Dear Diary,
Things are Very Exciting around here. My brother, Jack, is in an Election. He is Running for President of the Backyard. I don’t know what a President is, but I LOVE to Run in the Backyard.
Last week, everyone got Very Excited because Mr. P. Nut Squirrel is Running, too. I love to chase him when he Runs. So far, I have never caught him. He Runs, he Jumps, he Climbs the trees. It is like he can Fly!
I am what is called the Campaign Manager. I don’t know what that means, but it is Very Important!
Today is a Very Special Day. Something called the New Ham-Shire Primary. I think it has to do with Ham. I LOVE Ham. I primarily Love Ham more than Turkey. When Mom had to put eye drops in our eyes, we got Ham as a Special Treat.
I will write again soon. Until next time.
Love,
Arya
Jack the Scottie 
We enjoyed your diary entry today, Arya, and understand being unfamiliar with certain words and their meanings regarding elections. Maybe this will help:
A President is someone who is ‘in charge of something important’, like a country, business or organization. In this case Jack would be the head of the backyard where it would be his job to make sure it is mowed, fertilized, raked, kept clean, safe and available to those who use it.
As Jack’s Campaign Manager you need to convince voters why Jack will do a better job as President than Mr. P Nut Squirrel would because he is smarter and has more experience exercising, navigating and making good use of backyards instead of just digging up acorns.
We don’t think you need to be concerned with primaries, so we’ll skip that one!
Keep us posted on the campaign, and say hello to Jack for us!
McDuff & Mom
I don’t want to bring in a ringer but I’m thinking a goat would make a very good President for the back yard. Squirrel’s can’t mow and while Jack probably could, frankly, and I mean this with no disrespect, I think he’s too stubborn. He is Scottish after all and I grew up with a Scottish grandmother so I know from stubborn.
Jack is at my house right now and with all the snow he won’t even leave the porch to pee. Yes, that’s right, he is peeing on my porch! I will have to investigate Squirrels bathroom habits before I decide my vote.
This is a serious consideration. If he is unwilling to get his feet wet in the snow, how will he be present to the creatures of the backyard at times of their deepest distress… snow and mud.
p.s. I didn’t know stubborn was a Scottish trait, here I thought it was because I was born in Missouri… Ancestry tells me that a good size percentage of my ancestors are Scottish… I have been resistant to taking this in however, not liking the idea of having Scottish calvinist blood in my veins, preferring instead the warm hearted blood of the Wesleyans…
There were also a good number of Catholic Scots who came to America. 🙂 I don’t know about Scottish people, but Scottish Terriers are notorious stubborn!
I think Jack didn’t want to get too far away from the kitten he was watching on the other side of a door in the house. He must have been courting the influence of the kitten lobby for his campaign. 🙂
A goat would be very fun to herd. -Arya
Ah…too stubborn to admit that you’re stubborn eh?
Love the photo of your Wild Child, Beth. Ayra is totally tuckered out. Politics, or at least running, is hard work. Dreams of ham are soothing. She is a poster child for Thundershirts. (I’m trying one with Tigger. So far, he has mastered the ‘freeze-and-flop’ maneuver. It’s a feline specialty?) Arya is come so far in a year!
Freeze and flop!!! Sounds like the fainting goats of TN. 😉