The "SP"=squirrel park

What a couple of really pretty days we've had lately! The threat of rain hasn't altered our plans much at all. Going to the park is a real no-brainer.

Tom and I have to spell out "squirrel" and "park" so that Artimus and Gollum don't know what we are talking about. So we've shortened squirrel park to just "SP." The dogs get smarter and smarter all the time, so the simple act of spelling out words will sometimes get them going.Other words that are spelled: b-a-t-h, g-o, w-a-l-k, o-u-t-s-i-d-e....you get the idea. If they get too excited and we decide to make other plans, the disappointment is palpable--just too much to take. I guess I'm "projecting" a little bit here, just a little.

The entrance to Trinity Park off of University is called the "squirrel park" in our home. The entrance to the park off of 7th Street is called the "duck pond." In reality, we usually visit both sides of the park anyway; it's all connected. On this particular day, we wanted to see squirrels, and we were not disappointed. I think I counted 15 before I got distracted and just gave up. Thanks to a lady we nicknamed "squirrel lady" who generally arrives before us, we are flooded with squirrels. The lady feeds the squirrels while her poor dogs are forced to "sit" and "stay." They must be in hell. Her dogs, deprived of their natural strengths and instincts, must watch their owner feed squirrels while they are tethered to a leash in shame and indignity.

On the flip side, it's a jackpot for our family! We wait until squirrel lady leaves, then we UNLEASH the hounds! Actually, they never have a leash, but we "release" them to wreak havoc on the rodent populations. It's so much fun. Sometimes the squirrels get confused and can't decide which tree to climb, so they zig-zag and switch directions mid-sprint. This creates another dimension of craziness and increases the odds that Artimus or Gollum can catch up to them. This is the only picture I actually got of a squirrel. Both dogs walked right by this guy without even noticing.Artimus got a mouthful of squirrel fur during this trip, and indeed it was very gratifying.

Way to go ferocious squirrel hunters! Hee hee ....not really, more like squirrel chasers. They wouldn't actually hurt a squirrel, because the "chase" is the FUN part.