Talents

Salutations blog readers. Frodo here today for your reading pleasure. I felt it was my turn to share my views on the current state of affairs in our corner of the universe. It appears the Imp has stepped into Viktor’s writing role. I need to sometimes remind him that we were quite capable of providing entertaining content before he came along. Although I do suppose he adds some comedic material. A clown he is…

Well, as the Imp pointed out the other day, Fall has arrived in all its crimson splendor. And did you happen to notice the distinct “smells” of Fall? The aroma of freshly picked apples – which I happen to adore. The distinct smell when the furnace is turned on for the first time. The pungent, but sweet smell of leaves and earth as they begin to compost. Ah yes. The odors of Fall. And then we have those smells that are noteworthy- although not restricted to the season. The smell of the liquid on the road, that has come from a neighbor’s compost bin on recycling day. The smell of messy pheasant poo. The aroma of road kill – a toad who sadly met his demise at the hands of an unknowing driver. They are canine perfume samples. And I must say, while I enjoy a good whiff myself, it is the Imp who feels the overpowering urge to smell the target and then oh-so-quickly, lower his head and turn his cheek to the ground before he releases tension in all four legs and throws himself into a full on roll. Within a nanosecond his legs are flailing in the air and he is covering his freshly groomed coat in the offensive substance, as Her Highness shouts “no!” and attempts to drag him along. And rest assured, he does NOT forget where his odorous sample is located. Her Highness must make a wide detour to prevent the drop-and-roll on subsequent days. He has QUITE a talent as an acrobat.

And speaking of talents- he has a new one that he is perfecting quite well…

Each morning, he gets an extra long walk – in a futile effort to wear him out. He walks down the road, and then down the public trail that runs through the middle of the golf course.

We realize many people do not like flexi leashes – and to be honest, when we are walked in areas like parks or on city streets, we are always walked on regular leashes. But here, around our home in the “country” we do, at times use flexi leashes. And the flexi comes in very handy for the Imp’s new talent. When they walk on the trail, Her Highness will often spot golf balls that players have mistakenly hit into the woods. The woods along the trail are dense, with the fairways of the course running on the other side of the trees. It appears the Imp has become QUITE the little ball retriever! Her Highness will spot a ball in the woods and will instruct him to “find it.” The flexi lead is quite long allowing him to go deep into the woods to retrieve a ball. He is generally quite good at not getting tangled in the trees. Of course when he returns with his bounty, he gets a huge treat. He thinks it’s a delightful game. Better him than me. Personally, I don’t want sticks clinging to my coiffure. He doesn’t care.

To date, he has literally retrieved dozens of balls. Her Highness gives them to a friend’s father (who is in his 90’s) and who sells them at the roadside from his home.

It’s hard to fathom that the youngster , who at times can be a complete nuisance, can also have these hidden talents. He was in trouble the other day for hiding under the bushes. I did point out to Her Highness that she has actually been encouraging this behavior with his series of “Where’s Wojtek?” photos. She hadn’t thought about that. Tsk tsk.

Well I believe we have rain in the forecast for today, so rest assured yours truly we’ll be taking care of MY business very quickly. Let’s see what kind of trouble the Imp can cause today. And to think that the Coyote was once the “wild child.” My how times have changed….

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.