Gus is a pedigreed German Schnauzer so he thinks he should always have the last word. Mona is a mutt, has no aristocratic airs and lets Gus think he is the boss. When I whistle they both come running because they know who is the alpha. They remind me that dirty floors are acceptable, gentle snoring can be tolerable and waking up full of joy every day is the only way to go. We are sitting atop Blanchard Mountain http://www.blanchardmountain.org/ in the incomparable magic Skagit Valley located in NW Washington State. This is just a hop, skip and a jump from mi casa which is down in the valley below.