Pets, Frogs and Musings by Brenda Whiteside

Rusty delivers the paper

Gabby, Rusty and Xena

Since the month is a hodge podge of possible themes, my post is a mish mash of musings. Pets and frogs jumped out at me. (whoops, a pun)

We're two months into a new lifestyle on a northern prairie in Arizona. We're communal living with my son and his lady in a long house - a family at each end - on a family farm. In the middle of the house are the kitchen and living room which are shared. Added to this mix are three dogs that roam in and outside the house. Their two dogs are still puppies at two years and sisters, Xena and Gabby. My old man, Rusty, will be nine this year. It's been as  much fun watching them settle in here as it's been for us adjusting to the new lifestyle.

The sisters at play

I thought the dogs would be everywhere but they respect the living quarters the same as we humans do. Rusty in particular never goes into the other end of the house unless he thinks there's trouble. One day Xena let out with a yelp. She'd seen an unfamiliar backpack as she went around a corner and who knows what she thought it was? Rusty went charging in to help. Xena and Gabby have extremely different personalities. Xena will step into our area about a body length and wait to be invited in the rest of the way. Gabby barely puts her nose in and looks as if she's ready to flee if you deny her entrance.

Rusty retreats to his own space

All three dogs know to stay out of the kitchen, although Rusty will sneak in and lie just inside the doorway until you boot him out. Xena will walk through on her way to the doggie feeding area, even though there is another door closer. Gabby will try to follow Xena, but if you so much as look at her she darts back from where she came.

The previous owner of our prairie home left us a few items. Most went in the trashcan but not the frog. This piece of yard art is cast iron. I could barely drag it to a suitable spot. There were two frogs on the bench but one guy didn't make it. He had a missing limb and part of his nose had disappeared. The survivor got a new coating of paint and I spruced up his umbrella too. He's the only frog I've seen here. I like frogs, but we're pretty dry on the prairie so I'm not sure if our climate is suited for them. We're only a couple of miles from the start of the Verde River where there could possibly be frogs. I've yet to test my assumption. I think a picnic and exploration trip is in order.

Releasing July 4th

Two of my books feature pets. In Sleeping with the Lights On, Sandra has a chipmunk who resides in her window air conditioner. In my upcoming release, The Morning After, Abigail has a sixteen-pound Siamese cat.

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Brenda and her husband are gypsies at heart having lived in six states and two countries. Recently, they moved to prairie country in Arizona and are enjoying the wide-open spaces while tending fruit trees and veggie gardens. They share their space with their dog, Rusty. When Brenda isn’t at her laptop writing, she enjoys hiking, motorcycle riding and the company of good friends.

Visit Brenda at www.brendawhiteside.com.

Or on FaceBook: www.facebook.com/BrendaWhitesideAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/brendawhitesid2

She blogs on the 9^th and 24^th of every month at http://rosesofprose.blogspot.com

She blogs about prairie life on her personal blog http://brendawhiteside.blogspot.com/