Humor

Blue Ball: A Charlie Guest Post

/ Jodi / 57 Comments

Charlie blue ball

Woohoo!  It’s Ball Season!

Some of you love baseball.
My family cheers for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

We love football too – if it is the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Right now – our Pittsburgh Penguins are in the Stanley Cup Playoffs,
and though they use a puck instead of a ball, it is still very exciting.

There is also basketball, softball, tennis, golf, volleyball, soccer, wiffle ball, ping pong, bowling, pool, and probably a million other ball games,

but my favorite ball game
(if you don’t count eating meatballs) 

is Blue Ball!

My mom brought out the bucket of blue balls the other day, and boy oh boy did we have fun!

It’s a simple game, but such a BLAST!

Here is how you play it.

Step 1:  Mom throws the ball in the grass.

Step 2:  I run and get it, and then I run back.

Step 3:  Now here is the FUN part….

Sometimes I bring the blue ball back to Mom,
but other times…..  I ZOOOOOOOM right by her and trick her!

Sometimes I bring it to her and drop it….  but (get ready for this!) right when she goes to pick it up,
I grab it first!

And then – (are you ready for this one?)
other times I bring it back – but don’t let go of it, and I make her beg for it.
Sometimes Mom pretends to cry – – –  like I can’t see a fake a mile away!

Other times I let her yank at it for a while and I ferociously (fake of course – but she doesn’t know!) GROWL!

Blue Ball is most fun when you play it by varying up the way you play Step 3 every time.

Isn’t that a great game?!

Hope you have some fun playing whatever kind of ball you like this weekend!

Woofs & Wags,
Charlie

Charlie is an adopted dog with brown eyes and a white-tipped tail who brings joy and laughter to his family and friends.  Charlie is a gifted writer, raving food critic, cat, chipmunk, and donut lover, and exceptionally photogenic model.  Some of his best friends are Mike the UPS Man, Cliff the Mailman, and ANYONE who delivers pizza to the house.   If you would like to read more guest posts by Charlie, simply type “Charlie” into the Search box at the top right hand corner of this link: https://lifeinbetween.me/.   If you would enjoy a companion like Charlie, please consider pet adoption.

 

 

Charlie and the Chipmunk

/ Jodi / 77 Comments

charlie and the chipmunk

It all started out as fun and games….   really!

We were just playing hide and seek – the little chipmunk and me.

I think I might have caught him one too many times though…

So I carried  him around the yard all afternoon so we could rest in the shade of the cool grass until he felt well enough to play again.

I was really worried about him, so I snuck him in the house through my doggie door  (where I had a feeling Mom and Dad didn’t want him) and took him into their bed with me for a more comfy rest under the ceiling fan and on the soft comforter.

But then they caught us….

First my brother Nick, who called Mom in, who called Dad  in.

Then everything became a blur!

Mom distracted me with my toy donut while Dad picked up my friend, and the next thing I knew “Chippy” was gone.

Sorry, Buddy.  It sure was fun while it lasted.

And I don’t know why Mom felt the need to take the comforter off the bed and throw it in the wash.  It was so soft and comfy and smelled like my friend….

Springtime in Mars…. It’s a dog’s life… It’s a great life…  It’s my life.

Woofs & Wags,
Charlie

PS  Please don’t be mad at me.  It really started out as fun and games…

Hanging Out: A Charlie Guest Post

/ Jodi / 52 Comments

charlie and his stick

Are you looking at me?

What……Don’t you like to roll on your back and chew on sticks in the warm, soft Spring grass?

I LOVE Spring!

I forgot how wonderful it is to hang out in the yard with the birds and squirrels and rabbits and chipmunks and deer.  There is so much going on, I can hardly believe how much time I spent sleeping through winter!

There are so many sticks to chew, so many things to smell and taste and chase.

And there is so much room to ZOOOOOM!  I sometimes just start running – in circles or straight lines – whatever suits my fancy – but I love to RUN…. as fast as I can… and make my ears flap and my eyes squint from the sheer force of the wind!

Running, rolling, smelling, tasting, chewing, zooming…. it’s all in a day’s work – hanging out.  A dog’s life.  My life.  There’s nothing like a dog’s life in Spring.

Jealous?  Sorry!  But don’t be…..take some time to hang out outside yourself… even for a little bit.  I bet you’ll want to thank me.  (doggie wink)

Woofs & Wags,
Charlie

PS  My “assistant” is on vacation, so if I don’t respond right away – just know I’m hanging out until she returns.

Making the Bed: A Charlie Guest Post

/ Jodi / 68 Comments


Making the Bed with Charlie

Before I came to live here about 8 months ago, my mom used to think making the bed was a chore.

She is really glad I am hear now, because I make it a fun game!

I play “jump on the bed” when she is pulling up the bedspread or sheet or blanket, so I get a fun “ride,” and she gets a little extra upper body strengthening workout.

When she is changing the sheets, I jump on the mattress so she can fluff the sheet over me and I have to wiggle my way out.

I love to try to bite the pillows while she is trying to stuff them into fresh pillowcases.

And when it is all done, it’s a BLASSSST to grab my donut, get a really fast running start from the living room, and jump up on the bed and skid across it to the other side and jump off.  This fluffs things up a bit more comfortable than having the bed covers being all flat and tucked in.  That’s NOT comfortable!

It’s great fun, and there is nothing like playtime FIRST thing in the morning, before Mom has her coffee or has time to get dressed or brush her teeth.  Morning is PLAY time!  Well – after MY breakfast of course.  But then… it is all about playtime.

Isn’t my mom lucky to have me to turn a mundane chore like making the bed into a really fun game?

She’s not so sure, but you get it – right?

Woofs & Wags,
Charlie

 

For More Posts by Charlie, simply type Charlie into the search bar, and enjoy his antics 

Hope Thistle

/ Jodi / 61 Comments
Hope Thistle Watercolor

Thistle Watercolor

Hope Thistle bring a smile to your lips.

Hope Thistle bring joy to your day.

Hope Thistle help you see the beauty in nature.

Hope Thistle encourage you to create.

Hope Thistle brighten your day.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Spring in Mars

/ Jodi / 45 Comments

japonica snow

Spring in Mars
is a little confused.

The beautiful Japonica
that yesterday looked like
it was playing the harmonica

now thinks it is time
to celebrate Hanukkah
with Veronica
and drink a gin and tonica!

Just a little silliness
to cherish the moments
that nature throws our way
each and every day.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

PS – How many words can you think of that rhyme with Japonica ?

Waiting and Watching – A Charlie Guest Post

/ Jodi / 51 Comments

Charlie Waiting and Watching

Waiting and Watching…

for Dad to come home,
or Cliff the mailman,
or Mike the UPS man,
or Jake or Colleen or Liz to come visit.

Waiting and Watching…

for Pippa and Twiggy (the doggie girls next door) to come out,
or a deer or a turkey or a squirrel or a chipmunk to scamper by,
or a bird or bee or butterfly to flutter by,
or maybe the Easter Bunny!!

Waiting and Watching…

for Mom to say it is time for a walk,
or for dinner,
or a treat,
or an ear scratch or belly rub.

Waiting and Watching…
until my eyes grow weary
and close for “just a blink,”
which is rarely more than two minutes.

It’s a dog’s life.
It’s a good life.
It’s my life.

Woofs and Wags,
Charlie

Kitty has a Name! A Charlie Guest Post

/ Jodi / 37 Comments

Some of you may remember when I first introduced you to one of my new BFFs, Kitty.  Kitty lives a mile or so down the road, and we get to visit on my lunch time walks with Mom.

Well – guess what?  Kitty has a name, just like I do!  My name is Charlie.

Kitty’s name is “Sebastian,” and he is a boy – just like me too!

Aren’t I so lucky to have another boy to visit and play with?

One day on our walk, Kitty’s human teenage brother was outside, so we asked him about Kitty.  It’s so nice to know his name, and isn’t it such a nice one too?!

When we get close to Sebastian’s house, my mom calls out to him.

She says,  “Kitty, Kitty, Kitty! Here Sebastian.”

I wait patiently for Kitty to emerge from who knows where and what in his yard.

If you listen VERY carefully when you watch the little video above, you will here Sebastian say,

“Meow!  Here I am!  Hi Charlie.”

But you have to listen really, really closely.  Us dogs and cats have extra special emotional intelligent super-duper x-ray hearing, so you might miss it.

After we snuggle and sniff and whisper a few secrets, Kitty visits with my mom a bit for a few ear scratches and belly rubs.  I allow her, because I know how much I love them too.

Then we turn around and head back home.  Mom goes back to work, and I take an afternoon nap or play with my donut.

It’s such a good life I have … eh?

A dog’s life!

Woofs & Wags,
Charlie

P.S.  If you would like a friend like me, be sure to consider adopting!  There are lots of dogs and cats that would love to be in your home and give you lots of love.

AdoptaPet.com (this is where my dad and mom found me!)

Animal Friends

For more guest posts by Charlie – just type “Charlie” in the Search bar on the right.  He chimes in quite a bit here!

Charlie and the Girls Next Door

/ Jodi / 47 Comments

charlie and the girls next door

A new girl moved in next door, and I’m in Loooooooveee!

My neighbor, Pippa, got a new sister named Twiggy!  She is a rescued dog, just like me, so she has a special place in my heart. ❤

She is beautiful and friendly, and I am one of the luckiest boys on the planet!

We had a little time to visit yesterday on my walk, because Pippa and Twiggy’s mom was taking them for a walk too!

Hope you are finding as much joy this weekend as I am!  And if you are not, you might want to go out to your local animal shelter and adopt a pet like our parents did!  We have so much love to give!

Woofs & Wags,
Charlie

Mondays

/ Jodi / 35 Comments

five

Mondays….
’nuff said.     🙂

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi