But we walked along and walked along looking for those century plants and there it was.

Not a century plant, but an intruder on my trails. I’m not sure what it is, but I’m going to investigate.

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This thing is pretty nervy. It must think it owns part of my trails. I tried getting up closer to take a better look, but there was a fence around it. I checked to see if I could find a way to get inside the fence.

I didn’t see any way in.

So I went over to the other side.

I didn’t have any luck there either.

What am I to do? This thing should not be on my trails – especially not with a fence around it.

If I could get to it, it wouldn’t be so bad. At least I could mark it so everybody would know it was mine. I mean, everything on my trails is mine – after all, they are my trails.

So this thing doesn’t have the right to set itself on my trails and construct a fence. This will definitely need some further investigation.

And the worst part is that I got so distracted when this thing showed up that I forgot all about looking for the elusive century plant. I guess I’ll have to go find that another day.

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English: Daniel’s Answer to the King (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

My person started telling me about that Daniel guy again – you know, the one who likes to eat vegetables, but I told her that if there wasn’t any meat in this story, and maybe some animals too, I didn’t want anything to do with it.

And you know what my person said? She said Daniel was the meat in this story and there are animals in the story too. I guess I have to let her tell me the story now.

When Darius was king of Babylon he had three governors over the land and Daniel was one of them. But Daniel did so well that King Darius thought about putting him over everything. The other people in charge didn’t like this at all so they tried to find something Daniel was doing wrong, but they couldn’t.

Hey person, this story isn’t going so well. Where’s the meat and the animals? I don’t have much patience person. You’d better get to it quick or I’m leaving the room. Talk fast.

The other governors and people in charge figured the only way they could find fault with Daniel was through the law of his God, so they tricked King Darius into signing a decree that said for the next 30 days no one could petition any god or man except the king, and if they did they would be thrown into the lion’s den.

Lions? There are lions in this story?

Okay person, you can keep going.

Daniel knew about the decree, but he went and knelt down and prayed to his God like he always did.

The men who had talked King Darius into signing the decree went and told on Daniel. King Darius was very upset because he liked Daniel, but the law of the land said that once a decree had been signed it couldn’t be changed, even by the king.

So Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den.

Now I get it. Daniel really was the meat. Hey person, I might not like that Daniel only eats vegetables but that doesn’t mean that I want him to be eaten by lions.

Okay, I’ll keep listening. But please don’t put all the scary details in. I’m kind of starting to like Daniel.

When they threw Daniel into the lion’s den the king said to him, “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.”

The king couldn’t sleep all night and early in the morning he went to the lion’s den and called out to Daniel, asking if his God had been able to deliver him from the lions.

Daniel told the king that God had sent an angel to shut the lion’s mouths so they wouldn’t hurt him, because Daniel had done no wrong before God or before the king.

The king was very happy and declared that the God of Daniel is the living God.

Hey person, I bet those were friendly lions and they just cuddled up with Daniel all night.

They were what? They were so hungry that they started gobbling their next meal before it hit the bottom of the den?

I’m sure glad an angel doesn’t shut my mouth.

But today our sky was really smoky. It wasn’t just coming from one direction, it was everywhere. I don’t get it. If that fire is almost out, where is the smoke coming from?

My person got online and found out where that smoke originated (is that a word?). And do you believe it? New Mexico doesn’t want their smoke so they’re sending it to us. Talk about throwing your garbage into your neighbor’s yard.

If New Mexico wants to break records and have the biggest fire they’ve ever had in their history, then they need to take everything that goes with it. After all, we didn’t want to break any records. We’re putting our fires out, and we kept our smoke here.

I think I may have to get a new hat for my collection. I’m going to have to become Inventor Dog. I want to invent a giant net that will gather up all that smoke, or maybe a big screen will do it. I could call it a smoke screen.

And once I have all that smoke gathered up I’m going to put it on a big truck and haul it back to New Mexico.

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The other day, on my trails I had my chance. We were walking along and we came across a black dog. But you know what my person did? She made me wait until the black dog and her people had walked further along. Then she made me turn down a different trail so we wouldn’t meet that black dog again.

We got to the place where we usually turn around, and guess what? We found that black dog again. But my person held tight to my leash and wouldn’t let me go meet her. I was hoping she would come over to see me. She started coming my direction, but then she went the other way to where her people were.

The black dog and her people even followed us back, but no luck. I still didn’t get to meet her.

Maybe if I told my person that was really a white dog that dyed her hair she’d loosen my leash.

Guess what! I think that black dog is following me because when I was at the dog park yesterday she showed up. And I didn’t have my leash on so my person couldn’t tell me who to hang out with.

And now I have a new girlfriend named LeighLa.

But then my person did something strange.

Hey, person. You took a wrong turn. The vet’s that way.

What? We’re not going to the vet?

I was really bummed until we got out of the car. There were lots of dog smells there.

Come on person, let’s go. Where are we anyway?

This is a dog park? They have parks for dogs? You never told me that before.

What? I’m finally starting to be nice to all the other dogs on my trails so you thought you’d let me come? What do you mean finally starting to? I’m always nice.

I couldn’t believe it when my person took off my leash. I found so many places to check messages and leave my own that I ran out of message juice – and without my leash my person couldn’t even drag me away.

Then I met Baxter. That little pup followed me around but I think he just wanted my Frisbee.

Baxter really had his eye on my Frisbee.

There’s no doubt about Baxter’s motives now.

Now Baxter, if you just remember who that Frisbee belongs to we’ll get along fine.

Hey person, I had great fun at the Dog Park chasing Frisbees and balls. Can we go back tomorrow?

What? What do you mean I got too much exercise and you didn’t get enough?

Anyway, I was lying there peacefully when suddenly I smelled something. It couldn’t have been me I smelled – it must have been my person. But just to make sure I thought I’d better move.

I got up and left the spot by my person’s feet and plopped myself down in the hallway.

Nope, I don’t smell anything here. It wasn’t me, it had to be my person. Or maybe Scratchy. Was he over in that area?

No sooner than I had gotten comfortable in the hallway my person said something about the smell. And you know what? She blamed me!

Hey person, it can’t be me. I’m not even near that area. It must be you, or Scratchy.

What’s a dog to do? I get blamed for everything.

The next time that happens I’m going to stay next to my person and make sure I really stink up the place.

Sedona is famous for UFO sightings. At least that’s what some people say. My person says you can do a Google search (a what?) and find all kinds of entries.

So today we were walking on one of my trails that we don’t go on that often. I’ve seen this before, but I didn’t realize what it was. Now I know. I’m sure I know.

It’s a tracking station for UFOs. It probably even sends out a signal to draw them into Sedona. That’s why so many people say they see them here.

And look – that cylindrical thing there – you see it? I bet that’s a holding tank for the shuttles so the aliens can come here and no one will find their ships while they’re visiting the tourist shops – or hiking on my trails.

Yikes! I might find a real live alien while I’m out hiking. I sure hope it’s a friendly alien.

I was walking along and I almost stopped in my tracks. This is some footprint.

In case you think this might be a teeny, tiny track and I’m just making this whole story up I thought I’d better have my person take a picture of this next to my paws.

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See? You didn’t believe me, did you?

The biggest mystery is who this large creature is. I haven’t seen anyone on my trails large enough to fit this track, and I’m not sure I want to.

This creature might be bigger than my person and I combined, and I’m not sure I could defend my person if it showed up.

I thought of putting my Detective Dog hat on and looking for some more clues, but I don’t think I’m going to this time.

I think instead I’ll just listen for some loud plodding sounds on my trails, or look for a head that stands so tall I can see it above the bushes.

And if either of those things happen you know what I’m going to do?

I’m going to stick my tail between my legs, turn around, and go the other way.

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This Blog Hop is brought to you by Alfie’s Blog, Snoopy’s Dog Blog, My Brown Newfies and Luna, A Dog’s Life.

Belshazzar’s Feast depicts a vision described in the biblical Book of Daniel. –31&src= Daniel 5:1–31 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

You mean this Bible story started with a party? I didn’t know they had parties in the Bible?

It was a king who was having the party? I thought kings were too busy to have parties. I want a party. Can I have a dog party? I could invite all my dog blogging friends and all my trail dog friends over for a big party.

I am listening, person. I can listen and have a party too.

When King Belshazzar was king of Babylon he gave a big party and dogs weren’t invited. I’m not very happy about that.

Okay person, I’ll pay attention to the story.

King Belshazzar had the gold and silver goblets that had been taken from the temple in Jerusalem brought in, and everybody at the party drank wine from them. While they were drinking they praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone. Why didn’t they praise the gods of dogs?

Okay person, I’ll listen.

While they were having this big party and praising all those gods, the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the wall. The king got so scared his face turned pale, his knees knocked together, and his legs gave way. He promised great reward for anyone who could read the writing and tell him what it meant, but no one could.

Then the queen told the king that Daniel could tell him what the writing meant, so the king called for Daniel. Is this the same Daniel who ate all those vegetables? Maybe he’ll give me all the meat that he’s not eating.

Person, I can think about meat now. The story’s on pause while they wait for Daniel to get there. I guess he didn’t eat meat or go to parties.

When Daniel got there he gave that king what for and told him he had set himself against the Lord of heaven because everyone had drunk from the goblets of his temple and praised gods which cannot see, hear, or understand.

Daniel said God sent the hand that wrote on the wall, and the message said that God has brought King Belshazzar’s reign to an end and given it to the Medes and the Persians, because God was not happy with the king.

That very night King Belshazzar was killed and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom.

Hey person, I guess I don’t need a dog party after all.

At least this different way is longer than my usual way so I got to be out on my trails longer, but it was stop and go all the way.

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Okay, I admit I made my person stop a few times too. But this log was really interesting and I don’t know when we’ll be this way again so I’ve got to check it out.

Just because I stopped once doesn’t mean my person has to keep stopping. We were almost home and she found even more flowers to take pictures of.

I’m really mad now because if my person hadn’t stopped so much we would have made it home before that rabbit ran out of my yard. If I’d only been a few minutes earlier I could have checked that rabbit out too.

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