Hello again, everyone; yes, it is I, Chess the busy purebred border collie, here to delight and inform you as no one else in the house could possibly do. You may remember me from such posts as “Trouble In Paradise” and “Il Giardino Di Leonardo”, among other truly excellent posts.
Here I am in a characteristic pose, looking especially sad and pathetic because I haven’t gotten a biscuit in the last two minutes. This is the personification, or possibly caninification, of total and utter sadness.
Eventually the guy I live with gave in, and I got my biscuit.
Then we went on our walk. There was frost on along the creek again, and the grass was really wet, and I fell down. The guy I live with freaked out, since I’m eleven, but I got up again and we finished our walk. There are all kinds of holes in the field, made by various creatures that make holes, you know. You can step into a hole by mistake, even if you’re a purebred border collie.
When we got home, I was soaking wet, and got to track stuff onto the carpet, and I got another biscuit. I made kind of a mess on the carpet, which is what you do when you’re having an excellent time.
It was good, as you can tell.
Anyway, enough about me. (I can’t believe I’m saying this …)
There are yellow jackets eating the bark off his tree, which makes the guy I live with fairly annoyed. I like bark, but in a different way.
Here’s an agastache the guy I live with took a picture of. (He would say that isn’t English, but I’m a dog, after all.) Looking down on it. This is one of those “artistic” pictures that he’s so bad at doing, but thinks he’s good. Like lots of people. We border collies are works of art in our own right. I don’t think I had to tell you that.
Anyway, about “the s word”. The guy I live with says “either word, your choice”, so I’ll say snow, which is my favorite weather. That’s right, it’s supposed to snow tomorrow, and he says it’ll be the end of everything.
I don’t really believe this, of course. It’s only the end of things it’s the end of. If it even is the end of some things. It could turn out to be nothing. He should probably lighten up some. He tells me to do that when I hear thunder, so now it’s my turn. Here’s another picture of Crocus banaticus too. It’s a weird looking crocus, if you ask me. I’m not sure what part of the crocus he was focusing on, but I think you get the idea.
Okay, that’s it for today. I hope it snows a lot tomorrow, and maybe I can post a whole bunch of pictures of me frolicking in the snow, with the guy I live with being dragged sullenly behind me.
Until next time.
the miserable gardener 
Do watch out for those holes, Chess–I feel your pain. My yard is starting to resemble a golf course what with all the skunk activity of late. Be careful.
But yellow jackets eating the bark off a tree?!?!! Oh, now really, that IS provoking.
Yellow jackets eating the tree. They say it’ll freeze tomorrow night and maybe that will be the end of that nonsense.
What a face Chess, you do do sad well but then you have such a repertoire of expressions, this one worked you got your biscuit and then well executed to get another one after your walk. As usual brilliant photos of you. interesting fact about the wasps, I didn’t know they ate bark and another lovely crocus shot today. Can’t wait to see you frolicking in the snow.
We didn’t know they ate bark either. The guy I live with would just as soon wait for the snow to fall, maybe in February.
Oh, now, Chess, surely anyone privileged to live with you would be unable to sustain sullen, and sullen needs sustaining. Perhaps he’s glowering, and the mood will soon pass. Tell him to take inventory of all the wonders you two live amidst: yellow jackets eating bark! crocus! bright pink agastache! purebred border collie on a pale blue carpet! snow! Yes, I’m sure he’s merely glowering. Ask him to hand out another biscuit.
He’s only sullen when it’s cold. Or when it’s hot. Or when it’s hailing. Or when it’s really windy. Or when seeds don’t come up. Or when yellow jackets eat bark. Or when bugs eat his plants. Or when he has to rake up more locust pods.
And other times as well.
Wow. I love that crocus.
Beautiful, is it not? I forget where I got it. Either Illahe Rare Bulbs in Washington or Rare Plants in the U.K.
WOW WOW WOW. I have to have that crocus. What a blue! The rarest color in nature but when She does it She does it good!
I wish my cats could learn the silent, patient purebred border collie look of “Pleeeeeeeeeeese”. Then maybe they’d stop squatting on my computer keyboard to get my attention, or knocking over the vases, or batting wallets and phones and spare change off the kitchen table.
It’s 80 degrees again today on the shores of the Long Island Sound. Snow? Snow? I just got shivers.
It’s 40 here, snow all gone, supposedly going to freeze tonight (not if I can help it).
Border collies, especially ones three-quarters the size of regular ones, know how to climb into laps, or at least try to.