Ole's Office

In past blogs I've mentioned that Ole wore a three-piece suit, white shirt and tie to the office for 30 years. He retired at 55, and that's a few years ago now, but we just won't say how many. Since he retired I haven't been able to get him to wear anything more formal than a flannel shirt, blue jeans and cowboy boots. But, believe it or not, he still goes to his office every day. Now, mind you, I didn't say it was the SAME office, but he does go to his office.

Here's a picture of it. It's his F250 three-quarter ton truck.

Can't you tell by all the important papers lined up on the dash in front of the steering wheel? His XM radio, the box of milk bones and the phone book all placed strategically on the dash? I told him the other day that I was going to take a picture of the inside of his "office" so he must have gotten busy and straightened it out because it's usually piled so high with important stuff that the window defrosters can't blow on the windshield. And in Minnesota, that's pretty important. Oh yes, there's also about six inches of dog hair all over everything because his dogger buddies are a very integral part of this office.

That's Beau on the left and Daisy on the right.

You see, he needed a big truck so his buddies would have plenty of room to wander around in the back. Since this picture was taken he's put "sideboards" on the back of the truck so there's no danger of them falling out when they lean way over the sides to get their noses into the wind better. But it's too cold for them to ride in the back now, so they ride in the front.

Here's coming -

And here's going -

Ole often says the truck is their truck - they just let him drive it. Under no circumstances does that truck leave the yard without Beau and Daisy in it. And if they're waiting in the truck while Ole is doing something in a store, you better not touch their truck either. They'll let you know, whether they're in the back or the front, that touching their truck is completely against their rules. Ole says they're the best "chick magnet" he's ever seen. When he's in town all the pretty young girls, (and the old ones,too) roll down their windows at the stop signs and want to talk to the doggers. Of course they're more than willing to oblige with a bark or two and lots of tail wagging.

Ole goes to the gym three times a week and the doggers wait patiently inside the truck until he comes out. Then they go to either Burger Time or McD's and have burgers and fries for lunch. In the summertime they stop for a DQ sometimes, and entertain everyone in the parking lot because Ole always shares.

Another mandatory job of Ole's office is to take the doggers for their nightly run. They live in dog heaven - we've got five acres in the country that they can run freely on whenever they please, patrolling the yard and keeping it free of rabbits and squirrels. After all they have to earn their keep somehow. But every night at 5 o'clock they start poking Ole in the leg - it's time to go for a run. So Ole and I hop in the truck, put the doggers in the middle now that it's cold (believe me that gets crowded) and cruise the country roads while they run the ditches scaring up gophers and rabbits and an occasional skunk.

Yup - that's right - skunks. Most of them are hibernating now, but occasionally on a nice warm day they come out about dusk and if they happen to run into Daisy, they let her have it. She just doesn't learn. One week she got skunked twice. Beau on the other hand seems to be just a bit smarter. After he got skunked the first time he now turns tail and runs when they come across one. I guess Daisy just has a more controlling attitude and isn't going to let the skunk get the best of her. Little does she know that she's really the loser in that situation. Then somebody has to come home and scrub the smell out of her. Glad they're not MY dogs (snicker).

Life is entertaining at times.

Love Lena

ADDITIONAL INFO ABOUT OLE'S OFFICE:

As K-Lo so kindly reminded me - I forgot to tell you how nationally famous the doggers are. Click on the link below and watch the video all the way to the end. Maybe you saw it on the national news when it first came out - if you did you just didn't know who those guys were at the end. Now you know - It's Ole and the doggers!!

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=5923649

Okay People, You Better be in AWE

Last Monday Ole came home from town a bit confused. That's truly not normal for Ole. He's usually got his wits about him all the time. When I asked him what the problem was he said, "I got videoed today."

"Okay, so what's the problem here? What local TV station shot the video?"

"Well, I really don't know. Neither the camera nor the vehicle was marked with any identifying channel numbers. This guy walked up to the truck on the corner of Main & Broadway and started shooting video of me and the doggers. When the light turned green I had to take off so I never had the opportunity to ask questions."

"Okay, then. We'll just have to try to watch all the local news stations tonight to see what's up."

So that night we flipped from one station to another (men are good at that you know, and Ole's got it perfected). Flip, flip, flip until I thought I would go crazy from the dizziness of it all - and - nothing. No video of the doggers in the back of the truck or Ole in the front.

That was Monday.

Today (Wednesday) Ole went to the gym and was overwhelmed by all the people who had seen him and the doggers on NATIONAL TV on Tuesday night. Well, maybe not overwhelmed because there were only three or four, but that's more than one, right? One woman, who also owns dogs, said she was jumping up and down as the clip came on ABC and was telling her husband, "There's Beau and Daisy!" Of course her husband had no idea who Beau and Daisy were - possibly mutants from the Dukes of Hazard or some such thing. But no, there they were in all their glory on a NATIONAL TV film clip, riding down Main Avenue in their truck with Grandpa as a chauffeur. Beau is a camera ham so of course he turned around and barked at the guy. Daisy, with her arrogant attitude, was more concerned about watching Grandpa through the rear window to make sure he drove legally (after all she's a police dog you know), or that he didn't get stolen by this character holding the camera.

So I just want you all to know that you need to hold Beau and Daisy in awe. Maybe some of your doggers (Hey, Stella, are you listening?) could become their PAWparazzi? Beau would love that, Daisy would only get grumpy because some other dogger might get too close to Grandpa!!

Oh, by the way, just in case you didn't catch it on the ABC Nightly News last night at 5:30 - here's a copy (turns nose in the air to those you haven't seen it yet)!

NoDak's No-Nonsense Stand on the Bailout
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=5923649

Love, Lena (even if you don't have famous dogs!)