It's a Dog's Life 2

It's been a long week and I've been soooooooo boooooooored! Mom hasn't been taking me for all the walks she promised me this summer. She's always got some excuse - gotta go paint her classroom, gotta work on her computer, rain or heat or something. She won't throw the ball for me, either. Something about her arm hurting. (She's been wearing something on her elbow a lot, too.) But today - YAY! - we went for a walk!
I didn't think we were going to at first. She started out knitting this morning, then she and Lexi got in the car and went somewhere, without me, of course. Well, I figured I'd teach her a lesson and get into some of her things while she abandoned and ignored me for another day. Something on her table smelled good...
Anyway, when they got back she changed her clothes and grabbed...MY LEASH!!! The cool extension one that lets me run a bit! Holy cow! It's been so long I had SO many little news articles to read and had to leave my own information for the other neighborhood dogs a few times, too. You know what I mean, that little sign to tell them, "I was here, too." Hey, I'm an intelligent dog and I need to keep up with the news. I need the mental stimulation. Mom's a pretty smart woman and she says she reads, but she sticks her nose in papers or on the computer. I've smelled those things and even tasted them a little. There's no news there. 
So I checked out all the hot spots and tried to get the latest updates on who's been where recently. I had a great time. She even called me a good girl and I got to roll in the grass and run around the yard a little...it was hot, though, so I didn't do a lot of that. Mom brushed me before she would let me in. I guess I got some dead grass or something all over me that she didn't want in the house. At any rate, she said maybe we can go to the park later if it's not too hot and Dad wants to go. I haven't been for a ride in the truck for a few weeks, so that would be fun. She even said we might get the hose out and play later if it's too hot for a walk in the park! She really learned her lesson!
I have to admit, I was really surprised. Usually when I punish her she doesn't comply with me so quickly. Then I found out why. It turns out she didn't actually know I had taught her a lesson until we came back in and she found the evidence...

She wasn't very happy with me then and called me a bad dog. I sure hope I don't cough up those tissues.

Storm Clouds

Usually when you see a green sky and storm clouds, you expect a nasty little storm brewing. These aren't those kinds of storm clouds, these are Storm clouds - she sheds her undercoat constantly year-round. With this heat her brushing sessions yield a small dog a day. This week has been rather breezy, though, and I can't quite catch all the fur from the brush right after I brush her. Occasionally a batch will form from smaller strands and lift in the wind to carry itself past the window and land in the grass.

 They make such interesting formations when they finally finish twisting and turning in the air and land. We're hoping for some actual rain this weekend to help a new patch of grass grow...yes, the patch where these particular Storm clouds landed. It's her favorite place to lay these days - lots of shade, long and cool grass, generally kept damp to help it grow. The tough part is that I can't exactly vacuum the grass like I do the carpet areas she loves best.

A good deshedding brush is vital to living with a GSD. She has a thick undercoat to protect her from weather, but it also tends to trap heat - great for a snow dog, but not so great for a hot Missouri summer. Water play is essential. Today she got to play in the hose before she got brushed. Unfortunately, that helped in the formation of the Storm clouds today because the grass and the hair were both damp. I had more stuck to my hands, too...and my pants...and my feet...