[Things are looking up, thanks to some herbal therapy. No, not that. I’m sipping a big mug of hot Kousmichoff Earl Grey Smoky tea (it comes in linen tea bags, you know…very civilized), and suddenly the world seems a lot more bloggable. The Kusmi Earl Grey is the best I’ve found. Most EGs have too much Oil of Bergamot for my taste; this blend is very subtle, and it has a nice smoky flavor to boot. It’s also hard to find, so I shepherd my stash very carefully.]
OK…just one more Abbye story.
The first night at our little Hill Country B&B, Abbye was in the yard being queen of all she surveyed. After a while, MLB peeked through the front door window and called for me to come see some unusual behavior on the part of our dog.
Abbye was staring intently into the flowerbed lining the sidewalk, occasionally pawing at something hidden from our sight. After about twenty seconds of observing this behavior, my curiosity got the best of me and I went outside to see what she was up to.
As soon as I stepped onto the porch, she grabbed something in her mouth (apparently as a defensive measure to ensure that I didn’t get it first), and stepped up on the porch, intending to come inside.
MLB said “Does she have a stick in her mouth?” It was a good question, as something long and thin was protruding out from either side of her mouth. “Surely it’s not a snake?!”
I didn’t think so, but I yelled at her to drop it, which — amazingly — she did. She dropped a big fat toad onto the porch…a toad which she had taken headfirst into her mouth until only the hindlegs stuck out sideways like a fetched stick (which, by the way, she would never pick up!).
Here’s the kicker: after she dropped the toad, she shook her head and scrunched up her face into a doggy expression of disgust…then attempted to pick it up again!
I called her off, sent her inside and helped the dazed lumpy amphibian back into the grass. We never saw it again, although Abbye searched for it each time she went outside thereafter. And we were reminded once again that we have an animal living with us.
Oh thank heavens! You had me going there for a second! I honestly thought you were going to spring a real fright on everyone.
Abbye’s got something in her mouth, you tell her to drop it, and a human finger hits the porch!
Still, toads aren’t much better. Especially the bufo alvarius!
Has Abbye been behaving differently since experimenting with toads?
Has she suddenly started listening to lots of Jimi Hendrix, The Doors? Is there suddenly a peace medallion on her collar?
Okay, I’m being a bit silly. Those “hippy” toads aren’t anything to meddle with.