Wilson: Bone? What…where…did you get a fresh bone? How come I didn’t get a bone?
Elsa: Here we go again. Yo, “Hoover,” it’s an expression. I didn’t get a bone; there. are. no. bones, I’m just describing the moisture situation. Or lack thereof.
Wilson: Whew, I was afraid that maybe I missed something to nosh upon…ok carry on.
Elsa: {eyes rolling} Well, it’s that time of summer where bad grasses come out and stick to everything…socks, furry legs, paws, well you get the idea. Mom had to pull some of those nasty things off both of our ankles and feet and several of them managed to weave their nasty little selves into our back door mat. They’re a real pain to remove since they’re like Velcro with barbed ends. We’ve written about these rotten things before. Well dude, I’m here to tell ya they haven’t gotten any less evil. Let’s take a gander at Foxtails first. Yikes, they have a gajillion seeds that are stickier than Gorilla Glue…just waiting for some unsuspecting chunk of fur to attack like Velcro.
Guess Nature decided Foxtails weren’t bad enough, so she decided to create goatgrass. This one is particularly troublesome for us dogs and can cause all sorts of problems.
Wilson: Yeah, one those guys hitchhiked on one of my legs when I was sniffing for the perfect spot to relieve myself and I had a devil of a time trying to pull that bad boy out. And I thought the weeds and bugs were bad in Missouri.
Elsa: Oh trust me, Missouri does not have a monopoly on bad weeds. Luckily Mom is neurotic very conscientious about anything that sticks to our furs. Which is a good thing, unless of course, you’re the one at the end of a slicker brush.
Wilson: Egad…don’t remind me {shivers}. Count me in the ‘not a fan’ category.
Elsa: Down Wimpy…let’s talk about some nice things. Hibiscus flowers are in bloom right now. Talk about striking and BIG. Did you know they are part of the mallow family. The leaves alternate, ovate to lanceolate, and can be toothed on the edges. The flowers are huge, rather trumpet-shaped, with five or more petals. They can range in color from white to pink, red, blue, orange, peach, yellow or purple, and are approximately 4–18 cm (1-1/2 to 7 inches) across. Dried hibiscus is edible and is often a delicacy in Mexico. It can also be candied and used as a garnish, usually for desserts. Contrary to popular beliefs that the flowers or petals are what is being eaten, it’s actually the calyces (that part in the center of the bloom). Even your big fat head looks small by comparison.
Wilson: Hey, that’s not nice. There’s nothing abnormal about the size of my head; I just needed to see how it smelled.
Elsa: Well, you do have a large head and nose, you can’t deny that.
Wilson: Like I said, I’m perfectly sized for a sheepdog.
Elsa: Oh, you mean B-I-G? Whatever. Did you notice the new lawn art in the ‘Hood? At least I think they’re rather new-ish.
Wilson: I did. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of those things. It seemed clear they weren’t squirrels or rabbits, but I wasn’t sure just what they were. They were quiet and didn’t move one bit. Such stealthy creatures.
Elsa: Oh my dog…you are such an idiot! Those are lawn art statutes, you bozo. Jeez…were you standing behind the door when they were handing out brains? {smacking a paw against her forehead}
Wilson: Well, I’ve never seen anything like that, and you shouldn’t be so judgmental.
Elsa: You’re right, sorry. But for the love of all that’s holy…I can’t believe how literally you take things. Anyway, let’s share our last photo for this week. Mom seems obsessed with heart shaped things lately and she seems to often be in the right place at the right time and found this new heart. She’s walked past this corner garden lot for years and the owner is always switching things out or otherwise updating the plants. Looks like she decided to install a heart-shaped succulent space. I kinda thought it was kind of sweet.
Wilson: Cute little hen and chicks.
Elsa: Whoa…look who’s got the Mister Green Jeans impersonation down pat.
Wilson: Hey, I’m not just a handsome face. So what’s everyone doing this weekend? Mum said she’s attending the Open House for the new Lutheran Hospital which opens in two weeks. She attended the ribbon cutting ceremony last night and says I’m gonna love visiting the new facility. It’s amazing and will be incredibly modern and state of the art updated compared to the old hospital. Hopefully I can visit the nurses and staff on practice runs soon.
Elsa: Paws crossed. I need some quiet time where I don’t have to explain everything to you. You can be quite exhausting at times. Whatever you do, we hope you’ll take some time to look for all the cool things Nature gifts with us. Have a great weekend, peeps!
Live, love, bark! ,🐾