I won't pretend that being restricted by my bad knee hasn't put a damper on my activities. Thank heavens then, for the class I took several years ago on Contemplative Photography (see some photos from it here and here). It did so much to help expand my eye and how much I appreciate the visual world. Since I have to save my energy for working Maggie, gardening and exercising the dogs, Jim and I went for a drive instead of a walk, and found some wonderfully rich scenes to feed my soul. These next shots are from an old barn we drove by. There is no house on the property, just an old barn and a much newer one, full of young Holsteins. I could have spent an hour taking photos just inside the abandoned barn. I love the juxtaposition of the old barn and the shiny new tractor in the Read More
Archives for May 2017
Canine Social Cognition – What Do We Know?
In March I wrote a review of James Serpell's 2nd edition of The Domestic Dog: Its Evolution, Behavior and Interactions with People. In the review I said "This chapter [on social cognition] is the ultimate updated resource on social cognition in dogs, and is practically worth the price of the book." I've been reading through the chapter, and have decided it IS worth the price of the book, all by itself. That is, at least, if you find understanding a dog's mind as interesting as how to influence his or her behavior. (Is there an emoji for "dog brain geek?") "Social Cognition and emotions underlying dog behavior," written by Friederike Range and Zsófia Virányi is chock full of information. It raises as many questions as it provides answers, but that's exactly what it ought to do given Read More
A Special Opportunity to Help Shelters (Time Limited!)
Do you take the time to write down what you are grateful for on a regular basis? I've been doing it for years, and I can attest that it's one of the most constructive things I've ever done. Far beyond a superficial exercise, it can help to repair a broken psyche, or, in some cases, a broken heart. One of the many things I'm grateful for is the ability to give back, and one of my favorite ways to do that is to help shelters and rescue groups find forever homes for homeless companion animals. That's why I was so grateful when we got a call from Kristi Jackson of the Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League in Florida. She made a large order for the booklet Way to Go!, because they found that after receiving the booklet fewer adopters called their hotline about behavior problems, and fewer people Read More
Wisconsin’s Prairies in Spring
I am so lucky to live in "fly over country". (To the hordes from the coasts: Please keep flying over and not stopping. We're just fine here, really.) I live in an area of southwestern Wisconsin called "The Driftless Area," so called because the last glaciers avoided us and left lots of beautiful hills, valleys and rocky outcrops. But it is also full of many gorgeous prairies. If you haven't had the luxury of enjoying a walk through a healthy prairie, then I hope you do sometime in your life. Many of our country's prairie have been destroyed, but remnants remain, and they are jewels. Here are some photos from a walk Jim and I took recently on a nearby prairie: The plant in the foreground is Prairie Smoke, the gold flowers in the back have my absolute favorite name for a flower: Hoary Read More
Off to Recharge My Batteries
I hope you are enjoying spring (or fall?) right now. Hopefully, when you read this, I'll be in the garden, the woods, the pasture or the kitchen. I'm taking the rest of May off to recharge my batteries. The book tour for The Education of Will was a time I will never forget, full of inspiration and passion and commitment and love. I am overwhelmed with gratitude about the reception of the book--thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you who have responded to my memoir with such grace and support. I find, however, that I am spent. Taking my own advice (always the hardest advice to take, yes?), I will be recharging my batteries for the rest of May. I'll still read and post your comments, and cherish them as always, but please forgive me for only commenting on occasion until I Read More