A June well-lived

The other day I marveled at Mo, for the sheer energy he was devoting to out and out puppy mania for the umpteenth day in a row: Pace yourself, I said to the dog (of course we talk to the dogs). You do not have to have all puppy fun at once.

Phrodaux heard me and said, "Well, he doesn't know. He's never had a June before." Too true: Mo is one week shy of being one year old. He has now officially had a complete June, though, and he did not waste a bit of it.

Big dog weekend: Fabulous W (the friend formerly known as E) made the long trek from the hinterlands to the farm, driving a borrowed mini van full of big dogs and this amazing thing.

Skylab! From 1974. Completely amazing, and MINE! But I share, honest. You can play if you want to.

But the dogs didn't care about Skylab, except Otter, who wanted to bite it, and us when we played it. Noises! Colors! Blinky Lights! Scary Scary Scary MUST BITE.

Yes, that is the FQ, complete with Darth Vader mask. Really, we have everything at the farm.

In general, Bailey wanted to chase the ball, Otter wanted to chase Bailey, and Mo was in keep-up-with-the-big-dogs sensory overload, running and chasing and stealing the ball and barking at them when they decided to rest in the shade. Mo wasn't so sure about Roxie the three-legged dog, but gave her a break just the same.

Mo says: Hey Otter! When Bailey comes back around on lap 18, let's chase her! Otter says: Must rest.

This is Bailey. Check out just how fast she is! You can't get a non-blurry picture!

Mo says: OK, we will rest in the shade for 10 seconds. Roxie says: I am IGNORING you.

After 48 hours of this, Mo was a little tired. But big dogs were almost in a coma. I mean, first they didn't get up until 9:30, then they just lounged around in their underwear. And the best thing about the farm is that you can sleep late and still take a nap later.

After W and crew headed home, Mo briefly gave in to exhaustion.

But not for long. Soon enough, he was outside, waiting for the next fun thing to happen.

Canning weekend: See previous post. In the midst of all that groovy greenery was pickled asparagus and strawberry jam. The upside for dogs: much kitchen activity means yummy items are sure to hit the floor.

Grandma, et al. weekend: Phrodaux's mom, cousin, and cousin's daughter spent the weekend at the farm. No photos, but rest assured: PLAY! Chasing a kid! Creek swimming (definitely no photos from that, as cameras and dog rescue from strong current don't really mix).

And finally, the weekend just ended: A house full of people, endless amazing food and drink, a sweet baby (human this time), plus Catfish, our favorite toddler, just on the cusp of 3. His weekend mantra was IsaMo! no matter which dog he encountered. More run and chase and play and inadvertent sharing of toys and eventually, complete collapse.

48 hours later, Mo is still not quite himself. I think, at last, he's TIRED. We'll see how long that lasts. Quite likely he will tackle the dog park tonight, letting everyone know just who is the PUPPY in the place.

Nubie, on the other hand, is an old pro at June. He knows how to take things slowly, dip your paw in, ease into summer. His advice (he'll wait, if you want to get a pen):

* If you can't get to a creek, try a kiddie pool.

* Make frequent visits to the U-pick raspberry patch.

* Most importantly, when things get to be just too much, you can always hide out in the shade with a stick. Or in this case, an arugula stem.

Spoiled? Well, maybe. A little. But man, what a life these dogs have.