Just photos this week, I've been either ridiculously busy or brain dead from the heat. It's been hot and humid forever, and it's going to continue for at least two more weeks. Getting up extra early to work the BC's before it gets too hot. Watering my desperate plants before the sun is too strong. Going outside to garden or walk dogs for short periods; coming inside sopping wet with sweat. (In the late 60's, on my very first night as an independent semi-adult at UC-Boulder, I walked downtown to a bar and danced with some guy who said "You sure sweat a lot for a skinny girl".) So it's all photos this week. Here's my favorite: I was taking close ups of the day lilies, and didn't discover the star of the show until looking at the photos on my computer. I was, and still am, Read More

  Have you ever had a dog that you loved, but didn't like? If you have, you're not alone. Last week I asked readers what was on their mind and what they'd like to talk about. In response, loyal reader HFR wrote "Having a dog you love but not like." That comment opened a flood gate of similar comments from people in the same situation. It's not something that we talk about often, is it? When it came up, I suspect it was a relief to many dog lovers. But truth be told, surely it's impossible to be in love, and like, with every dog we have ever had. I wonder, though, if we all have the assumption that if we were good people, we would love or like all of our dogs equally. And if we don't feel that way, we need to keep it quiet.. But we don't have to. I will tell you right now that I Read More

Every once in a while I reach out and ask readers what they'd like to talk about. When I started this blog twelve years ago, I thought I might need to do so because I'd run out of topic ideas. That's never happened--animals and the people who love them are a never-ending source of inquiry. I have some topics in the hopper, but lately I've been wondering about what YOU want to talk about. I suspect that this is in part because I'm been "Safe at Home" for three months now, and am feeling a tad isolated. I am aware every moment how lucky I am to have Jim, the dogs and cats, the farm, and so many good friends and family members. That doesn't mean that even the luckiest among us aren't cut off from much of our daily lives though, and especially from those all important social Read More

Introducing dogs can be great fun. There's nothing like watching two dogs meet and begin playing to soften your heart and brighten your day. However, as we all know, that's not always how it goes. Many dogs are uncomfortable when greeting an unfamiliar dog, including, as it turns out, our new guy, Skip. He grew up in Ireland,  undoubtedly surrounded by other Border Collies, and perhaps an occasional Jack Russell. As a result, we've learned, all Border Collies are potential new friends, and dogs of other breeds just don't look right. He's such a stable, well-balanced dog that this only means he tenses up when a hound or Golden charges up to greet him (sample size = 2). That happened last week when Ruby, our friend's Golden Retriever pup, got to meet him after the lifting of his leash Read More

Last week we had one hell of a thunderstorm in the middle of the night, and for only the second time in five months, Skip barked in his crate. (The first time he had diarrhea.) Skip is normally a dream dog in his crate. He goes in happily, lies down and goes to sleep. Skip has been a "downstairs dogs" since he came, at first because I followed generic house training rules to introduce him to one area of the house at a time, and then he injured himself and couldn't go upstairs at all. So right now he sleeps downstairs in his crate, while all the rest of us sleep upstairs. (Upstairs privileges are on the agenda for this month.) While I blearily decided what to do, it being 2 AM, Skip let out a heartbreaking howl after an especially loud boom, and I scurried downstairs and began a Read More