Bouffant Blonde

Sunshine is a lab. She loves to hunt. She loves to catch things that move. It really doesn't matter what. Of course with the weather near 100 degrees and the heat index even higher, she's abandoned much of that. Except when something just happens to cross her path. She really can't help herself. I knew something was up when she scrambled out from under the van (which she is really too big to be under) and raced across the yard. I hadn't seen her move that quickly in weeks. She's so laid-back that her usual mode of travel is slow and leisurely. She immediately started looking for something. Her nose was in high gear. I didn't know what she saw. I figured maybe a squirrel. She likes to go after squirrels. I know the squirrels get a good laugh as they jump from tree to tree without the dogs ever having a clue. Sunshine started trying to move some tin stacked next to the cattle trailer. Soon, Little Guy and Miss Lady Bug had joined the search. I tried to be helpful...

Little Guy loves to fish. He never really understood fishing until my oldest nephew visited when Little Guy was just a puppy. He'd obviously lived in the city before he came to us. He knew we had a pond. He loved to romp along the sides, splashing in the water. But he never understood that there are fish in the pond. Wow! He watched my nephew gather a reel and rod and other supplies. Then Little Guy happily followed him around to the dam. Both his sisters went along so it was a fun adventure. He sat right next to my nephew as he threw the line in. Then, oh my gosh, a fish came out! That was exciting! Little Guy danced all around and tried to get close to the fish. My nephew removed said fish from the hook and threw the fish back into the pond. Wait a minute, Little Guy said. Don't we get to play with the fish? I want to take the fish back to the house and show my mom. So Little Guy did what any puppy would do under those circumstances. He went into the water after the fish. He...

I always knew it would happen one day. I hoped it wouldn't. Truly I did. But with three curious dogs and many, many wild animals it was like a train wreck waiting to happen. Little Guy encountered a skunk. Not that we saw said encounter. The smell, however, gave it all away. Little Guy always tries to be helpful. While I worked in the garden late yesterday, he hunted. He loves to hunt. He rarely catches anything. He leaves that to his big sister Sunshine. But he does so love to smell his way through the beans and corn, searching for anything at all. I paid no attention when he exited the garden and headed toward the barn area. He does that everyday. I didn't even notice that he sort of lagged behind when we headed toward the house. But, oh my. When I closed the garage door and he plopped in front of the fan, the air got a little smelly. At first I wasn't sure which dog was the culprit. The look on Sunshine's face was priceless. So pitiful. I wondered if she were the one...

How many times have you whined today? Give it up! We all complain numerous times each and every day. And usually about trivial things that really don't matter or that we simply can't change. We just don't like to admit that we are whiners. Think about it. It's June in Alabama. It's hot and humid. And sunny. I'm thankful that the rain has finally stopped but now in a two-day span of time the ground is so hard. I miss the cooler temperatures that the rain brought. But when it was raining and water was standing everywhere, I was first in line complaining that I wanted to see the sun. Or think about the traffic. That's a favorite whine topic. The stop lights never work to our satisfaction. If we're in a hurry, they're always red. When we're trying to delay our arrival, they're always green. And don't forget about that slowpoke going our way. You've heard the phrase "he's got nowhere to go and all day to get there." If the sl...