Rainy Day

Well, I've lollygagged through March and April, just can't seem to get my get-along to get along. Still pretty sleepy from this chilly spring we've had. But things are lookin' up. Lots and lots of wheat to eat--and tall enough to hide us little critters from the bad eyes in the skies. Rain today all over the state, I've heard tell. It's off and on here by Hennessey. Good day to lay back and take stock of life.

When you're a Pdog, life can be purty tenuous, you know? Ten of them, not enough of us. Ever' body and ever' thing is out to get you. Farmers and cowmen and athletes don't like the holes. Owls and hawks and durn fool kids want to catch you up and take you to dinner, or worse (leastwhys them kids). You'd think we'd be a pretty new-rotic lot--scared of our own shadow like our cuz, ol Puxatony Phil.

But you just gotta roll with the hard knocks, you see. Gotta keep your little Pdog feet under you, duck into the burrow when time's are bad, graze on green things when you can, enjoy the pups playin' round your feet. They's new pups ever year. New babies to get to know. Ever' one different, ever' one a promise. And old friends down the way. Ever' body watchin' ever'body else's back--looking for that hawk in the sky and just cussin' the weather and laughin' together.

We've all been around here a bit, been together in this here last little Pdog town in K County a long time. We're easy with one another. Know who the hotheads are. Know the wise ones. The silly ones. The loners and the compatriots. We don't got no losers here. The yips and barks are easy to hear, 'cause we've heard 'em since we was born.

So, let it rain in Oklahoma today. Let the water come drippin' down into the Pdog hole. Let ol' mom snap and fret at the pups. I got my feet up and my head back and my belly full and life is good.

Yes, sir and madam, life is durn good.

Enjoy...

Ahhh...
Sunshine on my fur.
Sweet green grass sproutin' up.
Calves friskin' in the field.

Gotta keep an eye out fer that lazy hawk and his dang circles, but other than that, life is good.

Them human fellers are havin' a time of it, though. Lots of grass fires, controlled burns gettin' outa control, some haybales set to burnin' a'purpose. What's people thinkin' of, anyhow?

It's too purty a day to make trouble for folks. We've chilled long enough...

What?

Man, I'm as antsy as a hooked worm in a school of fish. Woke up this morning feeling just fine. Popped up topside for a look-see and danged if those crocus weren't finally coming up. Didn't dare tell the missus. I made such a ruckus over them squirrels stealing the bulbs, she'd never let me forget just how wrong I was.

Warm but windy after those flurries yesterday, just like I predicted. The ol' winter man ain't gonna give it up easy this year, but these warm days are nice. Ground's nice and wet. Hope Farmer KJ does well this year. What's good for the farmer is great for the dogs!

Anyhow, the day's going great, see? Nothing unusual. Just lazing around kinda half asleep like, then--What? It just comes over me all of a sudden. I'm restless, fidgety. I want something, don't know what. Wanta go somewhere, don't know where. I get all closed in in my own skin, itchy but nothing to scratch. The pups go wild, pushing, shoving. Mama dog gets snappish. I'm thinking, what the heck?

Then I get it. Sure. Spring just snuck in under the ol' winter man's nose and set up shop. The ol' man, he may not give it up easy, but spring is here just the same.

Don't Wake Me 'Til Spring

Gosh durn it, can't a Pdog get any sleep at all? Mrs. Pdog and the pups are restless with all that sunshine warmin' the ground topside. She woke me last week to make my prediction and I guess that warn't enough for her. She keeps rootin' around makin' noise and interrupting my rest. Keeps frettin' about them dang crocus bulbs.

You see, crocus bulbs sprout about mid-January in these parts. Have every year since I was a pup myself. It's like a sign lightin' up and saying, "Hey, dogs! Spring's a'comin'!" This year, Mrs. K John had nary a one over in her yard--not one. My missus finds that ominous. Says that with the crocus late, the daffodils may not bloom, then what will we all do?

I'm the prognosticator in this here hole and I'll tell you what happened. Them squirrels got 'em. That's what I'm tellin' you. Them gosh dang rodents are ruinin' the neighborhood!

Blizzard, Oklahoma Style

Can't figure out why anybody'd want to live anywhere but in Oklahoma. We've got it all. Grandest sampling of weather anywhere in the country. Well, that's just the reason we've got so many awards for our weather research and just about any weather practioner in the nation would give his eye teeth for a chance to work here just one year.

Take that mini-hurricane we had earlier this year. You don't find one of those just everywhere. And right now we've got high winds and blowing snow up here with roads closed in the panhandle because of whiteouts (That's Oklahoman for "mini-blizzard"). It was nigh on to 70 degrees yesterday.

Mary's closed the library for Christmas, but I heard tell that she was close to blowed off her feet in Enid this morning, trying to get her vacuum cleaner from the repair place to the car. We're all a lot concerned about them human kids in their 4 wheel vehicles trying to get home for Christmas.

Down here in the prairie dog hole, we're all snug and dry and ready for our winter's nap, and we hope you human folk all get to where you're goin' safe and sound and sleep well tonight, yourselves. Take care up there!

Ice on Toast?

Dang... How's a prairie D. ever to figure out when it's time to hunker down and give it up for the winter?

Last week, we were froze in--solid ice, some snow. Just the kind of weather to send you down deep in the burrow and tight into a ball, ready for some serious shut-eye. Then, derned if the drips didn't start drizzling down on top of us. Ice melted, snow blowed away, and the sun toasted the ground until we were all steaming down below. This is no way to run a winter.

I figured I might as well go top-side and look for some seeds or what have you, and I heard Farmer K. saying that the sign on the bank down town said it was 76 degrees today. Tulsa and Oklahoma City are still trying to get the lights on after the biggest ice-related power outage in Oklahoma history and we've got 76 degrees.

And you folks expect me to make a prediction come February...

Counting Sheep

Down here in the burrow, we should be getting a little sleepy. It is almost Thanksgiving topside, you know. But how does a prairie dog hunker down for a little seasonal shuteye when the temps stay in the upper 70s and lower 80s? Can't sleep in that kind of weather. Never could.

Got to admit, though, the last few days have had a good November wind that smells like fall. You pop your head up out of the hole and you better hold on tight. Dern wind can suck you up quick as that and carry you off. Heard about a P. dog got blowed clear to Kingfisher once. Never did get back across the river. They say he tried to start his own P.dog town south of town, but that new Walmart Super Center interfered with his plans.

There's not many of us left in this part of the country, anyway. Sure not enough to start a new town. The books all say that there arn't any P.dogs in Kingfisher County, and there's surely few enough of us to let what the books say stand. Too many plows.

Well, it's 45 degrees here at 10:51 pm, wind 7 mph from the NNW. That's all right. The cold'll get here.

Yawn...