It's A Cruel, Cruel Summer...Redux

A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows.

~~ St. Francis of Assisi

Wake me when Summer's over.

That is not drool. Really. I am manifesting snow, but it keeps melting.

~~ MOMENT OF BEAUTY ~~

Francois Boucher, The Rising of the sun, circa 1753

Bonifacio Veronese, An Architectural Capriccio with Elegant Figures and Animals Promenading in an Ornamental Garden, circa early 16th Century

Back to me...

*snooze

Is Summer over?! Please let me see snow!

*sigh...No snow. And Summer is still here, stronger than ever. Nap time again. I hope I don't get muscle atrophy.

I am aware of fried green tomatoes, but is there such a thing as fried black and white malamute? If not, there might be if this heat doesn't end soon. I'm just sayin'...

Happy 4th of July

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

~~ The Declaration of Independence, Ratified on July 4, 1776

Let Freedom Ring! Happy 4th of July! On this day 235 years ago the Second Continental Congress ratified the Declaration of Independence, thus giving the colonies their independence from Great Britain and King George III. As you can see, I am celebrating by wearing my "Spirit of 76" hat and scarf set. It is an original purchased in 1976 during the year-long 1976 Bicentennial Celebration of America's 200 years of Independence. Pretty snazzy, huh?

Paws crossed for America, and the World, to live in Truth, Honesty, Integrity, Kindness, Courage, Compassion, Joy, Happiness, Goodness, Peace, and Love.

O.K., it is about 90 degrees out, I am a little hot here.

~~ MOMENT OF BEAUTY ~~

John Trumbull, Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776, circa 1819

John Binns, Declaration of Independence, circa 1818

Back to me...

I flew in to join in the festivities!

But where's my "Spirit of 76" gear?

Porgy, quick, look over there!

No, wrong way, look over here! Hurry!

"Suka, I don't see anything." BOL! I love teasing Porgy!

To get into the spirit of July 4th my human, K, was humming "Yankee Doodle Boy" (a great watch, especially for vintage lovers!). Not to be outdone patriotically, I decided to howl "Yankee Doodle." K approved of my pick and explained how the British brought the tune to America during the French and Indian Wars. It was used sarcastically, to mock the appearance of the colonial "Yankees." However, in true American fighting spirit, when the Revolution began the Americans adopted the song as a rallying tune and made it their own. When the British surrendered at Yorktown on October 19, 1781, the American army band played "Yankee Doodle" to celebrate the American victory. So, in true Suka fighting spirit, I will make the song my own!

"Yankee Suka took a walk,
and there he saw a bunny;
he almost had him in his mouth,
but it farted and that was funny."

Well, it rhymes. I'm just sayin'...

Stylin' Suka

I will reveal to you a love potion, without medicine, without herbs, without any witch’s magic; if you want to be loved, then love.

~~ Hecato (a.k.a. Hecaton) of Rhodes, Greek Stoic Philosopher, 100 BC

Chillin' in style.

I've been stylin' in my new international dog collar. Like it? My beautiful and lovely kitty cat friend Kika, from Portugal, sent me my winnings from her belly contest, and the very cool dog collar I am wearing was one of the gifts. Isn't it awesome? My human, K, loves how it is so sturdy and strong, and I love the fun design and the great colors. It is also very comfortable. Thank you Kika!

Now with my new collar I will be stepping out in style!

Also included were these two very cute magnets. K already has them on the refrigerator. She really likes them.

I hope these are holding up photos of me on the 'fridge!

My wonderful gifts from Kika!

Kika, you have great taste! Thank you again for such wonderful winning gifts! You rock!

Don’t I look dapper in my international dog collar?

Another angle, for your viewing pleasure.

~~ MOMENT OF BEAUTY ~~

Gerrit Dou, A Sleeping Dog Beside A Terracotta Jug, A Basket, And A Pile Of Kindling Wood, circa 1650

Cave Canem [Beware of Dog], mosaic on the floor of the entrance hall to the House of the Tragic Poet in Pompeii, Italy, circa 50 A.D. (?)

Back to me...

Some, if not all, of you may have noticed my absence for over a week from the blog-o-sphere. {At least I hope I was missed!} K said we had to step away from the internet for a while because some other issues were taking precedence. Can you imagine? What could possibly be more important than my blogging?! Well, the good news is I am back! At least for now. I am not sure for how long since K has indicated we may need to step away at least one more time, if not a few more times. So while I am here, let me say that we, both K and I, missed all of you terribly. We really value all of our blog friendships and we hate when we are away and missing all the events going on in your lives. So even though I am not physically blogging, I always have you in my thoughts!

Perhaps if I look desperate enough K will let me blog.

I'm bored.

Any more gifts coming in the mail?

♪♪♪ “Don’t you forget about me…”♪♪♪ K said my blogging friends won't forget me during my absence. I am sure she is correct. I have the best blogging friends any dog could woof for! Plus, I am simply unforgettable! Or is that simply irresistible? I’m just sayin’…

Bronze Belly

Our minds are like our stomachs; they are whetted by the change of their food, and variety supplies both with fresh appetites.

~~ Marcus Fabius Quintilian, Roman Rhetorician and Orator, 35 - 96 AD

Just call me Bronze Belly Suka! You may recall that my very sweet and cool cat friend, Kika, had a fun belly contest for both cats and dogs. Well, I was awarded third place - Bronze! I would like to thank all of my great friends who took the time to sniff their way over to Kika’s contest to vote for me. It is much appreciated, and I am a lucky pup to have such amazing friends!

Belly of a Champion!

The first place - Gold - belly honor went to my sweet and fun dog pal, Chicco. Way to go, Chicco! In Chicco’s winning belly picture he added the cuteness factor by sticking out his tongue. Very clever, Chicco!

Maybe I should have upped my cuteness factor by adding in some puppies and kitties.

This year Bronze, next year, the Gold! To do that I must start work on toning up my tummy to reach gold standards. My first step is to decide on the “how." Good old-fashioned calisthenics are always a sure thing, such as the exercises taught by Bernarr Macfadden or Jack LaLanne. But authentic yoga or a powerful martial art would also do the trick. Where are my treats? I need to eat as I mull over my choices.

Time to get serious. How do I achieve Gold belly?

~~ MOMENT OF BEAUTY ~~

François Perrier, Aeneas and His Companions Fighting the Harpies, circa 1646-1647

Luca Giordano, Aeneas Defeats Turnus (Enea Vince Turno), circa 1664

Back to me...

Let the battle for Gold begin! I will now demonstrate my first set of exercises, which I think are excellent for toning up the tummy. I like to call this Suka's Stretch and Slide Nose Dive:

First - and this is the most important step - find a lovely scent. Wild animal poop is usually the most commonly used, and the easiest to find.

Next, place head, neck, and shoulders flat on ground with behind up. Feel the stretch!

Now slide and twist the head, neck, and shoulders all around the scent. Keep that behind up!

Breath in deeply and hold the position.

Release breath. Relax.

Now remember, wild animal poop is the best, but a dead fish is also excellent if you can find one. There are many options of lovely scents out there, so explore and be creative! But please, don't ever use another dog's poop, because, well, that is just wrong. I'm just sayin'...

Memorial Day and My Peep

The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it.

~~ Thucydides, Greek Historian and Author, 460 – 395 BC

Happy Memorial Day! Today is a bittersweet day of both celebration and remembrance. Originally called Decoration Day, it is the day we set aside each year to honor and remember those who have died in our Nation’s service. Officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, National Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, Memorial Day celebrated its first observance a few weeks later, on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.

My Pack and I humbly honor and salute all the humans and animals who have given their lives in service. Rest in Peace.

Woofing of peace, it is time to put an end to all these nasty wars so people and animals the World over can once again live in harmony, beauty, happiness, and love.

Paws crossed!

Rainbows and sunshine! Just what the World needs!

~~ MOMENT OF BEAUTY ~~

Sébastien Slodtz, Hannibal Counting the Rings of the Roman Knights Killed During the Battle of Cannae, circa 1687-1704

Ernst von Bandel, Hermannsdenkmal (Hermann Monument), Dedicated to Arminius (also known as Hermann), circa 1838-1875

Back to me...

Some of you may have noticed that many pet bloggers are participating in Sarge’s very cool Holiday Event "Peeps on Parade." While my human, K, unfortunately did not participate in Sarge's event, she liked the idea of introducing the human behind the pet blog. So, as a change of pace, and for the first time ever, my human's photo graces my blog. May I present to you my peep, K! And her beautiful mom!

My human, K, (right) and her mom (left) in St. Paul, Minnesota, overlooking the mighty Mississippi River. Circa 1999. {Click on photo to enlarge.}

I have great love for K's mom. When K headed to California to try and make a go of it, and could not take me, K's mom took me in and gave me excellent care. She also helped me to handle my sadness of being away from K. I really had a great time hanging with K's mom and we had a lot of fun. Sadly, in 2005 during my stay, she passed away. God rest her Soul. We really miss her. K's mom's favorite charity was Disabled American Veterans. So on this Memorial Day, we also honor all the wounded Vets and pray they get the help and assistance they need, and deserve.

You may have noticed that the photo is 12-years-old. I think K looks very much the same, except add about 12 years of the ravaging effects of horrible human aging graceful aging. When I asked K why she finally relented to putting a photo of herself on my blog she said, "everybody else is on the internet, so I thought I would be too." Sounds good to me! Hey...what a minute...that sound vaguely familiar. I'm just sayin'...

Stormy Times and Tummies

“Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness.”

~~ Lucius Annaeus Seneca a.k.a. Seneca The Younger, Roman philosopher, 4 - 65 Century AD

It has been hard to be a happy dog these past few days as severe storms and tornadoes have been devastating so many lives in and around where I live – Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and a few other Midwestern states. I know that my Pack and I have been very blessed to have been spared the worst of these storms, and for that we are very grateful. But such tragedies over the past few days have put a sadness in the air and our hearts cry for those who have lost loved ones and/or their livelihoods in these powerful storms. We send our prayers to all those affected by the storms.

A hiatus from the storms.

Very windy.

What do I see on the horizon?

Storm clouds, a common sight lately.

Silvius, perhaps it is time to head back home.

Wait, is that bunny I smell? Hey, I smelled it first Silvius!

Sad for all those hurt by the storms and hoping the sun comes out and brings healing.

~~ MOMENT OF BEAUTY ~~

Etienne-Maurice Falconet, Tender Sadness, marble, circa 1761-1763

Corrado Giaquinto, The Birth of the Sun and the Triumph of Bacchus, fresco, circa 1762-1763

Back to me...

“It is a hard matter, my fellow citizens, to argue with the belly, since it has no ears.”

~~Marcus Porcius Cato, Roman Statesman, 234 – 149 BC

My thoughts exactly! What tummy grumbles, tummy gets. Speaking of tummies, or bellies, whichever you prefer, I am in a belly contest! My adorable kitty cat friend from Portugal, Kika, is holding a cat and dog best belly contest. Because of the overwhelming number of belly entries submitted, Kika has put the contest on one of her other blogs. You can view and vote for the bellies here: cat bellies and dog bellies. You are allowed two votes total: one for a cat, and one for a dog. On the dog page I am lucky number 13, so please vote for my belly! However, my sweet Italian friend Chicco [Ciao, Chicco!] is also in the contest, and is number 2. If you prefer Chicco's tummy, then please vote for Chicco. Or, just vote for whichever tummy you find to be the cutest. Voting is open from 26 May – 31 May. May the best belly win! I just hope it is mine. No pressure. Really. No pressure at all. But remember, the more votes, the happier my belly, and a happy belly makes for a happy Suka. I’m just sayin’…