Monday, December 31, 2007

Progress Report: Beards

There was an old man with a beard, who said: 'It is just as I feared! Two owls and a hen, four larks and a wren have all built their nests in my beard.
Edward Lear

First, a brief historical note!


The longest beard ever measured belonged to Hans Langseth of Norway. When he died, in 1927, it was 5.33 metres (17 feet 6 inches) long. The longest beard belonging to a woman was attached to the chin of one Vivian Wheeler of Wood River, Illinois. It grew to 27.9 centimetres (11 inches).
Some Noteworthy Beards:


Herman Melville
Wrote Moby Dick and lived with cannibals



The Smith Brothers
Nursed nine generations of hypochondriacs back to health


Walt Whitman
Sang about himself


Gen. James "Old Pete" Longstreet
Corps Commander, Army of Northern Virginia
Almost won the American Civil War for the Confederacy until he sent Pickett charging into a wall of Union artillery at Gettysburg.

The above, unsolicited, history of les Éminences Grises has been brought to you by the huDAD. Of course, to appreciate REAL beards, one must enter the domain of canines: Airedales, Bouviers des Flandres, and of course, Kerry Blues!


EXHIBIT A



We present, for your consideration,
Persephone, the Dark Goddess of the Underworld.

Beard Length: 5 1/2 inches



Addendum for the Record:

These trimmings were already removed from the none-too-willing chin of Persephone prior to measurement. Her beard actually exceeded that of both His Lordship Bozo the WonderDog and Bailey the ArchDiva Ruler of the Universe in length. That is, until her huMOMM chopped it in October prior to a show!


EXHIBIT B



Bailey, the ÜberMom of Persephone & Buster

Beard Length: 5 1/2 inches


EXHIBIT C



Buster, the Scourge of Small Rodents

Beard Length: 5 3/4 inches

So that's it... the measuring of the Kerry beards has been completed, and now you know the long and short of it...

We can't wait to see how all our bearded buddies do!

Mom says it's time to shave...



Sephie, Buster, & Bailey



Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Yes, We Believe in Santa!

It was a truly magical Christmas!

I, Miss Persephone, took my station directly in front of the tree, in anticipation of the arrival of that notorious dwarf with his bundle of squeaky-toys and treats.





Buster chose to guard the egg nog in the kitchen.




Bailey, our über-mom, provided some moral support on this occasion by licking my ears.


Oh, Ecstasy! The Bearded One cometh!

Our St. Nicolas is a bit Druidic. He treasures the things of the forest. Like us wolf-children.


Each year, he brings lots of cool things for Buster, me, and the assorted humans who share our house. Mom got lots of clothes and a portable DVD player--Dad got a cool infrared water-temperature indicator for his flyfishing--and we superior canine beings got lots of things to chew on!


Bailey DOES get a little manic when opening her presents (as well as those belonging to anyone else!). She says it's good therapy. Hey, if it works for her, that's fine. Anyway, Bailey's our Official Present-Opener!



It DOES exact a certain toll, however.


In the end, she always has to be carried from the scene, exhausted!


How do you like my new earrings?


Christmas Morning ALWAYS has to end with the ritual licking of ears and the wishing of good cheer and Canine-Consciousness to our lesser human friends.




Bailey is "in recovery" 'til next year!


Merry Christmas!

Sephie

Monday, December 24, 2007

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to all our blog buddies!!





Hi folks and pups....

This here is the BUSTER...

I wanted to send you all a card, but I'm not THAT computer savvy...so the BLUE MOON KERRYS have sent a link to our card to alllllllll of you!

Enjoy:


JUST CLICK HERE!



Sephie wishes to share her extraordinary anticipation of Santa's arrival..




A very Merry Christmas and a HAPPY NEW YEAR--from us to you!


The BUSTER & Persephone & Ms. Blue, too!

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Snowbunnies II: Girls Just Gotta Have Fun

We're "between snowstorms" here in the tropics, we--Bailey & Sephie--are choreographing our new feature.

We originally intended the title to be Dancing with the Buster. But there was one minor problem. We didn't want Buster in it!


It's a bit like pairs figure skating: black dogs on a white field of ice, each move shadowed perfectly by the other partner.


But first, a small intermission to pose elegantly for the paparazzi. Bailey has the most experience as an ice princess.



No, this isn't what you think. Just pausing to graze on the bamboo.




I, Princess Persephone, need time to contemplate deep thoughts on why no two snowflakes are alike, why the universe is entropic, and what will happen when Buster is unleashed into the backyard.


Bailey, the resident diva, must flaunt her exquisite gray beard!




Okay, we're READY FOR THE MAIN EVENT:

Snowbunnies--The Movie!

(Warning: Barking may disturb some audiences!)

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Snowbunnies--Part I

Buster here. Oh how I love the snow!

It makes my beard whiter.

I can roll in it.

I can make it yellow.

Snow and I were made for each other!



Bailey and I spend hours skulking about on the back deck!




Never know what you might find...

We've had skunks and opossums make their home
under this deck!





But the big issue is WILSON! My BusterBall!

Ever try to find a yellow tennis ball in white (or yellow) snow?




Darn, this is embarrassing!

It's gotta be here SOMEWHERE.



Bailey keeps giving me that "I told you so" look!

She doesn't understand the cosmic significance of repetitively retrieving a worn, fuzzy, yellow tennis ball. She'd rather curl up with a Jane Austen novel or watch "Dancing with the Stars."

No sympathy from this corner!




Okay--I got an angle on this problem. Let's do it on the deck!





Well--it might appear a bit anemic!

BusterBall confined to the back deck is kind of like playing soccer in a bathtub. I just can't demonstrate my "moves" for the girls in my life. Girls? They're too busy laughing at me! But spring can't be too far behind, and one must do one's best to remain in good form.

Besides--tomorrow, the deck will be solid ice from the big storm bearing down on bucolic New England, and I'll be stuck inside getting petted and loved. The tedium!

'til tomorrow,

Buster

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Snow!


It's finally arrived! We can easily out-run the traffic, creeping along at two miles per hour.




Don't see any geese! They've all migrated southward.




Can't play BusterBall with the darned ball disappearing in the snow!




Old Rudolph sure looks bright tonight!




Beware--the incipient pounce of the Crazed Buster-Dog in the snow!



Christmas is coming--can't ya tell?




This "characteristic pouncing position" is so tedious! You'd think the Buster-Dog would learn a new pose. Anyway--BIG Nor'Easter coming this weekend! LOTS more snow! Stay tuned...

Sephie

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Ice Storm!



Hi, blogbuddies--it's the BUSTER here. I miss summer I miss summer I miss summer oh, how I miss summer! Our New England winter arrived with a cold vengeance! This morning, it was 15 degrees F (that's -9 C for those in the Civilized World!). A ragged Northeast wind that'll uncurl the tail of pug. Ice!


In a bizarre way, it's sort of pretty. If you're a polar bear.



The humans don't want us to get our feet icy. Actually, they don't want to slip and break their vulnerable little necks. Out come the shovels!




The Wind Chime has a few more chimes...




The grass is glassier on the other side of the pasture...


And the power's out! It's C O L D in the house!




What to do? Persephone and Bailey have this down to a science! The ritual licking of ears!
Cuddling with the humom as she calls Connecticut Light & Power on the cell phone!

Life is good.

the BUSTER... & ms. persephone & ms. blue too.

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Buster's Do-It-Yourself Tush-Cooling Fan Replacement Experience

O.K... today we get rid of the old "tush-cooling" fan that no longer provides adequate, well, cooling of the tush....

The humomm has found a new fan that should do the trick....if the hudad can help me put it in, I, the BUSTER, will endeavor to install it.

hysterical laughter from the curlie gurlieez..



Here I am.. helping unpack all the "stuff"....Must read the directions...but maybe my red ball's more interesting...




Wow, it's in Spanish, too...How about Gaelic? I think I need glasses I can't seem to understand the written word.



HAH! A man needs the proper tools for the job. Maybe a pint 'o Guinness, too?
Is that laughter I hear in the background...? You know the curlie gurleez are at it again.. laughing at me while I'm trying to concentrate.



Obstacle Number One: my treasures are in front of the closet that contains the fuse-box!



All righty then, we got all the toys out of the way -- there sure are a lot of toys in that basket...it's a bottomless pit. I'm glad the hudad had to drag them all out of the corner... he found some more of my "lost wilsons" and a dumb-ball too!


OOPSY...Which one is it? If I pull only blue ones what will happen?? can I wreak havoc upstairs--hmmmm...I'll pull ALL of them!


Ms. Blue (my mom) doesn't have any faith in my innate electromechanical abilities--She insists on checking EVERYTHING! ....she also chuckles at me while I sit trying to read these silly
instructions. SHE'S NOT HELPING THE SITUATION!


In spite of her barking, we got the motor mounted...hope those colored wires are connected to the right places! Wonder what would happen if...



LEVEL!!! Can't cool a tush with a wobbly fan...this one's gotta be tight! and LEVEL!



It's HARD to climb a ladder with four legs... and turning the wrench is just killing my jaw.. you know those opposable thumbs are very helpful....I'll supervise Dad and tell him what to do !



LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL L E V E L - L E V E L !



Et voila! I wonder if Mom will like it... I do ....it has soft "mood lighting" and that fan is
a definite Tush-cooling-fan...just right.



Have to check out this unit's nocturnal tush-cooling properties. Mom said she really needed a light, but the fan's mine!
Well another successfull installation project done by the BUSTER...and his human lackey...the hudad!
the BUSTER trying to get off the 'puter before the humomm gets back from the shopping trip for Christmas prezzies.... whoooOOOooooOO