Set in Our Ways – Conversations with the Pack

Posted on by H.J. Hill

I am Doodlebug, King of the Olde English Bulldogges. What is that you are doing, Lady Human? What is in your hand?

Me: Well, it’s your food bowl.

Doodlebug: It’s not my food bowl. My food bowl is always over there, ready when I want it.

Sweetie: Yeah, what are you trying to do, ma’am? Confuse us? Leave well enough alone.

Me: His food bowl comes close to getting spilled every time I walk through here.

Doodlebug: Then don’t walk through here. Walk through there.

MoonCat: Meow. Don’t move my food bowl. How will I find it in the dark?

Me: Uh, the same way you find everything else in the dark?

MoonCat: Hmmm. Questionable.

Sweetie: We are set in our ways. If it ain’t fixed, don’t break it.

Me: I think you mean “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.

Sweetie: That’s what I said.

Doodlebug: We like the way we have things set up. If you go changing the setup, no telling what might happen.

Sweetie: Yeah, Lady Human, we might go changing your set ways. Then where might your food bowl end up.

Copyright 2023 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

To Sunbathe or Not to Sunbathe – Conversations with Sweetie

Posted on by H.J. Hill

Me: Sweetie, you need to come in now.

Sweetie: Why? The sun is bathing my skin.

Me: It’s too hot, hon. Come on in.

Sweetie: I believe I’ll just sit here a little while longer. Have a seat, Lady Human. Have a sunbath. No sense wasting the sun.

Me: I don’t need the sun baking my brain.

Sweetie: It might make your brain work better.

Me: No, it won’t. It’s way too hot to be sitting out here in the sun on purpose. You need to come in because I said so.

Sweetie: Worst reason ever to do anything. I think I’ll just sit here…oh, wait, okay, that’s it. Done. I’m coming in now.

Me: Oh, now you’re coming in. What changed?

Sweetie: My bulldog brain timer just went off and said DONE. You humans really should get a brain timer, Lady Human. I’m concerned you might stay out in the sun too long.

Copyright 2023 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

Don’t Change a Thing – Conversations with the Pack

Posted on by H.J. Hill

I am Doodlebug, King of the Olde English Bulldogges. Something is different. I don’t like it.

Sweetie: My chair! My big blue chair! It was over there where it belongs and now it’s over here where it doesn’t belong.

MoonCat: Meow. Why, oh why, Lady Human?

Me: It’s a small adjustment.

Sweetie: Small nothin’!! I used to be able to walk there. Now I have to move over two steps.

Doodlebug: And there won’t be as much room to track mud into the room now.

MoonCat: But if you are sitting there, Lady Human, you will be closer when I eat and we can talk.

Sweetie: Closer to the cat’s food? Oh, yeah! I see that now. Never mind. Leave it in its new spot. Since it’s my chair anyway, I can help MoonCat with her leftovers.

Copyright 2023 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

Tyranny of the Clock – Conversations with the Pack

Posted on by H.J. Hill

I am Doodlebug, King of the Olde English Bulldogges.

And I am Sweetie, Queen of all dogs everywhere.

MoonCat: Meow.

Me: Why haven’t y’all eaten your food?

Doodlebug: It was served way too early.

Me: I brought it at the same time I bring your afternoon meal every day. 3 p.m. The clock doesn’t lie.

Sweetie: Clock? What is “clock” and why is she telling me when to eat?

Me: A clock tells time in hours, minutes, and seconds.

MoonCat: Meow. Sounds complicated.

Doodlebug: Yeah, my stomach tells me when to eat. Simple.

Me: Well, the clock tells me when to do things. It’s a tyrant.

Sweetie: Another weird human word. What is a tyrant?

Me: A tyrant is an oppressor that orders everybody else around.

Doodlebug: Oh, why didn’t you say so? I understand now.

Sweetie: Yeah, Lady Human! It’s a perfect description of you. You’re a clock!

Copyright 2023 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

A Bob-what? – Conversations with the Pack

Posted on by H.J. Hill

I am Doodlebug, King of the Olde English Bulldogges. Something’s wrong. Lady Human! There’s a weird scent on the air!

Me: Yeah, Tall Man just told me he heard a bobcat growling nearby. Heads up!

Sweetie: A cat named Bob? Who would do such a thing? And we already have a cat around here so…nope!

Me: A bobcat is a wild animal, way bigger that a house cat like MoonCat.

MoonCat: Yeah, leave me out of this. I do not now nor have I ever associated with wild cats of any size. And not about to start.

Doodlebug: I can deal with it.

Me: No, sir, you can’t. Bobcats climb fences and they hunt small animals.

Sweetie: Well, I’m not small so that leaves me out.

Me: Not really. I say again, Heads up! I’ll be going outside with you for the time being. It will probably move on back into the trees by the creek. It won’t like the presence of humans.

Sweetie: So you are good for something, Lady Human! I knew we would find out what it was sooner or later.

Doodlebug: I still don’t know why someone would name a cat “Bob”.

Copyright 2023 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

Write Out Loud! – Conversations with the Pack

Posted on by H.J. Hill

I am Doodlebug. King of the Olde English Bulldogges. What are you doing, Lady Human?

Sweetie: She is scratching a poor innocent piece of paper with her stick again.

Me: It’s called ‘writing’. I put words down on the paper in ink so they can be read.

MoonCat: Words? I don’t hear anything except the scratching. Does the scratching make you feel better? Scratching makes me feel better.

Me: Uh, different type of scratching. I guess it makes me feel better to get the words out.

Doodlebug: Sorry, Lady Human, but no words are coming out.

Sweetie: Yeah, I don’t hear a thing either.

Me: Well, scratching…I mean writing…is silent until it’s read or recited.

Sweetie: That’s kind of selfish. You should share.

Me: How would I share while I’m writing?

The Pack: WRITE OUT LOUD!

Copyright 2023 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

“Hey!” is Not My Name – Conversations with the Pack

Posted on by H.J. Hill

I am Doodlebug, King of the Olde English Bulldogges. DOODLEBUG. Or Doodle. Or Good Boy. Or Your Majesty. NOT “Hey!” That is for horses and goats.

Sweetie: And “Hey!” is not my name either. I answer to Sweetie, or Good Girl, or Suppertime, and that’s it.

MoonCat: Meow. And there’s no sense in calling me at all. I’LL CALL YOU!

Copyright 2023 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

Toe Stomp – Conversations with Sweetie

Posted on by H.J. Hill

Sweetie: Lady Human! How come you’re down on all fours? Are you trying to be a bulldog? Because, if you are, you aren’t doing a very good job at it.

Me: No, I’m not trying to be a bulldog. Remember a few seconds ago when you stepped on the toe of my sock?

Sweetie: Yes. That’s when you went into your bulldog act.

Me: That’s when my sock got caught under your foot and I tripped.

Sweetie: And the floor caught you. Good ole floor. If you wouldn’t put those cloth bags you call ‘socks’ on your paws, you would not have to get caught by the floor so often. Go barefoot. Like a real bulldog.

Copyright 2023 H J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

Mucking out the Stall – Conversations with the Pack

Posted on by H.J. Hill

I am Doodlebug, King of the Olde English Bulldogges.

Sweetie: Lady Human, something stinks.

MoonCat: Meow! And I know exactly what it is. And who.

Me: Yes. I do, too. Get up, Sweetie. Your whole sleeping space is going to have to be deep cleaned.

Doodlebug: Yes, Sweetie. PLEASE!

Sweetie: Why me? I’m comfortable, except for the stink.

Me: If you were a horse, I might call this mucking out your stall, so move over here while I…

Sweetie: But it’s the way I like it, except for the stink.

Me: Well, smells can accumulate. Between the potty accident the other day which I cleaned up but which left lingering reminders and the spilled water and the spilled food and the tracked in dirt and mud from outside and…

Sweetie: Muck out somebody else’s stall and leave me alone and happy…except for the stink.

Copyright 2023 H J. Hill All Rights Reserved.

The Patience of the Pack- Conversations with the Pack

Posted on by H.J. Hill

I am Doodlebug, King of the Olde English Bulldogges. Where is lunch?

Me: Patience! Patience! Patience is a virtue.

Sweetie: Well, you don’t seem to have any so you should go buy some. NOW!

Me: OK, that’s what I’m talking about. Not everything needs to be hurried along or done right this instant.

MoonCat: Why not?

Doodlebug: We are a patient pack, Lady Human. When you are late with our lunch, we don’t eat yours, do we?

Me: I’m just getting some things off my list today. Next is grocery shopping.

Sweetie: Great! Be sure and buy enough patience for all of us to have some. Especially you.

Copyright 2023 H.J. Hill All Rights Reserved.