Chapter One

I am feeling, better, better, better!  Boy is that sensitive nose of mine a mess.  I have to be very careful and NOT go out in the wind.

Or the weeds. Or the grass.

The second I go out in the wind my nose becomes infected. Then I’m sick and I have to take medicine which makes me very, very sleepy.

BUT…

TODAY! I feel GOOD! I feel good enough I am GOING TO DO SOMETHING NO MATTER WHAT MOM SAYS!!!

Now what started all this, you ask.  Well,

I was out checking all the news right after my very yummy break-the-long-night-fast of a boiled skinless, boneless chicken thigh.

(Mom is afraid I have developed an allergy to food so she is monitoring EVERYTHING!  Although, I do find the REAL boiled chicken thigh very yummy.  I can slurp that right down in two gulps.)

So, anyhoo here I am checking out the farmyard…lots of interesting things out here to sniff— when one has a sniffer.

I haven’t had a sniffer since forever!

Sniff, sniff, sniff.

Hummm

What do we have here…?!

Sniff, sniff, snuff

Raccoon.  Yes.  We have lots of raccoons, I think we are a major highway for raccoons.

Raccoons will kill and eat chickens, you know.  That’s why Mom always and forever locks up the two hens each and every night.  Locks them up tighter than a drum.  Gota keep ‘um safe, ya know.

Yes, raccoon…and WHOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

WAIT!

WHAT IS THIS!

Not a raccoon.

I don’t think I know this smell.

Sniff, sniff…oooooooooooo, yes, I do.  DANGER in the form of QUILLS!

NOT GOOD!

I better let Mom know.

But, wait!   I think I had better go check out around the Butler Bins and the farm equipment and the….

I took off trotting out of the farmyard when I heard:

“BOOMER!  WHERE ARE YOU?!  BOOMER! YOU COME BACK HERE!”

“BOOMER!”

Sigh!

I turned around…shoot.

MOM!  THERE YOU ARE! I LOVE YOU, MOM!

I hobbled up to Mom with my tail going in a circle.

“Boomie, you can’t go off on a walk-about anymore.  Your back leg doesn’t work, your knee hasn’t really healed from whatever you did to it this winter, you can’t see well, and your hearing is off.  I’m sorry Beaglie, your exploring days are over.  You have to stay in the yard and close to mom now.”

Mom reached down and gave my ears lots of rubs, pets, strokes, and a big kiss on my nose.

Sigh.

Okay, whatever you say Mom, I thought as I followed her back into the yard, then into the house.

Settling down, I made myself comfortable…I’ll sleep for a spell. BUT I think I still might do a walk-about sometime.

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