June 11

<- Freya and her biscuit

Got home very late last night from work (11pm), so didn't get much socializing in before bed, but I did have to see my new family members before going to sleep.

Somtime after 4:30am, lightning lit up my whole room and thunder shook the house almost simultaneously. I woke up like a shot, thinking "OMG, the boys are out in this!" I threw on my sweats and went to the door, both boys were waiting for me and came in immediately. They completely ignore the igloo dog house and the wood shelter, preferring the rugs on the covered porch where they can be close to the door and still sheltered from the wind, rain and lightning.

The storm wakes even my son up, heh, and I swore it would take an atomic bomb to wake him. We both sit with the dogs while the worst of the storm blows over, then go out on the porch to get their morning treats of biscuits and a dental treat each. All except for picky Valkrys who won't touch either. Samantha gobbles up hers and comes over and promptly steals Freya's who was licking her back paw instead of eating her biscuit. I checked her paw, and in-between her toes, but there didn't seem to be any reason for her licking. My son gave her another biscuit, which she promptly dropped and laid on it. Freya is a funny little pup. She won't eat her biscuit until all the other dogs are finished and gathered around her, then she will eat it very slowly, as if teasing them.

The boys like being indoors when it is storming, and Demon cuddles very close so I can rub his belly and he can lick my face. Yukon nudges me to get his morning hug and luvins, then flops down for a belly rub. He smiles so widely, and it is so noticeable when he is smiling. When the rain dies down and the lightning seems to have gone far away, they slowly trickle out the back door to go do their business. With a sigh I realize it is already time to get ready for work.

Got home and Jim had dinner ready. :) I like the salad he makes with chopped up chicken nuggets, ranch dressing, romaine lettuce, carrots, cabbage and bacon bits. It ain't fancy, but it's good. It is especially good when he soaks the nuggets in tobasco sauce first. After eating, James and I take the four pack for a long walk as we watch the gathering of a very nasty looking storm.

True to its looks, the sky begins to turn green. For anyone who has lived in tornado prone areas, this is a major red flag warning! I try to get all the dogs inside, and they all gather close except skittish Demon. He shys away from the door and almost runs off the porch when it starts to hail stones about two inches across. I close the door so the other dogs stay inside and go get him, picking him up and carrying him inside as fast as possible. Man he has put on weight! This is great news to me, but not for my ability to carry him. When I got him, he was maybe twenty to twenty-five pounds... I kid you not! He was nearly starved to death, all bones, but he must have been close to fifty pounds when I carried him in last night. I'll find out next week when I take him in for his shots.

The wind howls outside like a banshee, and the trees are bent double, there is a roaring in the sky and I hunker down with the dogs in case it is a funnel cloud. Demon cuddles very close, shaking at first, but then begins to relax as I pet him and hug him back. All the dogs are clustered very tightly to me, sensing the bad weather and wanting to be safe where mommy is. After about twenty minutes the hail stops, and the lightning has moved on. The winds have all but vanished, and we emerge unscathed from whatever near miss that was.