Winston – Page 3 – This Rover

2020-11-042020-12-30

Treasures from Our Walks

Well, I heard that we’re not on Daylight Saving Time anymore, so I guess that means that we’re now on Daylight Spending Time. My brother and I are spending ours in the morning. That’s nice, because it’s lighter when we go on our early walks, but then it seems that we don’t have as much light left at the end of the day. How are you spending your daylight?

Speaking of our morning walks, I want to show you some of the treasures I’ve found! One of the benefits of Daylight Spending Time is that it’s easier to see things on our path – and my brother is still a little sleepy so his reaction time is not so good!

This first one was a whole box of food! I understand that the fellow on the box is Colonel Sanders and that he invented fried chicken, although I’ll bet other people already knew how to do that, too. That’s an interesting first name: I think the only other person I know with that name is Colonel Shields, but he goes by Guy. I don’t know how you get Guy from Colonel, but then my brother and I know a lady named Margaret who goes by Peggy, so I guess it’s just one of those surprises you run into!

Anyway, before my brother knew what had happened, I was able to eat a little piece of chicken, a big French fry, and even a “colonel” of corn or two. Ha ha!

Next up, here’s a little sack with a surprise. My brother thought it was just a piece of paper so he let me carry it with my teeth instead of wrestling me for it. Well, I proudly carried it all the way back home, and then he realized that there was food inside: a little pig-in-a-blanket, stuffed in a sack, kind of like one of those Russian nesting dolls! Yum!

This next treasure has a funny story. I found it on our walk this morning, just lying in someone’s yard. My brother thinks it is part of a child’s dinosaur costume, and he tried to wrestle me for it. I’m not meaning to brag, but I have six-pack jaws, so rather than rip the fabric, my brother decided to let me carry it home, and then he got it. He insisted that we drive back and put it in the people’s yard. Well, when we got there and he got out of the car, those people came out of their house and wanted to know what he was doing – I think they thought he was littering! We all got a good laugh. Well, maybe not my brother, but everyone else.

What treasures have you found on your walks lately? They’re little blessings and they’re all around you!

2020-10-162020-12-30

Gopher Baroque

I’ve told you all about our mole neighbors before. Well, I think they won the Lottery! They are as busy as beavers.

At first, I thought they had made their own mountain out of a very big molehill. But then, I looked over on the other side and saw that they are doing some major renovation.

They hired folks to come out and mark all the pipes. Then, their construction crew got to work.

When you think about how much the moles have spent on all the dirt work – not to mention the architects and permits – they must have hit a big Jackpot! Speaking of the architects, I think I know what style the mole’s new house is …

Gopher Baroque!

2020-10-112020-12-30

Unexpectedly

https://youtu.be/kGrIT2jSOqE

2020-10-092020-12-30

I Found This Humerus

We went on a walk this morning. I’ve been wanting to take a different turn for a few weeks and, finally, my brother let us go that direction. And wow – I’m glad we did! Look at this treasure!

It was just lying in the gutter. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a big bone. Actually, I’m not sure it is a humerus, but my brother laughed every time he read the title. I guess I’m glad he a Jury’s Doctor and not a Medicine Doctor!

At first, I just kept walking with this new gift. Then, I thought we should get home in a hurry. Luckily, I looked completely normal from the left side:

I’m actually carrying it in my mouth here.

The right side tells a different story:

My brother got his exercise keeping up with me, because I was on a mission!

Anyway, I breathed a sigh of relief when we got back to our yard.

Well, I hope you get to take a new turn in the road today. You never know what treasure might come your way!

2020-10-082020-12-30

A Utility Infielder

Look what I found in the yard! The utility folks left me a belated birthday present: a nice, long stick with a yellow streamer. It looked like a birthday candle, and was easy to pull out of the ground!

My brother made a video and I got to narrate it. Be sure you have your captions turned on!

The next time you see a big stick on the ground – even if it’s not your birthday – I hope you give it a twirl!

2020-10-022020-12-30

More Moles Than Avocado’s Number

My brother wanted me to use that title. I have no idea what I means, but I think it might be something like “More moles than Carter has pillows”. If that’s the case, then he’s right, because we have a lot of moles! They are all over the neighborhood.

Every morning, on our walk, we see a new subdivision springing up – or I guess I should say down.

Well, I decided to be our neighborhood’s Welcome Wagon:

You know, I think I have a pretty big nose, but it’s not quite long enough to ring their doorbell.

So, if any of my friends who are Rough Collies or Shelties or Dachshunds or Afghans – or anybody who has a long snout – would like to join my Welcome Wagon Committee, send me a message!

2020-09-272020-12-30

The Great 2020 Bagel Caper

It’s like my birthday went into extra innings! Yesterday morning, on our walk, look what some thoughtful person left me:

It was an even nicer gift than it looks. There were actually four bagels to start with. I learned something important, too. I can get an entire bagel in my mouth before my brother even knows what happened! A very helpful skill, if you ask me.

It’s funny how we have different opinions of what smells and tastes good. We both think the front side of Billy Sims’ BBQ smells terrific, but only I think the big blue box in the back is the best part! And, while I’d really like to see what’s behind Crazy Charlie’s Funeral Emporium, my brother won’t even consider it. Maybe someday he’ll change his mind. Until then, I’ll stand guard.

I hope you all have a great Sunday!

2020-09-252020-12-30

Today is My Birthday!

Can you believe it? I turned four years old today! My brother and I got up early and went on a long, birthday walk. I was so excited about the day that, about halfway through, I just had to do a Birthday Tump in somebody’s driveway. I highly recommend it to you, if you’ve never tried it!

When we got home, my brother fixed me a special breakfast. In addition to my dry food and green beans, I got a half a piece of bacon! By the way, I don’t want to upset Dr Reed, so if you see her, let’s just keep that part between us.

Well, the surprises just kept coming. I found a cedar plank that used to have some smoked salmon on it. Tasty!

I think my brother was letting keep it just because it was my birthday, but he drew the line when I tried to make it into more portable pieces.

That’s OK, because look what got delivered for my birthday!

My brother is so thoughtful! And tonight, he fixed me a huge log of smoked bologna on it. We’ll get to eat on it for quite a while. Oh: I guess that part about Dr Reed applies here, too.

As I get older, it’s funny what I do and don’t remember. Does that ever happen to you? I can’t remember how I got the scars on my back legs or why I’m scared of workers in bright yellow vests. As hard as I try, I can’t even remember the first time I liked tumping on the ground or barking at thunder. But I do remember how nice the Sooner Golden Retriever Rescue folks were to me, especially Sharon and Dwight, who let me stay with them until my brother could get back to town and pick me up.

I always used to think that the “Rescue” part of Sooner Golden Retriever Rescue meant that they rescued me, but my brother insists that I was the one who rescued him. I guess it’s nice that we both think that way.

Well, I’ve had a big, great day! If you let me know your birthday, I’ll send you a tumping video on your big day. Try it. It’s a great way to start off a new year!

After such a great day of celebration, I’m ready to take it easy!

2020-09-202020-12-30

East Bound and Down

Wow! We’ve had an exciting past few weeks! My brother and I went to the boat! We left Tulsa on a Monday morning and headed first to St Louis.

I was so excited that I spent the whole trip in the front seat. I love listening to music on the road. Some of it made me want to dance …

Dixieland Delight

Then, there were songs that make you think a little …

The Dance

We had lunch with my niece’s Godparents, the Hunts. Their daughter is my brother’s Goddaughter. I guess that makes me a Goduncle. That’s so exciting!

We spent the night in Louisville with our friends the Wilhelm’s. You’ve probably heard of Labradoodles and Golden Doodles. Well, their dog is a type I wasn’t familiar with: a Poodle. A very nice young man!

The next day, we made it all the way to Washington. Talk about a lot of familiar smells, and some new ones! The Washington Channel was even prettier than I remembered.

We went over to our friend Guy’s boat, then met our friends Al and Alan for dinner. Fun times!

Oh, I almost forgot … I learned that leashes don’t make good dental floss. On Monday night, I chewed through mine when we were at dinner in Louisville. The Wilhelm’s dog let me borrow one of his for the trip to the District. It was a pretty pink one. Well, after dinner on Tuesday, I thought I would clean my teeth, and it snapped, too! I’m saving up to buy him a replacement.

After the long trip, it was a treat to go to the Dog Park in Shirlington.

There’s a pretty creek that runs alongside the park, but there’s a fence between them. Some dogs get to go play in the creek, but my brother, for some reason, was not interested in exploring.

Shirlington Dog Park

That’s OK, because what I really like to do is scratch my back. My brother calls it “tumping”. I’ll try to send you pictures from time to time. Maybe you can exercise along with me.

Winston scratching his back

It was good to see all the places at The Wharf again. When we go for our early morning walks, there are always some treats on the ground, left over from the night before.

I may not be that great at catching squirrels and rabbits, but I’m getting very good at sneaking up on pieces of chicken and ice cream cones!

Sometimes I like to sit on our dock and watch for ducks. Then, there’s also the pier with the fireplace.

There are so many places to look for treats. After a busy weekend, it’s almost like an all-you-can-eat buffet!

Speaking of Buffet, on our first Saturday back, Alan and his friend Jodie gave a concert of Jimmy Buffett songs, and everyone sat out in their boats to listen. My brother and I snuck up on the balcony to get a better look.

Then, the next Saturday, our friend Mike and his jazz band played. After that, Al took us on a boat ride! We went all the way to Alexandria!

Back on our boat, my brother has rediscovered one of his favorite shows, “Hank Parker’s Outdoor Magazine”. He told me he used to watch that show 30 years ago, and Hank is still going strong. He gets to go all over the place and fish. Maybe we can visit him sometime and go on his boat. After my trip to Alexandria, I think I’m up for anything! We’ve watched a lot of his shows this past week. My brother calls it “bench-watching” but we’re actually sitting on the sofa.

Well, I’ll keep you up to date on our adventures. I can’t wait to see what’s around the corner!

2020-08-072020-12-30

You Can’t Hide Your Smilin’ Eyes

You know that I hardly ever say anything bad about folks, but this really does have a happy ending, so I hope it’s OK.

Sometimes, especially lately, people can get all barky-bark like some of the little dogs. I’ve heard them snarl and yap at each other. It’s too bad, because we really should all be as happy as kings.

Well – it finally happened:

Muzzled! All these folks are walking around in time-out! Now, here’s the really funny part. I think my brother is pretty good-natured, but when we got in the car the other day, look what I found:

Ha ha! I guess even he has his bad days!

Well, I hope all these people will make it through their time-outs and learn to be nice to everybody. I mean, I learned to not chew on a Bible, so I think it should be easy for them!