I think I smell this thing called spring
It's hiding right here in the grass.

I hope that it has come today
To stay with us at last

The furry squirrel who got away
Can rest today up in his tree
I think that I may want to play
The grass smells good, the sunshine's free

I love the little dandelion, so bright, so round, so yellow

I think you will agree with me, he's such a cheerful fellow

The sunshine hits my belly
My feet aren't even wet
I think, you know, that this might be
The very best day yet!

Much Spring to All
Your friend,
Gus

You Call this a Party?

I got very excited yesterday when I heard we had people coming over for dinner. Dinner means lots of opportunities to pick up the tidbits people drop (accidentally, of course!) on the floor. I spend dinner UNDER the table, because that is where the good stuff falls.

I went around and strategically placed my chew bars and chips so that I would always have one to gnaw on while waiting. I hid the toys that people seem to think I want to "play" with, and I took a nice nap while muzzer cooked dinner.

I was fresh eyed and ready to rumble! Imagine my chagrin when there were only eight people here for dinner. I think muzzer is getting lazy. Last time we had 10 or 11, and the time before that we had 14! Plus, my favorite diner was not here. I actually netted fewer scraps than muzzer usually brings home from going out to dinner with Dad. And I had all that prep work to do!

Next time I think I shall just stay home. Oh yeah! this is home. Oh well, maybe the parties will get better when Albert and Susanna get here. Mexican food! Yummy Yummy. Plus, I think we are spending next weekend in Charlottesville. PetSmart, here I come!!!!!!

Gonna get groomed tomorrow. Will post photos!

Gorgeous Gus

What's Going on Here?

I counted this morning and realized that we have slept in the same bed for six days now! We have had no company since Grandpa left! I have hardly even been in the car except for a trip to Charlottesville, and we came back the same day! I ask you, is this any life for a travelling terrier?

Sigh.

I tried to share my concerns with muzzer, who told me to be quiet or she would put me in the washing machine with the rest of the dirty laundry that built up over the past couple of weeks. Then I tried to talk to dad, who muttered something about gasoline being three dollars a gallon and did I care to contribute to the cost of a trip. Since I spent my allowance for the week at Petsmart in Charlottesville, I had to turn down his request for a loan. After all, I needed that spiffy red leather collar and leash. And those new chew bars that promise to whiten your canines. And that rawhide that looks like a pretzel. And......

So, I guess we are stuck here for a while. I will have to find some mischief to make in Lexington, but it is a pretty sleepy town. All this history and not one dog park! I am reduced once again to tearing up the fox that was my present at Christmas. I don't think muzzer can fix it this time. I killed the squeaker good and spread about half of that rascally fox's innards around the living room. Good riddance. Now maybe someone will let me catch a squirrel. They have so far thwarted all my efforts at domination of squirrels on the lawn at Washington and Lee. What is a terrier to do for fun around here? Any ideas appreciated. I may have to join a fraternity for some fun and night life.

Yours in the midst of boredom
Gus

48 Hours!

You may remember I mentioned that my Sister in DeeSee got me some special items for my Easter visit. One of them was a really cool bone. It kinda felt like a tennis ball, but it was blue on one side and green on the other, and quite tasty on both sides though I did enjoy the blue side a bit better.

Muzzer has been worried because I started getting bits of blue and green fuzz off it very early. Acutally, in the car on the ride back to Virginia. Anyway, I am too smart to swallow them, so I have been depositing them on the carpet and bedspread. Oh, yeah and a few times dad has pulled a tuft or two off of my chin. I took a bit of teasing about being a punk terrier, but it was all in good family fun.

Sigh. This morning after breakfast I was gnawing away contentedly under the table. I must've been making a bit too much noise in my total appreciation of the experience. I guess she heard it when I tore the chunk out of the covering. Anyway. She took it away from me very quickly and consigned it to the trash. She is in the shower now, so I grabbed it out and took a photo so I can remember it later. It gave me a lot of fun during the 48 hours I had it, and I will miss it a lot.

Not to worry friends. I have a couple of other toys buried in the back seat of the Honda. Muzzer thinks she is so smart because she "found" one yesterday. Hah! I left the end sticking out between the seat and my blanket because I was tired of that thing always poking me in the rear when I sat down. Someone might want to tell her that she hasn't even come close to finding my stash, which includes several dingo sticks and a rawhide chew. On second thought, keep your mouth shut, or you will be the victim of the revenge of a terrier, and you probably won't last as long as my lovely Easter bone!

Regards
Gus

Hoppy Yeaster

I wish I could tell you that the Easter Rabbit came and left me lots of hard boiled eggs, carrots and a few chocolate eggs. No such luck! We've been on the move so much that the old lapin probably couldn't find me. I mean, it was a nice hotel, but were we registered under my name? NOOOO.

However, we did have a good time in DeeSee after we dropped off Grandpa. There was this park right across from the hotel. Lots of smells. Lots of squirrels. Lots of folk. Lots of compliments. I am clearly the finest specimen of terrierdom around. Maybe it is my winning smile. Perhaps my naturally curious nature? My outstanding behavior? Who knows. We finished the day with a really long walk while muzzer shopped in Filene's Basement. (no dog toys!) and then had an early dinner al fresca at the restaraunt attached to our hotel. I got handouts without begging! I got compliments galore. Dad says we are lucky I didn't get sick.

Anyway, we were up and out early this am and chased a few more squirrels, then Dad took me over to my older sister Emily's studio apartment. Oh boy. That woman knows how to shop. She had a whole bunch of treats and a new type of chew bone waiting, and a bit of my favorite condiment, peanut butter! Things were going well until she and Dad left me! Wait, Wait! How will you meet new people? How will you enjoy this beautiful day without me? Am I being abandoned? .......

Emily said I could use her 'mputer and work on my blog. I tried, but all I could find was that Axel dog and his blog. I gotta get my password from muzzer. Well, as an alternative I just explored my new territory. Lots of soft places to lay down. No one to tell me to get off the couch. A neat set of stairs that doesn't go anywhere, but you can run up and down them to work through the anxiety attack. Nooks and corners, crannies and cupboards, but no rodents, no cats, no other dogs. Took a nap.

They finally came back for me and took me for a walk around this great city block. Then we picked up my new stuff and headed for home. I'm glad to say that muzzer forgot to put me in my "dog safety" belt, so I got to sleep all over the back seat.

Life will be boring for a while. No trips for three days. But lots of laundry to help with, and lots of new smells in my hometown.

See ya soon

Gus

View on a City Sidewalk

Hey, wonder if I can get down there to explore?

All Gone!

Here I am, exhausted after being a very busy host for the last week. Today is the day that we take my Grandpa back to Dulles airport where he will fly back to Arizona. I have not seen his wings, but muzzer says he will be quite safe. Maybe he has two of those turkey buzzards booked to help him. One for each arm. Another human mystery.

I am very sad to see Grandpa leave. Oh, I liked Steve and Jane OK, but Grandpa knows how to share. And the man has bacon and eggs for breakfast every morning. No shredded wheat, no yogurt and granola, no bran flakes for this man! I've been trying to tell my humans that they need to eat more like him, after all, he is 87! But they just shake their heads at me and call me a greedy terrier.

Gotta go pack my bags for our trip to DC. Tomorrow I will spend the morning at my sister Emily's while the humans go see the Cardinal. Not the ball game Cardinal. The church one. Anyway, I will stay at Emily's place and look for that mouse of hers! Wish me luck

Gus Dagger WFT

Grandpa at Monticello. No coffee cup, no bacon. Almost didn't recoginize him!

More Family

So sorry I haven't gotten online for a couple of days. I have been busy showing people around Lexington, VA, which is my adopted home town. Today Dad and Aunt Jane and Uncle Steve went to Monticello with Grandpa, but Muzzer and I stayed home to do the laundry and pick up a bit around the house.

I helped a lot by picking up my chew bones out of the basket every time muzzer put them in. She finally gave up and let me sit in her lap while she read a new book. It is called The Philosopher's Dog and has a picture of a Wire Fox Terrier on the cover! I've gotta steal it off of the nightstand and see if there are any more photos or good smells inside. Book report as soon as I can accomplish it!

We let the travelers take the digital camera with them to Monticello with them, so I can't take any pictures today. However, we recently got a photo of my "other" sister in Arizona. Now that I know what she looks like, I can hardly wait to get home to meet her. If she and I go for walks together, I'll bet we get more compliments than ever! Gotta get her some black and tan for her wardrobe though, she doesn't match me as good as muzzer does. MMMMM wonder if she likes foxies?

Muzzer is not cooking tonight, they are supposed to go out for dinner. Not as many good smells, but I love those left overs.

Uncle Steve, My Dad, My Grandpa and my Cousin Chris

My friend Camryn (white shirt) her mom Brenda and her Sister Julia on their front porch

My Friend Casper and his New Bone!

Family time!

We are Finally Home! For the next five days I can sleep in my own bed and sniff my own turf. But it has been a wonderful adventure so far....we picked up my grandfather at Dulles Saturday night and spent the night near the battlefield at Manassass. Sunday morning grandpa and I slept in, and Muzzer and Dad went out and brought back takeout breakfast for us. They thought it was all for Grandpa, but he and I shared. Then we went up to Maryland to meet more of my family.

My sister was there, you've seen her before. We met some cousins and near cousins and lots of other folks too. I made friends with their dog Casper, who is a Wiemera....uh, Wimera...uh, oh heck, one of those fashionable taupe dogs. I shared one of my bones with him. Isn't he a handsome fellow? Aren't I a generous little terrier?

Casper is really lucky. He has a BIG yard and lots of kids to play with. Well, ok, just two girls. I really liked both of them, but Camryn is my special friend because she and I played ball! She is sitting on her front porch with her Mom, Brenda and her big sister Julia. Oh, yeah. And the other picture is of my dad, his dad, his brother and Chris, who is my dad's nephew. I guess that makes me a second cousin or something.

Today we are having a laundry day and resting before the rest of our company gets here. Tomorrow is a big day for sigthseeing and stuff. Maybe we will get some more cute pictures of me!

"Almost Heaven"

Almost Heaven, West Virginia

Lots of Potholes, Lovely Flowing River

On the Turnpike, pay as you arrive

Pay again on leaving, if you are alive

Thank you Mr. John Denver,

Where ever you are

I can't believe it...we were driving through this beautiful country, when all of a sudden, we slow down and stop. Dad rolls down the window and hands the guy some money. We go through the gate. Wait, Wait Dad, you forgot the Hamburgers! Even the bank gives me a milk bone....what kind of place is this????

Sigh, the challenges of being a travellin' dog.

But we are home, and I am so glad to be here. My own bed. My own bushes. My own couch. We went for a nice long walk as soon as we got home. Saw a few of my friends and reported in. Told them to go to Friendship Village in West County for treats and rubs. Got back home, got my bowls in the proper places. THEN muzzer tells me we are leaving again tomorrow morning to pick up my Grandfather in Washington, DC! Hey, what is with this? Are we on some kind of treadmill or something?????

Oh well, I'll sleep well tonight, and tomorrow will take care of itself. That is the way of a domesticated dog who has invested in family training. More soon. Love

Gus

"Travellin' dog"

with apologies to Rickie Nelson:

I'm a travellin' dog, made a lot of stops

All over the South

And at every stop I've put something

yucky in my mouth!

HaHaHa, I thought that was pretty funny. Seriously, Rest Stops are great places to find odd and unusual snacks. I'm a gourmand when it comes to cigarette butts, cigarillo tips, small pieces of various and sundry fast and greasy food, plastic bits and pieces, corks, you name it, I'll try to eat it! Muzzer says the best thing she ever did was to practice the "drop it" command. Boy, have we practiced it this trip! I'm not always good about it, but it has worked often enough that I haven't gotten sick on this trip. There was this dead squirrel in Nashville that was really hard to part with, and muzzer didn't want to touch it, but I figured I needed the brownie points big time! Ah, the memories, the memories.

My favorite stop this trip was at Friendship Village, where my Aunt Marie and Uncle Ray live. With a bunch of other older humans who are dog deprived. The Gus Fan Club met any time I walked through the lobby! Strolled down the hall! Chased the geese in the pond! I got lots of petting and lots of extra treats. We are going to make a poster for Uncle Ray to put up next time I'm going to visit. That way, people can make appointments for my consultations. Knowing Uncle Ray, he's gonna charge a dime a minute. But I'll make sure the Terrier Rescue group gets their cut!

We are in Kentucky tonight, and on the way home. My own bed. My own sofa. My own window! I have included a view of the new stadium in St. Louis, for those of you who are baseball fans.

Safety First!

I thought you all might like to see what a safe and secure terrier I am. This is me in my travel harness/safety belt. Muzzer says it will keep me safe and prevent me from becoming an unguided missle in case we stop suddenly. Dad thinks it is kind of silly and doesn't participate in loading me in and locking me down. I think it is a pain in the nether region. Can you tell which of us is winning here? Hint: The minority female, of course!

Nashville Cats

Ok, this is really not about cats, as I have only seen one since leaving North Carolina. This is about me and my travels around Nashville.

We arrived late yesterday, and I was quickly walked in the park across from the hotel and relegated to the hotel room. Unfair! Why can't I go out to dinner? But I was very good, no messes, no petty theft from the suitcases, so when they returned, I got a taste of tenderloin. Someone had carefully removed the bernaise sauce, but the scent still lingered. Most wonderful! This came from the Mad Platter eaterie in Nashville, which got good reviews from my humans and great reviews from the beef afficionado in the family. (moi!)

I was sure I was gonna get parked in the hotel room for the day, but muzzer and I went shopping. First we went to Opry Mills, where I had to wait in the car. Bummer. But all was not lost, since it was a bad shopping day at the mall, so muzzer took out her frustrations at the doggy bakery. Love those whole wheat parmesan flavored pretzel thingies. Good thing I had my travelling water bowl along. Needed lots of ice water to wash it down. Once we walked around part of the perimeter of the mall, we got back in the car and headed for town. We stopped at a small shop for muzzer, interesting only because the owner is dog friendly and let me come in and help shop. Next door however, there was a really cute dog and cat place. That's where I spotted my only cat of the day, and got myself tossed out ingnominiously! I must've been really nasty, cause muzzer did not go back in to buy me a new leash. She said she was too embarrased. Huh? The cat started that fight, why did I get punished.

We had a good walk when we got back to the hotel. Centennial park has imported a number of squirrels for my enjoyment, and I kept busy chasing them up trees. I hate to leave Nashville, but tomorrow we head for St. Louis where I will meet my Aunt and Uncle. I hope they have treats!

Closing for tonight. More tomorrow. Gonna watch the NCAA final with Dad.

Cats in Carolina

Yesterday we were in the car for a long time. We stopped several times, and each time we got out, there were new and different smells. Heavenly! But the trip was boring. Muzzer says if I was bored yesterday, watch out when we leave Lexington for our vacation! Does this mean MORE days snoozing in the back seat while we go up hill and down dale? More boring lunches at the rest stop. (My lunch was boring in comparison to all the other lunches that were going on!)

But we finally arrived at the home of our friends in North Carolina, and they were glad to see my human family, and of course, they think I am about the cutest thing to fall off the potato truck. And they have this marmalade colored cat named Garth. So while the humans are busily catching up on the news and trading pictures of the children, Garth and I are becoming acquainted.

First, I chased him all around the downstairs, and he only got away because they have these wooden floors and my toenails made me slide. I would've had him for sure if not for that.

Then, he bounded up the stairs and hid under one of the beds. I bounded up the stairs and flushed him out, and tried to get him to play by gbarking! He swatted me! And went and hid under yet another bed. There are four beds in this house, and that cat fits under all of them.

Finally the humans stopped laughing, and made me sit while they fussed over this overweight orange fluff ball. Garth has a secret hiding place in the basement, where I am not allowed to follow. Not fair. How will I ever convince him to play?

Sigh.

Anyway, we have had a good day so far. I flushed Garth out of his bedroom (the one he shares with his humans) and chased him. Muzzer caught me and used my tail as a handle, just like the breed book says. I got sent outside, then we went for a long walk. Then we went to IHOP for breakfast, then we went to Hendersonville and walked and walked. I am a very tired terrier. But I just heard someone say: "Would you like to take a ride to the top of the mountain?" So I will end now, with more reports tomorrow. I hope to get a photo of Garth, but it is harder using the digital camera than just blogging.

So Long!