Simon? Theodore? No… “AL-VIN!”

This past week, I’ve been out in the yard, cleaning up my flower beds. This is a wonderful thing, considering the fact that last year I was completely unable to do anything so physical. The front yard has bird feeders over by the spruce trees near the road, a lawn between there and the house, and the gardens are borders at the front and side of the house.

The weather was gorgeous, and Kira wanted to come with me. I gave her a spritz of Wondercide¹ (to protect her from ticks) and gathered up my 20-foot training lead. I looped the handle around the porch post, which gave Kira almost the whole front yard to play in while I weeded. Almost.

Chipmunks, it appears, have amazing spatial perception. One little fellow was helping himself to my birdseed (most likely a descendant of the critter in the photo), and completely ignoring the dog…until the dog spotted him.

The games began. Kira ran to the full length of the leash, which brought her to about eight feet from the trees. That striped varmint eyed the exact distance, knew right away that the dog’s reach was limited, and ran.

Right toward Kira.

He stopped not much more than a foot from her jaws, turned around, and headed back under the trees.

A few seconds later, here he came again. He did this several more times, despite my scolding him and trying to tell him that his antics were not funny (while all the while fighting to hold in my laughter) and that, if he misjudged, he would be toast. Kira lunged woofed and whined, trying her darndest to turn that 20-foot line into 25.

Then, the chipmunk decided to run back and forth past the dog, between the trees and one of the feeders. Again, he stayed, with amazing accuracy, just out of Kira’s reach.

Back and forth, in and out he went, with the dog barking and pouncing after him (and me trying to intervene without getting bowled over). I was about to give up my gardening and bring Kira inside when it dawned on me.

Her tail was wagging. It wasn’t just wagging, it was flailing, round and round in swift wobbly arcs, like a helicopter blade with a few screws loose. Her mouth was open in a wide, laughing grin. She wasn’t hitting the leash hard enough to make her cough or cause her any distress.

“I’ll be darned,” said I to myself, “If she isn’t having as much fun as the chipmunk is.”

After a little while, the critter got tired of the game, went back to raiding my bird feeders, and Kira stretched out in the green grass for a well-earned nap in the sunshine.

The Newsy Bits

Can you believe that summer is almost here? Where did half the year go?

To celebrate the Summer Solstice, I will once again be holding my one-day 3-pack special. This will begin on Tuesday, June 21st, at midnight US Eastern time, and end at midnight on the 22nd. PayPal is welcome, as are checks. If you wish to participate by sending a check, just let me know ahead of time that it is on the way, and I’ll count it for the day of the special. The special price will again be $112 for the pack of three pre-paid sessions. Send me an email if you’d like more information.

Although I am doing better physically, my neurologic health still limits how many sessions I can handle each day, and I am still unable to accept new clients. I thank everyone sincerely for being so supportive and understanding.

I’m going to be away on July 11th and 14th, as well as August 2nd. You can always check in with my Unavailable Times page to keep up with any other changes.

Have a safe and happy summer!

1. Wondercide is a brand of herbal, all-natural, flea and tick products that I’ve found work very well. You can learn more on the company website: https://www.wondercide.com