Sunday, June 19, 2022

Sawflies and Dog Bums


This is our Philadelphus, or mock orange, which is blooming in profusion and really does smell like orange blossoms. The scent takes me right back to my Florida childhood. Unfortunately the blooms are already beginning to fade and the garden is carpeted with white petals, swirling like snow flurries with every gust of wind.

Those of you who predicted I would not do "absolutely nothing" yesterday, as I vowed, were correct. I managed to find a few things to keep me busy. One was transplanting and dividing an Astrantia that was buried deep in our rock garden and looking terrible. It turned out to be ridiculously root-bound in its little rock "pot" and now it's planted in a place where it can run free. (Well, half of it is -- the other half is in another pot.)

Anyway, no pictures of that because it looks terrible right now.


These little devils are back -- the larvae of the Solomon's seal sawfly, which are devouring our Solomon's seal plants. In past years I've picked them off and killed them to protect the leaves, but I recently read that the plants don't really suffer and as both the plants and the insects are native to the UK, the caterpillars should be tolerated as part of the natural environment. (They do have natural predators, like birds and wasps.) So this year I've been letting some of them hang around and do their thing.

In the afternoon I took Olga to the cemetery, and here's a video so you can tag along:


You'll see her rather lethargically chase some pigeons on West End Green, sniff along one of the cemetery paths past all the long grass and blooming roses, and you'll see a bee on some vetch in the cemetery's butterfly meadow. Finally, you'll see Olga get a post-walk treat in our kitchen -- I love the little hopping dance she does when she's excited. (It's a subtle hop -- don't expect anything too dramatic!)

A couple of times walking with Olga I've run into some neighbors from across the street -- let's call them M and S. They have a new staffy puppy which is very cute, but these two seem like the helicopter parents of the puppy world. The first time I saw them M asked whether Olga was friendly and vaccinated, and I said yes on both counts. She then explained that they were trying to accustom their dog to others, and would it be OK if she "presented" the puppy's bum for Olga to sniff? Bemused, I said "sure," and she held the puppy out back-end first, and Olga dutifully sniffed. The same thing would have happened if the puppy and Olga simply walked up to each other with no "presenting" involved, but whatever.

Anyway, yesterday I saw them again, and as we chatted M pointed to Olga's hind end and said, "Is she about to make a poo or is that just her bum?" Nothing looked out of the ordinary to me, so I said, "That's just her bum. She always looks like that." And S said, "She's an old lady!"

I was offended on Olga's behalf!

28 comments:

  1. I have had other dog owners asking if Alexi is " friendly" but not if he is vaccinated...as for the holding up for bum sniffing, that's a first, never seen that before! Weird people.
    Have a nice Sunday in the cooler weather.

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  2. The little hopping dance is adorable.

    Ooh, M and S would definitely push my buttons. I’d be tempted to present MY bum.

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  3. Making an award winning video, starring Miss Olga Squirrel-Tits with accompanying piano music, is not doing nothing!

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  4. Lovely video. Olga has the most interesting coat. She's moving fast for an old lady.

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  5. I love Olga's trot into the pigeons; she's not trying to 'get' them, she's just making sure they know she can ... if she wants to.

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  6. Is that a dentastix? our dogs love them. They know they have to sit to get one and you can hear their bums slap down on the floor when it is treat time! Olga seems to like making the pigeons scatter at her approach, such power!

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  7. Olga reminds me so much of my wonderful old Ogden. He was what we called in Brooklyn a pit=mix and lived to be thirteen. He had been badly abused before I found him and trusted no one but me. But with me he was the greatest dog ever.

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  8. Wait a minute- are you kidding me? I'm sorry but those new neighbors sound ridiculous. Have they no boundaries? I would be tempted to ask if M was about to make a poo or if that was just her face.
    Sorry. Sorry.
    (Not sorry.)
    The video with Olga was great. The music was perfect.

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  9. The video of Olga is so cute. I love how the pigeons move about 20 feet away. I guess they sensed no real threat.
    Your neighbors M and S are crazy. I'm pretty sure that butt-sniffing is inherent in all dogs and really doesn't need any absurd assistance like this. I think that puppy is gong to grow up expecting to have its mommy and daddy stick its butt end in all the dogs faces. LOL.

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  10. Great come back, Mary!! Olga is a magnificent lady dog I must say. She brightens the day. Beautiful cemetery stones /roses. M and S are in for a world of anxiety if this is how they treat their new pup. , presenting the bum is hilarious!
    Thank you so much for the video, perfect!

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  11. Aww, I love the video, especially at the end :D

    And what exactly DOES an old lady bum look like? I'm still laughing over Ms Moon's comment! But at least that puppy will be loved. There are so many animals who aren't.

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  12. I have a mock dogwood which looks almost exactly like a mock orange, the difference being the mock dogwood does not have a scent (or thorns), unfortunately for me. And your neighbors are just a little weird, 'presenting' her puppy's butt for sniffing. Minnie is perfectly happy to sniff other dog butts but she doesn't particularly like other dogs sniffing hers.

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  13. My biggest laugh came from Mitchell's comment! So funny!
    When I watched the video, my first thought was - what a happy life Olga has! Walks and treats! What's not to love about that!
    The new neighbors are strange and have to calm down about their puppy. Really!

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  14. Best 1:32 On The Web - What A Gal And Her Bum Carried The Show - Loved The Ants In Her Pants Over The Hand Out Treat - Snappy Little Tune There As Well - Thanx For Always Being Neighborly Brother Reed

    Cheers

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  15. That is definitely some helicopter doggie parenting. I can understand asking if a strange dog is friendly, but the rest...sheesh.

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  16. Dog Butt Fascination or DBF’s for short.

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  17. What a lovely video for my Sunday morning: upbeat music, beautiful scenery, and Olga!

    Those neighbors sound a little annoying. I might be tempted to tempted to avoid crossing paths with them (unless, of course, Olga has other ideas).

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  18. Your neighbors are really strange. It's interesting that they think they're engaging in normal conversations about dogs. Congratulations on making it to the end of the school year.

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  19. I enjoyed the little video, pigeon chasing and treat dance and all.
    Those neighbors sound a bit odd in their choice of conversation and that whole presenting thing. I believe dogs know how to greet each other without a lot of coaching. I'm offended by that "old lady" comment too. How rude!

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  20. Reminds me of new parents scheduling "tummy time" for their baby. Cracks me up.

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  21. Gotta say, these people seem a bit anal.

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  22. I came down here to say just what Marty said.

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  23. Frances: Yeah, the friendliness question is the only one I can recall in the past.

    Mitchell: HA!

    YP: Miss Olga Squirrel-Tits?!

    Boud: She doesn't do too badly but that's nothing compared to her younger self.

    Bob: I think she likes making them fly more than actually wanting to catch one.

    Wilma: Yes! Olga loves Dentastix. She never tires of them, and she's always had good teeth as a result.

    Peter: Olga could also be called a pit mix, I think, though I'm still vague on the differences between pit bulls (which are technically illegal in England) and staffordshire bull terriers (which are not).

    Ms Moon: RIGHT?! I was completely aghast. Such a rude thing to say. (I wish I'd thought of your comeback!)

    Robin: I'm sure those pigeons are used to dogs. Yeah, why didn't they just set the puppy down and let it and Olga get acquainted on their own terms?

    Linda Sue: They are clearly control freaks.

    Jenny-O: Well, that's true. It has a home.

    Ellen: Our mock orange doesn't have thorns. Do they usually?

    Ellen D: Yeah, Mitchell and Mary have the best retorts! Those dog owners DO need to just relax. I shudder to think what will happen if they have a baby.

    Padre: Isn't it hilarious, watching her bounce up and down to get a treat? She's such a goofball.

    Margaret: Yeah, that's pretty much the limit of reasonable caution!

    Ed: Ha! Their new nickname! "The DBFs."

    Kelly: Glad you liked it! The neighbors asked if they could knock on our door sometime so the dogs could have a "play date." I told them Olga is too old. LOL

    Allison: Exactly. That is just not a normal dog-owner conversation.

    Jim: Amen!

    Sharon: It was all very weird.

    Lynn Marie: As I said above, they also asked about a "play date" with Olga. Just take the puppy to the park! There are bound to be plenty of other dogs around!

    Marty: LOL! Dog anal!

    Mage: Right?!

    Debby: I wish I'd thought of it! LOL

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  24. That's quite a rude thing to say, I would be offended on Olga's behalf too. The video is lovely, did you play that piano accompaniment yourself?
    I love the smell of orange blossom.

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  25. I love the Mock Orange plant. I think Olga looks just fine. Enjoy your day, hugs, Edna B.

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  26. Definitely first time dog owners. I wonder what they were like (or will be) as human parents!

    That mock orange is just beautiful! And I'm glad you played in the garden. You deserve it.

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