Dan Antion

I Should have Asked for Six – #1LinerWeds

The blue jays seem to like the birdbath.
Yeah, exactly who ordered this?

Our dog, Maddie, has an annoying way with time. She will often alert the Editor, at five o’clock, to the fact that it’s time for her medicine. She knew when it was time for me to go to work, and she knew when I was supposed to be home. She still often requires that I come and sit with her on the couch at four o’clock, the time I used to get home from work, even though I’ve been here all day. Her most annoying bit understanding is when we tell her what should be silly things like “we’ll go outside and sit in ten minutes.” Ten minutes later, she’s at the door.

We’re in the middle of yet another miserable heat wave. Monday night, I agreed to sit with Maddie for ten minutes. Afternoons on days like that are bad, because although “her porch” is in the shade, the Trex surface is still hot and radiates heat. Ten minutes after we first sat, she got up and headed for the house. Yesterday morning, I told the Editor that I was going to “do the thing” early. My attempt to obscure my intentions was unsuccessful. Maddie understands every possible reference to “walk” that we can conjure up. I looked at my phone. It was 6:39. Maddie was in my face on the couch, ready to go. I told her, “not now. Give me five minutes.” She laid down on the couch. At 6:44, she jumped up and off the couch, walked over and stood by her harness.

The Editor mused that “we should have named her Timex.” We joked about that, and recalled the tagline uttered for over twenty years by John Cameron Swayze. I’ve altered it a bit, to make it more appropriate to Maddie:

“She gives a licking and keeps on ticking!”

Depending on your age, you might not remember the tagline (“it takes a licking and keeps on ticking”), John Cameron Swayze, Timex (actually the brand lives on), wrist watches, time pieces with analog dials that only tell time and perhaps the day/date, or TV shows with commercials.

This post is part of Linda G. Hill’s fun weekly series One-Liner Wednesday. If you have a one-liner, I’d encourage you to join in on the fun. You can follow this link to participate and to see the one-liners from the other participants.

“Five minutes. Why do we have to wait five minutes? OK, but at 6:44, we’re walking.”
Unless we can stay in the shadows, it gets too hot to walk, very early in the morning.
Even at 6:44 am, it’s hazy.
“It’s hot and we’re hungry. You got any of those peanuts?”
One more piece and a little bit of trim at the end of the door track, and this side is done.
The single rose of sharon bushes are till blooming. The doubles are done.
The bunnies eek out the few patches of green grass remaining in our very dry yard.
“It’s too hot to play baseball. Besides, you really need a bath.”
The watering hole has become very popular. We clean and refill it several times a day.”
Splish Splash
“You come here often?”
There are at least three black squirrels. This one is the boldest.
We tend to give the blue jays the single peanuts. They have to find a place to put them while they peck them open. I have not been able to get a picture of the process, but it looks like a lot of work.
We try to keep them off the porch.

89 comments

  2. I still use that Timex phrase, guess that means I’m old.
    We’re having the most awful dry hot spell I’ve ever seen in Maine. No rain for weeks and everything is brown. But… bunny! So thanks for that.
    😉

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  3. I remember that line, but then I’m ‘mature.’ :-) It’s been wicked hot and no wonder Maddie takes ten minutes of it and is ready to head back in. I come in from working maybe two hours in the morning doing chores, and I have to peel my clothes off like you would a swimsuit. We also need rain. If the grass continues to be brown, I can live with that, but I am partial to having drinking water. :-) Try to stay cool or at least comfortable.

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    • We are working on staying cool, and getting things done early. As I write this, we’ve already been for our walk, and Maddie and I are sitting on her porch. We did not sit yesterday afternoon, but she seemed OK with that. Things are still wet from the overnight rain, but it’s gradually turning to steam :(

      I hope we get more moisture in the fall. Summer looks like it will finish the way it started.

      Take care.

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    • It wold be cute if she were your dog, GP. As it is, we find it to be more annoying than cute. Between the time and the we-do-something-once-and-it’s-a-thing way things become habits, she almost drives us crazy. But she’s so happy when she gets to sit, it’s hard to say no.

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  6. Beautiful bird bath! Did you make it? I remember the ad. We had a Boxer that had the same ability. It was eerie. We went from walk, W A L K, K L A W, to a head nod only if she wasn’t watching. Dumb these animals are not. And I swear she could communicate! We were very well trained . . .

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    • The birdbath top is left over from a dysfunctional birdbath. We found it easier to just leave it on the ground. I did pour some leftover concrete mix into a 1-gallon plastic container to form the base, but they’d be happy with it on the ground.

      Animals are not dumb. We could learn a lot from them.

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    • You could hear it tick, Frank, and when I got my first watch, I had to wind it every day! Now there’s a concept to try out on a 10-yr-old :)

      The birds here seem to be struggling with the heat. They search for water and so many of the things they normally eat have dried up and withered away. We feed them, but we can only feed so many.

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  8. What a lovely post!  I think animals in general, but especially dogs, are wiser than we know. Also they understand exactly what we say and are capable of much more than we realize. Photos great too.

    Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

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  9. I forgot to add that a pleasant wave of nostalgia went over me with the Timex watch ref.  I’ve had to explain that to my grandkids once in a while. 🤗

    Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

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    • Thanks Teagan. I won’t tell her about your comment. She doesn’t need any more encouragement. I’ll just say “Teagan says you’re a good dog.”

      I hope the second half of this week is good for you.

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  12. LOL! I still have a rather old Timex wristwatch that still works, but it’s one that has the depressing stem so when depressed the face lights up so you can read your watch in the dark! It was one of the first to come out. I had to have one. 😀 I’ll only purchase analog watches. I love them with roman numerals.

    Diva Dog was like that too. An uncanny knack at knowing what time it was! I swore it the light she was reading. Her internal clock was amazing. I suppose most if not all animals have a keen sense of time, but before Diva Dog I had no clue they did that!

    The shed looks great, and the Blue Jay in the bath is simply delightful as was this post!

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  13. Hi Dan – intuitive is Maddie – I’d be worried some ghoul would appear and take me off into another realm. But amazing she’s so aware … love the story though and all the photos – I do love the blue jays … and yes – heat wave here too … roll on some rain! Stay safe – Hilary

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  14. Maddie–a beautiful girl and smart, to boot! She’s good, Dan. Oh, that Blue Jay pick-up line–you come here often? Too funny. Gosh, that is a pretty big nut for it to crack. That’d be interesting to watch. Try to stay cool.

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    • Every now and then, I crack the peanuts before I toss them out. I saw one wedge the peanut into the crotch between a branch and the trunk of the dogwood, then he pecked away at it. I only had my phone and I was too far away to get a picture.

      The heat wave is supposed to end today, but they’re still calling for 91 tomorrow and 89 on Friday. Not exactly cool.

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  15. My dogs have that eerie sense of time as well, they know when Dave is supposed to be home, they know what time their dinner is…and so does the cat!
    Sorry about the heatwave, we are used to that here in Texas, but for some reason, ours came later this year, so everything is still green. I hope you guys get a break soon. Love your pictures as always!

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    • It’s really weird when they do that. It makes you wonder what else they know.

      July was the second hottest month on record for CT. August has started on the same track. I hope things stay green for you. We got brown covered ;-)

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  17. I still wear a Timex watch with an analog dial and a little window with the date. As a nod to modernity, it uses a battery, so I don’t have to wind it. With the younger generation, it seems like analog watches (or watches in general) have disappeared from common usage as much as cursive handwriting. I am eccentric and old-fashioned enough to still use a fountain pen some of the time and a 1954 vintage Gillette razor for shaving along with shaving soap and a shaving brush. I chuckled at all of Maddie’s efforts to keep you on schedule. We are pretty much having the same hot, humid weather that you are experiencing. I went out with my camera for a few hours during the middle of the day yesterday and could feel my body heating up after only a few minutes. I had lots of water with me and stayed in the shade when I could, but cut the photowalk shorter than I had initially planned.

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    • I still wear an analog wrist watch, Mike and I prefer it to everything else. I used a fountain pen at work for many years. I went out this morning, but I had to wait for a while because my camera lens kept fogging up. I give you credit for still using soap and a shaving brush. Still, I bet yu get a cleaner shave than the modern multi-blad disposables.

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      • I like the fact that with all of the different kind of shaving soaps and creams, I can mix things up a bit. I do think that I get as good a shave with my drop-in blades as folks do with their multi-blade razors and it is definitely much more ecologically friendly to dispose of my little pieces of steel than for them to throw away massive amount of plastic. Do you remember when medicine cabinets had a little slot for that purpose? Of course, I have to pay attention when I am shaving, but I even use the same razor when I am shaving my head. And cost? Multi-blade cartridges are expensive–I can buy 100 blades for about $15, enough to last me about two years. Better? Think about what the word “shaving” means for your woodwork, Dan. When you shave a piece of wood, you gently remove thin slices of wood to get to the desired size. I may have to make several passes with my razor to get my face smooth, but I think it is less irritating for my skin than yanking on my hair with the first blade so subsequent blades can cut it closer. :)

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        • I would agree. I remember those slots. The cost savings is real. I only shave below my beard and a little bit above it, but I still buy a couple packs of disposables each year. I used to have a metal handle that took disposable cartridges, but those are very had to find. I think you have a good thing going.

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  19. Bella tells time, too and she even taught Pepper. Now, they both pester me to death at meal time. We feed them their 2nd meal at 5:00 PM. At 4:30, they start barking and snorting at me, something else Bella taught Pepper to do. Females are so demanding!

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  20. I remember the commercial and the tag line very well. I may have a Timex or two squirreled away in my jewelry box. Maddie seems like she has taken on the role of timekeeper, all right. Good to have some punctuality these days.

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  21. So funny, Dan. Twiggy is the same. We have names for things but she seems to figure them out. Lucy could care less and the only thing she demands is her dinner. Super photos. That Jay with the peanut is priceless. We have 100 degrees now headed for 102. Have a good one. Your shed looks terrific. I didn’t notice before but you have eavestroughs on it. Amazing.

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  22. OMG! I’m laughing so hard, Dan! You are living MY life! And some people say animals aren’t smart? Excuse me? They are SO smart that even when hubby and I spell something they KNOW. What is it? Tone inflection? Facial expression? I dunno. My cats are pushing the snackie time early cuz they KNOW Fall is coming and our clocks go back. How do they DO this?????? LOL

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  25. Wow, I thought Gibbs and Ziva were time-keepers. It appears Maddie has them beat by a lot and must have swallowed at watch as a pup when you weren’t looking…or she understands the human words and hasn’t told you. It’s too funny!

    Hope you had a good Monday, Dan. Sorry you have to suffer the heat again. Wish I could send you some temperate summer weather, but it doesn’t seem to want to cooperate.

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    • We are cooling off today and tomorrow, Mary. If you consider 89 cool. It really has come to that. If it’s under 90, it’s a cool day. Maddie and I walked early and we are sitting now because it will be too hot later.

      Maddie must know how to read the clocks.

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  26. Maddie, the time telling wonder dog. I love she even knows your code words. She would have made a great six year old. Lol. I remember the slogan. At the age of nine it was played out for me when my Dad dug up a dirt encrusted perfectly good Cinderella girls’ Timex watch. He cleaned it up and wound it. It worked for years after that. I miss that watch.

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  28. Oh my, I absolutely love the birdbath pics! I’m a little jealous — I’ve researched the heck out of them but our new yard just isn’t conducive to one. This is fantastic!

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  29. I think your Maddie nickname is perfect. How she can tell time is remarkable. Yes, I remember the Timex line. Remember the guy jumping off the cliff in Hawaii wearing the Timex, and then Swayze checking the watch and saying that famous line? Looks like the heatwave will break this weekend. Today is even better.

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  30. That’s it! That’s why my schedule is so loose. I don’t have a dog anymore! One of these days, a dog is going to come along and get me back in line. But for now, I’m taking a break. Your animal photos are great! Vibrant colors!

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  31. I know what you mean about the heat wave, Dan. It’s been a humidity-a-thon down here lately. But things have taken a nice turn today (Friday), and the forecast shows things will be more temperate for the next few days. Glad to get a little break. Hope you have a great weekend!

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  32. Dogs are so much smarter and understand so much more than we give them credit for. We used to have to spell in front of our dog Benji if we didn’t want him to know we were going for a walk. Then he even figured out the spelling!

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  33. I do recall those ads. My first watch was a Snoopy Timex :) Maddie and her walkies is a lot like Catticus and his evening meal. He knows what time is 6:30. He knows. Prolly has a Snoopy Timex somewhere.

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