We're having a great time.

SANDY: It seems like every day is a pool day now that the air has gotten warmer. I really like it out there, though I don't go in the water. My thing is to get a ball and hold onto it. As Jodie and Coco play, I run around and around, getting my exercise but not getting too wet. It's impossible to stay completely dry with Coco in and out of the pool, then shaking right next to me.

In the following three pictures I'm trying to get MY ball. Oh, I know that all the tennis balls look alike, but after I've had mine in my mouth for a while, I KNOW my ball. In the pictures, my ball is in the water because Dad missed the edge of the patio. I was making some real progress for a few moments, but Coco came along and took it away. She already had one in her mouth, but she had to have mine, too.

It worked out OK. I watched her come out of the pool and when she dropped the two balls, I darted in and quickly got mine.

Below you can see Jodie running around with a set of rings. She is the only one who bothers with them and she uses them to tease Dad. They will tug at the rings until Jodie gets them away and then she scamper around the pool, just out of Dad's reach. Every once in a while Dad will get close and grab at her tail. Jodie then runs like her tail's on fire.

Coco is Coco, and that's enough to say. I run with a ball in my mouth, Jodie runs with the rings, and Coco chases the ball in the pool. When Dad or anyone tosses a ball in the water, Coco is off like a jet. She brings the ball right back to the thrower and is ready to go again. She will keep this up until no one throws anymore. She may be wheezing and panting, but she won't quit. Sometimes when the grandkids are over, Dad or Mom has to step in and tell them to stop for awhile as Coco is almost exhausted.

JODIE: Sandy has everything just about right. I love playing tug and keep-a-way with Dad. I really don't worry about him grabbing my tail as I can sprint out of reach in a micro second. I also want to talk about the book Dad was reading to us. The dog's name kept changing. Every time we turned around he or she was being tutored or spade, and it seemed to lack continuity. I don't think Dad was giving us the whole story because sometimes he seemed to be reading silently, but his eyes were all watery.

I was going to turn this over to Coco, but she's out like a light.

Arf Arf for now.

Hello from sunny and warm Inverness

JODIE: Yup, Jodie here, and I'm enjoying the warm weather that we've been waiting for. We haven't been idle though. In fact we've had a couple of busy weeks. Mom's best friend, Roz, came down from Massachusetts for awhile and she said that she had a good time. Unfortunately, her stay here was during a cold spell so she didn't see the best weather. Also, our folk's son and grandchildren were here for the weekend and it's always a god time when they're here. They give us a lot of attention and they are sloppy eaters, so there's a lot of good things dropping on the floor.

Dad has been working at some AARP thing two days a week and Tuesday he came home with a book to read for us. It's no secret that Coco, Sandy, and I don't actually do the typing. We have a man (Dad) transcribe our thoughts into print. We also cannot read, though we do look at the pictures. OK, so Dad brought home a book written by a dog. The book is A Dog's Purpose, a novel for humans. Naturally, the dogs involved cannot type, so they have their own scribe, W. Bruce Cameron. After supper, we go in the bedroom and while we three canines stretch out on the bed, Dad sits in the easy chair and reads. It starts out with Tobey's first recollection as a newborn puppy and tells about him growing up. That's all we heard so far, but we expect to get the next chapter or two tonight. (A note from the scribe... there are some graphic sections dealing with unsavory topics and I censor these from the girls. They do not need to hear of the trauma. My reaction is bad enough)

Anything else we should say Coco?

COCO: You should mention that now that the weather has improved we've been spending the days in the pool. We've been playing fetch in the yard, and we have become a lot more active. Sandy?

SANDY: You could also mention that my heartworm treatment is over and I can now romp with you two with abandon.

COCO: Yes, Sandy has become much more active. In fact, she is the fastest of us three. It used to be that when we played fetch, I wouldn't chase the first ball. Jodie is so much faster than I that chasing the first ball was futile. Now, Jodie doesn't chase the first ball either. Sandy is so fast that Jodie has no chance of grabbing the first ball thrown. So we go in order. sandy fetches the first ball with no interference from Jodie or me. Jodie fetches the second ball with out interference from me, and I fetch the last ball. Fortunately for me, Sandy keeps the first ball in her mouth and runs around. Jodie keeps the second ball. I return the third ball and it gets thrown over and over. Jodie and Sandy run after me, but I am the only true retriever.

JODIE: Coco is right. Sandy is so much taller, lighter, and younger than Coco and I that we cannot keep up with her. Even when I was her age, I don't remember having that much energy.

SANDY: Well, thanks girls. That was a nice compliment. Now, about the adventures of Tobey.....as Dad reads the story to us, we'll keep you up dated on what we know. We'll have more to say later.