There is a lot of “turning corners” when you have puppies in your life. We have turned so many that we have been around the block several times. In a few days, the pups will be one year old, and looking back on our mutual path—a path that has at times seemed both rocky and […]
Read MoreI’m looking at what I call my “James orchid,” a plant given to us when James passed. I think it is somewhat of an anomaly. After the original blossoms faded, the stems that held them did not die off but remained healthy. A few months later, I noticed a shoot growing off one of the […]
Read MoreLast evening, my son Chris said to me, “You were just like me when I was vaccinated. I was all in. No hesitancy. Wanted to get out there right away. You know, some people are hesitant, but I wasn’t. Not at all.” He is right; I was not hesitant. I was so eager to see […]
Read MoreThis week two things happened that changed my life significantly. First, it has been two weeks since I received my second COVID-19 vaccine. That means that the vaccine is now working optimally in my body. I remember just a few months ago how I thought this day would never arrive. Second, Ventura County moved from […]
Read MoreAs we neared the two-week mark after our second vaccine, I wondered, Now what? So it was with great interest that John and I listened to Dr. Walensky from the CDC outline just what being fully vaccinated means. An expanded, albeit cautious, social life would be possible. And that meant a change in our lifestyle. […]
Read More“We were eating outside at Islands, and I received a message that a twelve-week-old German short-haired pointer was available.” This announcement by our neighbor was greeted by a stunned silence as our eyes widened and our eyebrows traveled north. We were both thinking about our very own German short-haired pointer rescue named Frazier who had […]
Read MoreWhile incubating in my house, I’ve been thinking about what life will be like when my chrysalis is shed and I will be set free to go out the door again, fluttering from one activity to the next in my expanded world—when I won’t have to wear a mask or two, social distance, and wash […]
Read MoreA dear friend said to me the other day, “Why can’t life be uncomplicated?” The sympathetic comment was prompted by a situation in my life. Sadie, our black-and-tan miniature dachshund, was spayed last Wednesday and recovering rapidly. So you can imagine our surprise when we awakened Sunday and our beautiful, svelte little girl was whimpering […]
Read MoreToday was a big day for our family of four—two humans, two canines. Sadie and Teddy went for their pre-op physicals and bloodwork. Next Wednesday, they will be neutered and spayed. And not a minute too soon, since there were signs that Sadie was going into heat again. On the opposite end of this surgical rite […]
Read MoreI noticed that you had been subjected to another long travelogue. Then silence. First you are bored and then ignored. What is a reader to think? Well here I am, happy to step in and fill in the gaps! One of a dachshund’s main responsibilities is to pick up the pieces for family and friends […]
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Kathleen Chamberlin 