One Writer Mom. One Teen Kid. One Brilliant Australian Shepherd. One Comical Border Collie Mix. One Dog in a Maine Coon Cat's Body. And Latest to the Party — One Cuddly Cavalier.
Posted in My Garden / Recipes, Nature on Apr 18th, 2010
Most of my readers have figured out that I’m an avid gardener, but I’ve never shared my true motivation before. Sure, it’s because I like growing things, spending time outdoors, and getting my hands dirty, but none of those are the motivators–they’re the benefits. What got me into gardening so many decades ago (and keeps [...]
Posted in .My Dogs and Me, Nature on Feb 14th, 2010
Last call for the dogs at our house is usually around 11 pm. When first call starts at around 5 am, that makes for a very long day. So, at night, I always walk them out to ensure that they get down to business. Since my sense of humor and patience have already gone on [...]
Posted in .Cait and Me, Nature on Jan 17th, 2010
We’ve got a messy storm blowing in, so Cait and a friend wanted to get in what may be the last of the skating for a bit. Cait takes a moment to tighten up her laces. Even though the ice is 5 inches thick (thick enough to safely drive a car on) and we have [...]
Posted in Nature on Dec 13th, 2009
I’m guessing you can tell from all the pond shots over the years, that we really love our pond. A friend described it as sort of like a big outdoor rug, the decorating element that anchors the room — in this case, our outdoor room. And I’d have to agree, though I’d put it a [...]
Posted in Nature on Dec 6th, 2009
If you’ve been reading here for a while, you know that I’ve been a long-time amateur astronomer. Going back to my early childhood, I’ve had a fascination for all things up in the sky. It’s a fascination that Cait has come to share. We’ve spent many a night (and early morning) outside looking up at [...]
Posted in .My Dogs and Me, Nature on Nov 8th, 2009
Graidy is my early bird; he likes to start the day around 5 AM-ish. Once he gets me up, it’s rare that I can get back to sleep. So we hang out and take in the early morning sights. Once the sun came up, this is what we saw this morning. There are actually five, [...]
Posted in .Cait and Me, .My Dogs and Me, My Garden / Recipes, Nature on Aug 16th, 2009
Having recently gone through a growth spurt, Cait was in need of some new clothes. So off to the Mall we went. We always concentrate our efforts in this one particular store, because we always have good luck finding cloths that fit and that Cait will actually wear. The tradition is to make our way [...]
Posted in My Garden / Recipes, Nature on Jul 19th, 2009
And let your cares float away on the wisps of whispering breezes. Works for me every time.
Posted in .My Dogs and Me, Finnegan the Coon Cat, Life, Nature on Jun 14th, 2009
It’s in the air today, along with the gathering thunder clouds. Everyone around here is hunting for something. Our Great Blue Heron is on the hunt for his lunch. He seldom misses. He’s snagged himself a nice fish. Oh, there’s something else fishing there along the side of the pond! Is it our Fisher (a weasel)? [...]
Posted in Nature on Jan 18th, 2009
The first time I saw them, I was camping out in Nova Scotia on an isolated sliver of a peninsula that jutted out into the choppy Atlantic Ocean. As I’d done since I was a kid, I threw my sleeping bag on the ground so I could have a clear view of the night sky. [...]
Posted in Nature on Dec 14th, 2008
Interesting changes in light all day today. 6:30 am 8:30 am 10:30 am 12:30 pm 2:30 pm 4:00 pm 6:00 pm – Power out from an ice storm. 8:00 pm 10:00 pm. Jupiter and Venus, as evening stars, holding hands in the southwest sky – and a dead camera battery. G’nite all.
Posted in My Garden / Recipes, Nature on Aug 22nd, 2008
Fall is in the air. No need to look at the calendar; there are signs everywhere. Harvested at the end of July, my garlic has dried enough to cut, clean, and store. One drying screen almost done. One more to go. Seed saving begins for many of my lettuces and leafy vegetables. This is Chinese [...]
Posted in Dogs in General, Nature on Feb 27th, 2008
Alex, the gray parrot, and Washoe, the chimpanzee, (both recently deceased) are back in the news in this month’s National Geographic Magazine, in an article about understanding the animal’s mind. In it, the newest kid on the “smarts” block is featured. Are you ready? Yep, a Border Collie named Betsy, who knows more than 300 [...]
Posted in .My Dogs and Me, Nature on Feb 6th, 2008
Can you see him? He’s in the middle of the two clumps of trees. (Sorry the photos aren’t clearer. He was all the way across the pond, toward the ridge. Even with the digital 12x zoom, it was hard to get a good shot from this distance at dusk.) I called out to say hello, [...]
