After four weeks of being separated, Sadie and Teddy were on their hind legs, pawing the air and each other. After a quick ritual sniff, they then raced around the yard, thru their tunnel, and under the ramp over and over again. All this was accompanied by joyful yips until finally, they swanned by the water bowl, […]
Dear Readers, Last Saturday morning, November 21, we discovered that seven-month-old Sadie was in heat. As I mentioned before, the new thinking on spaying female dogs is to wait after the first heat. This event has upended our household, and writing has become almost impossible. Teddy, who is fully mature at seven months, is off […]
I know it has been awhile since I wrote, but I have not been inactive. It has been a chore keeping my humans calm during the current election season. Some days I have been suddenly snatched from my bed and hauled around by Mom, Dad, or Grandma Bella. My ears have bald patches from being […]
On Saturday I made a coffee cake. An “honest to God” coffee cake that filled the house with the fragrance of cinnamon and sweet spices. But baking was just as tedious as I remembered. For me, it has always been a means to an end: you bake so you can eat whatever wonderfully fattening thing […]
The puppies are almost six months old, and we really felt we needed a break. The big question was, could we leave these creatures that take up so much of our time? And yes, that is one reason we wanted to go on vacation—but don’t tell them. This would be the first time we left […]
I’m sitting here thinking I would really like to have a glass of wine to accompany my thoughts about the day that is almost over. Alas, the last of the wine went into the pasta-shrimp dish we had for dinner. What a sacrifice. Do your days start out with a blank slate and an imaginary […]
“I just didn’t see myself here at this time in my life,” my husband, John, said with an expression that would have done a bloodhound proud. It was the kind of day in the life of a puppy owner when you ask yourself, “What was I thinking?” This was supposed to be our year to […]
Because of the surge in coronavirus cases in our county, we were among those who took several giant steps backward. No more mani-pedis or haircuts. No indoor restaurant service. No more gym, and no more indoor church. And don’t think of having a party. Hiking in the park and trips for necessities were our only […]
When you think of puppies, what is the first picture that pops into your mind? Innocent, sweet, new, lovable—adjectives like that, right? Now, when you think of the word toddler, what comes to mind? I picture a brown-haired little boy in striped Oshkosh B’gosh overalls that gives extravagant hugs, has incredible energy, is busy exploring […]
Have you ever had a day so strange that by the end of it, you feel completely unsettled—that anything could and probably would happen? Yesterday, I had a day like that. It started out as usual. I had consumed about half a cup of coffee when Teddy came in from outside, crying in distress. One […]