Tra, la, la, la, la…doh, dum, de, do….Greetings, peeps, Elsa here to share this week’s Hodge-Podge Friday scenes from around the Ranch.
The Mom: Umm, sweetie…it’s “Nature Friday” not Hodge-Podge Friday. Would you like to correct that so we can get started as we join our pals, Rosy and Sunny from LLB in Our Backyard.
Elsa: Nope, not happening. I’m calling it Hodge-Podge Friday because none of the photos you took have any real theme. I looked up hodge-podge in the online Oxford Dictionary and it specifically defines it as, and I quote, a confused mixture. So nope, it stays Hodge-Podge Friday.
The Mom: Ahem…well ex-cuussse me. Jeez, you’re pretty scrappy today. What’s got your backside all up in arms?
Elsa: Nothing special. My blog, my post. Now can we get on with it? I got things to do.
The Mom: Bwahahaha, what do you have to do today?
Elsa: I’m a dog, there’s always something to do. We are always busy, even if you don’t think so.
The Mom: I see…so is that what you consider as ‘so busy?’
Elsa: Erm…I’m thinking…this blogging thing is harder than it looks. Now can I get on with it?
The Mom: Fine by me. What ‘cha got?
Elsa: Well I know you went to another Dragon Boat Race last weekend, this one in Broomfield. You must really like those races. Not sure I’m on board with all that water activity but whatever floats your boat. I will give you the fact that it was a pretty autumn day. Are we through the hot temps…finally?
The Mom: Well you know Colorado. I’m sure there’ll be a day or two in the 80’sºF over the next couple of weeks, but it’s probably safe to say, most likely.
Elsa: You sure know how to slice the hair in half. Is this from all the years you worked in the legal field, quibbling over terms like ‘may’ as opposed to just stating a fact?
The Mom: Ahem…I don’t quibble. But I am just trying to express the possibilities that may or may not happen.
Elsa: See, you did it again!! What the dog, Mom!
The Mom: Oops, I guess I do tend to equivocate sometimes. Sorry.
Elsa: Whatever. Just wanted you to be aware that I’m keenly aware of how you do that. So I noticed one dog at least tried to compete with the boat racers. What was up with that knucklehead?
The Mom: Whaddu mean? He was just enjoying a simply swim and there weren’t any Canadian geese to race against the boats.
Elsa: Swim and enjoyment are mutually exclusive in my books.
The Mom: {eyes rolling} To each her own, right? Remember we talked about this thing called tolerance, Elsa.
Elsa: Ugh…I just want people to know how dumb it seems for dogs to actually jump in water and swim. You wouldn’t catch me doing that…not for all the bones in Denver.
The Mom: But some dogs DO enjoy it so let them have their fun.
Elsa: Sheesh…so where’s an actual picture of a race? I know this was not nearly as large an event but let me see for myself.
The Mom: You’re correct, it was a smaller venue but I mean…Dragon Boats! It was fun watching folks compete and it looked like they all had a good time. I especially enjoyed the entertainment from a couple of dance groups from the Asian Pacific community. Such colorful costumes on kids as young as 10 years old dancing for the small crowd.
Elsa: You think it was small because they’ve only been doing it for the past 3 years at that park? Seems a shame considering how many thousands experienced the one at Sloan’s Lake back in July.
The Mom: Could be, but I’m sure more folks will start attending. It wasn’t even close to hot which was a huge plus. The drawback was I couldn’t walk to the venue and it seemed like so far though it was only about 20 miles away. I just rarely drive that far.
Elsa: Ooh, I’d love to chase those twirling skirts and I’m sure that littlest girl would love to have me lay my head in her lap. Maybe next time, I’ll go.
The Mom: Umm, hate to break it to you, even though dogs are welcome to the event, they aren’t allowed on stage. So, no…that ain’t gonna happen.
Elsa: {ruckus…rats…%$&#} You just never let me have any fun!
The Mom: I’m sure if you learned to dance, they’d allow you on stage, but I don’t make the rules.
Elsa: I notice our neighbors are getting into the Halloween spirit full bore. I heard you tell the lady you’re making them Instagram stars.
The Mom: {snicker} Well I wouldn’t say Instagram stars but a lot of people sure seem to enjoy my posts and have contacted me to get the address so they can see them in person. The theme this week was ‘camping.’ I had to chuckle, though with the 2 dozen Skellies they must have, it must take an entire weekend to dress and set the props for the scene. It makes me smile whenever I go past that house.
Elsa: I saw that one dog who started barking at the big skellies, growling with raised hackles. What a rube!
The Mom: Now, now, Elsa…Halloween can be scary for some dogs. You used to bark your head off whenever Trick-er-treaters rang our doorbell in costume.
Elsa: Those were serial killers, I was only protecting the Ranch.
The Mom: {eyes rolling} Oh Elsa…you slay me sometimes.
Elsa: Glad I can be of comedic entertainment for you. Just don’t come crying to me when something bad happens. I take my security duties quite seriously. So is there anything else autumnal, this week?
The Mom: Well as a matter of fact, yes. Leaves are s-l-o-w-l-y beginning to change. A few here and there. This one was all aglow when we walked over to the library.
Elsa: Pretty, yes, but the crunching leaves kind of bother my feet. The jury is still out on this whole autumn thing. But I do appreciate the cooler temps. And what the dog was this guy doing sashaying along the sidewalk this week?
The Mom: I know, right? There were 4 dogs in the nearby vicinity and he just waltzed past us. Blew me away. Usually they dash so fast I can’t get any kind of pic that close.
Elsa: Did you see my jaw drop open? I don’t know what he was thinking walking past us and the other dogs. I’m still flabbergasted.
The Mom: It was one of the more unusual encounters we’ve had. Seeing foxes always makes me smile.
Elsa: Me too. I think I could be a good friend if only they’d let me.
The Mom: Probably not, but it’s a nice thought. Well that’s it for this week. It wasn’t too bad, was it?
Elsa: Hodge-podge, Mom, definitely hodge-podge. So what’s on board for your weekend? Got anything going on? Whatever you do, we hope you get to see some of the pretty things Nature is serving up right now.
Live, love, bark! 🐾