Jim Dalrymple.com

No, I’m not trying to rewrite a Beatles song; I really want a Walrus. Monique and I are watching “50 First Dates” with Adam Sandler and Jocko the Walrus. That Walrus is so cool, I want one for myself.

Maybe the next raise I get from work, I’ll invest in a big pool for the side yard where the Walrus can live. I can out during the day and teach it tricks—we could even put up a picnic table and have lunch with the Walrus.

Okay, so maybe getting a Walrus isn’t the most practical decision, but it would be fun.

Our seven-year-old Border Collie Twiggy has been having an ongoing battle with a squirrel that lives in a tree just off the back deck. We leave a few crackers out for the squirrel and Twiggy feels it’s her responsibility to make sure the squirrel doesn’t take them. Lately, the squirrel has brought in reinforcements.

Twiggy lies patiently watching the squirrel and then pounces, chasing it off the deck. Lately though, the squirrel brought another one with her to distract Twiggy so she can get to the food. Twiggy is fine with one, but as soon as the second one shows up Twiggy just short-circuits and goes crazy.

While one eats, the other one runs on the deck railing and in the trees, chattering the entire time keeping Twiggy attention. Then they switch out and the other one eats. Sometimes Twiggy gets so tried she just plops down and pants.

Today three squirrels came and I thought Twiggy’s heart was going to pop. She was running from one end of the deck to the other trying to catch one of them. She never gives up totally, but they really made her work tonight.

Our seven-year-old Border Collie, Twiggy, has a new friend – a raccoon! While Monique and I were in San Francisco my parents moved into the house to look after the kids and told us the story of the raccoon coming to visit. Last night he came back and tonight he was on the deck again.

I was sitting in the family room doing some work when I saw something moving on the deck by the sliding doors. Sure enough there was the raccoon. Twiggy was furious and started jumping at the door and barking, growling and showing her teeth in the most vicious way she could.

The raccoon stood there and stared at her. The only thing that could have been more insulting to the poor dog was if the raccoon had of yawned – it was kind of funny.

Now Twiggy is laying by the door barking at nothing, waiting for the raccoon to come back. Every once in a while she will bark and scare the hell out of Monique and I, which I’m sure she finds equally as funny.