Hideout Moving Day

Today was the sad day; we couldn't put it off any longer. Duncan's hideout had to be moved. He isn't the only one who may be upset by the change; this little guy has been seen several times pulling off bits of the old seed heads.

I think Duncan knew something was in the air this morning. We found him – plus a selection of his favourite toys – plunked right in front of the "door" of his hideout this morning:

We rescued the last few occupants – Mouse(?) and his latest stick were still inside – and put Duncan in the house while we actually moved his grass. He seemed a bit surprised, but not really upset, to find it missing when he came out again...

I was sure I left it somewhere around here.

... and even more surprised to find it moved to the back of the yard:

We left a nice big hiding space between the grass and the fence, and made sure his toys were there to greet him when he explored:

Finally, he gave it the ultimate mark of approval:

In  other yard news, we found a long piece of plastic garden edging carefully outlining an area several inches under the former brick patio (why, we don't know). But Duncan quite enjoyed wrestling it into submission:

There's a Sad Day Coming...

You may remember that sometime over the winter, Duncan made himself a secret hideout in the big clump of grass beside the pool. But the pool is well on the way to becoming a lawn. What has happened to the hideout?

So far, it's still there. He does love cozy little dens, and he's been so good at putting up with all the change and confusion while he supervises the work crew. So we ignored all the good gardening practices, left the dead stalks standing, and steer the wheelbarrow around the clump. The new growth is filling in too, so Duncan has a bit more privacy. He pops in now and then:

I love my hideout. Nobody can see where I am...

But soon – maybe even this weekend – we're going to have to move the grass. And it will almost certainly have to be moved in sections; I doubt the hideout will survive. Poor Duncan will need a new one.

Do you think he'd like a doghouse? Something like one of these, perhaps? Personally, I'm leaning toward the castle with the drawbridge. After all, Duncan is a king's name!

Just Another Day on the Job Site

Tim's break!
Duncan enjoys the ice cubes from my iced coffee. Then he chews the cup.

Duncan is continuing to supervise as we fill in the enormous hole that used to be the pool. He has to stay indoors while the gate's open to wheelbarrow in the fill from the driveway – we're halfway through the second load of fill, at 10 cubic yards/load – but he likes to be involved whenever he can.

Yesterday we rented a roller to compact the fill. Duncan was not very happy about it at first, and was forced to bark quite loudly to make his point:

So Daddy explained the roller to him:

So you put water in there?

And he checked it out carefully:

It smells okay...

And then we push it.

Once he understood the process, he was quite happy to settle down and supervise from a safe distance:

Duncan Gets his Very Own Vet

Doctor Sparks! (almost)

We got wonderful news this week – Duncan's sister Megan has been accepted to the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph. In four years, Duncan's needles will be given by his own personal vet. In the meantime, he doesn't even notice them, as long as he has a treat to think about:

Congratulations, Megan! We've always known you have a special gift with animals.

With Bonnie (or possibly Clyde?)