United Friends Challenge #56 - The Harley Dogs' Diary...

Well, it's been a while since I have done any of these challenges... AND... since it was my turn to set it... & because I've been battling a really bad headache all week... I went the easy route with my challenge... Here's the details...

Write on any previous Challenge to which you have not yet responded.
Be sure to include a link to this Challenge AND the one you choose!

Another reason I chose to do this type of a challenge, is because there was at least one from the past I missed completely & I wanted to do it. Furthermore, the group now has quite a few new authors... So, I wanted to give them a chance to do some they had missed.

The past challenge I chose was #47 from ZeeZee Writer & it is as follows:

Write a story in Diary form. Must be at least 200 words.
June 5th 2008 Dear Diary.... can be funny, sad, tragic etc.

Before I give you my story... here is a link to more great stories from my challenge. Also, a little disclaimer to my story below... The entries are from the site I created for my dogs Coleman & Sunny. (aka: The Harley Dogs.) HOWEVER... to be true to myself (& because it's been almost a year since I blogged anything for them) I posted another entry today & included it in this diary format.

If you click on their name above... (As with all the other links in this posting... it should open up a new tab / window.) ... & send them (me) an invite, you can keep up to date with their antics (meaning other things I post to their site).

Now that the "official business" is out of the way... on with today's challenge... (which by the way is not really fiction... it's just written in the 1st person perspective, as if Coleman (or Sunny) was talking... unless otherwise noted.)

 The Harley Dogs' Diary

5-20-07 - DEAR DIARY...

Hi, I'm Coleman (on the right in the photo way at the top) & next to me is Sunny. What we normally do... sleep! Ok... I don't sleep as much as the little girl. (Ok, she's not THAT little, but smaller than me!)

I'll be doing most of the writing since Sunny so lazy! (Wait, maybe I shouldn't write that... she may see it. WHO AM I KIDDING?!?!)

Monday through Friday we're usually at home with our mom. (a.k.a. Lady Harley) She's great a GREAT lady! (More about her & Dad later!) & our job, according to Dad is to sleep & bark at the mailman. (However, we don't always hear him.)
Sometimes on the weekends, we get to go to Mom's farm, were she grew up.

Since we live in the city, we get to run free when we get there. Sunny has made friends with the Todd, Buster, Bianca & Sassy... But for some reason I just can't get close to them. Buster is scared of me... but what he doesn't know is I am more scared of him. Todd, he's just an old man. Bianca & Sassy, well, they're just little things & usually stay out of our way.

Oh, I can't forget the fun we have chasing all the farm kitty's!  Seems like every time I turn around there's another. Sunny enjoys running them up the pine tree in the front yard. So, I tend to follow. (I'm not chasing them, I'm herding them!! That's what I was born to do!!)

One day I found something that smelled real good & so I rolled around in it. Well, it must not be to attractive... because Dad sprayed me with water soon as he saw me. I don't get it... we had just had a bath the day before, I was just trying to get rid of the perfume they put on me!

Besides getting to run to my heart's content, we both enjoy the ride in the truck or car to get there. Soon as Mom or Dad says RIDE, we both jump up & down with excitement.

When we get home we're so tired, so we pretty much sleep the next couple of days. However, since, I have to guard the house... it seems every time I start to fall a sleep someone is walking
down the alley with their mom or dad. I bark to let Mom & Dad know someone is outside.

Too bad we live in the city, because when I have to go potty, my parents have to put me on a leash. Sunny doesn't always have to be on leash (which I'm jealous of!) Maybe it's because she's getting fat & slow in her old age. (But she's younger than me by a couple years.) Well, ok, she's not that slow... when she sees a bunny or cat (after I bark!) she takes off like crazy. She's funny, though, most times she's not running, but rather bounces like a rabbit.

I do sure say we have it made though. We have our own couch in the room where Mom & Dad work on the computer. When they're not here that's usually where we stay.

Sometimes Sunny is a grouch & growls at me to get off, so I go sleep by the door.

When Mom & Dad are home, Sunny pretty much follows Dad around. I float between Mom & Dad. It just depends who's moving around the most. However, my choice is Mom. She's always petting me. When Dad gets home he will run with me around the house. I just absolutely love running! (Sunny sometimes joins us, but almost always stays on one of the couches.)

Can you tell who the smart one is? Ha Ha!! I have her beat by miles! She is SO silly! Once, she tried to bury one of her bones in under my tail. SERIOUSLY!! I didn't notice it until Dad & Mom about died laughing. Mom was laughing so hard she couldn't breathe. That's when I turned & looked at Sunny & thought, "You've got to be kidding me!"

She's always tries to bury bones. I don't know why, because I still can see them... I told you she's not that smart!

Oh, by the way, I am a Border Collie about 7 years old, (if you couldn't tell by the picture.)

Sunny, well, she's part Corgi is all we know. (She think she's about 4 years old... maybe older.)

Neither of us remember are biological parents. Mom rescued Sunny after me. She was named Sunny because the collar she had on had sunflowers on it. Her middle name is Hale, because
that's the name of the store she was running loose when Mom rescued her. Just in time, too... according to Dad she was skin & bones when Mom brought her home. I didn't really pay attention. I just know I can't see her ribs like I did when she first arrived.

I was in a pet store before Mom brought me home. She went after dog food for Jake the beagle (he's since passed away) & came home with me. Maybe it was my charm? I am just thankful for her getting me out of the cage. I had a rough start in life.

The rescue group told my mom that they found me in a Coleman cooler with the lid barely on. (I guess that's how I got my name!) That was about 7 years ago.

I do have to say we truly love where we are now! Mom & Dad loves us & it shows!!

Well, it's a gorgeous day out & Mom has the back door open & I hear a lot of noise outside, I think I'll go investigate. It's time to go out anyway & do our thing.

Ok, Mom looks busy, I'll just go lie down for a little bit. We were at the farm yesterday... hey what's that, oh just another car flying down the alley by our house. Anyway, we're still worn out... so I'll wait until Mom says my favorite words... "Outside, potty".

Until next time...

6-4-07 - Dear Diary...
June already??

Hi again all! It's still me, Coleman... Sunny is sleeping, like usual!

This picture is something I don't like!! STORMS!! When it thunders, I run to the back door & try to bark it away. Sometimes it works! (Sunny, well she just sleeps through it... just like about everything else!)

So, what have we been up to lately. Just the usual. Sleeping, eating, & barking at neighbors.

Oh, we have gone to Mom's farm a couple times. (I stand corrected, it's Grandma's farm.) The last time we didn't stay long. I think because I kept barking at everyone. I didn't mind because it was extremely hot that day.

It's been quite hot for a while. So much, Mom slept a lot last week, so she couldn't help me with my blog.

However, the last few days it's been rainy. Needless to say, when it's like that we have to wait to go outside. But we do go out in the rain when it just won't stop.

We were both lonely a couple weeks ago when Mom was gone for awhile. I heard her say she was at the farm. (Why didn't she take us?) Oh, we were just alone while Dad was at work.

Then she came back! We were SO HAPPY!! I could smell the farm dogs on her. So, I know she was there!

However, the other day she disappeared what seemed like days (was actually only about 30 hours)... & when she came home, she had some other smells... NEW DOGS!! (She was at her sister's & they have 2 dogs, too. Lewis & Copper.) Mom told me we'd love Copper... but Lewis is huge & would probably scare us into the corner.

I think I'd chase him in the corner. (Note from my mom: NOT! Lewis is a huge 185lb Newfoundland.)

Today, like most weekdays, we're just lazying around. It's not as hot as it had been. Especially not since Dad put this big box in the window downstairs. It's a weird looking box, but I don't care, because it blows cool air!!

Well, it was an early day... so I'm going to go & sleep.

Good night!

6-21-07 - Dear Diary...

Well, I think Coleman has his fun here... my turn now! I'm Sunny & I just love this season! Great time to get out & enjoy the weather.

Ok, maybe I do just lay on the couch most of the day... but if I wasn't so old & tired I'd be out there running around with Coleman!

Speaking of tired... it's late... I just wanted to say Hi to everyone!

I think I'll leave the blog stuff to Coleman, he's better at it than I am. We'll see!
Night!

7-2-07 - Dear Diary... TRIP TO THE FARM!!
We made it to the farm yesterday. This photo, however is of Sunny on 5-6-07. It's the only one Mom (Lady Harley) has of us at the farm... So far!  (Though we don't stay still long enough to get a good picture.)

I think I am finally starting to make friends with Buster... Well, I ignored him long enough to go chase some of the farm cats & explore a little. (That is before Mom called us to go home.)

It was a short time, but I enjoyed it. (I think Sunny did too... because she actually was able to keep up with me, for the most part... Dad says it's due to the new dog food we are getting.)

There's people outside, so, I'm going to go now so I can bark at them!

P.S. The white dog in the photo is Bianca (a Maltese) & the Yorkie is Sassy. Grandma Ann is partially in the photo too.

7-15-07 - Dear Diary...

Hi! This is Lady Harley / "Mom"...

Since Coleman & Sunny are sleeping, I thought I'd take time to share a couple funny things about them.

1st is this picture... That is Sunny... she crawls under the sheet or blankets on the couch when it's cold... So much sometimes she can't get out without our help!

The other is... Sunny loves to bury the bones we give her... well one night she decided to bury one under the Coleman's tail!!!!

We laughed so hard watching Sunny move Coleman's tail back & forth until she thought it was buried good enough.

The funniest part was, Coleman never moved!! (Yes, this actually happened!!)

Thanks for stopping by & I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!

7-13-08 - Dear Diary... I'm back!

Hey, I'm back!  This is Coleman again... & ... well Mom (Lady Harley) has really not been keeping up her end by blogging for Sunny & me. Maybe doing her writing challenge will inspire her to write more for us too!

Actually there is nothing much going on since we had a real entry a little over a year ago...

One thing you'll notice is, this is now on a different site... since Yahoo 360 decided to abandon fixing the glitches, Mom was introduced to this site & it's turned out to be WAY better.

Sunny is still burying her bones in unusual places, such as under Dad's pillow... While Dad is trying to sleep... And she still sleeps a lot. I, too, have been sleeping a lot. I guess I'm starting to feel my age. (Which is about 8 (human) years).

However, when Dad or Mom is up moving around, I'm usually not far behind. I do still love to run when I get the chance... however, Mom (with help from others) removed the carpet out of the kitchen... & now that floor is so slippery I can't keep my feet from going out from under me. Mom did put some rugs down so I can get from the living room to the computer / back (what some may call a mud room) room where Sunny & I have our own couch!

And so I can go to the back door & bark when I need to go out & potty. I now do my running outside... but I can't go too far because they put me on a leash. They say it's for my own good... but I don't understand. I just want to go for a run & have some fun!! (I think Mom is scared I won't come back. I love her & Dad... of course I would come back... if I don't get lost!)

Mom is talking about taking us to the farm this week or next, depending on the weather. I am looking forward to that!! Here kitty, kitty, kitty!!!

We have not been to the farm in a LONG time... I hear it's due to gas prices... whatever that means. We also have not been to the groomers in a long time... However, Mom's friend, Passion Wolf came over a couple weekends ago & helped Mom give us a bath.

EEK! I so do not like baths!!! & This one the water was from the hose & was a little cold. However, it was on one of them HOT days & it helped me cool down. They did have warm water in a bucket to mix.

After I was done I shook & shook & shook... I still wasn't dry a few hours later when Dad got home. However we smelled better! (How is it Sunny was completely dry in a matter of an hour? ... maybe it's because she's smaller than me?)

Well, that's all for now... I'm going back to sleep!

(That photo at the beginning (way up there...) is, of us is one from 2005 that Mom found in her stash. Sunny has a lot more white fur on her face now. I'll make sure Mom post a more recent one next time.)

Ok... not only have I met my challenge... but you are now caught up with all that was on The Harley Dogs site... so, if you send me (them) an invite, you won't be behind... (oh, I did not include, above, the 2 unrelated blogs you will see... they were just graphics... one for my sister's birthday & the other for 9-11.)

Coming up next (hopefully later today)... My version of "Blogging every 2 hours for 1 year." ... as I said... MY VERSION... Just wait, you'll see!