Spring Fever, Pet-style

The critters here are all acting like goofs lately!

Trying to work some days is a trial, because the dogs suddenly start barking at nothing. But I don't know it's nothing, so I stop and run up the stairs to see if there's someone at the door. Usually there isn't - they've just seen a leaf blow by the window or something.

And at night - when they go outside and hear the coyotes singing, they really go ballistic. We've had more than one "discussion" lately about coming when called.

Tuesday, when the sun was shining, the dogs and I went out to the garden to work on cutting out the dead raspberry canes. All was well as long as I stayed outside, but when I got a thorn in my finger and headed in to find a tweezers, they decided to have some fun. My husband caught them digging for ground squirrels at the end of the meadow and told them to get home - and they did head that way. But after a good run a body needs to cool off - so they took a dip in the pond on their way.

We made them stay in the shop until they dried out.

Meanwhile, the big yellow cat, Tiger, has turned into a bully and a lunatic. When he isn't begging for more canned food he's tearing around the house, jumping up where he doesn't belong, then flying back to the floor only to jump up somewhere else he doesn't belong. When he tires of that, he tries to beat up on the old cat.

More than once in the past few days I've chased him all the way up the stairs, squirting him with the water bottle all the way.

The old cat, Nolla (pictured above), has remained her ornery self... insisting that she has a right to lay on my paperwork, the keyboard, or my lap whenever she chooses. When I say no, she resorts to claw sharpening on the carpet, so she's had a few squirts of water turned her way as well.

Now I'm looking forward to some spring weather, so we can all get outside and blow off some steam. Maybe then my 4-legged kids will get over their spring fever.