June fourth, says Mikey

"It's Sunday the fourth of June," says Mikey. 

THE 56th SUNDAY JUNE 4th IN THE PAST 400 YEARS (14% chance of occurring) ...

June 4 is the 155th day of the year (156th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar.
There are 210 days remaining until the end of the year. This date is slightly more likely
to fall on a Monday, Thursday or Saturday (58 in 400 years each) than on Tuesday or Wednesday (57),
and slightly less likely to occur on a Friday or Sunday (56) says Wikipedia.

VISITORS

I like it when people visit, says Mikey. Most of the time, anyhow. Sometimes, when they have visitors, they tie me up. On the porch, away from the guests, or worse yet, in the backyard, away from everything. "Does he bite?" the visitors will ask. Only if you're an iguana, a cat, or an overly aggressive dog, I'm thinking. So, I try to control myself, act all friendly, and usually at some point they relent, untie me and things are sort of back to normal. 

On the other hand, when they get long-term visitors, overnight, or sometimes for a few days, like these two ..

...then it's no longer the same-old-same-old. It's a real improvement: more attention and more affection (if they happen to be dog-lovers, and these two definitely are. When it's really good (and right now, it's really good) there's more food and more walks, and just all-around more things to do. For instance, on this walk, I pulled them into the bamboo forest, tried to get them down into the creek, showed them where I'd taken care of a few iguanas and a cat or two, yet for what ever reason, they kept me away from the two dogs on either end of the everyday walking path. The german shepherd on one end of the road, and that big black dog (bigger than me, although last time we got into it, I showed him who's tougher) at the other end of the road.

"Oh Mikey, you're so cute," she says to me. "I thought you'd be bigger than you are," she says. "You should see my dog at home, a shepherd and lab mix. Twice your size," she tells me. 

Humph, I'm thinking, a little bit embarrassed, but I'm not going to mess with her, or her dog, as long as she keeps scratching me behind the ears, calling me sweet names, and tossing out an extra treat now and again. Like I said, on the whole, I like visitors, and I want to keep them coming back.



Same old dog. New trick...

December 31, 2016
Santa Olaya, PR
The Mulero Valley

Bad Dog 2 pack [BF1106] -- Bad Dog poops black snake out the back and showers sparks out the front. As seen on TV!

In general I like holidays. They always seem to be in a good mood. He gives me more attention. She gives me more table scraps, and in general, the scrapings are better. Tonight is no exception, except they are arguing. He keeps saying, "Mikey's an outside dog! He's fine being outdoors." Then she counters, "Maybe so, but tonight let's bring him indoors. At least until the noise stops!" Back and forth, like that.

Now if you remember, he is right (click here for the back story: How I came to live in the Mulero Valley) but she's got the right idea. It is noisy out here (click to view: New Year's Eve in the Mulero Valley) Also it is nice in there. Cushy, inviting, and they've got a great couch. I know, I was on it once. There was a hurricane. He made me a shelter on the porch. She said, "No way! We're bringing Mikey inside." "O.K.!" I said. As soon as we get inside I see the couch. I make a beeline, and I'm up before you can say Jackie Robinson. "Mikey! Get off that couch!" she yells at me. Oops. Guess that wasn't such a good idea, was it?

Now, we're inside again. I'm biding my time. Laying low, keeping quiet. They're watching a DVD, something called Moulin Rouge. Lots of music and laughter. The movie is pretty noisy, but whatever, she's feeding me little snacks. He seems to be in a good mood. Then suddenly, I'm in the room by myself and there's that couch. Who could resist? 

"Mikey! Get off that couch!" she's yelling at me.

"That's it! Back outside!!" he counters, and she doesn't resist. They're back in synch, and I'm back outdoors. 

Oh well, guess I'll just have to wait for the next hurricane, or holiday. 

Meanwhile, in case you're having a hangover from too much of last night, here's a compendium of hair-of-the-dog remedies (*)

1. Japan -- eat umeboshi, a pickled, dried plum, soaked in a salty brine.
2. Germany -- eat katerfrühstück (hangover breakfast) pickled herring wrapped around pickle and onion.
3. Canada -- eat poutine, thick-cut french fries, with cheese curds, smothered in gravy with fresh pepper corns.
4. Turkey -- eat Tripe soup, innards boiled with garlic, onion, and sometimes cream.
5. U.S. (west) -- eat Prairie Oyster, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, salt n' pepper, and a whole raw egg.
6. U.S. (east) -- eat Eggs Benedict, poached egg, ham, and hollandaise sauce, on top of an English muffin.


(*) source: gizmodo.com