Elephants and Squirrels

Marcus:  Just a second.  I'm looking for another Funny Farmer to help me tell a joke.  Buddy, I need your help.

Buddy:  You want my help to tell a joke?

Marcus:  Yes.  Once there was a football game between two teams of animals.

Buddy:  Two teams of animals.  That's kind of a general description.  Can you be more specific?

Marcus: Yes, a team of big animals and a team of little animals.

Buddy:  Are we talking elephant and squirrel sizes?

Marcus:  It doesn't matter.

Buddy:  So there are elephants and squirrels on the teams?

Marcus:  If you want them on the team, sure.  The first half of the game didn't go well for the little animals.

Buddy:  An elephant stepped on a squirrel?

Marcus:  Not that I know of., but the big animals were winning.

Buddy:  Well, I can understand the big animals winning.  I can just see a little squirrel trying to tackle an elephant.  Or what if the squirrel tried to block the elephant?  No, I can't look!

Marcus:  Stop crying, the squirrel is fine, Buddy.

Buddy:  I'm so relieved.

Marcus:  Things changed during the second half when the centipede showed up and scored so many touchdowns the little animals won the game.

Buddy:  So where was the centipede during the first half of the game?

Marcus:  That's what the chipmunk asked when the game was over.

Buddy:  And what did the centipede say?

Marcus:  He said ... Uh, oh, I forget the punchline.

Buddy:  That doesn't make any sense.

Marcus:  Seriously, Buddy, I've forgotten the punchline.

Cyndi:  That's okay, Marcus.  I read the same joke.  When the chipmunk asked where the centipede was during the first half of the game, the centipede responded, "Put -

Marcus:  "Putting on my shoes!"  

Cyndi:  Well, for one who forgot the punchline, you sure spoiled mine!

A Squirrel Model

Merci:  Hey, look.  Another squirrel that isn't running from us.

Marcus:  He's across the street.

Buddy:  It doesn't matter which side of the street he's on.  This is the deaf section for squirrels.

Marcus:  The deaf section?

Merci:  That's what Jan calls it.  A few years ago we came close to catching a few squirrels because they didn't seem to know we were there until we got so close they could have been dinner.

Buddy:   Jan would even yell at them as we approached and they didn't react, so she called this the deaf section of our walk.

Merci:  The other day we stood and watched this guy across the street.  He sat so still.

Marcus:  Finally, I stomped on Jan's foot and said, What does it take for you to get out your camera?

Buddy:  Even the squirrels know Jan takes photographs. Often unusual photographs.  I mean, who takes pictures down a pipe to check on baby birds?

Merci:  Jan got out her camera and he turned his back to us. 

Marcus:  But when the camera clicked on, he turned and posed for us again.  The only thing wrong with this picture is that I am not in it.

Buddy:  No, the good thing about this picture is that you are not in it.  Not your ears, not your nose, not even an eye.  This picture is a Marcus-free zone.

Marcus:  And so is this room now.  I'm leaving.

Buddy:  Was it something I said?

Marcus Has A Fan

MARCUS:  A happy Thursday to everyone.  This is Marcus, keeping an eye on you from the privacy of my Private Dining Car.

MICAH:  Hey, it's not your turn to have your picture posted.

MARCUS:  Do you have one ready to go?

MICAH:  Well, no.  But it still isn't your turn.

MARCUS:  I'm here. The early bird gets to have his picture posted.

BUDDY:  Oh, let him have an extra turn.  If you don't he'll just photojack your picture.

MICAH:  Okay, but we need to make a schedule and hide his name until at least next January.

CYNDI:  That sounds fair to me.

MARCUS:  Not to me!  That wouldn't be fair to my fans.

MERCI:  You have fans?

PERCY:  Yes, in his mind he has many fans.  In reality, he has one fan named Dumbo.  Dumbo also has big ears.

TAYLOR:  I never thought of Marcus's ears being big, just his mouth. 

RUSTY:  Yes, behind those big ears and soulful eyes lurk the decibels of an emergency siren.

MARCUS:  Come on, guys, stop kidding around.  You are kidding, aren't you?  Guys ... guys ... come back!

Join Pepi Smart Dog and friends for the Thankful Thursday blog hop.

And Ruckus the Eskie for Thoughtless Thursday with co-hosts Love is being owned by a husky and Barking from the Bayou. 

A Foxy Surprise

MARCUS:  This is so totally unfair.  I should have been there.  Why wasn't I invited?  

RUSTY:  Invited where?  Were you going on a trip?

MERCI:  No, he's upset he wasn't with us Saturday evening when Buddy, Sam and I walked Jan.

MICAH:  He's always upset about not being invited along.  What was so special about Saturday?

SAM:  Jan decided to leave the sidewalk to walk along the mill fence.  We reached the end just as a fox came trotting through an open gate.  It must have been on its way to the woods across the street.

CYNDI:  A real fox?  So that's what Jan was talking about when she came home saying she'd seen a beautiful animal. What happened?  Did it chase you?  Were you scared?  

BUDDY:  It was only about 4 yards away from us.  We all stopped dead and stared at each other until Sam got nervous and started making strange noises.  Then the fox turned and trotted back toward the mill.  First a  coyote, now a fox.  We hope there is not a bear living in the woods. 

PERCY:  We have Pixel, a ferocious 10-week old pup impersonating a wild animal, for today's Sunday Smile.  Watch how he ruthlessly chases off the family cat from his bed.

RUSTY:  Have you been drinking?  I didn't see anything ferocious about that pup.

PERCY:  I hope you're happy.  You just ruined my introduction.  Why don't we let our friends watch the video and decide for themselves!


If the video doesn't play,click here.

Paralyzed Squirrel

Percy:  We had a little excitement around here yesterday. 

Cyndi:  Merci, Marcus and Sam were outside barking nonstop.  Buddy was inside barking.

Buddy:  Well, of course, I was inside barking.  You don't think being inside is going to stop me from participating in important canine business, do you?

Micah:  So what were you all barking at?  I was too busy hiding behind the heater until I was sure the thunder boomies had passed for good.

 

Merci:  We were barking at a squirrel hanging onto the neighbor's privacy fence as if his life depended on it.

Rusty:  One of the neighbor dogs was trying to tear the fence down to get to him, so, yeah, his life did depend on it.  

Cameron:  So the squirrel was paralyzed with fright.  Jan didn't think he moved at all, but then she saw the photos and realized he did, but barely.  Just one paw a little to the left or right.

Sam:  Jan came out trying to find what we were carrying on about.  She ran back into the house to grab a camera.  He was so still that for a moment she thought he'd died there and wondered how he still managed to hang on. Then she started at him until he finally blinked. Or winked? 

Marcus:  Right after this Jan fixed breakfast and for the first time since he arrived Micah didn't appear.  She couldn't find him and feared he'd slipped out when she flew in to grab a camera and went out in a downpour calling for Micah.  Percy finally gave him away when he stood on the mantel staring below. 

Percy:  Are you upset with me for giving away your hiding place, Micah?

Micah:  No, not this time.  I was served breakfast behind the space heater.  It was kind of like dining at a fancy restaurant except the view was a bit obstructed. 

Cyndi:  You've never been to a fancy restaurant.  How would you know what it's like?

Micah:  I've seen a few on the internet.  You can see anything on the internet, sometimes whether you want to or not.

A Coyote and Marcus Writes

Cameron:  You probably didn't notice but we've been among the missing for a few days. 

Cyndi: Jan had a rough few days and we've had to keep an eye on her, but we think we're back. 

Buddy:  Sam and I had an interesting encounter when we walked Jan mid-morning Friday. We saw our first ever live, up close and personal coyote. 

Sam:  It was standing very still hoping we wouldn't notice it and we were rushing so we were all the way down the hill before we did. When we walked over to the fence for a better view, it was still as a statue about 4 or 5 yards away from us. 

Buddy:  It was weird.  We all just stood and stared at each other.  Then the coyote turned slowly and loped away up the hill.  It was beautiful with the sun shining on its coat. 

Sam:  I know, you're probably thinking, so what, I've seen lots of wild animals when I've hiked the trails.  But this coyote was not in the woods or in the rural county.  We know there are coyotes in the county.  He was on our daily walking route - in the city!

Merci:  Jan said if there is a coyote living at the mill or in the vicinity, that could explain why we haven't seen any feral cats on our walks this year.  We used to see oodles of ferals along that stretch of woods across from the mill and we'd watch the kittens grow up.  But this year, no cats   Or it could be the coyote was just passing through. 

Percy:  On another subject, Marcus has some exciting news.  I'll let him tell you.

Marcus:  Thanks, Percy.  I finished my first solo review and it published yesterday.

Rusty:  Now, I know you're all about to say, but you (meaning we ... us .. oh, you know who we are)  didn't publish a post yesterday.

Micah:  And you're correct.  We didn't post yesterday.  But Marcus did.

Marcus:  Yes, I taste tested the new Canidae grain free puppy food and then told Canidae what I thought of it for their blog.  Many of you know Julia Williams from Purr Therapy.  She writes for the Canidae blog.  You can read New Canidae Grain Free Puppy Food Passes Taste Test by Marcus Price, Canine Guest Blogger on the Responsible Pet Ownership blog.  Let me know how you like my humor.  I'm thinking of becoming a humor writer.  (Jan says no one would take me seriously because of my big ears.)

Oh, and just for the record, Canidae provided the kibble, but I wasn't paid. 

Micah Shushes Kids

Shhhhh, Micah here, hiding under the bed for a very hush-hush post today.  If Jan finds out I posted her picture, I'll be in big-time trouble.

First, remember this recent picture of Cynthia holding Daphne, the two-day old baby goat? She was 2 weeks old on Friday. 

Well, Cynthia and Jan went back Thursday to see two new goats born the day before.  This is Jan holding one of them. 

There were also two newborn goats there, not even an hour old.  This is the talkative one with mama Nanny to the right..  She wasn't due till this week but guess she was jealous of all the attention the other two mothers were getting.

All five of the kids, including Daphne, were girls so they will grow up to be milk goats.

Oh, and Jan said young goats in a barn aren't much different than dogs and cats in the house.  The day-old goats were busy checking out our smell on her clothes and then we checked her out when she came home.

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Jan finished the graphics Friday night for the Furriends of the CB auction for ML . ML has done so much over the years to help many of us.  Her auction will begin tomorrow, Monday.  This is the matching badge for your sidebar or a post.  The link is -  http://furriendsofthecb.blogspot.com/

Even after the auction has begun, you can email Marg ( margaretmsa AT gmail DOT com) about any items you would like to donate.  Send her a photo of the item(s ), include a description and a suggested opening bid for each.  She also needs to know whether shipping is included, as well as whether you will ship domestic only or also international.

Kid Daphne

Well, now we all know what Jan was doing Sunday afternoon.  Yep, hanging around with goats.  That's 2-day old Daphne being cuddled by Jan's friend Cynthia.  And behind her, pretending to look the other way but actually keeping an eye on her baby, is mom Cherry. 

No, we weren't invited.  And actually neither was Jan.  She invited herself so she could meet the little kid and take her picture. 

Jan wanted to hold Daphne and get her picture taken with her too, but ... well, we all know how quickly Jan forgets what she's doing ... or where she's going ..... or what she was talking about.  But if Buddy should happen to swipe her morning toast with butter and jelly (2 pieces) 2 mornings in a row, that she remembers.

We were going to post this yesterday but we lost internet for a short time in the morning and then it went dead in the afternoon.  When Jan tried to report it, she found we had no dial tone.  She went to a neighbor's house to use their phone and  they were getting their service switched from the local phone company to Charter and they had no phone service.  But they did have a cell phone.

And as we said, Jan forgets.  Don't believe us?  When the auto message told her to give the phone number with the problem, she started tapping in her brother's phone number.  Why?  Well, I never dial my own number. 

When the Charter guy came inside, they asked him if he'd done anything to kill our phone and he said no, he'd just disconnected something or other for their phone.  But when Jan came home after a while, our phone and DSL were working again.  

Coincidence?  Jan is now thinking about checking into changing our phone and DSL to Charter.  Do any of you have Charter phone and internet service?  Is it reliable?  

Deer Crossings, AFS&S and Gracie

Okay, this has been a very hard week and we really needed a laugh.  Fortunately, our friend Evelyn sent us a link  to a hilarious video and we're going to share it with our readers.

Donna called talk radio in North Dakota to complain about deer being directed to cross high traffic areas, such as a freeway, and asking why the government couldn't move the deer crossing signs to direct the deer to cross in low traffic areas   You have to hear this to believe it.  And it is a real call.


If the video doesn't play, click here.

This week we interviewed the gang over at Alasandra, the Cats & a Dog blog.  Arty is still missing but we included her because she is still part of the family, as is Fenris, even though he is a dog. 

You can read their story on Mousebreath, The AFS&S Gang - Arty, Fenris, Scylla & Socks.

And now we're all on our way to join Gracie, her niece Ollie, and whichever furries show up for a trip to Australia. We hope we can find Gracie there.  She didn't say where she will be.  Perhaps we'll see you on Gracie's Blogosphere Trip of 2012?

Funny Animals

No, we're not the funny animals from the title. We just have a very short video of some funny animals for you today. 


If the video doesn't play, click here.

Jan is still recovering from her hike to the store Friday and we're exhausted just listening to her creak and groan, so we need some extra zzzzzs to get us through the day. 

Altogether now, yawn, stretch, zzzzz.

Sam, Rusty and Marine Seals

Psst, Sam here with good news about Rusty's occupation of the doghouse. If you remember, Jan wanted to put me in the doghouse because she thinks I was bad.  Then I wanted to push Jan in because she didn't stand on her head to leash us and thus notice Buddy's neck booboo before it got bad.  But Rusty didn't want to share the doghouse because it was unoccupied until he moved in.  He claimed squatter's rights should prevail. 

Buddy, Merci and I don't care a lick about the doghouse and we sure don't want Jan to be able to use it for a jail when we've been bad.  Not that I would ever be bad.  Jan just gets these silly notions.

So first the Nutty Ninja Squirrels showed up to offer assistance and then the Cracked Nut Chipmunk Command arrived to help.  Personally, I think they just came to eat our stash of pecans and tiny acorns  Last installment, Rusty was out of pecans and considering waving the white flag of defeat before the chipmunks and squirrels held a nutless mutiny.

But I'm Rusty's hero.  Yep, I saved his occupation.  Rumpydog commented Rusty should call in the Navy Seals.and get his butt outta there.  That gave me an idea.  I called the Navy Seals.  But they were busy and couldn't make it before April.  So I called the Marine Seals and they waddled right over. 

Yep, thanks to me, the squirrels and chipmunks are gone. Something about they can't stand the overpowering smell of fish. So Rusty has won. The doghouse is now his.

And I'm Rusty's hero.

Buddy and Sam in Doghouse

Hey, it's me, Cameron.  I have a fun video for you today.  Jan's ability to type is rather restricted again and that affects our computer time, so this post will be short on news.

Jan came home yesterday from running errands and got a good whiff of Rusty smoking again.  Merci will stand and fan the pilot with her wagging tail, which sets Jan to yelling at her because even though she hasn't set her tail on fire, she has put out the pilot light and it's too hard for Jan to relight the heaters, and the cats sometimes get too close and char their tails.  Last winter it was Percy who kept kept warming his tail. 

Buddy and Sam are in the doghouse - not literally, since they're afraid to go inside it - but in Jan's mind.  The big dogs took Merci's bed last year, de-stuffed the middle and stretched the round outside to fit their size bodies.  They argue over which one gets to sleep in it.

So Jan bought Merci a new bed on December 19th.  And threw it out the door last night to toss in the trash today..  Notice it only took the guys from the 19th to the 28th to DESTROY the new bed.  The seams were ripped open and there is stuffing all over the living room.  Jan told the guys they have to vacuum it up but we doubt this will ever happen.  And she's been wandering around muttering something about the next bed they get is going to be made out of stainless steel! 

We think you'll like this video of Ormi the pig and the elusive cookies.  It even made achy, grumpy Jan laugh.  And all of us hungry for cookies too.


If the video doesn't play, click here.

We're very sad Marg  had to help her sweet cat of 10 years,  BB, to the bridge yesterday.  You can visit and leave Marg a comment on her post Our BB, if you haven't already. 

Sam Intros Rhino Flights

Hey, it's a very frustrated Sam here.  I've been trying for ten minutes (yes, I can tell time - when I want to) to post a photo. This isn't the photo I wanted to post but, hey, I do what I can.

Anyway, we recently shared a video with some of our offline friends, so I thought our online friends might enjoy it too.  It's not something you see or hear of every day.  At least not in this house we don't.

Imagine transporting rhinos from one area to another to save them from extinction. How would humans go about moving them? (They're HUGE! Jan says they're even bigger than I am.)

Well, you put them on a military helicopter and fly them from the field to load them into huge containers and truck them to their new home. You have to see it to believe it. So enjoy the video.


If the video doesn't play, click here.

Snoozing and Deviled Ham

Gracie talked us into entering Kat's Kats' 2nd Annual Sleeping Contest. It was extended until the 7th, so if you haven't entered yet, you still have time.  It's for cats only, though, and Buddy is sad he didn't get to enter his sleeping picture.

We tossed a piece of kibble to choose which of us to enter but Sam caught and ate it before it could land near one of us.  So we decided to just vote.  And Cameron's photo was chosen.

Here's Cameron snoozing away in a we-don't-have-a-clue what this is position.

In case any of you haven't yet met Pyewacket the piglet, stop by and say hello.   And don't miss her Halloween costume - deviled ham.

Trust or Insanity?

Hey, Percy here. It's about time I get another turn to post. I think the others wait till I'm in the litter room or the kitchen to grab my typing chair and do their own post.

But I'm here now and I have a neat video for you today. You might have seen this before (we had) but I think it's worth posting. Such a close bond between a human and a lioness that she allows him to handle her cubs. Still, I wouldn't advise trying this. The lioness and her cubs are feral, not pets.


If the video doesn't play, click here.

And now I have to turn the computer over to Jan who has been complaining the whole two minutes I've been working on this that she needs the computer to do some work. Well, might I suggest she buy her own computer?

Teamwork

Hey, Cameron here. I have a great example of animal teamwork to show you today. Human kids aren't the only species that get themselves into dangerous situations and need to be rescued. In this instance a group of female elephants save a baby elephant from drowning.


If the video doesn't play, click here. 

Some of you know Sheldon the Cat. We don't know whether you're aware his family - Sheldon, Pika the kitty, and humans Cathy and Robert - started a new blog called Cuddle Like Crazy. Stop by and visit.

Sam on Sheepdog Jack

Hey, Sam here with today's post.  It's going to be a quick one while Jan takes a short break from yelling at the monitor and threatening to beat up the Zazzle employee who came up with the dumb idea to make us reclassify everything in our store.

She's only finished two folders so far and the problem is that all the designs in them are -  not a dog and not a cat, but a dog AND a cat.  But there is no dog AND cat category, so she puts them in animals/pets and omits that dog or cat step and then finds that most are "dog" and a few are "cat."  She's hopping mad at this ridiculous waste of her time, so we're all in hiding till she stops for the day.

Enjoy the video on Jack the sheep who thinks he's a sheepdog.  Yep, he even herds his relatives like a dog.  We really enjoyed the video and think you will too.


If the video doesn't play, click here.

If you give your dog Milk Bone, you might want to check this "voluntary pull" of certain boxes due to mold. http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/milk-bone-dog-biscuit-product-pull.html

And now, if you'll excuse me, I hear footsteps. Bye.

Interspecies Friends

Hey, Rusty here. I have something to share we all find fascinating. We just love how animals and birds are constantly surprising humans. In this instance, an unusual interspecies bond.

In April there was a news story about a nesting goose that had lost her mate and a deer that stayed nearby to protect her. We'd like to share the follow-up story with you.



To read the full story click here.

Elk Rescues Marmot and WBCL

Hey, Cotton here. Your humans are probably gearing up for the 4th of July holiday weekend and leaving you out of their plans. Jan plans to work around the house this weekend, so we're happy she's not including us.

Yesterday we read a surprising interspecies article on an elk rescuing a marmot drowning in his water trough. In case you doubt, there are photos. 

We kitties were given an opportunity to test the new World's Best Cat Littler new lavender scent clumping litter. Unfortunately for Jan, we wouldn't use it, because the lavender scent was too strong. Jan gave us one litter box with the WBCL and one with our regular litter. Although some of us liked the regular WBCL when we tried it a couple of years or so ago, in this test, we all used our regular litter.

Jan didn't like it either because the strong scent caused her breathing problems. (We think this must have been a defective bag because other kitties have blogged about how much they love this new lavender scent product.)

We mention WBCL today because we want to let you know WBCL is having a contest.

Two cat owners will win -
A 1-year supply of WBCL.
A $200 Target gift card.

To enter:
Buy a black and red Multiple Cat Clumping Formula bag with the $1 instant coupon at your local Target store.
Take a picture to show you purchased it at Target.
Follow submission directions.

You can find more detailed information on their Clearing the Air blog.  The submission deadline is July 10, 2011. 

Note: The WBCL regular clumping formula is also sold at Target but is not included in the contest.

WBCL sent us a small bag of the litter to try, but we were not paid or influenced for this post, or even asked to review it. We are just sharing our personal experience with the new WBCL. We've included the contest information in case one or more of you might want to enter - and hopefully one of our readers might win.



 

Cyndi and Bouncing Foxes

Hey, Cyndi here. We want to thank all who stopped by yesterday for Cotton's 12th birthday. It was very hot and humid, so she spent a quiet, sleepy day. 

We think it's much too hot to exert energy but we don't mind watching others having fun in the sun. Here are a couple of bouncing feral foxes playing on a trampoline.


If the video doesn't play,click here.

Yes, we know watching that wore you out and you're ready for a nap, but before you zzzzzz out, stop by Derry's & Sparkle's first.

Derry’s of Fuzzy Tales blog has a birthday today, June 24th, and they’re having a commentathon in support of Forever Home Cat Rescue in Oakville, Ontario. Web site The rescue blog is House of the Discarded.

It's Sparkle's birthday too and she'll make a donation for each comment to Cathouse on the Kings.

It's really nice of Derry and Sparkle to celebrate by sharing. We think it's such a neat idea. Leaving a comment is a donation to the shelter and it won't cost you anything other than a few moments to leave the comment.