She went to that great Doggy Field in the Sky about a year or so later. She was so cool. I miss her a lot.

Nappers

Well, I’ll be watching for you!

Look Both Ways

………and I will! You never know which way you may come from….I may be looking the other way and you’ll surprise coming from the other way!