When a dog's gotta do...

Tobia: "But why did you have to kill that hornet? As long as you don't bother it, it will not harm you. And you could have gotten hurt, you know. They are quite dangerous when angry."

Peggy: "Nonsense, they are not dangerous, just very unpleasant. It will of course sting if you don't know how to do it but you learn. Well, some do, I did. I doubt you will, should you ever try."

Tobia: "But you still haven't told me, why you didn't just let it go."

Peggy: "Because it is easier to kill the queen now, this way you don't have the offspring swarming all over the place when they go crazy in the fall.
As I always say: If you just choose the right moment, the work will be so much easier!"

Tiles

Tobia: "Thank God for tiles. At least I keep cool on one side. This heat is really something."

Peggy: "I agree that it is too hot to stay outside and I only go when it's absolutely necessary. But sleeping on the cold floor? Probably you'll get arthiritis if you don't watch out and then what? I would be a little more carefull if I were you (luckily I am not!)."

Money

Tobia: "Peggy, you know that some of our conversations are recorded and then written down? Perhaps we should let the readers know that we are quite happy to have and audience outside the garden. It gives me a sense of being heard, you know."

Peggy: "Well, I am happy that at least here there in these pages, people will have a few sensible, down to earth comments, if they have the time to read it. Personally I don't see how anyone can find the time to sit down for hours in front of that little box."

Tobia: "But you sit for hours looking at what goes on next door.... Anyway, I would like also to thank our readers for clicking on the advertisement links. From the money earned this way we might be able to finally buy our own dog treats."

Guests

Tobia: "You really liked the one with the glasses, didn't you. You were quite excited when you discovered who were here for dinner."

Peggy: "Well, he is nice to me, so I'm nice to him! And I was doing it in a nice way, not like someone else...."

Tobia: "But perhaps this means that my master will be going away? Or perhaps the tall one. I don't know why but I have a feeling that there might be changes coming. I have yet to understand whether they are permanent or just for a shorter period."

Peggy: "I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. So far we haven't been left alone for too long; if the tall one is going away or your dear master for that matter, somebody else will take their places."

Water

Tobia: "I do not like it and I fail to see why we must take baths. It's not that we smell - not compared to my master when he comes home late at night. And he can take a towel and dry himself quickly. For me it takes hours!"

Peggy: "Well, I can't say I like it either. I would prefer a swim in the lake, but I guess it is part of the package, doesn't change anything complaining and he can't stop me from doing my after bath treatment!"

Violence

Tobia: "Oh no, he has taken out the saw again, I don't want to see it. Why does he have to cut down trees all the time? What harm have they done? I try to tell him but he just laughs and calls me a sissy."

Peggy: "Well, you are. If you really wanted to prevent him, you should bark and bite, not run away. Besides we yet have to see him cut down a tree, so far he has just been pruning. We are not talking deforestation here!"

Tobia: "Still, I can't help feeling for those ... beings."

Peggy: "Just like you did for the young bird, you caught last night - nah, you didn't catch it, the stupid thing sat there waiting for you and almost jumped into your mouth. And you got so confused that you spit it out again. And of course he arrived in time to take it away from us. You're a disgrace!"

Everybody talks

Tobia: "Another hot day! I really don't like summer but I guess I already told you. It seems like the weather this year goes to extremes. Earlier we had weeks of rain... or was it for days...? Anyway it was cold too and now it's hot."

Peggy: "You are beginning to sound like the news casts: "Another heat wave has arrived!!!", "Temperatures rising!, "Is there a risk of drought?" Don't they have anything else to shout about? So far I don't see anything strange, summer usually is hot."

Tobia: "I was merely pointing to the fact that the weather is becoming more extreme."

Peggy: "So what, they've made a mess of it and now we just have to take the consequences! And that doesn't mean sitting down doing nothing! There are ditches to dig, pipes to clean, trees to plant. I could make you long list but I don't have the time and they are not listening anyway!"