I don’t know about you, but the state of the world is such right now that I need lots of healthy distractions. (What, is the vodka, triple sec, pomegranate, lime juice, club soda drink I sort of invented not healthy?) I am indeed doing what I can to be a good, active citizen, but one can’t spend all day in the weeds of chaos without descending into the murk permanently.
And so, let’s have a discussion about new and wonderful things. They don’t have to be new to the world, just to you. Here are some things on my list:
Emma Parson’s The New Click to Calm book has a great chapter titled “Teaching Emergency Behaviors.” This section is especially relevant given our discussion last month about feeling guilty if your dog is reactive. I mentioned how important it is for owners to be given tools to help them cope with their own emotions beyond “Don’t be nervous, it just makes your dog worse.” Parson’s chapter is full of excellent tools to help both dogs and owners cope with surprising or scary situations, from backing up on cue when approached by a stranger, targeting to an outstretched hand on cue, and turning on a dime away from potential trouble.
Karen London and I call this the “Emergency U-Turn” in our booklet Feisty Fido, and it’s one of my favorite cues to teach any dog. I can’t tell you how many clients I had who felt empowered by the ability to chirp “Let’s Go!” to their dog and pivot away from trouble with a relaxed, compliant dog. If you have a reactive dog, or see clients with them, this is a great book to have as a resource.
Speaking of great books, I was sent two books to review by an editor in the publishing house of Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Receiving books to review is both a blessing and a curse . . . the piles of books by one’s bed and desk are constant reminders of THINGS YOU HAVEN’T DONE YET. This batch turned out to be a blessing though, and I can’t recommend these books more highly.
First off, The Arbornaut is a compelling read that–warning–has nothing to do with dogs. But it has everything to do with a brilliant woman, Meg Lowman, who has revolutionized the study of trees. Dr. Lowman has been called the “Einstein of the Treetops,” having been a pioneer in studying trees in the canopy, rather than from the ground. (Which she describes as having a doctor examine your big toe and nothing else to evaluate your health.) This memoir is a testament to what professional women had (have?) to go through to make their way in the world, and is an inspiration to anyone who loves the natural world, and is trying to succeed in a male-dominated one. The Arbornaut reads like a novel; I couldn’t put it down.
The second book from FSG is And a Dog Called Fig: Solitude, Connection and the Writing Life, by Helen Humphreys. I read it in two long gulps, only stopping because I had to get up and feed the dogs. Here’s what I had to say about it:
On a different note, any of you who compete in dog sports might know the name Kathy Keats. She was an elite athlete (basketball, Player of the Year in the National Finals) and now coaches people who compete in dog sports. I have found her work incredibly useful; I spoke with her earlier in the year and she helped me be much more comfortable when standing at the post at sheepdog competitions. She has a great blog, and has just started a podcast, The Kathy Keats Show. Kathy is compassionate and crazy smart about helping the competitor at the other end of the leash be at their best. She has a new, free series about getting your head in the right place when you’re competing. Check it out.
Want a laugh? And to learn something weird and equally wonderful about animals? Then listen to Melissa McCue-McGrath’s podcast, Bewilderbeasts. Full of stories about fish farts preventing a war, bees trained to find landmines, and a cat who solved a murder mystery, the podcast is both humorous (don’t miss the exploding whale fail tale) and enlightening. Who knew, for example, that:
“. . . President Jackson, America’s problematic 7th president, got his wife, Rachel, a pet bird. When Rachel died weeks before Jackson’s inauguration, Jackson did what all of us Millennials did when we got our first Furbies – we taught them to swear. By all accounts, Jackson thought this was hilarious, but not everyone felt this way. Most notably, the reverend who was presiding over President Jackson’s funeral, who had to pause the service in order to have Poll escorted out of the service because the bird wouldn’t stop dropping F-bombs like a pirate.”
See, now you’re a historian.
What about you? Tell us what interesting things have come into your world lately. Books? Podcasts? Movies? New drink recipes? (Wait, who added that in?)
MEANWHILE, back on the farm: Lately, I’ve been communing with the oak trees on our property. Some are white oaks, some red or black (hard for me to tell the difference between those two sometimes). I took a shot of one of the biggest oaks today, on a flat, grey day, and ended up with this:
I shot it at a higher than usual ISO, which is partly why it looks like a water color painting. Not what I expected, but I love it.
Nellie loves to accompany me on photo journeys around the farm. She leapt up onto this gate post as soon as I walked through it, and then considered jumping to the far side of the gate.
She must have decided it was too far, because all of a sudden it became extremely important for her to scent mark an adjacent piece of wood.
This sunflower photo looks like it was shot in a studio, but that background is actually the sky. Like I said: A flat, grey day.
Maggie would like to know why I am doing such boring things when we could be WORKING SHEEP.
What about you? What’s new and not boring and good and interesting and fun? We’re all ears.
Kat says
LOL while you’ve been adventuring in the forest canopy with Meg Lowman I’ve been exploring the Wood Wide Web with Suzanne Simard reading her book Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest. She’s another pioneer in studying the trees. Her holistic approach and recognition that trees cooperate not just compete is revolutionary and like most discoveries that revolutionize the way we view things it wasn’t embraced joyfully by other experts. It didn’t help that she’s a woman or that her path to expertise wasn’t exactly traditional. I’m loving every word of it.
For fiction the Memoirs of Lady Trent all five volumes by Marie Brennan. Lady Trent is a female naturalist in a vaguely Victorian time period who studies dragons. It’s extremely well done and I devoured all five books in a matter of days.
In other fun things I’ve discovered Old Growth Forest Network which is working to connect old growth forests in all 50 states. I serve on the Board of Directors for Keta Legacy Foundation aka Mountaineers Foundation (https://ketalegacy.org/) a small environmental non-profit that among other things owns and manages the Rhododendron Preserve which contains one of the last good sized parcels of Old Growth Lowland Rainforest in the state. We were just added to the Old Growth Forest Network. The Rhododendron Preserve is named for the wild pacific coast rhododendrons that grow there. It’s about 460 acres with 70 acres of true old growth at its heart. And it’s one of my favorite places in the world.
Trisha says
Kat: I love learning about the Old Growth Forest Network! And I love that you’re on the Board of Keta Legacy, how wonderful is that? And yes yes yes, the Mother tree and all the underground connections have me enthralled…
Frances says
There is something new in my world: Freddy the 10 week old papillon puppy. All my animals are getting elderly, and after losing Pippin-cat to cancer earlier this year I knew there were sad times ahead. I very much wanted Sophy the papillon’s help raising the next pup, but worried about the impact on Poppy (toy poodle), who has chronic liver failure, and the difficulty of finding a bitch puppy that would not challenge Sophy. Then Sophy had a vaginal polyp during her last season, so is due to be spayed shortly, and everyone told me how a dog puppy would give way to the females and last week a really top notch breeder only 40 miles away advertised a litter – and I was tempted and fell!
Freddy came home on Saturday and is a star. This is the first puppy I have ever had who within 24 hours of arriving puts himself to bed in his open pen when he needs a nap, plays very happily with toys all by himself and learnt to sit with the older dogs to wait his turn for treats at the first attempt. He does morph into Gremlin Puppy when he is tired, but settles in his pen within seconds, chews on a toy and immediately falls asleep. Poppy is mostly ignoring him unless he pushes his luck too far when he gets an appropriate telling off; Sophy is gradually reducing her puppy exclusion zone from half the room to just her bed; he tried bouncing on Tilly-cat, got his ears boxed, and is now very respectful. Last night he slept curled up with Poppy next to my pillow from 9.30pm to 6.15am, then managed to hold on till I got him to the bathroom puppy pad,
I am sure there will be interesting times ahead, and even a very good puppy is exhausting, but I am very glad that faced with the choice of waiting for the perfect time, which will probably never come, or seizing the opportunity of the perfect puppy and doing whatever it took to make things work, I chose the latter!
Charlotte Kasner says
The oak image reminds me of crossing MI with Michigan Trail Riders. I was the limey in the pack riding with a US friend, both of us the only ones in a tent. I used all of my money on the flight, hiring the horses and paying for their feed. We both forgot that we had to eat too.
Probably if I’d known how hard it was going to be, I wouldn’t have dared to start but I was fool enough to go back for the “double cross” a few years later. On that second ride, I had paused to take a snap of a glorious red maple that shone out among the greenery of the surrounding trees, just at the point that my poor little horse was stung by a bee.
She paddled her feet to shake it off, politely not even thinking abut dumping me. It did however produce a wonderfully blurred image that was like an impressionist painting – Monet does Michigan?
I treasure it as a reminder of that ride, a plucky little horse and the virtue of the unexpected.
Meredith says
And, because I force myself to learn more about our climate crisis and what we can do about it — I (actually, happily!) recommend Judith D. Schartz’s book “Water in Plain Sight: Hope for a Thirsty World” (2019 and available from my public library). Such good writing that you learn stuff without struggling to wade thru the stats and the incomprehensible science. It’s a thorough and entertaining and hopeful look at how water influences climate change and showcases how some people and communities are ‘befriending’ their water and its associated animals and plants both to assure a clean, permanent supply for themselves and to literally change the world around them. These waves ripple outward to an important and often overlooked way to get ourselves out of this mess … Trees play an important role, of course, which is why I’m commenting here 🙂 Fascinating stuff! She visits Africa, Texas, Mexico, Australia and the ecologists who are using mostly low-tech regenerative methods. Highly recommended.
Tammy says
If you enjoyed reading about Lowman’s work, I highly recommend The Overstory by Richard Powers. He was inspired to write the novel, which won the Pulitzer Prize, in part by Lowman’s work. I found it forever changed the ways I look at trees. The first chapter or two felt a bit confusing (I was listening to the audiobook), but it really kicks in after that.
P.J. says
Tree books: I have FINDING THE MOTHER TREE in my bookstore, but first I had to read a novel, DAMNATION SPRING, set in the California redwoods, lumbering families for its central characters. Harms both to the earth and to the families are clear, but the human city of these working people also shines through.
Dog books: Rick Bragg’s THE SPECKLED BEAUTY had me laughing with tears in my eyes, and I felt almost as if I should go through a recommitment ceremony with my own “bad” dog, while ONCE UPON A SHELTER gave me insight into just how much dedication it takes to serve a community by rescuing animals.
Your calico cat is beautiful and reminds me of a beloved cat of my childhood. Also, thank you for frankly acknowledging the challenges of today to human mental health. Sometimes my rescue dog is a “healthy distraction,” and other times he is one of the many emotional burdens of this time in my life, but thank you so, so much for recommending THE NEW CLICK TO CALM, which sounds like exactly what I need: a new tool that brings hope!
P.S. Your photographs are beautiful.
P.J. says
“Human city” in my longer comment should read HUMANITY!!!
Sue says
I’m so excited that you’re writing a mystery novel!!! If it becomes available for “pre-order”, I will happily do so!!!!
Jen Gibson says
If you like trees, try the novel Greenwood by Michael Christie. Fiction but possible! I often think back on it as I navigate through climate news. Looking forward to checking out the book on Fig.
Cheers,
J
Wanda Jacobsen says
Someone new in our household is a little pure white 5 to 6 month old puppy with a touch of caramel brown on her right ear which refuses to perk up like her other ear. She was dumped, yes, dumped!!! on our dead end road about a month ago on a rainy, cold day. My husband saw her when he was driving home from work and “said”, ‘You better go back home little dog.’ About 30 or 40 minutes later we were heading back down the road on our way to get a bite to eat and that poor little thing was still there! I told my husband to stop and get that dog. When he picked up that little soggy mess of a dog, husband said her little heart was pounding so hard, he was afraid it would come through her chest and into his hand. Back home we went. Husband dried her off and cleaned her up while I raced around gathering a crate and exercise pen left over from the days I fostered for a rescue. (We helped 48 dogs get adopted over several years.) Long story short, she went from a scared little girl to a confident and temporary member of our household. Her coat was of a type I had NEVER seen, nor had the vet tech and vet when I took her in to see if she was micro-chipped. (No chip) Everyone in the clinic agreed she was the cutest little girl and in horror that someone without a heart or soul would dump her on the side of the road. After getting some basic vaccinations, the initial guess as to her breed had to include a Westie. I was so curious, I took her to my groomer who has been grooming dogs for many decades to give me a clue. Hannah just laughed, ran her hand through her soft, curly coat which had very fine LONG hairs floating above her fur. We thought perhaps she was a Westie crossed with a poodle. Because we have Quinn and Ben (guess which one is an Irish terrier and which one is a Shih Tzu mix), I said we were not going to be a 3 dog household. Luckily our son and his wife, who has been wanting a dog ever since they moved into their house 4 years ago, said they would take this little girl. Daughter-in-law named her Cassie and little Cassie with very sharp teeth will stay with us a couple of weeks longer while some restoration is done in their basement due to water damage. (Ankle biter for sure!!!) She is a sweet pup, catching on to house training, enjoying exploring our woods, racing at least 75 mph around our yard and in the house, and snuggling next to me and Ben when I am reading. I am secretly hoping there is a DNA test in her future. I end on a snarky note to the person(s) who dumped her on our road….I’ll be polite and not put my thoughts in print, but I am sure you get the idea of what I would type.
Susan Hamberger says
It has nothing to do with dogs but the best book I’ve read this year is called The Rent Collector. It’s the story of a family living in a dump, a woman who learns to read to save her son, and the woman who teaches her far more than how to decipher words on a page.
When I have some time, Meet Your Dog is next.
Barb says
The new edition of Click to Calm is even better than the first. It isn’t just for people with reactive dogs. I’ll have to read the Arbornaut. Several years ago hearing the park ranger in Oregon talk about the community of redwoods was an eye opening experience. I’ll naver see a forest the same way again.
Patricia Anderson says
I relish your aside regarding “pre-orders,” and what is it if it’s not an order. I enjoy finding language quirks too.
Your broad spread of book recommendations is beneficial for many like myself who have had trouble concentrating to read these past months…years. Good job!
I also appreciate the emotional honesty of your blog. While you are mostly upbeat and encouraging, you share too when you feel down/disappointed/distressed.
All the best to you.
Trisha says
Thank you Patricia A for such a kind reply. Speaking of down, it’s been a crappy morning, so your comment was even more appreciated that usual!
Trisha says
Well, I knew I could count on you guys. Great recommendations! I have started a list. Looks like there will be yet more books piled beside my bedside, but what a wonderful “problem” to have!
Anne Johnson says
Horses and dogs are always an interesting mix. Lately, as the weather is getting cooler, my youngest little filly lays down in the morning to catch some warmth from the ground. Tank, my ever-ready for moving horses Aussie, decided to lie down in the lawn as he kept his eyes keen on my filly. He was confused, concerned with her laying down. Would not come to eat until the filly got up from her nap!
Emerson Dahmen says
Just placed a hold on the Ardornaut after reading you having just gotten back from the beach with Mollie our 1 yr. old Portuguese Water Puppy. Perhaps because of beach and puppy the Arbornaut description reminds me of “How to Read Water: Clues and Patterns from Puddles to the Sea” by Tristan Gooley, an extensive discussion of a different part of the natural world. With 6 decades of sailing, paddling, rowing, fishing, observing water fowl, and studying water patterns, I still learned a lot.
Pati Diridoni says
I love your blog! Its inspirational when I need inspiring! It’s informative all of the time and a huge help in the past when I was editing for Akbash International Sentinel. Thank you also for your humor! You really need to post those “beverage ” recipes too!
Martin says
The most exciting new thing in my life isn’t the sort of thing you listed, but I’m so happy about it, I just have to share. It’s Nanuk’s behavior on walks. When I got him in January, walking him was a dreaded stress-fess. He would completely ignore me throughout, pull constantly, and bark frantically while lunging at a very long list of triggers. At first, progress was painfully slow. Eventually he was usually in a state of calm alertness and attentive to me, but still had a hair trigger. In the last week or so, it has become apparent that he now “gets” it – he knows what I want him to do when he gets excited/frustrated, is motivated to do it, and has enough impulse-control to pull it off in a variety of situations. Now, we’ve still got a long, long way to go as many triggers are still too difficult. But suddenly progress is coming in leaps and bounds instead of micro-shuffles. We finally have the foundation, now we just need to practice.
In terms of media: I recently read (or, more honestly, skimmed) the booklet “The Husbandry Project: Giving Dogs a Seat at the Table” by the Academy of Dog Trainers. It’s about how to train dogs to find vet visits pleasant and to cooperate with the vet. Nanuk is the fourth dog in my life. While only one of the other three actively liked going to the vet, all three at least stayed on the table and put up with basic procedures. Nanuk jumps off the table if not physically prevented from doing so, squirms to the point that his medical care suffers, and has been muzzled by two emergency vets as a precautionary measure. I’m hoping this booklet will help change that, though I’m not sure if I can work on that and his reactivity on walks simultaneously. If anyone else wants to read it, you can get it for free on https://www.academyfordogtrainers.com/husbandry-project/
(As a side note, isn’t precaution already caution? And if preordering is already ordering and precaution is already caution, what does “pre” even mean?)
LisaW says
Definition of pre-
1a (1): earlier than: prior to
(2): preparatory or prerequisite to;
b: in advance: beforehand
2 in front of: anterior to
It implies something before or ahead of the thing at hand. But then you have words like Prepare. What’s pare in this context? Or Prefix? Fix? Or Pretend, where tend on its own has another meaning all together. I love language riddles.
And Martin, I so share your delight in seeing the hard work sinking in. It’s amazing how much emotion is bound up in trying to figure out how to teach, learn, and let go all at the same time. Olive has been showing such incredible self-control and self-directed avoidance behaviors that it makes my heart sing. She literally has removed herself from situations where she may not respond well or that make her too worried. For example, if we have people over that make her nervous, she’ll get up and go into the bedroom. The other day in the car, she literally turned around and faced the seat so as to not bark at dogs walking by the car (she has intense barrier frustration). We have not asked her or cued any of these behaviors (well, not directly in that moment). I could go on, but you get the idea.
Yay for you and yay for Nanuk. It’s just beginning.
The book I’m reading is When Harry Met Minnie. Yes, there are dogs, but it’s also a story of our innate sense of caring for others you’ve just met but feel like you’ve known forever.
Geri Yaccino says
Can’t wait to dive into these books! Oh, and um, care to share the recipe for that spritzy sounding Cosmo? Sounds delicious! And it’s only 7 am.
Sophie says
The new click to calm book sounds good, I may have to pick that up for a read! And your drink sounds pretty healthy (and delicious) – it has lime and pomegranate – so practically one of your 5-a-day 😉
Mary Ellen says
Thank you Trish and everyone for all the great book recommendations!
I have 2 favorites concerning trees and how we look at the world. One is Songs of Trees by David Haskell and the other is Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimerer. I can’t say enough about both of these books, they both affected me deeply.
Trisha says
Mary Ellen, I’m with you. Braiding Sweetgrass is one of my favorite books ever. Haven’t seen the Songs of Trees, can’t wait! Thx so much.