This is what a blanket looks like after it’s spent some time with certain typical Dobies.  No, I’m not throwing this out yet.  It’s still got more material than holes, so it stays.  This particular blanket is supposedly a sturdy brand made for commercial businesses like hotels. Believe it or not, a dog supply website sold them some years back, so I bought two or three.  The others look the same as this one.

On the other hand, I happened upon an atypical  swarmish type of bees in my backyard this evening.  It wasn’t pleasant.  This big fantail palm tree grows these dreadlocks types of shoots off its branches.  Well, for some reason, one of these huge monstrosities is loaded with something brown and pod like.  I certainly hope these are not bee eggs!  There are tons of them, and bees are flying all around either going into them or hatching out of them.

As we stood out back this evening, we heard the shells of those pods/eggs falling down.  It’s incredible, and that was enough to witness.  I hope the bees leave soon.  I shall work on getting a better picture, or perhaps a movie of this if they are out tomorrow morning when there is more light.  Frankly, I’d rather they not be.  This is because I have been able to protect my dogs, me and our house from a lot of wildlife, but a swarm of bees?  I am not up to that task, especially if they are the Africanized type, which I’m hoping they are not.  I certainly won’t have any blankets to roll into if need be, and I hope it won’t be!  A lot of hoping’s going on tonight as we head off to tomorrow.

The picture of the fantail  is very large.  I left it that way so anyone who wants to, can click it to see the bees.  There is one flying in the upper left-hand corner.  Unless it’s the right-hand corner as I do have trouble telling left from right.  There are also some in the dreadlocks.

On the training side of life, I wasn’t able to work my girls tonight.  I’m feeling a little bit of a hangover still from last night’s let down.  The bigger let down was Raven still running off in the beginning of things.  I don’t like this habit she’s gotten into, and I’m trying to work through it, but I think I should write it with capitals – IT – because that’s what it feels like.  Raven’s a good worker bee, and also hard headed.  I suppose I could say the same about myself.  So this shall be interesting.  But I needed a break from the seriousness of that because recalls are serious to me.  A dog should come when called.  And she does EXCEPT at those certain times in the ring.

So I took Dudley out tonight, as he is such a character, and we two had fun together.  He is learning to weave nicely.  He’s gotten on the teeter as well, at the 14-inch height I set it at, and he jumped the bar, and is learning to follow my hand.  All this for bits of food so small, I have to double check I am holding it.  I’m used to big mouths, not little ones, so this is unique.  But having a little character is rather fun.  And that’s what Dudley is.  This morning, he was rolled in the dirt out back, and loved it.  He loves to be chased and to roll over and be poked by his cohorts here at Fort Doberdale.  He’s the next best thing to a Jack Benny Show episode on the radio.  Funny guys, the both of them.

Helen