Spring Brings A Lot Of New Smells

[Eamonn]

Two weeks ago we woke up to find that we had four inches of snow in our back yard.

Rory the seven pound bundle of fur that Her Who Must Be Obeyed bought me for Christmas, telling me that it really was a Golden Retriever, has grown. He still isn't very golden, more of a beige color with a yellow line of fur down his back. He was seven pounds when he arrived and he now is over fifty pounds.

He and I have been busy, we both attended Puppy School and we both graduated. He was top of the class, no real accomplishment as he was the only one in the class.

We go for our daily walks and spend about twenty minutes going over the stuff we learned at Puppy School. We rarely if ever miss a day.

He loved the snow. He would roll in it, bury his nose in it and just have the best time.

A couple of weeks back I was excited to see the first little yellow flower come out of the ground. I'm glad I got to see it as son after Rory ate it.

Spring is really here. The trees are starting to get leaves, dandelions are everywhere and Rory has a full time job chasing the Robins. So far he has yet to catch one but that doesn't seem to make him stop.

OJ, got the tractor out today and mowed the yard. Last week we gathered all the branches that had fallen over the winter and we burnt them. He thought it was a shame to waste the good embers so he cooked supper. Not everyday we have a foil pack at home.

The Antique Farm Association that is next door gave a demonstration of plowing today, using horses. Rory wasn't sure what to make of this big fellows so he stood on the deck and barked at them. They took no notice.

While these guys were busy doing their thing. The Civil War reenacting was going on in the front field. Rory didn't like the noise so we went in and watched This Old House. So much for him being a gun dog.

After the plowing was done and the War was over and everyone had gone home for their tea. We went for our long walk.

Fresh mowed grass was new to him. He ate a fair amount of it. Mowing brings the birds out, we have a lot of birds, I keep meaning to buy a bird book so I can identify the ones I don't know. Rory doesn't discriminate he chases all of them just the same.

Today he found two dead birds, I don't know if they were casualties of the Civil War? Or how they came to be dead, but trying to get a dead bird out of his mouth is not very pleasant, still last week it was a dead rat. Rory looks so hurt when I remove these prizes from him. I feel a little mean, but a dead anything coated in Rory spit is just yuck.

I think he misses the snow, but chasing Robins and all these new smells isn't all bad.

Eamonn.

[lynncc]

I really enjoy reading your posts. They make me smile. If I could only get my husband to refer to me as "Her Who Must be Obeyed"......Rory sounds like lots of fun. We acquired a golden retriever after he dug up our friends flower bed and chewed thru the landscape lighting. He is quite large. We need to go to "basic Training" but have not found a class time that we are able to attend. I wish the town we lived in offered classes. Oh well.

 

Have a great spring and enjoy all those new smells and those yucky slobbery dead small animal things. lol...heheheh

 

lynncc

[Laurie]

Oh Eamonn, isn't it wonderful, even with yucky Rory-coated dead things?! Speaking of spring smells, my son came in the house smelling of manure--yuck. He said it was from gardening, and I suspect he may, like Rory, have rolled in it! I find the birds move too fast or perch too far off to have a chance to identify most, but it is sure fun to try. Until you get yourself a field guide, you can look up birds and other wildlife on-line at enature.com. It sounds like you have witnessed new colors and sounds as well--enjoy!

[Vicki]

Eamonn, your description of Rory's antics brought back memories of our beloved Sophie - the most wonderful Golden that ever lived. Not that I am biased, of course.

 

Especially seeing the first yellow flower before he ate it. I laughed out loud. Our first harbinger of spring (and fall) was when the geese would fly over - sure enough, she heard them long before any of us and into point she went. Then she would give us the funniest look as if to say, "well, I did my part, now you do yours and shoot the darn thing, OK?"

 

Thanks,

Vicki

[Trevorum]

aCHOoo!

 

(ahh... spring is sprung!)