Thank you, guest bloggers and neighbor friends!

I didn't want to say so at the time, but the reason we needed guest bloggers was that FarmWife took her human family away for a WHOLE WEEK to a vacation house for a family reunion. There was a great big ground-floor master suite that would have served perfectly as a mule house if only it had been permitted, and there was a lovely swimming pool that could have served as my trough, as well as a delightful, irrigated lawn for supping. I cannot imagine why they didn't think of such things earlier.

Alas, they did not think of inviting me and so I missed out on seeing Grammy and Grampa New Hampshire, Auntie and Uncle Massachusetts, and Auntie and Uncle Texas plus cousins. I missed out on a lovely boat ride up Lake Chelan, but I did get an invitation to trek there with FarmWife someday in future (she wants to see Stehekin, Wa., which is only accessible by plane, boat, or mule/horseback. I need to become fit in anticipation of this adventure).

FarmWife came back with a sun tan, a lot of leftover groceries, and some beaded friendship bracelets around her ankle. These read "Larval Human #1, Larval Human #2, Larval Human #3" (except not really, as they have names); then "MJ squared forever," because FarmWife was M. Jackson before she became M. Jones and because FarmHusband is an M too; then finally "Fenway Bartholomule—special/forever." Since the "forever" bead had "special" on the back of it, FarmWife was forced to use both words even though "special" carries some possibly negative connotations. FarmWife says that I am special in all the best ways, though, and I believe her. She also says that I am going to live into my fifties, so if not forever then at least close.

We were looked after by CD, Keeper of the Duke of Wickersham (Wickersham's other best chihuahua—he is a good friend to my Clover, Duchess of Wickersham); also MB, Keeper of the Cattle (it is to her farm that FarmWife occasionally goes for cows milk and bovine kisses); also BJ and family who helped me with twice daily scritch-scratches and flymask applications. We are the kind of pet family that is big enough to require not one house sitter but three, and so it went that we had all sorts of friends all week long. It was good.

As for the guest bloggers, I thank them each and all. There were more offerings than I had time to use, and some of them were wonderful and deserving of an audience. I expect you may see some of them in future here at Brays of Our Lives, but for the next few days I reserve you for myself. There is so much we should talk about!


Ears,
FenBar