[fjm]

Today Mum said she needed to garden before it started to rain, so she spent ages finding everything then went outside and spent ages chatting to the neighbours and then she started that weird thing of pulling out some green things and putting them in a heap and carefully planting other green things instead. And when she had dug up the soil and made it all soft and fluffy and cool I wanted to lie down on it but she wouldn't let me because I was in her way so I went and lay down on another bare bit and she told me to get of because there were something called seeds there so I found a bit that wasn't bare and was told to get off that because it had plants in it! So I went under a bush out of the way, and then she got all noisy because she couldn't find me!

I like the sort of garden that has short grass to run on and play on and pee and poo on and dig holes in, and nice cool comfy places to lie down, and things to eat. Not the sort with horrible boring flowers and vegetables you are not allowed to sit on...

Humph! Poppy xxx

 

[Click-N-Treat]

You're right, Poppy. That didn't make any sense. What are seeds? What good are they anyway when they spoil a nice cool place to lie down? I have a different problem outside in my backyard. We had something called a flood. It left half of our yard under water. There are these birdies that fly in our yard and splash in the water. They say, "Quack! Quack!"

I want to chase them, but my mom says I can't. I am not loud to go in the water and splash. The Quack birds tease me all the time. "Quack, ha ha, we can fly and splash all we want!" I watch and I point, and I runs right up to the water, but then Mom calls and I go running back because I try to be a good poodle.

Now my hooman is all worrified about something called flood mosquitos. She says they will be in clouds soon. Why is she all worrified? I like clouds. And I like our new pond. Well, I would like it if I could go splash in it.

Humph right back.
Noelle

 

[Moni]

Louie agrees whole heartedly. He tries to help by digging holes and gets nothing but grief from his hooman too! And then gets locked inside only to get to watch mom dig more holes! The injustice of it all!

 

[fjm]

Oooh - we know about those quack birds! Sophy says they belong on the water, so you are allowed to chase them back onto it, just like chasing rabbits back into their holes and squirrels into their trees! But there's no point chasing them in the water because they can swim very fast and if you get close they fly away - the best thing is to creep up on them when they are on the ground so they have to dash back to the water in a hurry, squawking and flapping and making it fun.

[Hummmm - sounds very like Sophy... I don't recall ever endorsing that rule! fjm].

 

[Click-N-Treat]

Sophy is too smart. I wouldn't remember endorsing that rule, either.

 

[Asta's Mom]

Dear Poppy - too bad your Mum fusses so much in the garden. Gardens should be fun! My Mum doesn't have any beds (why do they call them beds when you can't lie down on them anyway?) She just has pots with things growing in them. I love to sniff in the pots and sometimes try to eat the green shoots - but Mum shoos me away. Isn't spring supposed to be joyful? Your friend, Asta

 

[Poodlebeguiled]

Dear Poppy - too bad your Mum fusses so much in the garden. Gardens should be fun! My Mum doesn't have any beds (why do they call them beds when you can't lie down on them anyway?) She just has pots with things growing in them. I love to sniff in the pots and sometimes try to eat the green shoots - but Mum shoos me away. Isn't spring supposed to be joyful? Your friend, Asta

That's just what Matisse and I both say. Plus, we're not allowed to eat the beauty bark. We hear "don't eat the bark." "Don't bark. It's too noisy." "Don't get bark stuck in your hair!" Now what do you make of all this? It gets so nice and hot with the sun shining down. What's a poodle to do? So we sure can relate Poppy. And chasing birds...Ohhhh...that's fun. But we never can catch them. Mom says in her best English sentences, "Don't hurt the birds. They're our friends." I never knew a bird to be a friend. Did you Poppy? They're just fun to try and chase. They're more like a moving toy. Moms are funny, aren't they Poppy? They get to dig in the dirt but we don't. Harumph! And just when you finally think you've gone someplace acceptable, like under a bush, out of the way, they definitely get sort of panicy and noisy. Very strange...these hoomans. :argh:

Your friend,
Maurice

 

[Johanna]

I never dig in the garden because I saw my best friend, Opal, get in lots of trouble for doing that. I do love to watch birds, though. I even retrieved a little sparrow that had fallen on the ground when it was learning to fly. I held it very, very gently in my mouth and brought it to Mom. She put it on one of those tall planter boxes (so Opal would not get it). After awhile, the bird flew away! I was really proud of myself for rescuing it. Mom says that maybe she will take me to a man who will teach me to retrieve birds, but I'm not so sure I want to handle dead ones.

 

[fjm]

That was clever, Zoe. Mum won't let me near baby birds anymore since I found one and it did not end happily for the bird...

Poppy xx

 

[ericwd9]

Dear Poopy,
The garden variety of hoomans are boring and should be converted to our ways. Lots a green grass to run on and things to chase.
Your friend Gracie.

 

[For Want of Poodle]

Poppy, Poppy, Poppy!

I know the BEST games to play with gardening hoomans! My hoomans always asks me outside to help her garden... My favourite game is the follow stealthy behind the hooman planting things. When she isn't looking, I grab one with my teeths, and bring it under the nice shady tree and lie back down. My best record was 6 baby plants under the tree. It's so funny when she is finished and goes back to the beginning of the row to discover stuffs missing...

I also help dig if I see the hoomans using the shovel. That's a fun game. Oh! And the hoomans has this thing called a rake. It's used for gathering up dead grass so I can pounce on itq, grab it in my mouth, shake it, then throw it in the air. I like the weeding game to. The hooman throws weeds backwards, and you pounce on them and shake them. She doesn't like when I try to pull my own though, I don't know why....

My hooman calls me a silly puppy, but if you don't find games to play, gardening is super boring for poodles.

- Annie....

Ps. Watch out for the big plastic can. It has WATER in it and will splash your nose if you get too close.

 

[fjm]

The very, very worst thing is the hose pipe - like a big snake that spits water at you. Lots and lots of water, worse than rain!