Upcoming Talks. Wheeeee!
Many of you know I’ve been holed up working on my memoir every morning for the last millennium, and thus haven’t done a lot of speaking. (Okay, maybe it’s not been that long.) The good news is that I am making progress on the book (actually, a “mutual memoir” about me and Willie). I finished a manuscript last December, and sent it out for review. Lots of insightful comments by some great writers and editors led to re-write that now keeps me busy from 8 am to noon. I’m about half done with that, having started again in June after finishing teaching at the university in late May. Cross your paws that this new version, once done sometime in late fall or early winter, will only need some tweaks. I’ll keeping working throughout 2015, but by the end of the year, I think I will have run out of stamina. I’m sending whatever I have to publishers by early 2016 at the latest, and hoping someone wants it!
The other good news is that I’ve got three enticing speaking engagements coming up. Here’s the list:
SEPT 9, 2015, ROCKFORD, IL I’ll be speaking at the Swedish-American Hospital on the topic: The Power of Pets. Here a description:
Join Trisha as she talks about the power of pets in our lives. Learn the biology behind why we love our dogs and cats so much, hear about recent studies that underscore the therapeutic value of our interactions with animals. Come help celebrate the love we have for our four-legged and feathered friends!
This topic is of special interest to me for so many reasons: Because I have Tootsie, a Pet Pals ‘therapy’ dog. And because there has been so much good research done recently on the effect of animals on wellness and psychology. And because, well, you’ll see when the memoir comes out.
SEPT 19TH & 20th, MADRID, SPAIN Yup! I’m coming to Spain, and I can’t express how excited I am about visiting this wonderful country. (Note to Spanish Chamber of Commerce: Does everyone who goes to Spain come back raving about it? That’s been my experience so far.) Jim and I will enjoy Spain as tourists for a few days, and then travel to Madrid for the following two talks:
Book launch! Spanish version of Love Has No Age Limit-Welcoming an Adopted Dog into Your Home
6 PM Saturday, September 19th, Madrid, Spain
Barceló Castellana Norte, Avenida de Manoteras, 20 | 28050 Madrid
Sponsored by Dogalia
Hola! Come meet Patricia and join her in a discussion of the joys and challenges of bringing an adolescent or older dog into your home. Puppies are delightful, but older dogs, those who have lived in other homes, come already having learned a lot—sometimes good, sometimes not so good! Love Has No Age Limit is designed to help “the new dog” become the “best dog ever!” We’ll also talk about training methods, and the importance of using (and understanding) positive reinforcement as the best way to have a the relationship we most want with a happy and responsive dog.
A Casual Chat about Dogs and Dog Training with Patricia McConnell
10:30 AM Sunday, September 20th, Madrid, Spain
Barceló Castellana Norte, Avenida de Manoteras, 20 | 28050 Madrid
Sponsored by Dogalia
Come visit for an informal chat with Patricia McConnell, the subjects are up to you! She’ll be happy to take questions as broad ranging as “What have you seen is different regarding training here in Spain than in the U.S.?” to “Why Does My Dog Roll in Stinky Stuff?” This is a great chance for everyone who loves dogs, and who works with them professionally, to brain storm about canine behavior (not to mention the more difficult species—homo sapiens!). Bring along photos of your dog, Patricia would love to see them!
NOVEMBER 6th, WAUKESHA, WI Trisha will be participating in The Southeast Wisconsin Festival of Books in a panel discussion on pets and our relationship to them. Stay tuned for a specific time and place once the schedule is set. Hope to see you there, supporting animals in literature and great writing on any topic!
MEANWHILE, back on the farm: Whew. Hot. Here’s what hot sheep looks like: Poor Cupcake was too hot to eat. Willie and I moved them back into the barn soon after, where there’s a fan and 2 sides are underground, so it is much cooler.
A question for the village! Who knows what flower this is? The flowers are about the size of a dime, or a bit smaller. The plant has spread in one of my gardens, which is truly lovely, I’m happy to have it. But I never planted it, and have no idea what it is. Any guesses, oh botanical whizzes out there?
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About the Author
Patricia B. McConnell, PhD, CAAB Emeritus is an applied animal behaviorist who has been working with, studying, and writing about dogs for over twenty-five years. She encourages your participation, believing that your voice adds greatly to its value. She enjoys reading every comment, and adds her own responses when she can.
LEARN MORE FROM PATRICIA’S BOOKS & DVDs!
Patricia is known the world over for her clear and engaging books and DVDs on dog training and canine behavior problems. You can also “meet” Patricia in person on her seminar DVDs, from The Art & Science of Canine Behavior to Treating Dog-Dog Reactivity.
Commelina communis, or, Asiatic dayflower
The flowers are the lovely Tradescantia or Spiderworts:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tradescantia
Wish I could see one of your great presentations! Thanks for all the great info, I love your blog and books!
My armchair guess: Tradescantia (spiderwort), though that typically has three petals and the photo only shows two. Looking forward to hearing from real botanists.
So glad that the memoir is coming along. And lucky, lucky Illinois, Madrid (!) and Waukesha!
Our summer heat-breaker: one frozen banana, one cup frozen fruit – berries, pineapple, etc. – one cup orange juice. Blend and slurp. Dogs are enjoying broth pupsicles and frozen Kongs.
Future topic suggestion: proper age a pup should be taken from its dam, and why? My neighbors just brought home a 5 week (!) old border collie (!!) pup. I see lots of six week old pups for sale in the classified. My old-school info says that’s too young – any new info out there?
Commelina! Good heavens, a question I actually know the answer to! Commelina communis, or Dayflower – we grow it as a garden plant in the UK, but I believe that in places it has naturalised and become a weed.
I hope your writing goes smoothly, and your trips are lovely.
I thought your plant might be trandescantia, but then I saw only two petals. If it really has three petals, then I’m going with trandescantia. 🙂
Hi Patricia!
No idea what that plant is, but I found it my flower bed, too. I had to pull it out, because it was taking over everything! The blue flowers are pretty, though.
I love that deep periwinkle blue color. Trandescantia (spiderwort) has three petals, taller, grass-like leaves, and the stamen don’t droop down so low. I’d go with Commelina (dayflower), two petals, longer stamens, and the leaves are more like Echinacea (coneflower). I like pondering what is considered a weed and what is not, what is the latest addition to the “invasive” species list, and how do these decisions get made?
I can’t wait for the book to come out. Good luck and stay focused!
I’m looking forward to your book! Your willingness to personalize dog training by sharing your story is much appreciated. I feel like you’re the first dog behaviorist writer I encountered that validated my decision to fully love and support my dog.
I have that same flower in my back yard & was wondering what it was too. 🙂
Common dayflower, Commelina communis, says the lady who teaches a class in plant ID at University of Illinois. The third petal is there, but white to almost transparent.
Ah, I knew the village would come through! It is indeed a common dayflower, or Commelina communis. I love Margaret that you teach plant ID, and that you clued me in to looking for the tiny white petal that hides on the bottom. Good work too Frances, LisaW and Octupusgallery. I can easily see why others would guess Spiderwort, but I do have some of that and the three leaves are indeed always obvious. Now, let’s not tell the Japanese beetles that the plant is considered a weed in some areas. Although if they’d concentrate on that and stay off of my asters, day lilies and ferns I’d be happier. I pick beetles as often as I can every day, at least 4-5 times every day, and I wish I knew what the dogs thought when I do. They give up trying to play with me, and lie down in the shade and watch me. I do wonder what they are thinking.
LisaW: I too love the ambiguous designation of a “weed,” basically a plant we don’t want in one area, but might prize in another. I’m happy to let the dayflower do it’s thing; it’s competing with an strangely colored aster that I’m not that fond of, so no problem if it wins out. Besides, anything it can do to keep down the “creeping charlie” or “gill over the ground” or “worst weed ever” is fine with me. It’s the bane of my existence. Oh wait, there’s the thistles. And the Virginia stick seed. And the poison ivy. Okay, fine, it’s yet another of the infinite number of plants I’d rather grow in someone else’s yard, thank you very much.
Thanks Andy for the words of encouragement about the book. Heaven only knows what people will think of it when it’s done!
Spain?! Congrats. Oooh, I’m so jealous. You’ll love it and September is a wonderful time to visit. As for the plant, no idea but have been told that perennials not purchased are most likely a weed, (lovely or not). 😉 It really is indeed quite lovely and the contrast between blossom and leaf color truly pretty. Enjoy it whenever you can bear the heat.
Hi Trisha,
We met at the APDT 2010 conference in Atlanta. I so wish I could come to see you in Spain, because I lived there, and I used to teach Spanish. I’d have to fly across the ocean for that trip, and I am not sure I’d have the time. ¡Espero que tenga un viaje estupendo, contento y maravilloso! If you want any tips, let me know. 🙂
Elizabeth: Muchas gracias, estoy seguro de que tendrá un gran viaje!
I just cannot wait to read your memoir.
Spain is as wonderful as everyone says. I dreamed of traveling there for nearly 20 years before finally going to Andalucia in 2013. It was the trip of a lifetime.
Asiatic Dayflowers are considered an invasive in Kentucky, but, even though they are spreading across the US they haven’t made it to the official invasive list anywhere else.
My husband and I are retired from payed employment and are rather lazy but our rescue girl needs her walks so thats what we do 365 days a year. My neighbor who is 80+ (and walks 4-5 miles each morning) just lost his dog to cancer. He told me “Walking alone isn’t fun. I’m getting another dog!” So who is rescue?!!
I have that blue weed/flower. I too thought it was pretty, and let it go, and am now overrun with it. Same goes for wild catmint. At least it smells pretty when I pull it. And the white-flowering weed, whatever it is, that has aster-type leaves and tiny puffy star-cluster flowers, and started out as a few pretty plants and is now everywhere.
I’m excited about the upcoming book 🙂 I’ve been following your blog for a while and love reading about what Willie is up to.
Any plans to come to Australia?
I’m reading the comment about day flower and now thinking I might be wise to dig it up now, before it becomes yet another hyper competitive plant in the garden. So grateful to hear from people all over the country about it!
Definitely a noxious weed here in AZ. Been impossible to get rid of even in the harsh desert…
I think that it is Asiatic Dayflower, and it is invasive here in the Southeast. You might want to pull some of them to limit where they grow.
Will you be speaking in Spanish? That would deter me, I’m afraid. Otherwise, I might try to get there. Where would I find prices?
Also: Sooo excited for the book!!
Where I live we call it creeping myrtle. It’s easy to pull if it starts to annoy you by taking over, which I expect it will :(. Excited about your book. Can’t wait for it to be published. Personally, I’d read anything you write and can’t imagine it being anything but fabulous. The Other End of the Leash started it all for me and your many books have made me much more the person my dogs need me to be than I would otherwise be.
I think the flowers are spiderworts. I have white and dark blue colors but my mom had white, light and darker blue and light and darker pink. They bloom in the morning and close up in the afternoon. I really appreciated the article about the “Hard Eye”. As a breeder, I broughy home one of my one-year old home-bred dogs this week and believe he was treated in such a way that I saw a sign of a Hard Eye in him today. Thank you for sharing.
Impressed at the Villagers’ botany knowledge on your blog as well as their doggy insight! Wow!
Can’t wait for the book Trisha. 🙂
Hola!
Before you pull it make sure it’s not the rare (and native!) Narrow-leaved Dayflower (Commelina erecta ) like some have suggested. Thanks for all the expertise you share. I recommend your books and website on what seems to be a daily basis. ¡Muy agradecido! (I appreciate it so much!)