banbaspeaks

noreply@blogger.com (Banba) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:33:00 +0000

First of Fall

After drowzy summer days,
basking in the bright sun rays, licking mint-tinged ice chips
and gnawing apple maize

I guess the time has come to return
impart a bit of what I learned
update my chums and frenemies all
and salve my rosy nosy sunburn

For this very first day of fall
it's summer I still recall
drifting over sand dunes
humming happy puppy tunes

Workday routine soon intrudes
Farewell I yowl to the dudes
of Summer no more to waste
busy Autumn takes its place
While still for ocean waves I itch
Back at work again, I is the bitch.

licks,

banba

noreply@blogger.com (Banba) — Thu, 01 May 2008 19:40:00 +0000

Tra la! It's May! The lusty month of May!
That darling month when ev'ryone throws Self-control away.
It's time to do...A wretched thing or two
Like start blogging again!!!

I love the month of May!
The smells, the sounds, the smells!
Oh, and the loverly wet, soft ground (and the way it smells!)!
When Mom finally relented and let me near the keyboard again,
I knew that I had to choose the date of my return carefully…
And so, May Day it is! Blogging doggie freedom day!

I know that some of you may wonder where I've been;
well, let me tell you….It has not been easy.

In the past several months, I have been forcibly removed from my comfy mooring in Boston
to some backwater where hawks circle overhead and fisher cats (yeah, I know. They aren't really cats)
screech in the woods at night.

When I want to take a walk, we have to get into the car and drive first!
I hate getting in the car to go find a nice park where we can take a walk.
It's also very quiet most days (not nights—see beasts referenced above)
There are no noisy but fun neighbors coming in and out at all hours,
No dogs calling in the distance for me to come and play
No parade of pups passing by…No sidewalks for goodness sake!
But I am adjusting.
Of course, with all the illnesses I've had this year ( heavy sigh)
It just hasn't been easy.
The vet visits, the hospital stay (they SHAVED me!)
Oh, so much to tell dear friends.

But for now,
Suffice to say that I am back
With stories aplenty and a picture or two
I have missed you all immensely….
I have a lyric for you:

I'm back, I'm back Been gone for far too long
With Keyboard in hand, I have a plan
To while the time away. I'll blog, I'll blog
And stay close to friends, if only virtually…
Been shuffled around, out of my town
But now I'm back to stay!

(With thanks to Julie Andrews in Camelot): Tra la! It's May! The lusty month of May!
That darling month when ev'ryone throws Self-control away.
It's time to do
A wretched thing or two,
And try to make each precious day One you'll always rue!
It's May! It's May! The month of "yes you may,"
The time for ev'ry frivolous whim, Proper or "im."
It's wild! It's gay! A blot in ev'ry way.
The birds and bees with all of their vast
Amorous past
Gaze at the human race aghast,
The lusty month of May.

Licks,
banba

Thickly settled my @#$!

noreply@blogger.com (Banba) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 20:29:00 +0000

Get ready!

Listen my puppies and you will hear
of the blogging dog whose return is near

Puppy girl is prepping and honing her quips
The unblemished truth from Banba's own lips!

Rest and relaxation prescribed, and it was a boon
but now it is time, the bitch'll be back soon!

noreply@blogger.com (Banba) — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 20:25:00 +0000

noreply@blogger.com (Banba) — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 18:32:00 +0000

My Summer Vacation
(Life's a bitch beach)

I have to admit, it has been a strange summer:
My home-dogs are disappearing all around me--Tobey, Jakey and Simon all leaving the area (No more playgroup!);
Sammy is gone; Teddy and Elie gone--and now my home is full of telltale boxes...Mom and I are going somewhere.
At least she BETTER be planning to take me.

In the meantime, it seems every free minute we've had, Mom has stuffed me into the car, and we've gone to the beach. (Oh, good news to report: Mom finally decided to give me the whole back seat when we travel. I still have to wear my seat belt, but now I have an extension that lets me stick my head out the window if I want or lie down or pace in the middle of the seat. It's MUCH better than being strapped into the front seat!)

The beach has been great. I met a dreamy little poodle mix with the heart of a poet.
His name was Bono. We shared a special night--I'll never forget him.
We ran down the beach; we ran through the waves;
we chased each other into the dunes
Our Mama's looked for us for ages.
Finally, a friendly old Portie found us
. He gave us a minute to say a private goodbye,
before alerting our folks.
It broke my heart to say goodbye, but the memory of him will be with me forever....
His Mama whisked him away...I've never seen him again.
All I have left is this fuzzy snapshot of my rock star love ....

The beach has been my solace.
Thanks to a suddenly enlightened policy,
"The Man" has decided that dogs are allowed on the beach in the summer after all.
So every weekend, I wake up early and Mom and I walk the beach,
looking for white rocks for Grandpa or sand dollars for Grandma or sea glass for Mom.
Sometimes, a friendly beach human stops to pet and admire me
or another beach dog comes by to say hello;
I do my happy beach dance.
Mom says she's never seen such happy pawprints in the sand:

Hope you all are enjoying your summers, too!

licks,
banba

noreply@blogger.com (Banba) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 19:54:00 +0000

Summer-dazed

Hello all, sorry to be so long delayed, but I have been lazing about my own private beach ( occasionally one sees miscreant interlopers), while my Mom does something called house hunting. I can't say I approve of the whole house hunting thing; I certainly have seen nothing particularly tasty derive from it.

Lately though, I have remained ensconced in my home, in order to avoid the terrible fur-frizzing humidity.

So much to catch you all up on: My summer fling with the rock star, Bono (in the former of a fab poodle mix);

my forays into the great ocean;

and, of course, the approaching departure of my morning play group mate, Tobey, whose folks are dragging him off to some dog-awful burg called Maryland.

I promise to fill you all in on the delightful (and, at times, devastating) details soon soonest.

In the meantime, I thank you all for checking up on me. Please let me know how you are spending your hot, sultry days (and nights, of course).

Kiss, Kiss
Lick, lick

banba

noreply@blogger.com (Banba) — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 19:44:00 +0000

Heat Relief!

Apparently, the heat really took a toll on me:
The heat made my tummy hurt and
I got sick which made my tummy too acidy
then the heat brought out pollen that made my eyes itch
I scratched my eyes and ended up with an infection.
I was tired and feeling low,
but the heat backed off and as soon as I felt better
Mom sent me to the nasty bath people
who SHAVED me!
All of me
Look at me!!!

Aren't I cute?
I feel better, too.

Thanks to all those who asked!
I'm back in blogging form again.

licks, banba

noreply@blogger.com (Banba) — Thu, 31 May 2007 19:58:00 +0000

Apologies to all my beloved readers
I meant to be better about updating my blog ,
but I'm afraid I've been a bit ill.
Nothing too serious--
I don't want any dog out there to fret.
Just some allergies, stomach trouble,
heat exhaustion and eye infection.
*SIGH*

I guess you could say the spirit is willing
but the fur is weak.

Mom has been force feeding me medicine
(with a little steak to make it palatable)
So, I'm sure I will be up and about again very soon

Just when I think I'm free to blog...
Something pulls me back down.

Licks to all,
banba

noreply@blogger.com (Banba) — Wed, 02 May 2007 19:25:00 +0000

Let it snow...Oh wait, no don't!

Wow, I didn't realize how long I had been away,
until I looked at the photograph I saved for you, my dear blogger pals:

OK, so it hasn't snowed around here in...well, in days anyway.

Finally! The weather is beautiful and Mom and I can take long walks around my territory
(There are far flung corners of my realm that I haven't been able
to visit in ages--what with all the ice and snow
Plus, there has been the little problem of my being away for so long...
That's a long story, I'll get back to that later).
Now where was I--Ah yes, Spring!
So, in anticipation of the sunny skies and warm breezes that would greet us at the door,
I encouraged Mom to hurry up and out for a walk
both yesterday morning and again this morning.
What, you may ask, did I find instead???

That's right.
Crazy people using strange metallic creatures
to make lots of noise and stir up lots of dust.
Lots of 'em standing in the middle of my street
(don't they know about sidewalks???)
and putting a serious crimp in my morning plans.
Mom says the street is being paved.
I don't know what that is or why they are doing it
but I do know that this interruption to my routine is unacceptable.
Get me the number to City Hall!

Licks and growls,
banba

noreply@blogger.com (Banba) — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 21:10:00 +0000

A Bone to Pick

I have heard tell around the dog park,
Of a wonderful tradition called "doggie bags"
Back in the day,
When the folks would go out to find food,
They would actually bring some succulent meats back for us,
their sovereigns,
in little hot bags or Styrofoam containers.

These meats sometimes would come attached to
Big, chewy, marrowy bones! Bones!
Not fake bones, bleached to protect the rug;
Not pressed rawhide with chicken flavoring sprayed on.
No!
Real, honest to goodness big beefy bones
Just for us.

Last weekend, my Mom left me at home by mistake
When she went to visit Grandma and Grandpa
(She thought I didn't know where she was going—
But, of course I did!)
All day I plotted my revenge: I wasn't going to talk to her,
play fetch with her, walk with her, keep her warm by stretching across the bed
until she is forced to curl up in a tight ball (and thus be very warm!)
None of it!
I would snub her when she came through the door.

Then, she came through the door…
with a package of sweet ambrosia,
ah the smell
like a nest of earth worms in deep,
dark soil in May
MMmmmmm.

I must admit, as soon as she genuflected to me
And handed me that bone…
All was forgiven.

And who could blame me?

Licks til next time,
banba

noreply@blogger.com (Banba) — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 20:23:00 +0000

The Wait is Over

The Bitch is Back!

At long last, Mom has let me back at the keyboard!
We spent a wonderful Christmas/New Year's break
without "technological interruptions—
Then Mom went and got a new computer.
At first, I thought it would be great—
It certainly is prettier than our old one,
But then Mom would never let me use it.
"You might break it," she said (over and over), "or scratch it or spill something on it."

As if!

So, I waited and waited and waited for it to be my turn at the computer.
Oddly enough, I was also waiting and waiting and waiting for snow.
(More than dusting with frozen dirt peeking through, at least)
I mean, things were so not going my way,
I figured Mercury had to be retrograde or something!
But at long last, we got snow yesterday and now I have convinced Mom that it is not fair to my public…
To YOU, my fans…
To keep me from the keyboard any longer.

So, back I be.

And here's my first ode of the year:

Ode to the Valentine's Day Snow of 2007

I smell the cold white stuff through windows of glass
I know when I hear the north wind whipping past
Excited, I burst through the half-open door
Trailing Momma behind me I rush with a roar
I claim the front yard, the side yard and back
In the name of all Terriers! In the name of my pack!

Then Tobey pops in—He's never played in the stuff
He's a little put off, but he's acting all tough
We run and we play and we fetch the orange Cuz
Don't tell my Mom but I've caught quite a buzz!

Intoxicating indeed, these white fluffy flakes
Oh what a difference a little snow makes
Into the house now Mom calls me, then feeds me, then bed
It's time to dream snow dreams, icy cats dance in my head

Merry Winter to all!
Licks, banba

noreply@blogger.com (Banba) — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 21:22:00 +0000

Christmas Tag!

What fun.
My pal Mackie, (who now rhymes up a storm!) has caught me in a game of tag. I'm supposed to list three things I like and three things I don't like for Christmas.

Well, let me start with the things I don't like:

1) Doggies who are left all alone at Christmas.
Now, I'm not usually the charitable sort (being a bit of a selfish terrier, I must admit), but Christmas time brings out my softer side and I get sad for all the doggies left in shelters at this time of year. Mom says there is a wirey, foxy terrier in the City shelter nearby. I guess we are going to go shopping for some toy and treats to donate to all the pups that haven't got people to serve them, er I mean, to care for them. Here's a picture of Winston. Wait, where did he go. I'll post a picture as soon as I can... In the meantime,
if you know anyone who needs a sweet, charming little guy to share their home, please contact the City of Boston Animal Shelter or search on petfinder.org.

2) Cats. I don't like cats that are left alone at Christmas either. Of course, I don't like cats that have homes and loving owners at Christmas. I especially don't like cats that hang out in my backyard at Christmas! The thing I would least want to get for Christmas would definitely be a cat!

3) A long ride in the car on a cold and rainy day. Yuck. First, I don't want to go anywhere by car if I don't have to. Second, I hate when it's rainy because the water makes a loud noise and swishes around on the windshield...I just don't like the rain (or heavy snow for that matter!). But the worst part of a long car ride on a rainy day is that I don't get to take a nice long walk when I get out of the car, because it's too cold and wet. And don't even get me started on the ridiculous seat belt Mom makes me wear!
Bah Humbug!

I could list more than three you know: I don't want to get groomed for Christmas; I don't want to get clothes for Christmas; I don't want to dress up like a reindeer ;-( for Christmas...

Well, you get the idea.

Coming soon, What I do want for Christmas.

'Til then, you better watch out, you better be good
'Cuz there's a red guy in a suit in the 'hood
They say that he's jolly
But I say that's folly
He's both jury and judge
Once decided, won't budge
The stakes are quite high
Toys and presents and pie
Good girl or naughty
Pray that he's dotty
and forgets your foxy way
when piling presents in his sleigh.

Licks, banba

noreply@blogger.com (Banba) — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 20:31:00 +0000

Happy Birthday to Me!

OK, so my birthday was ten days ago, but my Mom has been busy...and then she got sick. I haven't had a chance to get near the computer, what with bringing her chicken soup and ginger ale and rainbow sherbert and stuff. I've been a very busy little foxy nurse.

But now I'm ready to share some thoughts on my birthday:

First, kudos to Grams for her birthday surprise for me: In addition to the traditional Gramma treat (yes, it's ice cream), I got a really cool coat that lights up, so EVERYBODY can see me in the dark!

Good job and a wag of the tail to Mom who found a brand new dog store in her old hometown. She just barely saved the day by stocking up on treats (loved the reindeers and the cheesesticks, but most of all I loved the doggie cannolis!). The wobbly ball that makes the funny noises is pretty cool, too. Way to go Mom.

At first, when Mom got sick, I thought her sleeping all day and staying home was a bonux birthday prsent for me. That was until she started demanding I wait on her hand and foot. Geesh. I'm only one dog, Mom. Only one little dog.

Next time, I'll catch you up on the Christmas shopping and the latest greeting card indignity....

Love to all my fans,
Banba

noreply@blogger.com (Banba) — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 21:09:00 +0000

I've been traveling so much lately...I'm just exhausted! This past weekend saw another trip home to Gram's and Grampa's house--and Mom tells me we'll be heading back there again in a couple of days!

Lots of good things happen at Grams and Grampa's house ("gramma treats"--ice cream; special walks with Grampa followed by liver treats (hand fed...as many as I want, 'cuz Grampa loves me!). Then there are the long walks through the woods and to the football field (where, as I mentioned in an earlier post, I excel!).

This time, we went by the High School and Mom taught me a new word: mascot. Mascot is a really big and scary looking creature that guards the front of a school. The one in Mom's hometown is called a Lion. This Lion's is sparkly and silver and reflects the sunlight, so he looks twice as big and scary.

I think I rather resemble him.

Mom laughed and told me that I DO look like him. Then, she tried to convince me Leo Lion here was a cat. Can you imagine that? My own Ma thinks I'm so gullible as to believe that the silvery, strong, proud creature that stands guard over the students in that school is some kinda wussy cat? I think not. I know cats. I see them in my yard, I see them on my fence. I smell them from the bushes and chase after the scaredy creatures as they hop the fence to get away from me. I know cats, Mom. And Leo Lion here...He's all dog.

Geesh.

noreply@blogger.com (Banba) — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 21:57:00 +0000

Phew! What a week I've had: A long trip to Gram and Grampa's house, lots of family around (the better to adore me!) and Turkey to boot! Then, Mom tried to take in a neighbor's dog...just keeping him company for a few hours she said, but I know it was really a test run to see how I'd respond to an invader in my territory. Well, I showed him...and her! Hopefully, I won't have to fight for my own bed again anytime soon!

Now, It's the last day of November and warm here in Boston. I'm hoping for a long walk tonight, if my Mom ever gets home from work. Look at how the roses are still blooming!

I know they look a bit faded, but really they were stunning! More when I get back from my walk....

Licks,
banba

noreply@blogger.com (Banba) — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 19:17:00 +0000

PUPPY PRISON

For those of you wondering where I've been, well, I've been in jail. That's right, I did three whole days of cold, hard time without benefit of counsel or trial by jury of my peers.

For reasons still unclear to me, my own Mother locked me away AND LEFT ME at puppy jail (they call it a "pet resort"--HA! Who are they trying to kid?). Confronted with such treachery, I, of course, did the only thing I could to fight this injustice and went on hunger strike.
OK, so I had my own private villa with a sliding glass door (so I could keep an eye on the crafty guards). My cell had just a single cot (no mattress!) with some warm wooly thing on top. The TV in my room had no remote (the nerve!)--All Animal Planet all the time! Yeah, the guards took me out for exercise four times a day, but their schedule wasn't regular enough for me to plan an escape. Just when I thought I had figured out their routine, they forced me into the interrogation center and tried to bathe a confession out of me!

As they washed my face, I came close to breaking...I felt so bad that they came close to getting to me...
Just then, my Mom came and bailed me out. I'm still not so sure I trust her, but it seems she had to leave me to go to some conference or something. She brought back some pictures of giant white and black rats that she thought I'd like (yeah, right). She said she visited a zoo, which I think is just a minimum security animal jail. Mom is acting so strange. I mean, why lock me away, then go to see some giant panda rats in some southern hoosgow?

One thing I must remember from this experience: When the blue bag with wheels comes out of the closet...RUN!

noreply@blogger.com (Banba) — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 21:35:00 +0000

FALL LIGHT

Summer pleasures have gone away
But Autumn keeps the blues at bay
Al last the sun is not too hot
Look at all the pep I've got!

How can a puppy girl be dour
Standing 'neath a Fall sunflower?
The trees turn yellow and red and gold
Warm sweaters guard against the cold
At Football games, I jump and cheer!
Put me in coach--I have no fear!
The stands are cold and wait for crowds
I'll run and weave then take my bows
We'll win! We'll win! I guarantee
I'll kick 3 points like Adam V*

The air is cool and crisp and light
The moon is cold and bright at night
Mom says the snow is coming fast
But I think this year the Fall will last
Tuckered out from leaf pile jumping
I take a nap and keep on slumbering
Mom rubs my belly and brushes me
Then softly sings: Go, Go BC!!!

[Editor's Note: I haven't had the heart to tell Banba that Adam V was not resigned by the patriots this year. He's a Colt now. Sigh.]

noreply@blogger.com (Banba) — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 17:58:00 +0000

Two Days After the Night Before

Well, Halloween was apparently a great success.

I don't remember too much:
It's all a haze of little kids in scary masks or
gauzy dresses and wings and
the blinking light, always with the blinking lights
(Editor's note: Banba wore a puppy "blinker" (OK, two)
on her collar Halloween night,so that
she would be visible on that dark and windy night).

I have to admit, I was looking good in the Skeleton costume
That's me, with my back to the camera--Guarding the candy!

Mom took me around to my friends houses

(Toby's folks even took a picture of me!)
so all the other dogs could see me dressed up.
Even my beloved Cammie saw me in the outfit.
Thankfully, she didn't laugh
She just chomped on her tennis ball.

By then, I wanted out of the costume,
and kept begging people to pull it off me
But they all just laughed and told Mom I looked cute
Hey, I was choking in that thing...it was tight, restricting...
I'm like a costume claustrophe...
And people just laughed
And took pictures.

Toby's folks weren't the only ones to snap a photo of me.
The little kids, who I stoically let pet me,
pressed their masked little faces into my fur
as their folks snapped their picture with the famed Skeleton dog.
OK, it was nice for a while to meet and greet all the little kids
(and let them adore me, if they wished)
But after a while with the "Trick or Treat" and the blinking light and the
glowing jack-o-lanterns and all those strangers asking for candy,
I was dizzy.

I spent yesterday sleeping it off, and
I'm going back to bed again as soon as I hit the last.....

Zzzz,
Banba

noreply@blogger.com (Banba) — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 18:37:00 +0000

Halloween is one of my all-time favorite days!

The anticipation is killing me!

Mom says tonight lots of little kids will stop by the house and ask for treats.
If I'm good, she'll let me jump and dance and greet the visitors
While all the little humans try to pat me!
In the meantime, I'm supposed to nap and wait 'til Mom gets home...

As if!

Here are a couple of fabulous WFTs, my friends Butchy and Snickers,

modeling the latest in cool Halloween costume gear:

(Hand made by their Mom!)

This is me from my first Halloween:

And this is me last year, hanging with my friend Jakey in his yard as we waited for the kids to come pet us. Mom says I'll probably wear the same costume again this year, but maybe we can change it up a bit….

Ooooh, I can't wait until it's dark outside!

noreply@blogger.com (Banba) — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 15:53:00 +0000

Banba's Ode to Summer
(With apologies to all poets, published and un)

The sun glows bright but far away
Now does start our summer day
Lick my Momma--break of dawn
Wake up! Wake up! Let's start the morn'!

Squishy sand beneath my paws
Salty spray billows like gauze
Friends to be made way down the beach
But with this leash, they're out of reach
Momma lets go, and I am free
I run and sniff but skirt the sea
The waves crash loud and the water's ice
Chasing new friends, I pay the price

No Bath! No Bath! Don't wash my face!
It stings my eyes and feels like mace
Dry at last, nap on the porch
Sand at Noon, my paws would scorch
Evening comes and the sky glows red
We walk and feast, then go to bed

Soon dawn cracks through my sleepy eyes
But the sun is late, my how time flies
It's cold! It's cold! We must walk fast
Oh why won't summertime just last?
Few friends wait now o'er the dune
Our time to leave will come too soon
Back to the city and sidewalks and park
But now by afternoon it's dark
Quick! Inside! It's cold out here
Farewell sweet summer--until next year!

noreply@blogger.com (Banba) — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 16:06:00 +0000

I'm back!

Yeah, it's been awhile...

Sorry to be away so long, but I have been busily running between my grandparent's summer beach house and their quiet country home .[Editor: Actually, it's a suburb] It was getting cold, so Grams and Grandpa packed up and moved back to the giant dog house in the grass.

In my free time, I've been working on a final ode to summer, but the iambic pentameter is killing me. In the meantime, here are some pix of one of my last visits to the beach. There were monsters floating in the sky! Mom called them kites, and even let me meet one (it was very scary!).

noreply@blogger.com (Banba) — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 18:19:00 +0000

Boston College Gear!

I guess I'm "IT"

Last month, just moments before Mom's entire electronic circuitry overdosed (It started with the air conditioner, then it was the phone. Next thing I knew, there were internet installation guys working on our "wiring." Teehee. That still makes me giggle.)... Anyway, just before we lost contact with the e-world, Mom goty some messages saying we had been "tagged."

Well, I'm not one to shy away from a good game of "Gotcha," so I'm finally ready to take a crack. I hear from Fee that the rules of the game involve telling the world five funny/embarassing things about myself.
Here they are:

5) Some if these have to do with things my Mom might think are funny or embarassing. I have decided to humor her. I refuse to eat my breakfast or dinner unless served with a dab of whipped cream! Mom thinks this is very funny. I think it is my due.

4) When my dog play group pals and I play catch...I usually get hit with the ball! I'm not much for Fetch, and even less so when we're outdoors and there are other dogs to play with instead of some stupid ball! That's me and Toby and my good friend Jakey (out in front--He's a ROCK STAR!)--In this picture, we're looking for treats!

3) I hate the sound of horns and drums. Unfortunately for me, My Mom only figured this out after she took me to a parade with lots of marching bands--twice! (Now who's the dumb one?)

2) When I'm wet, my face is the size of a credit card. Normally, I have lots of puffy fur around my face--Mom thinks it looks cute, and I must admit...she's right! However, when I get out of the bath....SCRAWNY! What's worse, my Mom dresses me in a bathrobe to "help" me dry off!

And the NUMBER ONE most funny/embarrassing thing about me is...Wait, wait! In fairness, this should be the most embarrassing thing about my Mom, not me...

Axel knows the answer...He blogged all about it a while back..That's right. My Mom makes me dress up in silly clothes! [Editor's note: Actually, Banba rather likes it!] I do not! [Ed.: Yes, she does.] DO NOT!

Well, I guess it's time for a new game of TAG! This time, maybe my wiry, blogging friends will tell us five things that make for a true doggie friend (the two-legged or four-legged kind)....

noreply@blogger.com (Banba) — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 20:15:00 +0000

Where, oh where have the giant sand dogs gone?

Wow, I'm tired. I've been sleeping for days, but I just can't seem to wake up. Must be the crazy weekend I had: it was like a dream. At first, I was at my grandparents' beach house, running around on the beach and the porch and jumping on everyone's laps. At night, I don't sleep so well there: I need to keep my ear to the ground. So many strange noises (Mom calls them fireworks, but they sound like pop pop pops to me).
Anyway, I wake up on Sunday and Mom and I go for a walk on the beach. I run down the path, through the sea grass and try to take off after a jogger, who really, really wanted me to jump up and lick her! (Mm is just shaking her head, but what does she know!?). Suddenly, two huge sand dogs come pounding along the hard sand in front of me--I take off after them, with my Mom dragging along in tow. Apparently, she didn't enjoy that part, but I managed to get quite a ways down the beach before Mom stopped my pursuit of the crazed mammoth beasts [Editor's note: The sand behemoths are known to the rest of us as horses...kind of hard to tell in this picture though.

Once Mom forced me to let the sand dogs run off, we found a little puppy guy to play with. He was just a young little Yorkie named...wait for it..."Pony"! As we were talking the sand beast dogs came back, but were moving so fast that we had no chance to catch them. "Pony" was a little shaken, but I assured her that sand dogs weren't dangerous (I was trying to be brave for the little fella).

I had fun the rest of the time at the beach too, but Mom got worried because I didn't eat anything. She knows how much I hate the car ride back and forth to the beach! Whay would she think I would eat before getting back in the car????

Anyway, Mom was apparently so worried about me that she decided to take a detour on the way home and stop at a pet festival in Amesbury. it was called PawsforPeace and boy was it weird!

On the way in, we had to wait in line and Mom had to sign a special form that said she wouldn't get too mad if she got bit by a mangy mutt inside or something like that. Mom said the form meant I had to be extra good and stay on leash, but I don't understand what kind of pet festival would force good dogs like me (Insert harp and halo here!) to stay on leash with so many good smells around!

And no big fella,
by good smells,
I didn't mean me!

But there was lots to do at the Festival: There were dogs to sniff and stare at, games to play, water to drink, kids to jump on, people to avoid...Oh, and there were also a bunch of foreign police dogs, that apparently have been recruited to keep order at pet festivals in this part of the world. i didn't understand a word any of them said, but their posture was amazing. Mom called them Police Dogs. I'm pretty sure they were German....

Oh and there was shopping at this festival too...and with shopping comes....C'mon now, I know you know what! That's right: Sample treats! I liked the baked apple treat best. Mmmm.

By the time we got to heading back, it was starting to get dark and stormy looking, so, for my Mom's sake, I insisted that we leave right away--So she wouldn't get wet.

[Editor's note: Actually, the band started to play and Banba's fear of horns and drums impelled her to run like a, dare I say it, scaredy cat, off the festival grounds!]

MOM! This my blog. Stay away from the computer when I'm on it...You're ruining my life!

Good grief.

noreply@blogger.com (Banba) — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 20:15:00 +0000

Wow! What an end to summer vacation: In between technical glitches that kept us at the house waiting for repair folk and calling techies to help Mom set up her new system, Mom and I spent a lot of time at Gramm and Gampa's houses and ran along the beach (and occasionally in the water!).

Now that we're back home, my pals Jake (the red Golden) and Toby and I spend our free time in the backyard, running and fighting over toys (red and orange "Cuz" toys in particular), and hunting for treats. Our folks think throwing treats around the yard is good stimulation for our noses and brains. Whatever.

Big news in the playgroup: Jake is a big brother now. His Mom brought him to meet a little Chocolate Lab named Simon, and next thing you know she was bringing him home to stay. Jake and Simon both have been back at our morning play sessions. I guess Simon is OK, but he pays way too much attention to my Mom. He just needs to learn to BACK OFF now and then.

I guess it's time we get to playing a game our WFT (Foxy) friends invited us to play last month: It's called Tag...and you're IT!

noreply@blogger.com (Banba) — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 20:25:00 +0000

I am waiting, with bait for breath, to hear from you...I wish I could read...can't you just bark it to me? Fax, write, call or bark--whatever--just get in touch. And rub my tummy while you're at it?????