Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Chet
“Big tennis match today,” Spence says.
“How about we post that tennis lesson scene from Thereby Hangs A Tail?” says Admin.
On one side of the net stood a tall blond guy with a bucket of balls at his feet; on the other side, an older guy, small, with a gray beard: Sherman Ganz. I always notice beards. A strange human thing: only some men have them, and women never. What was that about?
The tall blond guy took a ball from the bucket and hit it to Ganz. Ganz wore white shorts, had skinny legs like sticks. He swung his racquet and hit the ball back. The tall guy let it go by, took out another ball. “Brush up, Shermie, brush up. Spin on the ball, always spin on the ball.” He hit the ball over the net. Ganz swung, this time missing the ball completely. “Brush up but through, up but through, up but through,” said the tall guy, sending over another ball. Brush? I knew brushes, saw none around. Maybe tennis was tougher than it looked, but I didn’t worry about that because a ball came bouncing over in our direction – we were now beside the court – and I snatched it out of the air, and who wouldn’t have, the ball being right there practically saying, “Catch me.” And then – this part was a bit harder to understand – I was on the court, racing toward the net. Up and over: not much of a challenge, tennis nets turning out not to be very high, but still it felt so great, being airborne and all, that I kind of twisted around still up there, if you see what I mean, and landed facing back at the net, and the next thing I knew I was jumping over it again, from the other direction, and, yes! doing the spin move once more, and when I landed this time, somehow with two balls in my mouth now – how had that happened? – I –
“Chet!”
Welcome Bailey & Chester, the Jeep dogs.
And don’t forget the Shelf Awareness contest. You could win an ARC of A Fistful of Collars.
http://apps.shelf-awareness.
Tags: Andy Murray, Roger Federer, tennis, Thereby Hangs A Tail
This entry was posted on Sunday, August 5th, 2012 at 7:48 am and is filed under Chet The Dog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
8:49 am on August 5th, 2012
One of my favorite scenes. I laugh every time I read or listen to this. Chet is so “there” and catching the balls without knowing . . .
Creating these pictures in my head is one of the best things about Spencer’s writing!
Good Morning!
9:25 am on August 5th, 2012
I think Chet should go to the Olympics!
Good morning Melanie and all.
9:30 am on August 5th, 2012
Good Sunday morning to all!
B, I think Chet could definitely win the gold in jumping!
Melanie, how are you feeling?
Rio, I love, love, love your friend’s bluebird of happiness! I especially like the frog!
10:06 am on August 5th, 2012
Morning B and Morning Wose!
Riö, if your friend would like a real fly, Rose (not Wose) is getting very good at catching them. They are a little worse for wear when she’s done, but we could send you a small box of them.
Wose, It’s the fronts plus the work that I’ve been doing that is getting to me. A low pressure system just knocks out my feet from under me and I have to SLEEP, right then and there. The exercise from the pool work I’ve been doing is good for me. At least that is what I’m telling myself!
10:11 am on August 5th, 2012
Good morning! This has been a busy week, what with my BFF being gone all day Tuesday. When he came home, he had lots of funny smells and wore a silly plastic hat on his head.
Mom was in a bad mood. The vet staff was rude to mom because she arrived at 5:02 to pick him up. They close at 5:00 and they meant it. Mom spent 15 minutes knocking on the door before they let her in. The staff was rude to mom, slamming things around, and sighing loudly.
Gus was in so much pain that Mom and dad were up most of the night with him.
Mom went on line and discovered that the Tramadol she had leftover was safe for Gus. After that, he felt better.
But when mom came home from work, she was mad, madmen mad.
10:12 am on August 5th, 2012
Mollypop’s Mom: I’d love to see pictures of Lucy and Isabella.
10:19 am on August 5th, 2012
We are watching the match now and it would be much more interesting if Chet were playing too.
My first comment is in moderation because I typed in v-e-t. Dang.
The ending looks funny because the dang ipaw doesn’t let me scroll.
The Chinese girls are lovely and we are enjoying their visit. We especially like Lily and we wish that we can keep her forever.
10:20 am on August 5th, 2012
Here’s something from today’s NYTimes about baseball:
10:38 am on August 5th, 2012
B, does this mean you have to make your own pie? 🙂
10:43 am on August 5th, 2012
MPM, yes, would love to see pictures of Lucy and Isabella!
Wolfie, how long will the girls be staying with you?
11:01 am on August 5th, 2012
Lettuce! 2 small yellow squash! Beans! Peas! A veritable feast.
Tomorrow or the next day? My first ripe tomato in YEARS.
Question . . I know I can replant lettuce. Can I replant peas and beans?
Okay, I am a geek. A year or two ago they had just started coming out with a 3-D printer. It prints in plastic.
This is only the beginning of what it can now be used for. (sorry B) Get your hankies!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoZ2BgPVtA0
11:02 am on August 5th, 2012
Good Morning Everyone!
Wolfie, How is Gus puppy doing?
Stover, That is funny.
Unlike Chet, I would sleep through a game of tennis.
Rio, We do not think the bluebird looks like a duck.
The Rockies have a chance to win the game this afternoon because Timmy is pitching for the Giants. I never thought I would be saying this.
11:32 am on August 5th, 2012
Hey everyone – good morning to you all.
We actually have a breeze here today. Ok, so its a hot breeze, but at least the air is moving instead of just hanging in a limp, damp, sullen weight.
Mama is off to work in her Mud Room. See ya all later on.
11:50 am on August 5th, 2012
Chet: You are simply gold medal amazing.
B.Stover: Excellent choices of positions for these literary players. Heh!
T&G: I hate tunnels and carps full of tunnels. Have fun playing in the mud.
Staff: See? You should come if only for a day! The opportunity for us three + neice Christy to be together does not happen that often. Also the paperback book exchange called and they have a book that you ordered in 2008! Talk about slow but persistent service!
We had wonderful cool breezes last night and I slept with the windows open. Delightful. Now back to 90 degrees.
11:52 am on August 5th, 2012
Staff. Go see your sisters. (and get the book)
12:24 pm on August 5th, 2012
That video is simply beyond amazing! It is science fiction come to life.
That passage from the book is lol funny, even coffee snortingly so.
Melanie, Annie says that if she was there you would be replanting everything, all the time.
12:26 pm on August 5th, 2012
Staff, go see your sisters and get the hairs cut! Alice and Abbie will take good care of Mr.Staff until you get back.
Melanie, that was an awesome link about the magic arms. When you see something like that, you realize that progress is often good. What would have happened to that child back in “the good old days?”
12:37 pm on August 5th, 2012
Rose: I hadn’t thought about that. Let’s see…my favorite pie is chocolate cream….
12:45 pm on August 5th, 2012
Emma has beautiful eyelashes.
1:30 pm on August 5th, 2012
Raced home from the grocery store. Hit a storm at the highest hill. Ran about getting in the groceries . . The sun came out. Checked the radar. That big line of storms hasn’t gotten to the MA border yet. It was just a “kicked up storm”. I have no idea if that is a real term, but I like it.
I have been reading science fiction since 1964. It is amazing how things have stopped being science fiction. I’m still waiting for my flying backpack though.
2:16 pm on August 5th, 2012
Chores!…My friend and her mother are finally home…sniff!…Seems her mother wanted to go along and “help” get groceries..heh!…Throughout the whole store she kept asking where everything was, my friend just kept saying “keep moving!”…grunt!…Then they went out to breakfast to my friends least favorite place in town…sniff!…She is very happy to be home and downstairs with me right now…chorkel!
Food!…I smell ribs cooking!….Wooooooo!…In the crockpot. My friend is making them so they will be Delish!…snort!snort!
2:17 pm on August 5th, 2012
Tennis!…I don’t quite understand how the Tennis Pros can play for a Gold Medal…grunt!…Just doesn’t seem right somehow…sniff!
2:19 pm on August 5th, 2012
I think B was craving pie today. 🙂
2:39 pm on August 5th, 2012
Rebecca: A subconscious longing! Too bad I don’t have the ambition to make the pie.
And John McEnroe is gray….
2:42 pm on August 5th, 2012
Melanie, in Texas those are called “pop-up” showers.
2:43 pm on August 5th, 2012
Must wash out eyes, we thought B said McEnroe is gay.
3:13 pm on August 5th, 2012
Molly’s Mom is here with me today, finally. Yesterday she was dog sitting Lucy and Isabella. Today is our big dinner party so we will catch up with you all later.
3:19 pm on August 5th, 2012
I wish the cover of “The Dog Who Knew Too Much” didn’t have a picture of a dog on it. I have a picture of Chet in my imagination. The dog on the book cover does not match my image. It jars me!!
3:21 pm on August 5th, 2012
Melanie, You can replant beans, but the plants you have will produce more if you keep them picked. You need about 50 days minimum from sow to harvest so you are cutting it close. Peas like cool weather ( I keep saying that) so they do best with an early planting. However, if it is cooling off you could plant more. They will survive mild frosts better than beans. Lettuce and arugula love cool-cold weather. I was picking the second planting of arugula in December last year. It is pretty and easy to grow. Has a peppery taste and is great in a mixed green salad.
3:33 pm on August 5th, 2012
Judy, no argument here. None of the regulars felt the border collie on the cover fit the description or idea of Chet.
3:47 pm on August 5th, 2012
Ahem, I guess I will get banned to Stovernia…..The dog on the cover of TDWKTM is exactly how I pictured Chet. Yankees are winning 6-2 in the seventh inning.
Macy, I thought I saw the same thing!
3:52 pm on August 5th, 2012
Judy, I totally agree with you. Chet is a hundred pounder! He can help lift Bernie up a cliff (though he does think that Bernie should lose a bit of weight for the next time)
What we know is he has one white ear and one black. And has a nick in one ear.
I have no idea of McEnroe is gray or gay. I do not watch tennis. Unless Chet plays . .
Decided to try facing the front coming through with caffeine. That was a mistake.
Going to read for awhile and twitch.
3:54 pm on August 5th, 2012
Wose…..NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
3:59 pm on August 5th, 2012
The cover of Dog Who was an unfortunate choice.
4:11 pm on August 5th, 2012
G&B, please forgive me…..
4:12 pm on August 5th, 2012
Yes, that cover still annoys me.
All that green. ((shudder))
4:14 pm on August 5th, 2012
Cover!…I was nonplussed when I saw that cover for the first time…snort!…Now it just makes me mad…grunt!
Advanced!…My friend decided to try to make an advanced project after that simple Frog and Duck one…heh!…She became very frustrated and put it away for a while…grunt!…There is absolutely no instructions on how to make what she is trying to make. I guess no one wants to give the secrets away once they figure out how to do it…gruffle!
4:15 pm on August 5th, 2012
Friend Kim and her D.H. came over this morning. Yesterday’s trip was postponed due to the storm. They have now cleaned out the barn. Took all remaining hay (25 bales), 20 fence posts, and a bunch of fine junk. I don’t know how I would have gotten this all done without them. They are happy because they can use all the stuff, and we are giving them some things of value that will not fit in the new place. Plus Kim is a good person and has worked hard to help us out.
4:16 pm on August 5th, 2012
Judy!…Who the hell is Judy? …grunt!
4:22 pm on August 5th, 2012
Cleaning cleaning cleaning. I am taking a break to watch the twins and catch up with the blog. A Catty and her daughter are about 2 hours away.
Mr.Staff sent me this…A Minnesota agility dog.
http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/242211/
BBL
4:32 pm on August 5th, 2012
Ribs!…mmmmmmmm! Those ribs are sure smelling good!…snort!…Now if only her mother will leave them alone and let her handle the whole meal…wheeze!…She says scalloped potatoes are on the menu too!….Wooooo!
4:34 pm on August 5th, 2012
Bstover: It’s not pie, but there is a slice of cheesecake in the mini-fridge in the cell. Help yourself.
4:38 pm on August 5th, 2012
Cleaning cleaning cleaning. I am taking a break to watch the twins and catch up with the blog. A Catty and her daughter are about 2 hours away.
Mr.Staff sent me this…A Minnesota agility dog.
http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/242211/
Melanie, that 3D printer is amazing and the girl is a little doll.
BBL
4:54 pm on August 5th, 2012
Rebecca: I love cheesecake!
4:56 pm on August 5th, 2012
PIE!…Those guys brought home an Apple Pie earlier…heh!snort!…No one has cut into it yet though…sniff!
4:57 pm on August 5th, 2012
Game!…The Rockies are losing…grunt!
4:58 pm on August 5th, 2012
Staff!…What are you making your company for supper tonight?…sneeze!…I bet its not as good as BBQ Ribs and Scalloped taters…heh!
5:40 pm on August 5th, 2012
Haven’t had “Scalloped taters” in a long while. Hmmm . .
We just finished Gorgonzola Cheese on Portabella mushrooms. Corn on the cob on the side. Yum.
Still trying to stay awake and still twitching. Everyone I know on the East coast is HURTING today. Must be a real nasty front.
Tomorrow is supposed to be beautiful!
5:43 pm on August 5th, 2012
Gee.
Staff: That sure is a whole lotta cleaning you’re doing. I’m not doing that…they will have to take us as they find us. Matter of fact I might enlist their help to do a little cleaning.
Rats! We got bats!
For the 2nd time in a month a bat has got into the house somehow. The first time it was a little one and Turtleman was here so he threw a towel over it and took it outside. Last night he wasn’t here and a huge bat suddenly appeared just as I had got Maggie into bed. I let out a wild scream and vacated the room in a hurry leaving the poor blind woman to her own devices. I got a towel and opened the front and back doors then went back into the bedroom. “Is there a bat in here?” mom asked. “Yes!” I said then threw the towel over my head because that bat was flying back and forth and getting a little too close for comfort. Luckily it flew out of the room so I closed both the doors and told mom she was safe. Then I peeked out and could see this huge bat flying out on the porch so I ran over, towel still on my head just in case, and slammed the front door. Whew! That was the biggest bat I have ever seen. I did not sleep well last night because I kept waking up and imagining that I heard “something”…very possibly a bat, making little scratchy noises.
5:55 pm on August 5th, 2012
Dawson? Have you ever read Dracula?
6:07 pm on August 5th, 2012
Dawson, might it have been Johnny Depp in disguise?
6:09 pm on August 5th, 2012
Talking about BIG storms coming to the East Coast.
Masquers, I hope you are vacationing somewhere with lovely weather.
6:10 pm on August 5th, 2012
Bats!…heh!snort!heh!…Oh, my. I’m still laughing and I never laugh…chorkel!…Bats are no match for our Dawson!…heh!
6:11 pm on August 5th, 2012
Golinka!…Please check your SDD when humanly possible…grunt!
6:13 pm on August 5th, 2012
Dawson!…You have to go into the Attic and see if the bats are coming inside somewhere from there…heh!heh!…I can’t wait to read that story!…snort!…Do Not think of the movie The Birds when you do this thing.
6:14 pm on August 5th, 2012
Barb, here is the good-bye cake CL would have given you if she had any class.
6:23 pm on August 5th, 2012
Siber H: No!
Wose: No!
Rio: No!
While I was watching the Olympics in the basement last night I kept thinking I heard “something”. (This was before we saw the bat). The other bat appeared by the stairs going down to the basement. I think they could be coming in the basement.
6:33 pm on August 5th, 2012
Basement!…Bats in the Basement! I’ve never heard you speak of the basement..heh!…Is it one of those scary basements? Ours is a comfortable wonderful basement…snort!…But I would still not enjoy sleeping down here at night…grunt!
6:34 pm on August 5th, 2012
Macy, That is a lovely cake for Barb.
Dawson, You need to get rid of the bats one way or another. ummm I don’t believe us Sibers “do” bats.
6:36 pm on August 5th, 2012
Help!…I’d sent Rocky the Undercover Squirrel and his Hillbilly friends to help you out Dawson, but Bats are out of their league…grunt!…They can barely keep up with the Bed-Bugs around the country…sniff!
6:37 pm on August 5th, 2012
Cake!….I’ve seen a lot of cake in my day and that is NOT a cake…wheeze!…That is a potted plant.
6:41 pm on August 5th, 2012
Dawson, do you have bells in the basement? I’m not going to tell you that bats can get through openings that are 3/4 of an inch high. Nope, not going to do that.
Dessert. i wanted dessert. Nothing . . . So I made a Mango Lassi, yummers.
6:43 pm on August 5th, 2012
Melanie!…Gasp!…3/4ths of an inch, really?…wheeze!
6:45 pm on August 5th, 2012
Ours is definitely a scary basement. It is unfinished with a cement floor. The other day I reached up to pull the chain to turn the light on and it wasn’t the chain…it was a cobweb! And I did see a pretty big spider down there too. Not to mention the zillion little ones that I’m sure are hiding down there.
Think I’ll wear my hazmat suit to watch the Olympics tonight.
6:50 pm on August 5th, 2012
Thank you Macy. I know if Pat had seen that cake she would have gotten it for Barb. To go with the lovely card she gave her. NOT!
Dawson, Just keep repeating Bats are good, bats are good…..
6:59 pm on August 5th, 2012
Yikes!
I just read that the #1 way people try to get rid of bats is with a tennis racket! They don’t recommend it. Heh! This site also said that if you have one bat you probably have a colony. Yikes again!
I’m not reading any more on bats tonight. I am officially in denial. We do not have bats!
7:00 pm on August 5th, 2012
They lost the baseball game. I no longer have to name the team that lost. We all know who they are.
Bats are very, very good, but not in your house.
7:11 pm on August 5th, 2012
Dawson!…How will you sleep tonight knowing there are bats in your house??…yeeep!…Isn’t there someone like a professional bat hit-man you could call?…snort!…Or if you are opposed to bat murder maybe someone who could coax them out gently and find a new home for them. Your neighbors, perhaps…heh!
7:19 pm on August 5th, 2012
Dawson getting ready for the Olympics.
7:19 pm on August 5th, 2012
It’s a good thing Dawson has not read Dracula, though the film with Gary Oldman is excellent.
Dawson: You need to find someone who will remove the bat colony.
7:22 pm on August 5th, 2012
Dawson: I Googled “bat removal” and there are many companies in my area. Google it for your area.
7:26 pm on August 5th, 2012
Supper!….Is ON!…Woooooo!…Let the Begging begin!…snort!
7:29 pm on August 5th, 2012
Dawson, Bats eat thousands of insects each day. I think it is something like their body weight daily or close to that. Brown bats are protected and cannot be relocated at certain times of the year. You need to find a way to close up their entry spots (probably in the attic). Call a bat professional. Please do not kill them with a tennis racket. Yours truly, Bat Lady Barb
7:38 pm on August 5th, 2012
I do not have bats!
I would never hit a bat with a tennis racket.
B.Stover: I was reading about bats from a company in your area. That’s when I got freaked out and went into denial.
I will (well…someone will)…deal with the bats at some time in the future.
But for tonight. I do not have bats!
7:39 pm on August 5th, 2012
((Shudder))
7:50 pm on August 5th, 2012
Maybe you need to call Bat Man. Let him deal with it.
7:55 pm on August 5th, 2012
Barb? Do bat professionals relocate the bats? Surely they do.
Dawson, You need to face reality. Problems never get solved by running from them. You have all of us as your support group.
7:56 pm on August 5th, 2012
Dawson. Re the bats you don’t have, bats can be extremely resourceful in gaining entry to a place. When my mom was in grad school, she once had a bat come into her apartment by literally crawling in through a small crack under the front door of the apartment. Why the bat was attracted to her apartment, she will never know. A friend did take care of it using the tennis bracket method, but she would recommend calling a professional (bat remover that is, not a tennis player). While bats are good, they do carry a lot of diseases, so please be careful.
Also, Dawson, I think you can enter the contest for FOC. It says resident of the U.S., and as long as you are in Minnesota, I think you would qualify as a U.S. resident.
Wookie
8:01 pm on August 5th, 2012
I hate to be the one to bring this up, but Wookie gave us a gentle introduction. Should a person get bit by a bat and the bat is not captured for testing, the person would have to take the series of rabies shots.
This did happen to mom’s uncle.
8:26 pm on August 5th, 2012
Rap, rap, rap . . . The Wish The Bats Would Relocate Support Group will now come into existence.
My thoughts . . .
Bats are cute
Sort of like a mouse,
but that doesn’t mean
I want them in the house.
Good Luck Dawson! (Do you like your suit?”
TTFN
8:28 pm on August 5th, 2012
Rabie!…Gasp!…Dawson! Get rid of the bats NOW!…snort!…You do not want to undergo bat-therapy…sniff!
8:29 pm on August 5th, 2012
Here is what we were told by a bat person in Genoa City, WI. Can not vouch for the authincity of it. Bats are almost never rabid. Bat people can come in and remove them and seal up their entry ways. They do not kill them. I would check in to it.
8:31 pm on August 5th, 2012
Wookie!..Is Minnesota considered part of the US??…snort!…News to me!..heh!…All this time I thought Alice and AbbietheFat were foreigners…grunt!
8:34 pm on August 5th, 2012
Professional!….Maybe Roger Federer does Bat Removal on the side…heh!
8:41 pm on August 5th, 2012
Subject….I hate to change the subject because Bats are so much fun, but does anyone know if there are underground varmits that attack chili pepper plants?…grunt!…We have one plant that is dying – all the others around it are thriving…sniff!…My friend thinks there may be something eating the roots like those worms that eat grass roots…wheeze!…Now those two are worried it will spread to the other healthy plants just when they are harvesting up to 3 huge bags a week of roasted chilis…snort!…Any one ever have this happen?
9:15 pm on August 5th, 2012
Rio, I don’t have the answer, but you can call your County Extension Agent for the info. Our County Extension Agent is located in our county courthouse so yours probably is too.
9:30 pm on August 5th, 2012
SiberH!…You want we should call the Government and ask them how to grow our garden…grunt!….Sorry, but that bullony is for other kinds — not us…heh!
9:36 pm on August 5th, 2012
Goat!…Have you guys seen that commercial where a goat takes a sandwich out of a guys backpack and the guy is trying to be very nice and get it way from the Goat by asking him to drop it?…heh!…Well, this commercial shows the true nature of Goats because while the goat has the sandwich in his mouth he kicks the guys backpack off the mountain side with his back leg…chorkel!…I think this is a commercial for cameras, I’m not sure. All I know is they captured the Goats true evil nature…gruffle!
9:45 pm on August 5th, 2012
Rio – we have heard of chili eating bats. The good news is that they never have rabies. The bad news is that you can’t outrun them as they are jet propelled by flaming chili farts.
9:53 pm on August 5th, 2012
Night all. We are heading off to dream land.
10:05 pm on August 5th, 2012
We had bats when I was a little girl. I asked dad how we got rid of them and he said we found the hole they were coming in (it was upstairs in a closet) and sealed it off.
I told dad we needed to call someone to take care of our bats and he said what are they going to do when they don’t know where they are coming in and besides we don’t have bats NOW and besides I (me)probably left the door open and that’s how they got in, blah blah blah. He finally agreed that I could google a bat man in case another bat comes in but his main solution is, if a bat comes in, open all the doors and invite it to leave. I’m going to look for a hole where I thought I heard noise last night. Not tonight though. Sometime.
Melanie: I look quite fetching in my hazmat suit. Somehow makes my skin look better although yellow is not usually my color.
10:22 pm on August 5th, 2012
Tired!…wheeze!…We are all very tired tonight…sniff!…That walk pretty much did us all in…grunt!…Even my friend is having a hard time keeping her eyes open even though Track and Field games are on right now…sneeze!
11:35 pm on August 5th, 2012
BATS!
Ummm about visiting home this week. Ummm. Let me know when the Bats are gone. I remember they used to get in the parents closet upstairs. However we haven’t had any for years. Jeez.
I told A Catty Librarian. She is bringing Elliot. Ummmm. Maybe that is not a good idea.
Sounds like Dad is in denial also
Rio, we had zucchini basil soup for supper with home made biscuits and beets from our garden. There is a little left over. You are right though, not near as good as BBQ ribs and scalped potatoes.
Goodnight all.
11:45 pm on August 5th, 2012
We had a hummingbird in our house yesterday. Dad did a capture and release.
No offense, Dawson, but we would rather have hummers.
The girls leave tomorrow morning at 6am. Mom and dad are going to miss them but they are exhausted. It’s a good tired. The girls cooked dinner tonight and it was yummy.
My BFF is feeling tiptop. The drain is gone, and mom will take the stitches out in a few days.
Congrats on your retirement, Barb. I know you will feel better once you are settled into your new place.
6:35 pm on December 3rd, 2013
Hey. Thanks for sharing this! Very very very helpful 🙂 I am wanting to learn tennis, so very interesting !