Muskrat Love

Have you ever hummed along to a song, liking its tune, perhaps for years, without ever listening to the lyrics? I’ve done that with many songs, the most recent of which is Muskrat Love. Yesterday I really listened to the lyrics, and had to laugh at how silly they are!

Muskrat, muskrat candlelight
Doin' the town and doin' it right
In the evenin'
It's pretty pleasin'
Muskrat Susie, Muskrat Sam
Do the jitterbug out in muskrat land
And they shimmy
And Sammy's so skinny
And they whirled and they twirled and they tangoed
Singin' and jingin' the jango
Floatin' like the heavens above
It looks like muskrat love
Nibbling on bacon, chewin' on cheese
Sammy says to Susie "Honey, would you please be my missus?"
And she say yes
With her kisses
And now he's ticklin' her fancy
Rubbin' her toes
Muzzle to muzzle, now anything goes
As they wriggle, and Sue starts to giggle
And they whirled and they twirled and they tangoed
Singin' and jingin' the jango
Floatin' like the heavens above
It looks like muskrat love
La da da da da ...   ~Songwriters: WILLIS ALLAN RAMSEY

Seriously! “Nibbling on bacon, chewin’ on cheese”!! And what exactly does it mean by “ticklin’ her fancy”? I’ll still hum and sing along, but now with a laugh in my head.

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The other day I asked Spike to go get my socks. He went down the main hall, saw that the bedroom door was closed, so went around and tried another door, through another room. I thought that was pretty smart!

I started teaching Spike a new trick using clicker training yesterday – it is fun watching him learn and try new things to get the click. He is very deliberate in the behaviours he offers, pausing to see if that’s what I’m looking for, and trying something else if it doesn’t earn him the click. The clicker is a powerful training communication tool, and with all the treats, it is fun for him too!

The time change has me all discombobulated – how about you? But the good news is that it is finally warm enough for the little “snow bugs” are crawling about (another really good reason not to eat snow, in case you were so inclined!). I think they are snow scorpionflys, but not 100% sure.

Merikay commented yesterday about the difficulty in keeping with a healthy lifestyle when under a lot of stress. She isn’t kidding! It is so easy to reach for that unhealthy food, or pull the covers up over your head to avoid the stressors. We all know that doesn’t work though, and is a downward spiral.

I’m no expert, but what I’ve figured out is that making just one small change – a healthy breakfast, or 10 minutes on the treadmill, or getting outside with my camera for a few minutes – helps me to keep on track (usually). I can’t think about the whole picture – it overwhelms – but I find I can do one small thing. “I can do this” is what I say to myself over and over.

So, Merikay, get outside with your camera and take a few photos of your surroundings and post them on your blog.

 

And they whirled and they twirled and they tangoed ~Muskrat Love