Stephanie says

Middle of the night.  Let the dogs out.  Back in.  Through a haze of sleep my brain slowly registers a familiar odor, an awful taste builds in the back of  my throat.  I am awake now.  Damn it, they got skunked.   3:00 a.m.  washing dog bedding, sprinkling baking soda on the carpet, dousing Moose with peroxide. Remind me again why I have dogs.

From this laid back, pot smokin liberal   to the Skin Head Boy from Hell Arghhhhh

I’m going to meet my grandson very soon so needed to get the dog’s kennel cough inoculations updated to meet boarding requirements prior to my departure.   We toddle off to the vet where Rosie is happy just getting in a random lick while she gets pricked.   Hmmm.   Moose, not so much.   He apparently remembers his hock surgery in February, or maybe recalls being forced to wear the cone of shame for such a long recovery.   Regardless, he is not fond of the vet.     He was bucking and flailing and growling and just trying to get the hell out of there.   He is a powerful dog, (he’s been looking noticeably thinner to me, Terry concurs, but weighed in at a whopping 128, up three pounds…)   Who is now labeled aggressive…   We were sent home Tuesday without the shots but with a handful of sedatives (for him) and an appointment on Thursday.   I was totally pooped and wishing for my own sedatives. Went back again today ...

I've been watching this bird sitting on its habitual perch in the middle of the pond for weeks now.  It's taken a long time to identify but it's a Double-Crested Cormorant.  This is a pretty feeble attempt to photograph it, shot with my phone with limited zoom power.  Nice arrow though! There was a family of Canadian geese on the water today, six yellow goslings swimming in the vee of their mother's wake.  Papa tailed the brood.  Took the dogs out today, to their great delight.  It's been raining nonstop all week so this was our first outing in days, and they were rambunctious. Moose was ahead of me by just enough distance that I couldn't stop him from rolling in something fetid and foul. He got his when we got home:  a cold water spray down.  Ha.  I really should buy a shock collar...

An arctic blast of cold weather is here to stay a few days. The temperature was in single digits when I took the dogs for a walk around the mill pond. A mown pathway meanders around the pond; berry brambles on the other side make this a great place to run them off-leash. I was intent on my camera, hoping to capture some snowy shots, when I heard an odd sound. I looked up and there was Moose, all 120 lbs. of him, mane wafting in the wind, trotting across the frozen pond, his nails clicking against the ice. Instant image of breaking ice and a dog flailing beneath the ice, (where's Lassie when ya need him?) That didn’t happen. I coaxed him back to shore, holding my breath the while, and snapped on his leash. No more freedom today Mister.

My yoga block - customized.  Won a pet photo contest - must redeem doggy Frisbee and save yoga block from further gnawing. Yes, he is missing one bottom front tooth - that's how I can identify the guilty party.   Bet it felt good biting into.  Sorta like my desire to bite into the smooth, smooth gloved finger of my dentist.   The suggestion was placed into my mind at a very early age by my mother.  Really Mom, was that wise?  I think one of the Laird kids actually bit the dentist.  Might have been one of the Bakers.  So far, I've resisted; I've stifled that desire through each and every dental since.  The winning photo? He is just the cutest.  How can I be irritated with that scruffy face?  Rose Petal is so much better behaved...

Moose is always happy to help clean up the kitchen, especially ice cream carton detail.

  That title is way ahead of where we're at in the process but I'm very optimistic.  Motivated by dreams of truffle snuffing dogs I made a run to the pet store and bought clickers, then baked small treats for training purposes.   I’m clicking them to “sit” and they’ve got the idea.   It's a start. Turkey treats for the dogs Ingredients: 2 cups cooked turkey, cut up 1/2 cup turkey stock 2 eggs 2 tablespoons brewer's yeast 2 tablespoons turkey fat (because I had it on hand and what else am I going to do with it?) 1 cup rice flour (supposed to be more easily digestible for dogs than wheat) Step 1: Place turkey in food processor container.   Pulse until evenly ground.   Step 2: Add the remaining ingredients ( except rice flour ) and process until smooth. Step 3: Pour into a mixing bowl then add the rice flour.   Mix well. Step 4: Pour batter onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.   Level batter Bake at 350 degrees for 25 ...

I installed a “Dog Watch” electronic fence after the March 2011 wind storm fell a 100’ Douglas fir tree down my property line and wiped out the side yard fence in its path. I created a dog-free zone in the front yard to curtail Moose’s habit of lolling in the planting beds playing havoc with flowers and Rosie’s annoying pastime of standing on the porch top rail and barking at passersby. This worked well for nearly a year. Until one day I came home to find Mr. Moose hanging out front. Rosie, who I suspect is smarter or possibly more sensitive to pain, was still in the backyard. Good girl. I went to great lengths searching the boundaries to see if wires were too close together, thereby making a void zone, which I suspected my tenacious big dog of finding. Bear in mind that I personally installed this system so presumably I know how it functions. Presumably… After a couple weeks of Moose greeting me from the front porch I had an “Ah ha” moment (this is embarrassing to admit) and ...

This Is Just To Say by William Carlos Williams I have eaten the plums that were in the icebox and which you were probably saving for breakfast Forgive me they were delicious so sweet and so cold Moose's version: I have eaten the plums and raspberries and blackberries and gooseberries. The grapes are next.

I was outside this fine morning enjoying a cup of coffee when I heard the dogs rustling in the side yard, then a big yelp, and the Mooster came bounding past, frothing at the mouth, heading right inside the house. My first thought was, “damn, a skunk” and sure enough. I got the big boy outside in record time. He was still frothing. I figure he bit the rear end of that itty bitty skunk, his reward a hit of skunk musk directly in the mouth. Dogs can’t spit but he sure was trying. Rosie appeared unscathed apparently recalling her two encounters last year. But Moose is not as quick a learner. I gave him a quick douse with soapy water and a cold water hose rinse. Tough love. Then I headed off to work. He was lucky to get a biscuit before I left… I had one stinky dog upon my return this afternoon and one baby skunk carcass (in full rigor) to deal with. The dog got the magic peroxide/baking soda bath. The skunk, carefully double bagged with a very long handled pitchfork, tossed ...

A hellacious windstorm blew through my town recently and a huge Douglas Fir tree toppled in its wake. It fell straight down my property line and took out 100 ft of my fence. The porch roof was damaged but I counted myself fortunate that it didn’t land on my house. The butt is six-foot in diameter, I stopped measuring it at 76 ft with a six-inch diameter. Big, big tree. Just so you know, according to the insurance company the property owner where a tree lands has the liability. So its up to me to get rid of this behemoth. And replace the fence. And repair the porch roof. With a cash influx from the insurance company minus my deductible. My neighbor helped me put up some temporary fencing on either side of the porch so the dogs wouldn’t be able to climb out over the tree. This didn’t work at all as both dogs jumped off the porch rail onto the lawn. Much to my dismay Rosie discovered an escape route. On two separate occasions she took off when I was out in the yard. I called her name, s...

Ah, poor boy is starving to death. Just wasting away...

I walk my dogs at this pioneer cemetary. Fog is so deceptive and somehow elegant. Here's my big guy - running off-leash! A two-year old who never avoids a mud puddle.