Ah, the cool days of Fall. The skies are clear and the leaves have started falling from the trees. For me, this translates into more yard guilt. I didn?t rake the leaves in the backyard last year and I seem to be a bit more busy this Fall. Unfortunately, the guilt multiplier will be higher this year as I should be composting those leaves. There is still some chance that I?ll manage to rake the leaves this Fall. It?s only slightly less probable than me being struck by lighting twice?in a leap year.
Along with the changing of the leaves, we have had our first set of frosts. As a result, the tomato plants this week. I can?t say that I?m too disappointed. We hadn?t gotten much out of them recently. They had been sprouting tomatoes left and right, but all the fruit was splitting while it was still green. I?ve asked around and the consensus is that it was very wet this year. It?s not a very satisfying answer as I can?t do anything about it.
Part of me is actually glad the tomatoes have died off. The other day I went out in the back to throw the bone (ball) for TY. All the dogs get excited when a human goes in the backyard so the usual stampede ensued. Now our three dogs will occasionally get in fights. Probably the worst one they had was when TY and Sam started fighting when Cat was throwing the bone. To avoid a repeat of the experience, Cat and I are very careful that Sam has a bone in his mouth before we throw for TY. Modi loves this because Sam won?t drop the bone once he has it and it makes him a wonderful target. I don?t know if I?ve mentioned it before, but we once found Modi?s great grandfather in a book on Welsh Corgis. Apparently he is descended from a long line of deranged champion herding stock.
So I?m trying to throw for TY, and Sam needs to have a bone in his mouth. I start saying, ?Sammy, where?s your bone?? This drives him into a frenzy as he begins to comb the yard looking for one of his toys. While he is looking the other way, I decide to risk a throw and TY goes running. While TY is looking for the thrown bone (he can?t seem to keep his eye on the ball), I walk over to the garden to look over the tomato plants (pre-frost). While I am there, Sammy shows up panting hard with is tongue lolling out the side of his mouth. I say, ?Sammy! Where?s your bone??, and then I go back to inspecting the tomatoes. A minute or so later, TY shows up with his bone and I walk away from the garden to throw for him. At this point I notice that Sammy has something in his mouth. It?s green and he seems to have drool oozing out of both sides of his mouth. Sammy grabbed a big green tomato out of the garden while my back was turned. While I watched, he frantically ran around for about a minute before he had punctured tomato enough to realize it was edible. He then promptly sat down and started eating it.
Now let me remind you that Sammy is Mr. Explosive Diarrhea Dog. I?m thinking, ?Oh great! He?s going to be sick in the middle of the night in the middle of the carpet.? Actually, if he was sick in only one place, that would be pretty good for him. I march back in the house and decide to leave him out for an hour or two. Maybe he?ll get sick right away and then we wont have a mess in the house. After about five minutes, I poke my head out to check on him and see him grazing with his head over the fence in the garden like it?s the salad bar. Curses! After that I chased him back into the house. We lucked out and he didn?t get sick that evening. I?m hoping he forgets that the garden tomatoes are food by next summer.
I call today?s picture, ?Dalzilla vs. The Dragon.? It was taken last Thursday, October the 12th.
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