The Literary Cat #2 (Reposted from Bookin’ It)

My Literary Cat

‘Sgt. Karrin Murphy, alias Murph’

“In ancient times, cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this.“

 –Terry Pratchett

NOTE: Murph would be the most unlikely cat ever to be worshipped by anyone, anywhere. After rescuing her and her brother, Harry,  almost two years ago, as kittens merely eight weeks old,  Harry settled into our household and totally totally embraced his role as ruler of the roost. On the other hand, Murphy still dives under the nearest bed or couch when any human approaches her. You’d think she’d have figured out by now that we are mostly harmless and provide all the food and creature comforts she could ask for, as devoted slaves will do, but nooooo. We call her the Skittery Kittery.

Dachshunds In The Garden

“The secret of architectural excellence is to translate the proportions of a dachshund into bricks, mortar and marble.”
–Christoper Wren

Obviously, Christopher Wren never met my first piebald dachshund, Oscar.  With his legs too long, and his ears too short, Oscar would not likely have made a good transition to architectural design.  But he was a loving and affectionate dog, who never met an enemy, and he enjoyed nothing more than to be in the garden, on lizard patrol.  Since I realized yesterday that posts with photos of dachshunds included attract a LOT of attention, I figured I’d give Oscar a turn.  You can see for yourself that well proportioned or not, his coloring was beautiful, and I can attest to the fact that his personality matched.  He was a much beloved addition to our family, and rests now under my largest birdbath, where he is surrounded all day long by the lizards he loved to chase.

OSCAR MEYER’S BEANIE WEENIE ON LIZARD PATROL

(Though I tried to save any he caught, I’m afraid he was NOT a lizard’s best friend.)

HOW TO TURN YOUR DACHSHUND INTO A FRONT END LOADER

(Injury caused by angry cat.  Recovery was complete.)

 

HOW TO BE COMFORTABLE WHEN YOUR HEAD IS TOO BIG TO CARRY AROUND ALL DAY

(He would rest like this for 15 or 20 minutes at a time.)

And there you have it.   Dachshunds, in the garden, or in the house, make life better.  I once took a test on how to discover which breed of dog is right for you.  You had to choose one word from a list of attributes that would be important to you in choosing a dog, like guard work,  beauty, loyalty, etc.  I picked “Funny,” and the answer that popped up was, “The dog for you is a dachshund.”  Luckily, I already had two.  I knew all along my instincts were right. 

Comments on My Photos

Just wanted to be clear that while I often post photos taken in my garden, I am in NO WAY a photographer.  They are just snapshots taken with my iPhone and shared here to convey a sense of what’s going on in the yard, or as illustrations of plants I’m growing, or critters that are visiting.  However, there are some stunning photography blogs here at WordPress, and for those who are interested, they are worth searching out.  Good photography is a true art form, and not one I’ve mastered, so please don’t be disappointed that my photos are pretty ordinary.  Hopefully, the posts are interesting enough that they will stand on their own merit.  And no, no one has been rude enough to make any disparaging comments (so far), but after spending hours looking at some really good photography on other blogs, I just wanted to be sure visitors here know that’s not my focus.  Pun intended.  *grin*

I AM a decent gardener, and I think I know more than the average bear about Florida birds and wildlife.  I hope that will be enough to make this blog a fun place to drop by now and then.  So visit awhile, have a good time,  and come back when you can.  You never know what I may have on my mind for Show & Tell.  And now that I have made it clear that I am in no way a photographer….guess what I’m going to share with you?    Just because I think it’s a funny one.  Blurry & totally lacking any real sense of lighting and composition, yes.  But funny.

Potter & Maks, practicing their synchronized ears routine!  Enjoy!

Such Good Friends…Sausagey Little Devil Dogs!

Maks & Potter

My two sweet dachshunds, who think they run this entire household.  Maks (Dancing With Weiners Star Maksim Hotdogski) and Potter (The Phantom’s Sir Hairy Potter of Sanford) are best friends, even though Potter is several years older.  Maks is a chocolate and tan dachsie, and Potter is a red & white piebald (as in “pinto”).  They are a big, fat nuisance, but so funny, you tend to forgive them for their mischief.

Do you share your garden with dogs?  What kind?  How do they behave?  Do you have dachshunds?  Are they as crazy as mine?

Welcome To Granny M’s House!

Welcome to Granny M’s House!  I’ve tried my hand at web page building, bulletin boards, digital paintings, book reviews, and thousands upon thousands of emails.  I guess it’s time to tackle the Blogosphere, too.  So much going on around us every day that just begs to be commented on.  Hopefully this will be as much fun for readers as it will be for me.  My garden is in the summer doldrums, due to the heat here in central Florida, which means it will be more fun to write about it than to work in it.  And each day’s news brings yet another surprise to ponder.  Please join me for lots of good fun, featuring topics ranging from Gardening to Wildlife to Pets.
Happy blogging, All!

Granny M