The Fall

It is Autumn.  For sure.  But there was a lot of other things falling this week…especially the heavily favored and highly rated.  So aside from leaves, many other things this week fell with a colossal thump.

But first off, the leaves.  Man are they a lot of work!  I had no idea.  First off, they come from everywhere!  Our trees, the neighbors trees, and it seems like the heavens themselves.   And since my parents had a basic fortress of a fence built to keep us dogs from escaping the leaves have no way of getting outside our yard either – which means a lot of blowing and raking.  This turned out to be kind of entertaining…especially when they brought out the drop cloth to collect the leaves.  Boy that thing is comfortable!  AND a lot of fun to chase and play tug games with!

However, all this work was exhausting so Sam and I kind of fell asleep during the Michigan football game.  This was unfortunate because we were not paying attention and cheering them on they didn’t maintain their focus and ended up losing for the first time this year :(.

However, they weren’t the only highly ranked team to lose this weekend.  In fact, the #2,3 and 4 ranked teams all lost.  Which hasn’t happened since 1985.  This just so happened was another time Michigan lost to the Iowa Hawkeyes in a low scoring game at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City.   That time Iowa was ranked #1.  This time they weren’t ranked and were a heavy underdog to Michigan.  Clemson and Washington were also heavy favorites and lost at home.   This coming a week or so after the Cubs made their magical comeback in the World Series to win for the first time since 1908.   Seems there was some other humongous shocker this week that may have a significant impact on the world but I can’t seem to remember what that was all about right now.  Just that a lot of people around here were very upset about the results…but there was some talk about the universe equalizing the balance of happiness and sorrow in Chicago – as long as the happiness lasts 4 years (the Cubs Dynasty!).   Seems like that would be a hint to me about what that other event was…

Anyhow, today Michigan was playing a basketball game on TV.  This time Sammy and I were all into it.   And they won!!!

Well…mostly into it.  I may have dozed off a bit but I am pretty sure it was during a commercial or half time or something that didn’t require my full attention.

The rest of the weekend was awesome.   So despite the results of the football games and other such things the weather was absolutely gorgeous…especially for November in the upper midwest.

Sam and I got a lot of outside time in the sun as my parents did their leave thing and other fall yard work.

This included a fire…not for the leaves but a bunch of the branches that have fallen off as the autumnal winds have picked up and knocked down dead wood from the trees.  However, if the leaves don’t all drop in the next week (the last the village collects them with their big vacuum cleaners) we may end up having to burn them as well.

I enjoy a good fire but Sam was pretty much happy with the cooler temperatures outside without the fire.

Finally, i had the sense that my mom was a bit sad this weekend about something…not sure if it was all the upsets that occurred in the last week (which was very upsetting to her) or if she was missing all my siblings who have gone off to college but I thought I could help her feel at least a little bit better.

We all fall at times but it is how we get up after that defines who we are.   Let’s hope the Michigan football team can rebound and still make it a special season and that the rest of the country can show their true colors.

Take Care,

The Tempest

A Dog About Town

Dad decided to take me to my first ever tailgate party before the Michigan game to make sure I continued to be good with people and my socialization efforts.  However, when we first got there the whole yard was empty of cars and food.  I might be smiling in this picture but I was not really happy – especially passing so many people grilling all sorts of great smelling things!  But it was a beautiful day for November so I wasn’t going to complain.  I did wonder how long we were going to sit there but then we started walking again.

After we passed some more great smelling food and a bunch of nice people who noticed how cute I am, we approached The Big House!  Never thought I’d get to see it in person.

But then we moved on down the block towards where a bunch of people were selling tickets!  Surely this means Dad is searching for a way to get me into the game.  Oh boy!

But then we kept going but this time away from the stadium – but towards even more people grilling.   What a day!  We then got to meet this nice older guy in quite the outfit – but I recognized the maize and blue colors so I knew he was a friend.  He gave me some good pets and a treat!  Although it was nice, I was a bit disappointed it was only a Milkbone – with all those meat smells wafting around the place.

When we finally got back to our tailgate location people were starting to set up and put out food!  I met a lot of my parent’s friends, got even more treats and great pets.

But then after meeting our good friend who loves dogs – I’ll call her “aunt” D (she is a redhead too), I got a bit tired…especially since I didn’t get even one hot dog.

Finally my mother arrived to presumably feed me.  But everyone was interested in the car so the “frunk” was popped open and I spotted a great place to take a nap!

Before you start judging me, I wasn’t the only child hanging out in the storage places of vehicles at this party.   Guess that is why they call them “tailgates.”

I was then coaxed out of the frunk and they took me back home to my grandparents house…before the game…and there were extra tickets!

So I decided to sneak out of my Grandparent’s backyard to make my way back to the tailgate but just about then my Grandmother FarMor got home and I was so excited to see her I went back to their house and watched the game with Grandpa FarFar!  FarMor called Dad to tell him I was out and Mom overheard and started to track my GPS… look at the photo below…ooops (I think I am supposed to be at the circle at the bottom right…)!  Oh, well, after going home I got to help my grandmother with some gardening but we didn’t take any pictures of all that fun!

Despite the fact that the hole I got out of Saturday was blocked, I managed to find my way out another way on Sunday morning- (and brought Sammy along) – but we could tell from the smell that there were no tailgate parties down by the stadium so we just mingled around my Grandparent’s house until Dad was alerted by the neighbors that we were out and as soon as we saw him we came running and despite the fact we were only a few houses down, I got to Dad first and Sammy didn’t get to us for what seemed like the entire time it takes to play a football game!  Did I mention I am SO much faster than him :)!

Being out and about is kind of fun but I prefer it when our entire pack is with me!

Tempest

 

108: THE Significant Digit

“8-7

It’s over. The Chicago Cubs beat the Cleveland Indians 8-7 in extra innings in the World Series. The 108-year World Series drought is over.”

-Walt Hickey, Fivethirtyeight.com

The Cubs ARE the news around these parts.  Apparently, waiting 100+ years for a baseball championship is a big deal.  And to be honest I got sucked up in all the excitement.  Here I am during the early innings when it seemed our boys were going to run away with it just like they did in game 6 (don’t ask me what Sambuca is watching).

Then, with the Cubs ace closer in the game, the Indians from Cleveland, scored 3 times to tie the game at 6.  I was not a happy camper:

But like this Cubs team (and to be fair the Indians team), I didn’t give up but instead decided to get my rally shirt on and started focusing hard on the game:

And then., lo and behold, the rain started coming down and they stopped playing.

What?

I understand not wanting to go outside to pee when it is raining but when I am in play-mode no rain is going to stop me.  Ooh.  Speaking of peeing “this might be a good time to run outside and relieve myself” I said to myself.  And before I knew it the game was back on.  Did I mention the game went into baseball’s version of overtime?  No sudden death in these games – at least for the away team which the Cubs were on this occasion.  BTW – sudden death is something I like to inflict on my toys ;).

Then the unbelievable happened.   The Cubs (yeah those cubs) WON the World Series!  And it was all due to me putting on my rally shirt!

OK.  So a lot of people contributed to the win in their own ways.  Like that guy who got all the hits and one the MVP award…and all his teammates and coaches.

But then there are the little people.  Like the Twins from Wisconsin (below left) – who should not be confused with the Minnesota Twins – even if their mother is a bit confused and likes the Michigan State Spartans instead of the Michigan Wolverines (hehehe).  Did I mention that Sammy was a twin too?   His sister Banshee went to college a number of years back (she was always the smarter of the two…which should come as no surprise since she had the two X chromosomes).  And then there is my other friend who did her part this morning (below right).   That girl sure knows how to read!  I would like to take the credit for her style (since it is the way I read) but she came upon it all on her own.

Amazing to think of all those fans who waited and waited for this moment – literally an entire lifetime for so many who are no longer with us (like Banshee, Boomer, Has and Montana, Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, Harry Carey and so many others ) = and here the four of us get to celebrate their championship in our first year of life!

Again, I think it was us youngsters who brought home the trophy to the Windy City…no offense to the players.

Tempi, The Twins and The Reader

 

 

Phantom Menace

Phantom Menace (my first play) by The Tempest (which just so happens to also be the title of a famous play – my name that is, the title of my play I am sure is TOTALLY original).

Setting:

Halloween Evening; 6:02.08 PM Central Time; Deerfield, IL; The Living Room and Bedroom upstairs

Set-up:

My parents arrive home from work ready to prepare for the trick-or-treat kids.

Sammy pacing around the house trying to figure out what door they were going to enter (apparently the roaming kids outside had heightened his awareness of his surroundings as he usually looks confused when they get home).

Scenery:

Here are some original sketches I made that should be used by the set designers:

Living room on top, bedroom below.

So I think that is about all for setting the scene for my story…well except for the fact that I AM OUT OF MY CRATE  – and it was ALL AFTERNOON!!!!

How could my parents tell?  Well besides the fact that I was not in the dog room when they entered the house there was the data from my Whistle.

Below on the left is my normal weekday activity.  On the right is yesterday.

Notice around noon there is a little blip of activity on a normal day but from around 8AM to 6PM this is about all the movement I make.  This blip is when the pet sitters come visit us.  We LOVE them always but yesterday I really saw them in a new light.  Look at all that activity after noon!  Well that was when I got to work on my set design when I wasn’t watching some DVD’s and reading some good books (I suspect that is the reason for the little lull in activity between 3-4 PM).   Boy, nothing settles me down like a good book.

And the movie I watched had that Darth Vader guy my dad tries to talk like on occasion.  I may have mentioned that in a previous post.  BTW – I think we should watch all three original movies as a family soon- with a BIG bowl(s) of popcorn.

It also took me awhile to find a good New Yorker cartoon on the daily calendar my dad got from my grandparents for the year of 2016:

Finally on November 17th I found one (the best ones are always about dogs – particularly if they are hanging out at a bar!)

Boy, after reviewing all the work I accomplished yesterday my eyes are getting a bit heavy and I (0r is it the scribe) am starting to lose my concentration as the Chicago Cubs have blasted off in Game 6 of the World Series with a 7-0 lead.  Either way, I don’t think I can possibly relate the whole play I have been working on tonight.

Sleep well and I hope you had a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Tempi