Seven Frannie Takes

Guest blog by Cindy.  Idea stolen from Ashley (or rather, conversationdiary.com).

1.  Frannie thinks she's a bear.  Or a stallion.  She rears up on her back legs before attacking the spot in the grass where her prey last was.

2.  In bear mode, Frannie can jump up the squirrel's tree where her back paws are two feet off the ground.

3.  More often though, Frannie thinks she is sled dog and that she has to pull us.  Especially when a squirrel or rabbit has reminded her that she likes to hunt.  My shins have finally healed (Mike says gotten in shape) and only occasionally bother me on a walk.

4.  Frannie pretty much has no use for other dogs and would rather ignore them than acknowledge them.  Yesterday she got really excited about one that was not much bigger than a squirrel and wanted to engage.  We thought it best not to see what she had in mind.

5.  Frannie has started pooping every walk, not just twice a day.  (Sorry, D&T, don't know what changed.)

6.  Frannie doesn't like thunder or fire works and crawls under the bench in her bedroom (aka, Frannie jail, aka our entry way with a gate).

7.  There is a limit to how much Frannie wants to cuddle.  Yesterday she left me and went to lie down on her own while I was still in cuddle mode.

Your Not My Real Owners

My best side.

My name is Francis but you can call me Frannie. I'm having a pretty good summer so far...but I've seem to have lost my owners. My real owners that is. We took a road trip to this place and they dropped me off and left...then came back...then left again. I'm told they're coming back to take me to Alabama...I don't know where that is but I do remember Rudy. 

Here are my real owners...don't they look sad?

 

Here I am at Christmas...I'm the short one.

I'm not saying I don't like this new human family I'm with but they're not my real owners and they have alot of rules I'm not use too. They call me their "practice dog" so I just call them my "practice owners".

One strange rule is when it's time to go for a walk they make me "sit" first. I LOVE WALKS and there are these amazing SQUIRRELS and BUNNIES to chase and I've been cooped up all day and I really have to "go" and they want me to SIT...are you crazy...I can hardly stand still let alone sit...I want to jump on you and lick your face...come over here and let me give you a hug!

 And I have my own room with my bed and food and what do they do to keep me in but put up a baby gate! I'm a dog! They call it "dog jail" which they think is pretty funny. What do they think I'm going to do...go sit on the leather couch...:)

I want to speak to my lawyer

.

Finally walk time.

 

These squirrels and bunnies around here look delicious...now if only I didn't have this leash slowing me down. The rabbits are really quick. I sneak up as close as I can then break out into a sprint. OK...this is really dangerous...part of the time I'm afraid of yanking the arm off my practice owners...and then there has been a couple times when I just got up to speed and wham! end of leash...and I'm flying 180 degrees around in the air...that was great! There was this one time that I saw a rabbit on the other side of a tree and I took off after him. The rabbit ran around the tree twice before taking off across the road...I was in close pursuit until twice around the tree and my leash just kept getting shorter and shorter I almost smacked the tree...that was great!

 

Be afraid...be very afraid.

 But last nite we took such a long walk I was pretty beat near the end. I was just kinda day dreaming that I was back home with my real owners not really in hunting mode when all of a sudden there was a squirrel sitting by the sidewalk not even moving. I sprang straight up in the air in surprise then pounced on him before he could get away. Much to my shame it turned out to be a stuffed bear. Man that was embarrassing... I hope no other dogs were watching.

Amazing story I know.

Long walk...zzzzzz

For some reason my practice owners think I like being free in this big backyard. I much prefer taking walks which I am restrained by a leash and can't go as fast or as far as I want or even choose the direction. It doesn't make sense to me either.



Can I come in yet?

Is there anybody home?

So for a dogs life mine is not too bad...sleep eat and walk...and dream of catching a squirrel.

But these are my people.



I miss my real owners...whoa! SQUIRREL!

Bed and Breakfast

                              Announcement to all famly members...the Mike and Cindy bed and breakfast is open and available. Come one..come all!

          If I could do anything all summer long it would be host family here! (And go fishing in the Hills.) Mom and Dad came down this spring and timed it to be here first with Ashley and Michael then Dene' and Tyler. (Disclaimer for Dene' and Tyler...another blog to follow...no we don't love your sister more :)

I confess Cindy and I pray for a cold wet Spring in the Hills to draw Mom and Dad down here for as long as we can get them. And I'm sorry (not really) if any complaints about them being missed back home fall on deaf ears here...you'al have to share. And thankfully the weather was rather nice...70s to 80s and dry while I kept a close watch and reported the rain and 30s-40s in the Hills.

Bird watching was a major activity here and Dad was right in there with the best of us. I found an owl living in a box I didn't even know I had in one of the trees in the back yard.

Here is a picture you don't see everyday. Dad giving us lessons on bird watching.

Even Michael was getting into it. Ok this is really a plane for which Michael has a fascination.

We enjoyed relaxing in the yard. 

We played outside alot.

Drink time 

Bath time

Here Michael is reading me one of his favotite books.

Michael got his first hair cut.

  

 We went to the zoo in Omaha.

Here I think Michael is telling his Mom how he likes to swish the water around when they share the water botttle

 I have to say that after Ashley and Michael left I missed my grandson. Cindy would tell you that I moped about for days after they left...let me tell you the moping hasn't stopped.

Yes...it is still Winter

  We received only the second real measurable snow of the Winter but it was a good one. Official measurement was 11.1 inches but it was more like 13 inches in my yard. It pruned quite a few branches off our trees and alot in town. Our tree on the patio lost 3 pretty big branches. It did blow in some Cedar Waxwings that I have not seen in town before. The snowfall was the 4th largest for a 24hr period here in Lincoln...ever...please no laughing from family up North.






Our house from up the road.

   


Back yard...alot of the branches bent but did not break.




This was across the street.





Looking out the back door.




Our tree nearest the kitchen took the biggest hit but I think it will survive.




Lilac bushes pretty crunched...I did go out and knock what snow I could from the trees and bushes.



Cedar Waxwing



I call this "Going Cold Turkey". Cindy was very happy I kept the turkey outside and did not cook a real one for the Super Bowl.



Yes...Time Really Does Fly

   I have been meaning to blog for some time now.  As evidenced by pictures in the Fall before I raked and pictures of Christmas lights before and after snow. Our two beautiful daughters and their husbands came here for Christmas...and now it's 2012...time flies and it flies fast. So before I have pictures of the Easter Bunny, here is my pictorial blog.





                                                                        

First on the to-do list is buy popcorn...and buy it in bulk! I like to make it and I like to eat it. And Cindy puts grated cheese on it and calls it supper. Its not just a snack anymore.

We are blessed with many trees in our yard and then the blessings fall down upon us. Who can complain about that?

Then I share the blessings with our trash man. This is only 8 bags of 32 I raked-up.

Next to buying popcorn I like to get wood. OK...buy wood and have it delivered. In NE you can't just go out and chop down a tree. Some of my favorite memories as a kid are going out and getting wood with Dad in our old blue pickup and having a neighborhood party to carry the wood around back to the wood shed. Then Mom would serve root beer floats out the kitchen window to all.

I like to keep the bird bath clean. Look how it shines...at lest the birds believe that.

Party mix, need I say more?                                                                                         

OK I don't really feed the squirrels

Moving right along lights go up.




It snows.

It's pretty.

Now let the party begin. We really enjoyed both families coming home.

It was bowl week and I don't think Tyler missed a game. And Michael was happy to share the experience as long as he had control of the remote. It didn't take Tyler long to remove the batteries.

It looks like Michael is in a time out. But really he liked playing with the door stop (right behind his butt). I think he just didn't want to get caught playing with that on camera.

                                      Here Michael is making sure the dishwasher is set correctly.

               Did we tell you Dene' and Tyler have a dog? She is the most calm, well-behaved dog I have ever seen. Frances and Michael got along very well.

                                                                   New Fire Truck!

                                                             Not as fun as ribbon though.

Alex and Ashley got Michael a deck of cards. What a riot. I didn't know so many card games existed. Here is a game called...I will take what is in your hand and put it in the oat meal bucket.

It kept grandpa entertained.

                                                                           Solitaire

                                                                 Meal time is always fun.

                                                        I can walk...with a little help.

                                                                 Gotta love the hat.

                                                                        And tongue.

We had a good time.

Thanks for your listening.