Grumpy Beagle and More

Hi, Charlie here! Sometimes I wake up grumpy. I don’t stay that way; it’s just a waking up thing.

 I like taking walks, especially when Miss Deborah brings Sadie. But I don’t like leaving my mom. She should come with us! 
 

I don’t have pictures of a lot of different animals to show you today. Here’s a robin. We hear birds all the time, but most of them are hiding up in the trees.

I saw Tripod a couple times, but he didn’t come close enough for a picture. One time he was under our deck in the shade and he wouldn’t come out at all. Another time he was sitting on his own porch and didn’t want to come play. Mom made a pretend picture of a yellow cat like him.

On Monday, I had to stay at day boarding. Here’s a friend bringing me out when Mom came to take me home. Usually I walk out, but I like being picked up.

We went to Riley Park twice this week. The first time we just went to the picnic area and we didn’t stay long because a storm was coming. The next time we went to the playground area.

I visited Sadie a couple of times this week.

Today Mom put up a new garden flag. The squirrel is different from the squirrels in our yard. They are gray.

I will close with a picture of me in my mom’s hat.

Pretty Dog, Fuzzy Bee

When I went to the ophthalmologist earlier this month, I was greeted by his dog, Annie. She’s a gracious hostess who will share her toys with you.

My left eye has recovered from cataract surgery. It took almost two years, and the doctor agrees that I don’t need to have the other cataract removed from the right eye yet.  I think my left eye reacted to the surgery because it is odd anyway, for it is “tonic,” that is, the pupil stays large, even in bright light. The term for this is Holmes-Adies syndrome, and it showed up in my fifth decade. The doctor said I could start using pilocarpine eye drops again to shrink the pupil when I’m going to be in bright sunlight. They give me a temporary headache, but it’s preferable to the pain of light in an enlarged pupil. 

While I was waiting for my appointment, I took a picture of this toy bee that’s on top of a partition. My guess is that one of Dr. Viti’s patients gave it to him because he is also a beekeeper who raises honey.

Charlie’s Adventure Report

Hi! I am ready to drive as soon as Mom will let me. I would drive to Sadie‘s house to play, and maybe I would go get a pup cup or a hamburger! I’d go to the dog park if I could remember how to get there. There’s a map thing, but I don’t know how to make it work.

I did go to Sadie‘s house a couple of times this week. We like to chase a ball and go for a walk. I play with her toys and she barks at me. We have a snack.

Here’s a Caturday picture for those who celebrate.

One day I noticed something different on the deck. I went to investigate.

It looked suspicious. Mom said it was the bird camera and she had put it on the floor because of the storm the night before.

We had some good adventures this week. One day we went for a walk behind the old mill.

A boy was feeding the ducks, but I was not allowed to go down there because ducks are scared of dogs.

Yesterday we went to Seven Bends State Park down at the river.

We watched some people bring kayaks to shore. It turned out to be Ranger Tom and his family. I got to meet his children and his sister-in-law.

Today Mom took me to Camp Roosevelt to walk in the woods.

On the way home, we drove by a place that has horses.

This was a good week for me. I hope you had a good week too.

Beagle and Reflection

Poor Charlie! He gets tired of me taking his picture.

Here he was watching me through the storm door, but he looked away when he saw the phone pointed toward him.

Is it a Dogwood Tree?

No, it's a tree of dogs!

Monday Murals

This is painted on the wall of a dog boarding facility call All Pawz. Photos of doggie guests are affixed to the branches. 

I took Charlie over there for a tour last week while his regular daycare was closed for a thorough cleaning operation. I wanted to have a backup plan in case they are closed when we have an emergency. Often my sister-in-law is able to watch him, but sometimes she has important things to do. Charlie still has severe separation anxiety. I cannot leave him alone for very long because he panics and tries to get out the door. He has damaged the door frame, and I worry that he’ll get hurt.

Charlie was nervous touring the place, and was startled when he heard big dogs barking. He does not want me to leave him anywhere, but this place seemed nice to me.

Charlie the Beagle

Another Deer Picture and Charlie’s Report

A week ago we shared a cell phone picture of the deer that visits our backyard. I also took a few shots with my Nikon. This is one that I took as I stepped out on the deck. She saw me and ran off seconds later.

I know some of you are waiting for Charlie’s report so here it is!

Hello, friends! I had some fun this week, but the weather did not cooperate. It got very hot every afternoon, and then yesterday the air was smoky. It was still that way today until a thunderstorm came. There wasn’t much rain, but the wind blew some of the smoke away. 

I went to the state park a couple of times. I like to get a good view. 

Mom takes a lot of pictures. She tried to get a picture of both of us, but I don’t really like to pose. She gets enough handsome pictures of me when I’m not paying attention.

Some days it was too hot to go to a park so we stayed home. I take walks early in the morning, first with my mom and later with Miss Deborah, unless she has to go somewhere. We usually go out on the deck at lunchtime so I can watch for critters. I saw a groundhog today but it ran off, as critters often do.

The place where I sometimes go to daycare was closed this week, which was fine with me. I like to stay with my mom or go play with Sadie. On Wednesday, Mom had to go to Harrisonburg and I got to go with her. We met my sister Lynn for lunch, and the I stayed in the car with her while Mom went in a building. We took a walk, but it was hot. I climbed on the seats and tore my harness. We had a good time.

The next day Mom took me to the state park. It’s a little cooler by the river but we didn’t stay long. I got to lie in the grass.

Yesterday and today the air was smoky so we didn’t spend time outside except for walks in the neighborhood. I saw a rabbit.

That’s all the news I can think of. Oh, we found a picture of a horse to show you.

And that’s all for now!

Pictures and Parks with Charlie

Hi, everyone! We’re starting off with a portrait of me. I wanted to look dignified.

Mom has a way of scooping my stories. I wanted to tell you that Marie came, but she already wrote about it. Marie was only here for a day and we went to Skyline Drive.
 

There are animals in the mountains. Mom slowed down when a deer crossed the road, and then we saw a little deer waiting to cross. Mom hit the brake, and I started to fall off the seat because I was standing up to look out the window.

Luckily, I had my seatbelt on, so it stopped me from rolling off until Mom could help me get back on the seat. I don’t really like seatbelts, and I have chewed through quite a few of them. I wasn’t able to chew up this one because it has a steel wire. I did get most of the plastic off, though.

Here’s a cat that likes to rest under cars.

We found out what has been eating one of the rose bushes in our yard. It’s a deer.

Yesterday Mom drove us to Seven Bends State Park. We explored the pollinator garden.

There are signs with a story about dogs. 

I guess that’s enough for now. What have you been up to?