A Spring Trip to Anytown, USA

Reprinted from the Highlands Newspaper

Mum and Dad have a friend who has a cabin in a mountain town, and he invited us to use it for a week.  That’s right; he invited me too.  Now, it’s taboo for me to mention other mountain towns in the Highlands Newspaper, but I had so much fun that I just have to tell you about it. Let’s just say this cabin was in Anytown, USA.  By the way, if anyone wants to offer us a free stay in Highlands, I’ll be happy to write about that experience too.

First, our friend cautioned Mum not to let me roam outside at night because of the bears. After hearing that, Mum was vigilant about standing outside with me at all times of the day, and she was quick to cut short any attempts at wandering. No sooner would I pick up a good smell than I’d hear, “Banjo, come back here right this minute.”

 

Still, I enjoyed the cool, crisp mornings and the walks I went on with Mum and Dad.  New places and new smells put a spring in my step. Indoors I rotated between protecting Mum and Dad in the top floor master bedroom and warding off invaders by holding down my dog bed in the living room.

During the cool mornings and evenings, we hung out in front of the fireplace, but when it warmed up in the afternoons, the front porch rockers called to us. Mum and Dad and their friends would rock and read, and I’d lie around and attempt to wander off, but you know I couldn’t get far without hearing, “Banjo, where do you think you’re going?” We never did see any bears in Anytown, so I don’t know what all the fuss was about.

Besides not being able to wander freely as I do in our woods at home, what I really missed was Puddin’—well, mostly I missed Puddin’s food. I get to lick up any dabs of wet food the Princess leaves in her kitty dish, but she didn’t come on this trip, so no wet food for me.

I made up for that by sneaking into the garbage. I know, I know, that’s against the rules, but desperate times call for desperate measures. There was no lid on the tall kitchen garbage can, and I could easily dip my nose in.

 

When Mum and Dad came home to wet coffee grounds on the floor, they fussed and laughed and said, “Guess Banjo’s wishing we’d cook so there’d be something better in there.” They put a cookie sheet on top of the can to keep me out, which worked fine until they forgot to put it back.  I was on full alert for garbage opportunities and scored a few tasty tidbits that way.

When Dad started loading luggage into the car, I hopped right in without an invitation. I was more than ready for cat food and an extended exploration of our backyard.  I don’t typically stay outside too long, but I took my time inspecting my domain when we reached our house. Dad watched as I sniffed and meandered up and down and through the trees. My coat was yellow with pollen when I barked at the kitchen door to be let in.

After a few dabs of cat food, I settled down beneath Mum’s desk to dictate the tale of our trip to Anytown, USA. As a reminder, I’m available to tell the tale of a trip to Highlands, NC if only some kind person would offer me a cabin. And, of course, the Royal Parents must be invited too.

Lord Banjo lives in Georgia with his Mum, Kathy Manos Penn. Find similar stories in his book, “Lord Banjo the Royal Pooch,” available on Amazon. To contact him, please email inkpenn119@gmail.com. (If you received this blog via email, please do not hit reply--messages to that mailbox unfortunately go into a Black Hole.)