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I am Stella, Queen of the Olde English Bulldogges. Summer is gone. I hated it while it was here, and it was here for so long. But now that it is gone, Summer, I miss you. Yes, you were too hot. Yes, you kept us inside where it was cooler. But now that you are not around, it is too cold. Why, Summer, why did you have to go away?

Me:        Seasons change, girl. Summer has its season. And then comes another season called Autumn.

Stella:    Not fair! That season did not show up this year.

Me:        True, and I missed Autumn. I enjoy sweater weather and all my sweaters were lonely in my closet all through the fall.

Stella:    Well, they won’t be lonely tonight!

Me:        No, they’ve been getting a real workout since yesterday.

Stella:    Why does summer go away?

Me:        Our Great Creator set it up that way. Earth circles the sun and rotates on its own axis.

Stella:    More human nonsense words.

Me:        It means that there is a season of warmth and growth.

Stella:    Spring?

Me:        Yes. And there is a season of more warmth and the maturing of crops.

Stella:    Or as we say in what the humans call ‘Texas’, hot, hot, hot, dry, dry, dry!

Me:        Yeah, most years. And then there is Autumn and the harvest, when the heat abates.

Stella:    We skipped that.

Me:        And now Winter approaches.

Stella:    What? This is not Winter?

Me:        No, it’s still officially Autumn. We have another month or so to official Winter.

Stella:    But you said that water left outside will freeze into ice tonight.

Me:        Yeah, it is supposed to get below freezing.

Stella:    Wait! What kind of a game is Autumn playing? All I wanted was a comfortable temperature for my bathroom time, which reminds me. When will the indoor bulldog bathroom be finished?

Me:        It has not been started yet. There is not going to be an indoor bulldog bathroom.

Stella:    Typical.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2018 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

Me:        Hey, Moon! Do you hear that?

Moon Cat:   Meow!

Me:        Shhhh! Not too loud. They’re all asleep, all at the same time.

Moon Cat:   Meow!

Me:        And listen to the snoring. Stella, then Miss Sweetie, then Doodlebug, then Wiggles double time, then Tiger.

Moon Cat:   Meow!

Me:        Perfect rhythmic breathing.

Moon Cat:   Meow!

Me:        Too bad we don’t understand each other.

Moon Cat:   But we do.

Me:        What?

Moon Cat:   Shhhh! These are the first peaceful moments I’ve had all day.

Me:        You understand me?

Moon Cat:   Of course. I am a cat in a house full of bulldogs. How do you think I have survived so well for so long?

Me:        So, when I say, ‘Run!’…

Moon Cat:   I run. I am not an idiot.

Me:        But you’ve never said anything before.

Moon Cat:   Yes, I have, and if you think about it, you understood me. Like when Snoopey left.

Me:        Oh, Moon. Snoopey died.

Moon Cat:   That’s just another way of saying that she left. I did not understand at first.

Me:        You kept climbing up on my chair, talking to me.

Moon Cat:   And you understood me.

Me:        You wanted to know where your best friend had gone and why she wasn’t here with you anymore.

Moon Cat:   And you explained it me as best you could. You thought I didn’t understand. But I did. I was not happy about it. I miss talking to Snoopey, but I don’t worry about her anymore. I miss her, but as you told me, where she is now, she will never be lonely, she will never be scared, she will never hurt, and she will never get old and weak. You see, I do understand.

Me:        And do you understand the other bulldogs?

Moon Cat:   Them? Mmmmm, naw. Not so much.

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2018 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

 

 

 

I am Stella.

Me:        That’s it? No “Queen of the Olde English Bulldogges”?

Stella:    How can I be the queen of anything when I can’t even keep squirrels out of my domain?

Me:        You mean because of Jerky?

Stella:    He’s back.

Me:        Truth be told, he never left.

Stella:    What? I haven’t seen him for months.

Me:        He’s been hanging around the front. And he’s been up in the tall trees with his friends.

Stella:    It’s one thing for him to perch in the trees. It’s another thing for him to lurk around where I walk every day. Did you see what he was doing today? He was eating leftover acorns as though he hasn’t had enough of those all summer. He is so fat now.

Me:        He’s getting ready for winter.

Stella:    And he was eating the weird plants.

Me:        Yeah, I saw that. Well, the honeybees finished with them a few weeks ago. I guess somebody should get the use of them. I’m not going to eat them, and neither are you.

Stella:    He could have asked permission. That would have been polite.

Me:        Squirrels don’t live by good manners. Sort of like bulldogs.

Stella:    Bulldogs have good manners. They’re just our good manners. Not everybody understands. I thought you might.

Me:        I do. We have our good manners, too, but not everybody understands them.

Stella:    Really? We’ll make a bulldog of you yet, Lady Human.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2018 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

I am Stella, Queen of the Olde English Bulldogges. Our rolling box was attacked the other day and now the poor thing has a big, broken eye. A big, scary broken eye.

Me:        That’s just a plastic bag over the broken window. It’s to keep the rain out until the window repair guy gets here.

Stella:    It is ugly, and it makes weird snapping noises.

Me:        Yeah, when the wind is up. I mean, it’s a plastic bag so…it moves.

Stella:    Can we go somewhere in the rolling box? Can I stick my head through it?

Me:        As I said the other day, no one is sticking anything out of the window.

Stella:    Awww.

Me:        What’s the big deal about dogs and car windows?

Stella:    You don’t know?

Me:        No. I mean the wind in your face can be exciting, but in a car going 70 miles per hour or even 30 miles per hour, not so much. And what if a bug hits your face?

Stella:    Simple. Eat it.

Me:        What if it goes down your throat?

Stella:    Cough it up.

Me:        Well, I guess that is a solution.

Stella:    Wait! What is that noise? Beep! Beep! Beep!

Me:        It’s the window repair guy.

Stella:    Window repair guys say, “Beep! Beep! Beep!”?

Me:        No, but their trucks do when they back up. Okay, I need to talk to this gentleman about the car window so go in the other room and settle down for a while.

Stella:    Why? Is the car window a secret? Why can’t I hear about it? Settle down in the other room? Are you kidding me?

Me:        The man will do his work. The car window will be fixed.

Stella:    I do want that. Does the rolling box feel pain because its eye is broken?

Me:        No, the rolling box is a machine. The parts need to work and the whole needs to work, but it does not have the feelings we do. It feels no pain.

Stella:    Phew! That makes me feel no pain for it. Wait! Can I stick my head out of the broken window tomorrow?

Me:        Nope. The plastic bag will be gone and there will be a new window in its place.

Stella:    Awww.

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2018 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

 

 

 

I am Stella, Queen of the Olde English Bulldogges. Who was that man at the door? He had one of those shiny things on his shirt like the people on the Picture Box.

Me:   He works for the police. He takes fingerprints.

Miss Sweetie:   Is he here to take my fingerprints? How exciting!

Me:   No, he came to take fingerprints from my car.

Stella:    From your rolling box. Oh, Lady Human, did your rolling box do something wrong?

Me:   No. But somebody did something wrong to my rolling box…my car. I didn’t find out until this morning that someone broke a window in my car yesterday and crawled inside, looking for something to steal.

Tiger:   Who did it? Who did it? Let me at him!

Me:        The police are looking for him. He did it to several vehicles around here. Some cameras caught him in the act.

Doodlebug:   So, what happens to us? How will we go on without the rolling box?

Me:   Nothing bad will happen, Doodle. I will tape plastic over the broken window before it rains tonight. And Tall Man will replace it tomorrow or one of his talented friends will.

Wiggles:   There is no window in the rolling box?

Me:        One is missing.

Wiggles:   Can we go rolling in it now? Can I stick my head out?

Me:        Now, Wiggles, you know that we don’t stick our heads out the windows when we ride.

Wiggles:   But just this once…please, please, please…since the window is gone anyway!

Me:   Sorry, baby doll. There is still a lot of broken glass in the seat. Tall Man will clean that up with his shop vac when he gets off work.

Stella:    Did you say shop vac?

Me:   Yes. But outside, not in the house.

Stella:   No. No! NO! NOOO!!! NOOOOOO!!!!!

Me:   Isn’t using the shop vac better than sitting on a sharp piece of glass?

Stella:    NOOOOOO!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2018 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

 

 

 

 

 

I am Stella, Queen of the Olde English Bulldogges. What does this mean? “The big dog on the block”.

Me:   As with all sayings, this is a human expression. It has nothing to do with dogs.

Stella:    Then why does it mention dogs?

Me:   People like to use what we call metaphors. That means we compare things that are not alike because they are alike in some ways.

Stella:    As usual, human nonsense.

Tiger:   Yes, nonsense. Everyone knows that I am the big dog on the block. What is a block?

Wiggles:   You are the big dog…until I prove that you are not.

Tiger:     Fighting words!

Wiggles:   Then get on with it, loser!

Doodlebug:   Fight! Fight! Fight!

Miss Sweetie:   Who is fighting? I don’t want to miss that!

Me:        No fighting! Period!

Wiggles:   So, when is the fighting period?

Me:   Never! Stella, and everybody! To answer the question about who the big dog on the block is. That would be me!

Stella:   You don’t look like a dog. Aren’t you always saying that you are not a bulldog?

Tiger:   You are not all that big.

Wiggles:   I think I can outfight her. What do you all think?

Tiger:   Yeah, maybe. I know that I could.

Doodlebug:   I would enjoy seeing that.

Miss Sweetie:   Lady Human! Run with me! I will hide you! And bring the cat! I can hide her, too!

Me:   I’m not hiding from anybody! What brought all this on?

Wiggles:   Tiger was prancing around like she was all…you know…lah, lah, lah, look at me. And Stella started talking about big dogs and we know she is not a big dog. I am bigger than she is. Everyone is bigger than she is…

Doodlebug:   And fights are exciting.

Miss Sweetie:   And scary. I know, because Doodlebug and I play fight and it is exciting. And scary.

Me:   Okay. More exercise. It’s a nice day. Everybody needs to run. Not Tiger and Wiggles together, but by turns.

Tiger:   Run?

Wiggles:   Run? Okay.

Doodlebug:   Run and then nap time.

Miss Sweetie:   Nap time now.

Stella:    Lady Human, who is that big dog on the block now?

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2018 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

 

 

 

 

I am Stella, Queen of the Olde English Bulldogges. Lady Human! SCRATCH MY BUTT!

Me:   Stella! Hush your mouth!

Stella:    My mouth is too big to hush. Here! Look! I’m sticking my butt in the air! SCRATCH IT! You know you want to.

Me:   You don’t have to make a big show of it.

Stella:    It’s a bulldog butt. It is a big show.

Me:   When I was growing up, we were discouraged from spending a lot of conversation time talking about our…rear ends.

Stella:    Your conversations must have been very boring. And you must not have talked to many bulldogs.

Me:   I never knew a bulldog before I met you.

Stella:    Wow! No wonder you don’t know how important butt scratching is. Here’s my butt in the air again. SCRATCH IT!

Me:   Okay, okay! Hush! Please stop talking about your…rear end.

Stella:   And make that funny, annoying noise that you do when you scratch it.

Me:   What, you mean like this, “Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”

Stella:   That’s perfect!  Just like my butt.

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2018 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

 

 

 

 

 

I am Stella, Queen of the Olde English Bulldogges. I will get back to you. Just keep scratching, Lady Human.

Me:        I don’t mind, but I am going to have to get up sometime.

Stella:    Not now though. Just scratch that spot right there. Yesssss….

Me:        I’m sorry, girl, but I’ve got to get going. There are other things to do.

Stella:    Don’t you like being lay abed?

Me:        Honestly, yes. But lay abed is considered lazy and that’s not a righteous stand to take.

Stella:    Even when you and a dog are lay abed and you are scratching the dog and the dog likes it and it doesn’t even cost any money?

Me:        Even then. We have tasks to perform. Can’t be lazy.

Stella:    But it feels so good.

Me:        Yeah, it does. Maybe just a few more minutes.

Tiger:     Hey, I need to go potty!

Doodlebug:   Me, too! And don’t forget breakfast!

Miss Sweetie:   I want to lay abed. And I want breakfast and potty time.

Wiggles:   We all want that. What’s the holdup?

Stella:    I’ll just stay here, Lady Human. Take care of everybody else. I’m fine right where I am.

Me:        Okay. As long as you’re sure.

Stella:    Oh, I’m sure. I am very sure.

Me:        They are going to call you ‘lazy’.

Stella:    Who cares? Lazy is as lazy does.

Me:        I think this qualifies as ‘lazy does’.

Stella:    Yep. That’s me. Lazy does.

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2018 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

I am Stella, Queen of the Olde English Bulldogges. I am jealous.

Me:        Why? Or should I even ask?

Stella:    You should know. Why does Wiggles get to nap in that rag box?

Me:        Because she crawls in it. Nobody else does.

Stella:    I would, but she is always in it!

Wiggles:   You have your special rain potty spot and I have my special indoor rag box spot.

Stella:    Not fair! I only want to use my rain potty spot on rainy days. You use your indoor rag box spot all the time!

Me:        Stella, I have never seen you pay the least heed to the rag box. You pass by it every day, all day long, and don’t even look at it.

Stella:    That’s because Wiggles usually has her fat body in it.

Me:        Ummm!

Wiggles:   Ummm!

Stella:    You know what the vet lady said!

Me:        I know the vet lady said that you had both gained weight and we need to watch that.

Wiggles:   Yeah, so there!

Me:        We each have our special spaces. Let’s enjoy them without envying others for theirs.

Wiggles:   Oh, all right.

Stella:    Oh, all right. But don’t think that I haven’t noticed when you sneak off to your special space, Lady Human.

Me:        Yes, I do have a work space that is in a different room from the rest of you. Sometimes I have to be quiet to get my work done. You have been in there, Stella.

Stella:    I know. To be honest, it is the most boring place in the whole house, so keep it and welcome to it.

 

 

 

Copyright 2018 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

I am Stella, Queen of the Olde English Bulldogges. Lady Human calls me lots of things. Girl. Good girl. Stella Bella. Hey! Stop! Don’t!

Me:        Those last three aren’t names.

Stella:    One thing I don’t ever want to be called by her is ‘Honey’.

Me:        Honey is not a bad word.

Stella:    It is when you say it.

Me:        Awww…

Stella:    I heard you talking to some human on your little box and you kept saying ‘Honey’ and ‘No, Honey’ and your tone was not all that happy.

Me:        Oh, yeah. Well, sometimes I fall into that habit when there’s a problem and I am trying not to be rude.

Stella:    So, you call people you are upset with ‘Honey’.

Me:        Yeah. It seems nicer than calling them something more blunt.

Stella:    Do they know that you are upset with them when you call them ‘Honey’?

Me:        They may be able to tell by my tone and by how many times I say the word. Don’t bulldogs get into arguments and call each other names?

Stella:    Of course. Stop asking me silly questions, Honey.

Me:        What?

Stella:    Nothing.

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2018 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

 

 

 

 

I am Stella, Queen of the Olde English Bulldogges. Something has been bothering me for quite some time.

Me:        Pray tell, what?

Stella:    Are humans born?

Me:        Sure.

Tiger:   I would like to see that.

Stella:    Nope. Gross.

Miss Sweetie:    But if you were born, was it on a certain day?

Me:        Yeah.

Tiger:     So, you had what they call a ‘birthday’!

Me:        Yes.

Wiggles:   Why have we never had a birthday thing for you?

Me:        A birthday party?

Doodlebug:   That’s what we have been calling it for us.

Me:        Well, we just don’t do a lot in the party department. But…I can let you in on a secret…sshhhhh!

Stella:    SHHHH!

Wiggles:   Shhh…shhh!

Tiger:    Okay, okay, shhhh!

Doodlebug:   All right already…shhhh!

Miss Sweetie:    Today is your birthday!

Me:   No. But today is Tall Man’s birthday. But don’t let on that you know. When he comes in from work, just start celebrating. Wiggles, do your famous comma dance. And everybody bark and jump.

Stella:    Too late. We did that this morning when he left for work.

Tiger:   Maybe he didn’t notice.

Wiggles:   Oh, he noticed. We do it every morning and he notices every morning.

Doodlebug:   Then…BORING!

Me:        How about some party hats?

Stella:    No, Lady Human, absolutely not.

Me:   But it would be…

Stella:    No.

Me:   He would find it…

Stella:   No.

Me:   …funny.

Stella:   No.

Miss Sweetie:   Cake.

Tiger:   Yes, cake.

Wiggles:   Cake, cake, cake…

Me:   He’s not too much into cake.

Stella:    But we are! It’s not for him! It’s for us! All this time, we haven’t had any birthday parties for the humans. I feel cheated. Where is our fun? Party! Party! Party!

Me:        Okay, I’ll try to think up something.

Stella:    Whatever that something is, the Number One Rule is: NO PARTY HATS!

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2018 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

 

I am Stella, Queen of the Olde English Bulldogges. A long, long time ago, the sun was our enemy. When exactly was that, Lady Human?

Me:        Week before last.

Stella:    Yes, I remember. So long ago. But now I hereby declare that the sun is our friend. It rained again yesterday. I thought you were supposed to do something about that.

Me:        Who? Me?

Stella:    Yes. Humans control everything. So… get to controlling stuff.

Me:        We’ve been over this, Stella. Humans do not control everything.

Stella:    All we want is for the sun to show up more often.

Me:        Except when it is too hot and shines too much.

Stella:    Yes. Now you understand. Just make sure it doesn’t go away like it has been. It should stay put.

Me:        The sun is always there, even when the clouds cover it up for days at a time.

Stella:    Now you’re just making things up.

Me:        No, the sun is still in place. It’s just not visible to us.

Stella:    And what about when it goes to bed at night?

Me:        It’s still where it always is. The earth has just turned so that our side is away from it.

Stella:    You don’t have to make up stories to make me feel better about the sun going on a vacation, Lady Human. Just let us know when it’s going to happen. So how many more vacations will the sun take?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2018 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved

 

 

I am Stella, Queen of the Olde English Bulldogges and…

Wiggles:   Please, Lady Human! PLEASE!

Me:        If they have any for us, Wiggles. It’s not something I can force.

Wiggles:   Why not?

Me:        The chickens lay when they lay.  I can’t just say, Hey, lay an egg, and they do it.

Stella:    The chickens are disobedient.

Me:        The chickens have their own schedule.

Wiggles:   I have a schedule. I like to have an egg every day.

Me:        That may not happen. Weather seems to affect them sometimes. Then other times, it doesn’t.

Wiggles:   Egg! Egg! Egg! Egg!

Me:        Okay, the good news today is there are 3 eggs.

Wiggles:   Mine!

Stella:    No fair! Mine!

Me:        How about this? I gather eggs tomorrow and hard boil them and maybe there are enough for each of you to have one.

Stella:    Nope.

Wiggles:   Nope.

Me:        Yep. That’s fair.

Wiggles:   Not to me. I’ve been out here, watching for eggs all morning. I deserve an egg raise.

Me:        An egg raise? But waiting for eggs is not your job.

Wiggles:   No, but I do it anyway, and I will settle for an extra egg every morning.

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2018 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

I am Stella, Queen of the Olde English Bulldogges. Lady Human is okay about giving us treats and what she calls ‘supplements’ which are delicious healthy treats.

Me:   Just okay?

Stella:   One of them she says is for our joints, whatever those are, and one is for our urinary health, whatever that is. The important thing is that they taste really good.

Me:        All right! Here we go! Catch! And catch!

Stella:    Awww. They both fell in my bowl. So what? Mine!

Me:        Here we go, Tiger!

Tiger:     I’m ready! See my head! See my face! READY!

Me:        There! Good catch! Right in your mouth! You are so fast!

Stella:    Big whoop. She has a bigger mouth than I do.

Me:        I don’t think so. Not really.

Tiger:     Is there another one? Huh, huh, huh! I’m ready for another one! Let’s go!

Me:        Yeah. Here! Catch!

Tiger:   What? Where did it go? It’s not in my mouth. It’s not on the floor. Oh, noooo! It’s lost! Find it quick before somebody else’s big mouth gets it!

Me:        I don’t know where it went. Just look around.

Stella:    I know where it is.

Me:        Where?

Stella:    What do I get for telling you?

Me:        No. No bribery allowed.

Stella:    Hmmmpph.

Me:        Wait a second, Tiger. I see it. Hold still.

Tiger:     Where? Where?

Me:        Hold still.

Tiger:     I can’t hold still when my precious treat is missing.

Me:        It’s on your back.

Tiger:     No, it’s not. I would know that.

Me:        Can you see your back? No? I can. It’s on your back. Hold still. Here. Catch.

Stella:    Best catcher in the pack, my foot!

Tiger:     I can catch with my mouth and my back. What did you ever catch with your foot?

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2018 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

 

 

 

 

I am Stella, Queen of the Olde English Bulldogges. Wiggles, confess it. You tore up the tarp that was covering part of the Chicken House.

Wiggles:   I don’t remember doing any such thing. And what is a tarp?

Stella:    It’s that big crackly plastic blanket by the Chicken House. Lady Human uses it to help keep the chickens dry, and they sure needed it during all the rain.

Me:        And then I come out here and there is a big hole torn in it and pieces of blue plastic are all over the ground and it’s taking a long time to pick it all up and I just don’t understand why you did this.

Wiggles:   Neither do I. Why did I do this?

Me:        Beats me, but now I’m going to have to throw this away and… whoa there, what’s this? Yuck. Now I understand Wiggles’ interest.

Stella:    Explain it to us. We don’t understand.

Me:        Stay back.

Wiggles:   I remember now. There was a fascinating odor coming from under that crackly blanket.

Me:        Yeah, I’ll bet there was.

Stella:    I can’t see. I can’t see. What?

Me:        A dead rat.

Stella:    Ohhhh. Yeah. That’s definitely a dead rat odor.

Me:        Stay back. I’ll clean it up.

Wiggles:   Why?

Me:   Because nasty, that’s why. He must have crawled up under the tarp to hide and there he met his end.

Wiggles:   I’ve seen one of those before!

Me:   Yes, you and Sweetie brought a dead one to us a couple of years ago and laid it at our feet.

Wiggles:   I remember. It smelled so good that I knew it would make a wonderful present for you and Tall Man.

Me:   Humans don’t really value stinky things.

Stella:   Of course, you do! What about that stinky stuff in your room?

Me:   The essential oils?

Stella:   Exactly. Do any of those come in dead rat scent?

Me:   Nope.

Stella and Wiggles:   Too bad.

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2018 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

I am Stella, Queen of the Olde English Bulldogges. The sky is gray. Again. And again. And again. I will never again complain about the bright, shiny blue Texas sky. Come back, Texas sky. You were not so bad after all.

Me:   Aw, that’s sweet, Stella.

Stella:   So, will our sky come back?

Me:        Someday.

Stella:    Not good enough. I heard this song. “The stars at night are big and bright, clap, clap, clap, clap, deep in the heart of Texas”.

Me:        I’ve heard that song, too.

Stella:    But it’s not true. I see no stars. I haven’t for days and days. Or nights and nights.

Me:        They are still there. Don’t give up hope. Did you notice that there was less rain today and that the ground was dry in spots?

Stella:    Did you notice how gray the sky was?

Me:        The sun broke through for about 15 minutes. Long enough for Sweetie to squeeze in a quick sunbath.

Stella:    Sweetie got a sunbath? Why didn’t anybody tell me?

Me:        You were napping.

Stella:    Next time, wake me up! The shining sun is a once in a lifetime event around here!

Me:        I’ll make a note that you said that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2018 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

 

I am Stella, Queen of the Olde English Bulldogges. My whole life for the next few days will be soaking wet. I am thankful to the Great Creator for a roof. And for walls. And for a floor that is not mud. And for stuff to do while it pours rain outside. And for the Picture Box to stare at. Wait. Lady Human! There’s no picture on the Picture Box.

Me:        Nope. And there may not be for a while. Lightning struck our TV server’s facility not far from here this morning. A good chunk of north Texas has lost television and some internet.

Miss Sweetie:   But why? Why is there no picture on the Picture Box?

Me:   I guess the lightning fried some of the equipment and it is taking a while to fix it.

Doodlebug:   But what is lightning?

Me:   It’s that electrical fire that shoots from the sky.

Wiggles:   But why? Why is there fire shooting from the sky?

Me:        Thunderstorms generate…

Tiger:     But why are there thunderstorms?

Me:        I don’t think I’m ready to explain all this to a pack of bulldogs.

Stella:    You only need to explain one thing.

Me:        What, pray tell?

Stella:    Why is there no picture on the Picture Box?

Me:        Hey, we still have the shows on my phone.

Stella:    You mean that loud little box you waste your time with every night?

Me:        Well, I don’t consider it a total waste…Wait a minute! I get to watch stuff at night if I want to. I am a human adult.

Stella:    That’s your excuse for everything you do. Our faces are too large to see that tiny screen all at the same time. And on top of that, IT’S STILL RAINING! What do humans do when there is no Picture Box and it’s raining? Aaagghhh!

Me:        Read a book.

Stella:    Can’t read.

Me:        Have a conversation.

Stella:    With them? Nope.

Tiger:     Nope.

Doodlebug:   Nope.

Wiggles:   Nope.

Miss Sweetie:    All right. I’ll do it. What should I say?

Me:        Or we take a nap.

Stella:    Bingo. Now the world looks brighter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2018 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am Stella, Queen of the Olde English Bulldogges. I haven’t seen the sun for days. The crying sky has been sad because the sun has been hiding.

Me:        That’s not exactly how it works, but okay.

Stella:    The sun must be feeling better today. It has peeked at us and the sky is not crying anymore.

Me:        The sky will cry later tonight. Oh, now you’ve got me saying it.

Stella:    How come? Because the sun is going to bed?

Me:        No. It is supposed to rain again because a cold front is moving through.

Stella:    Cold? No, Lady Human. It is warm today.

Me:        Yeah, about 78 degrees. But before the sun comes up in the morning, the air temperature will have fallen about 30 degrees. It is supposed to be about 47 degrees by sunrise. Sweater weather is finally coming.

Stella:    Sweater? You mean like that big, bulky thing you draped all over me a long time ago? I took that off right away. You kept it?

Me:        Well…I crocheted it for you. It is a little large.

Stella:    Nooo! Nope! Not wearing that thing again! You can just un-crochet it, whatever crochet means!

Me:        I realize it’s kind of big, but I can adjust that.

Stella:    Nooo! You just tell that cold front or cold back or whatever it is to go someplace else. We will stay nice and warm here, thank you. No sweaters need apply.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2018 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

I am Stella, Queen of the Old English Bulldogges. Raindrops keep falling on my head…and on my back…and on my legs…and on my feet.

Me:   Yeah, and on my head…and my back…and my legs…and my feet, too.

Stella:   Well, what do you plan to do about it?

Me:        The rain? Nothing. Just wait it out.

Stella:    No! What do you plan to do about my wet head… and wet back…and wet legs…and wet feet? I need a rain hat. Those sorts of things exist, don’t they?

Me:        Sure.

Stella:    I know you have rain boots. I see them right there. But do you have a rain hat I can borrow?

Me:        I have some hats somewhere. I have my broad-brim black felt hat, but that’s not perfect in a heavy rain. I have a cowboy hat. That’s better. The felt is tighter and it’s shaped so as to make the rain roll off the brim and down away from my neck and back.

Stella:    That’s great for you, Lady Human. You stand upright on your two hind legs.

Me:        I don’t have hind legs. I only have two legs. They are…front legs.

Stella:    Yeah, okay. But I am a bulldog. Your cowboy hat would drain wet all down my back. Next!

Me:        I bought some dog galoshes for winter use, but…they turned out to be too small for bulldogs and they were the largest size the company had.

Stella:    So, I get stuck with wet feet? We have a big rain event going on here.

Me:        Yeah, this is what people in the old days called a frog strangler.

Stella:    Frogs are strangling on the rain? That’s horrible!

Me:        No, it’s an exaggeration. Like a lot of our old sayings.

Stella:    Do frogs like the rain?

Me:        Yeah, I think they probably do.

Stella:    Can we ask them where they get their rain hats and boots?

 

 

 

Copyright 2018 H. J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

I am Stella, Queen of the Olde English Bulldogges and I just saw the most wonderful thing on the Picture Box. Dogs were driving a human rolling box and bulldogs were giving it a bath. I knew the day would come.

Miss Sweetie:    Can we do that?

Me:   That was a commercial. Dogs washing cars and driving cars are not real things.

Tiger:     BUT I SAW IT!

Doodlebug:   IT IS REAL! EVERYTHING ON THE PICTURE BOX IS REAL!

Wiggles:   I can wash the rolling box with my tongue. I am sure my tongue is big enough for the job. Does the rolling box taste like chicken feed? I like chicken feed. And eggs. I really like eggs.

Me:   No, and none of you are going to wash the car, though I’ll admit that it needs it. And I admit that the mental image of bulldogs washing a car is cute.

Stella:    Cute?

Tiger:    Cute?

Doodlebug:   Cute?

Wiggles:   Cute?

Miss Sweetie:   I’m cute.

Stella:    Bulldogs are dignified. And stalwart. And persistent. We are not cute. That’s just plain insulting, Lady Human. Forget the whole thing. If helping you by driving and washing the so-called car is going to get us called ‘cute’, you can just do those things by yourself.

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2018 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.