10/22/2006 Always something new! I thought it might be interesting to type in a puzzle here. When I can figure out how to create a puzzle box on a blog, i'll let you know; Anyone have any suggestions?

Meanwhile, see if you can figure out the phrase in red by following the clues below:

1_ _ _ _ _ _ 2_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 3_ _ _ _ 4_ _ _ 5_ _ _ _

6_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

1. One of the inhabitants of central Europe prior to 1871
2. One who tends, guards, & protects sheep
3. Domesticated carnivores
4. Present indicative plural tense
5. Of the majority
6. Quick to comprehend

The answers will be on the next dig!

Yesterday was a most beautiful dog day afternoon! The leaves have begun to change color and they are falling in frolicking puppy piles of pleasure—I’m sure our two German Shepherd Dogs will be happy to help with the raking and stocking of firewood—their day begins and ends with a ball, a Frisbee, or a stick—no matter what the length! Here’s Mia, always a willing participant in putting a limb on the bon fire…while Bella pulls another branch off with her multi-dexterous paws…. What’s a gal to do but laugh at their innocence & frolic? With the weather turning cold, their friskiness is at an all-time high; our Shepherds can’t seem to decide if they would prefer to be indoors or out—thank goodness for the doggy door I made! But, because of the social nature of a German Shepherd Dog, they would much prefer us to play their game of jump & race around obstacles with them, which also means having us stay outside to enjoy the fresh air together. Although, their ‘concern’ about our health is wonderful—dang it can get cold out there!—a low of 24 and a high of 65 today; pretty drastic. The other night, Mia & Bella were having another barrage of Tussle & Run as they raced ‘round & ‘round in circles between the kitchen door and the two bedroom areas as fast as they could, while still playing “Catch Me If You Can”. It was a race to see who could outsmart the other as they backtracked & hid behind doorways & desks; I told you GSD’s are smart—Who do you think they learned that game from?! (But they always catch me—especially now that there are two dogs coming from separate directions)! Bella smacked into me & buckled my knees right out from under me, which caused my hip to displace. I have been nursing it in hopes that our 6-hr horseback ride on Saturday would serve to help knock it back into place. Well, that only aggravated it, so to the chiropractor I went—only to find that my disc is near the bursting point. But at least it doesn’t take me 5 minutes to sit on the john, anymore. Lol Needless to say I haven’t been in the mood for their high zest for dog play! But they are persistent, as Bella lays the Frisbee at my feet or Mia barks at me to get my attention to come to the door to play ball with them.

FACT: Black spots on the tongue can be found most prevalent on black & tan dogs such as: Chows, Labradors, Dobermans and our beloved German Shepherd Dogs.