Home sweet home

What an exciting vacation we had! It started off slowly, with lots of lounging beneath the Pickup Truck Cabana and foraging for dandelions. Mom parked herself by the pond with a good book (at least the part I tasted was good!) and watched the birds and butterflies float by. It was blissful.

Kenzie and I enjoyed having the garage all to ourselves. Grandpa's allergic, you see, so we couldn't go in the house. We didn't mind. The garage is huge, with all sorts of interesting cubbyholes to explore, and a cool cement floor to keep us feeling refreshed in the stifling summer heat. We even had a visit from a pair of curious chipmunks, who slithered inside through the tiny crack on the side of the garage door! They weren't too happy to see us, or Mom, and promptly fled. Mom barricaded the crack so they couldn't come back. She was afraid they would expose us to rabies, or fleas, or exotic chipmunk diseases. Mom tends to be a worry wart.

Did I mention the stifling summer heat? On Wednesday it was 96 in the shade. Grandpa's allergies notwithstanding, Mom couldn't leave us outside to bake. She brought us into the back bedroom and turned on the AC for us. She set us up with litter boxes and burrow boxes and our favorite fleece pad, and we lounged the day away in climate-controlled comfort. We even got to spend the night in there! We pretended we were stranded on a desert island adrift in a sea of molten lava. It was great fun.

The back bedroom has all manner of intriguing cabinets and lots of exposed wood, but wouldn't you know, Mom watched us like a hawk and we didn't get so much as a tiny nibble. Even so, I had a grand time exploring and sliding back and forth on the shiny parquet floor. Kenzie did not care for that floor. She preferred to stay on the area rug where there was traction.

Well, now we are back in our own home, with all of our favorite belongings right where we left them. Mom is already planning our next getaway. She starts school this fall and wants to get another vacation in before classes begin. She misses the pond and the big old swing. I miss the fresh clover and mini roses. Kenzie misses hiding under the truck, just out of Mom's reach at bedtime!