One Track Mind

I honestly don't want this to be an all dog blog, but my life is so full of dog right now!

There's what to feed them: Raw chicken bones great for the teeth, but it worries me, Caprice's adjustment to raw, especially. Kibble- Caprice is eating Canon's and none of her own, and Canon is more interested in Caprice's ID with chicken soup. I finally gave up and let each eat whatever. There may be hell to pay for that.

There's how they play-- or not: Canon chasing the ball. Zoomies. Barking.

Dog poop: It reminds me of the word scatomancy. I'm not telling fortunes, but do get a health report. Yes, I am crazy!

Sleeping arrangements: When is that crying going to stop?

And most of all there is love-- so much I could burst!

Progress

He's less afraid. She's interested in playing...a little. I'm tired.
A little less crying last night, but a ways to go. He's slept most of the day today. I wonder if that means trouble tonight.
Tomorrow--the vet.

In Jail

The temporary heartbreak of a new puppy parent- putting the dog

in the crate when leaving or at night time. Look at this sad little creature whose mother has the nerve to put him in jail!

The night was a rough one. Lots of crying and yelping. At times he almost sounded like a monkey screaming. I laid on the floor in front of the crate for awhile (after I swore I wouldn't do it again. I spent the whole night in front of his kennel at the hotel in Flagstaff.). I realized, that even though my floor was more comfortable than a dirty hotel floor this had to stop.

12:50- crying again. Out we went to potty. Good boy!

2:50- Again. Same results.

5:30- Up, outside. Chicken wing for breakfast.

9:00- Made us leave (with Caprice) for coffee so Canon could have more alone experience.

We left the house to the sound of crying. When we returned it was quiet-- for awhile. Now he's sleeping at my feet. Respite for all of us!

THE trip

There's so much to write about the trip- the ride, the scenery, the view, the visit with Karen, the food, Canon, of course, and our reception when we returned. I think I'll start with the latter.

When we arrived home the afternoon, Michael took Caprice into the backyard, and then I brought in Canon. Caprice barked, of course; Canon got scared! Canon yelped, tucked his tail, peed, and ran (not necessarily in that order). Actually though, Caprice is not that interested in Canon. Although she growled at first, she is now allowing Canon (brave soul!) to come up to her.

Right now, they're sleeping at different ends of the living room. Canon, especially, is out cold after all the excitement. I see a lot of work coming...and a lot of joy!

Anticipation

Enough said!

Insidious

The rain of the past couple of days has made it a good time to do some weed pulling. After neating up the xeric landscape in the front, I decided to tackle the lawnful of weeds in the backyard. After two hours, I have an intrinsic understanding of the word insidious. The lush grass pictured above (taken about a month after it was planted) does not exist two years later. Now it is filled with dry, bare spots, holes (thank you dogs), crabgrass. dead grass, grubs, and numerous weeds.

I was angry enough at the dandelions that had invaded. Those sunny yellow flowers place themselves in the middle of the grass, thick taproots required extensive digging and pulling to remove them, if I am lucky enough to isolate them when surrounded by thick grass. (Why is it that the grass is only thick around the dandelions?)

A blanket of spurge (yes, I had to look it up) had spread throughout the grass, requiring me to trace its source so I could firmly grasp the main stem and root. And then, as I looked closely at the grass, I noticed the thick, branching blades of crabgrass. To add insult to injury, as I easily lifted the patches of dense, dead grass, I discovered the cause of its demise. Round, juicy, ugly grubs! (I looked this up on the Internet, too.)

I don't know if I even made a dent in removing these invaders and yes, some normal grass was sacrificed to remove these bothers. Perhaps it deserved it for harboring them.

A Very Small Matter

I deliberately stepped on an ant today while on our morning walk. Nothing? Of course I've stepped on ants before, but somehow, this morning, this act struck me. There is the lesson was that every little thing counts. Remember the Ray Bradbury story, The Sound of Thunder, where the crushing of a butterfly changes the world?

That's not what got to me, although it should. I stepped on him (her?) because his species in the past has been a nuisance to me, because he might bother Caprice, because he was there and I saw him. There is the respect for all living creatures element to this, but maybe there's something else. Is this an analogy for war and inhumanity?

Why did this strike me today? Am I trying to be profound?

Waiting is so hard!

We were to be leaving on Monday to pick up Canon, but there's been a twist. Karen's dogs, and then the pups, are turning up with a virus akin to kennel cough. It's been short-lived, but it's enough to delay the pups' pick-up, as they are going to be on a week's worth of antibiotics before they can go. Hopefully, Canon will be home right before his 10-week birthday. The putting off of an anticipated event is difficult. This one has been so long coming. For now, we'll have to settle for these pictures of Canon and his sister, Roxy, who will also be coming to Albuquerque.

Losing Summer

I already know I'm going to have to admit I'm a glass-half-empty kind of person. It's August--full-bloom, peak of summer. Here that means heat, green, and, of course, dry brown. But there's a touch of fall to summer now. The crisp, bright greens of spring and early summer have been replaced with deep, muted greens that seem to herald yellowing leaves. Evenings are ever so slightly cooler. School is beginning. September is less than two weeks away. Summer will disappear slowly, edged out by sneaky autumn. When Halloween comes, the game's over. That's when I silently hope for inclement weather so there will be less trick-or-treaters ringing our doorbell. It's as if the changing seasons make me more curmudgeonly. But I'll really just be missing you, summer.

Patience & Timing

Yes, a new, fancier camera with a better optical zoom and frills would be nice, but until then I'm working on patience and timing, to see where they take me.

Mini-Memory: When I Met Michael

There are two entries today. I wanted to show sweet little, non-agressive Canon, but have other things on my mind. It's time Michael gets some time here.

I met Michael 23 years ago (I think). I was looking for a stretch, and agreed to go with my friend, Jan, to La Foret, a camp-type thing in Carbondale, Colorado, run by the Unitarian church at the end of June. No, I did not go there for the church connection. It just happened that they had a drama workshop I wanted to attend. La Foret is another story, but one I won't tell now.

One day during lunch, Jan introduced me to Michael, a nice man who was a member of the group she was participating in. I remember walking down to a pond, I think, with him, a ten minute walk at most, before the afternoon's activities. I saw Michael off and on that week, mainly just to say hello to. What I remembered was that he always seemed to be having fun. An image I still have of him is at the final party, wearing a tie, and acting silly.

Skip to a few weeks later at what was called a La Foret re-entry party. I don't remember much about Michael then, because the hostess was flirting with him. Skip to October, another La Foret party, a couple glasses of wine, some flirting. The way Michael tells it, I pushed Mary Anne out of the way to get to him. The way I remember it is telling him that if he was every in the neighborhood visiting another friend, to drop by. A few days later a phone call and a date.

We had dinner at Ciao (one of Albuquerque's many now defunct restaurants), and planned to go see "Gorillas in the Mist." I believe I was wearing my bright yellow jumpsuit which I spilled wine on. (Some images remain in my foggy mind.) We talked so much that we missed the movie, and went out for a drink instead.

The beginning of an almost 23 year relationship!

Canon's Latest

The latest of Canon. I was rooting for him to get back at the others, especially that little dark pink girl!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QLrF41tUs4&feature=email

DOG/GOD

Those who know me well enough to have this type of conversation know I'm not big about religion. In the past decade I've come to know I believe in something and put my faith there, but it's embedded in my life rather than a separate element. This video spoke to me, probably mostly because of the dog element.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H17edn_RZoY

This Morning's Passer-by

This morning's walk was a bit unusual. As we were talking up the street, a dog came running toward us, down the middle of the street-- except it wasn't a dog. It was a large coyote with a cat in its mouth. A little scary to me, although I know he was more interested in getting his prey to a safe place than bothering me and the poodle.

It was a reminder to me as to whose place this is. I hate seeing someone's pet in the jaws of a predator. I also hate knowing I have taken up some of this animal's space, moved into his territory, forcing him to move.

Definitions

Names were important to ancient peoples. To know the real name of someone was to control that person. To some extent, we do that now, by means of labels, or definitions.

I've been thinking a lot lately about how I define myself. As I've mentioned, for the past 35 or so years, I've defined myself as teacher. I teach. I talk teaching. I think teaching. I look at the labels I've put on this blog. Gluten-free. When I go out to eat, this definition of myself is the predominant one. Standard poodle lover. My day begins and ends with my dog/s. I take care of dogs. I read about them and look at pictures of them. I make friends based on my love of dogs.

What if I didn't have these labels? Is it possible to fill a day without referring to one's definition of self? Would it be a day of all new things? If I woke up to not knowing what I was going to pursue- not expecting to get on my computer, take care of the dog? Would I do the same things if I wasn't consciously and subconsciously defining myself? I can add to my definition of myself, but can I erase, or change, what is already there?

I have a feeling these questions are going to sound silly when I reread them, but that, then, would be due to my definition of myself...

New Friends

This morning started off with a new visit from Jasper and his parents, Nancy and Jeremy, who are the family-to-be of one of Canon's sisters.
The poodles spent a lot of time barking at each other. It seemed that each wanted to be the chase-ee in a game of chase, and were constantly calling out to each other, "Chase me. Chase me." It was great to see Caprice crouching in an invitation to play again after all these months, and to see both dogs streaking across the backyard. The play date was a success.

Jasper lost a black poodle sister named Lily a little while back, and, according to Nancy, has been mourning his loss. I never thought of Caprice as mourning, but she was clearly rejuvenated by this visit. This brown boy looks a lot like Rondo, especially in this photo, with him "smiling" with his tongue hanging out, as Rondo's was in some pictures.

Besides enjoying the dogs' joy, it was a pleasure to meet Nancy and Jeremy and share common interests. Hopefully our sibling pups and older "children" will be able to see each other from time to time. Let the poodle games begin!

You know what...

...and of course there's more on You Tube. No more to say. Only excitement and a bit of nervousness. Can we handle a puppy?

New Canon Video

He's getting more personality every day!

Back to School-- Not!

School for teachers here starts in just a week. My friends are preparing their rooms. There's talk of new teachers, test scores, what's in store. I'm not part of that this year, but I find myself still getting in to it a bit.

I listened to my former teaching partner, Michael, talk about the new things he's trying this year with a tiny bit of envy. I visited my niece Michelle's preschool autism classroom and wanted to plan centers in her classroom. I'm planning on being a "penpal," or foster aunt to her students when school resumes in a few weeks, even though her students don't know me and can't read my messages themselves. I've offered to teach lessons my nephew Philip's classroom.

I'm taking a step away from the classroom, but leaving a toe in. This retirement is partially to redefine myself. So much of my identity for the past 35ish years has been my teacher identity, and it will always be a part of me.

My Take On It

There is no good excuse for stupidity.
There ARE stupid questions!

Look for the Pennies

When I joined the Bone Cancer Dogs group, Bruce always said, "Look for the pennies," upon the passing of a dog. I learned that meant that the furry angels people lost let them know that they were thinking of them by throwing down pennies from heaven. Since Rondo has been gone, I've been looking for those pennies.

This past weekend I flew into Las Vegas and then drove to St. George, Utah to meet Canon, the white poodle pup who will be coming home to Albuquerque in a few weeks. He's named after Rondo, for both the rondo and canon are circular forms of music, like the round of "Row, Row Your Boat," or Pachelbel's Canon. I was thinking about Rondo during the weekend and wondering how it would be with a new pup.

When I was returning to Albuquerque, we were moved to a a new gate at the last minute. As all the people waiting for the plane traipsed down the concourse, I spotted two pennies underfoot. Now, the Las Vegas airport is heavily crowded, but I edged my way in and rescued the two pennies. I doubt most people in the airport would risk stooping down for two pennies. But then, they weren't getting a message from an angel.

Canon in St. George

This is Canon and pups on August 1 in St. George. I really need to learn how to focus puppies!

When we first got to Karen's house, all of the puppies were asleep. I sat down inside the pen and Canon woke up and came to me.

The puppies are all precious and very take-homeable. Michelle and I discussed gathering an armful and heading out the door.

First Twenty-four Hours in Vegas

The glamour! The lights! Casinos! Shopping! I've been vegging out today. Time at the computer. A visit to my niece Michelle's classroom to meet her preschoolers with autism. Protein burger and fries at In and Out Burger (possibly gluten-free). A bit of TV-- "Housewives of Atlanta." Couch time. And best of all, time with two special relatives.

Off to Vegas

I'm leaving to visit my nieces and Canon this afternoon. Hate the journey, love the trip. Packing and preparing is not a favorite pastime of mine, nor is leaving Caprice when I'm worried about her health...

Cloudy Afternoon

Rumbling sky

Grey promise of rain

Or not

It's New Mexico

A Few More Puppy Memories- Caprice

Lest Caprice get too full of herself, a few more puppy memories:

- Worms-- enough said

- UTI- on a weekend, of course. I remember sitting in the emergency vet's waiting room for a long time on a Saturday night. Someone came out and reported that their dog was constipated and they needed to give it pumpkin. I was ready to leave and save sixty or so dollars, stop by the grocery and feed her pumpkin.

Weekend Ritual

Michael and I have had a weekend ritual for the past 22 years-going to the Frontier. The Frontier is right across from the University, known and frequented by all sorts of Albuquerqueans. A long time ago I was afraid to frequent the place. I thought it was a dive filled with all sorts of weird people. It is filled with all sorts of people, but I have ceased thinking of it as a dive.

We started going to the Frontier together when Michael was living on Vassar, near the University. At times we walked the mile from his house. Being older and lazier now, we drive all the way across time later in the day to avoid the lines.

Michael usually orders the same- Breakfast Burrito. I'm guessing he's eaten over 2000 of them in his tenure as Frontier regular. In my gluten-eating days I'd share, ordering fresh orange juice and my own tortillas. The soft, fragrant flour tortillas are made at the Frontier, where they place balls of dough in the tortilla machine, which flattens and bakes them. That's still what I consider one of my greatest losses since starting the gluten-free diet. Michael douses the burrito with the Frontier's warm, homemade, fiery salsa. Some of it invariably ends up on Michael's shirt.

Nowadays I have a salad or an enchilada. but in the good old days, we used to share a Frontier cinnamon roll. I can honestly say I've never had anything like them (and superhonestly, I haven't had one in almost 10 years!) As I remember, they're soft and sugary-cinnamony and wonderful.

The people watching at the Frontier is good as well. You see it all. University students and staff, of course, younger wannabes, young and older families, older (than us) couples, people attending performances and those performing at Popejoy Hall across the street, the extremely dressed and the conservatively dressed, and two people who have been coming together for 22 years, or approximately 1500 times!

My day started out with receiving a present I sent to myself- a tripawd pendant Not only did 4 Paws Forever create this after it was suggested by Julie, but they're donating 20% to Bone Cancer Dogs, so I have warm feelings for them (and Julie). Rondo is in my heart and over my heart right now (taking a few geographic liberties).

Mirror, Mirror

My guest bathroom is tiny and dark, so I've chosen to hang assorted mirrors around it. Today I've had two "mirror" experiences.

I've read and heard that this social networking stuff is replacing e-mail in a bad way, but Facebook amazes me again.

Today I found this posted by Margaret: Facebook Experiment: If you are reading this, even if we don't speak often, post a comment with a memory of you and me. When you've finished, post this paragraph on your own status and you'll be surprised at what people remember about you.

And people actually responded! So far a few poodle people who remember my struggles with my dogs; someone I grew up with remembers family; Wendy remembers playing with puppy Persi on the gold course; a former student remembers a comment I made. How cool is that?

Today I also took my turn volunteering as a cashier at the Bargain Box, a thrift store operated by the Assistance League. That's an experience in itself, but what was of special note to me was that today I saw Cherokee. Cherokee is someone I used to call "street girl." She's a street person who I first noticed in the university area when I was going to graduate school in the mid 90's. I noticed her 1) because she was a woman, and 2) because she seemed close to my age. Seeing her made me grateful, and sad.

Over the years I've kept an eye out for Cherokee. I've given her money, and tried to give her money that she refused. I've noticed her with only a blanket and a pair of walking shoes, with missing teeth and bruises. I hadn't seen her for a long time and wondered if she was still alive.

Cherokee, dressed in an odd assortment of clothes, some kind of wrap around footwear that was hanging in tatters, and her several plastic bags bulging came in, probably to cool off, and look around. She smelled of honey and body odors. She eventually bought a red stretch velour skirt and top, pulled out a wad of money to pay her $10, stuffed it into a tearing plastic bag, and went on her way.

I was delighted to see her and to know she was alive and a survivor. Why a mirror? Because if not for family support and a number of other things, I could be her, or worse, not a survivor. She reminds me how life takes lucky turns for some of us, and to be aware and supportive of those who don't get those opportunities. There but for the grace of G-d...

Mirror, mirror on the wall

Who's the fairest of them all?

Why I Spend So Much Time Talking About My Dog

Ben Stein on Dogs
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4920260n

Students and Teacher

Yesterday, I wrote in Facebook that "I'm in awe of my former students. You can express yourselves. You are setting out in the world and thinking and doing wonderful things!" I hope some looked at that with pride. Those laid-back little people are now those who are creating their own custom shoes, performing with highly-honed skills, studying medicine, communicating at a level I never dreamed of.

There's a sense of pride because I worked with them, but a sense of humility, because basically they did it themselves. A teacher can provide experiences and opportunities for development, but it is the individual who grows and builds on what is provided, and eventually surpasses the teacher.

As an elementary school teacher, I could safely say I was more skilled and knowledgable than my students. Now they are at an intimidating level...and I am proud!

Walking: A Puppy Memory

A little while ago, I returned from my morning walk with Caprice. It was delightful, as usual-- mostly peaceful. We don't see many people at our park. Caprice is getting better when we encounter other dogs. I'm reminding her to behave herself when we come upon another dog, and if she doesn't bark, she gets a treat.

The pleasant walk reminded me of when Caprice was a puppy. When Capricewas young, and we couldn't take her to public places yet, I walked her around the block. She wasn't the best walking companion, often sitting and refusing to budge, expecially when she heard loud noises, like garbage trucks. Dragging didn't work. Begging didn't work. One time I remember sitting on the curb waiting for Caprice to change her mind about moving. I did learn that often, if I turned around and ignored her, instead of begging, she would eventually come along.

About this time, I read Cesar's Way by Cesar Milan. I know there are a lot of people in Dog Land that don't agree with his methods, but his basic concept of being the pack leader helped me. Since Caprice was a bit of a wild child, I thought it was worth it to walk her regularly at my side, instead of where she wanted to go. Maybe she grew up a little, but she got better and easier to walk. And right now, it's great!

Caprice's Turn

So, I'm taken away from my mom (dinner) and aunt and big and little poodles, put in a little bag, and taken someplace very noisy, followed by a lot of bumping and waiting. Eventually this human tells me we're home and we sit and wait in a big room until a bigger human joins us and we move on. I'm tired, hungry, and thirsty, so I'm thrilled to finally get out of that bag.

My new home is shiny, and there are no other dogs! I have to sleep all alone my first night, and many nights after that. Something good about this place, besides these people who are really interested in me, is grass! I didn't know about this in Las Vegas. It felt good (cool) and tasted yummy!

I don't remember a lot of specifics after that- a lot of going in and out, and for some reason, eliminating in the house was not appreciated, so, after a few weeks, I learned to oblige.

I remember a special toy, though-- a pink poodle! However, with my sharp puppy teeth, mom had to take this away from me when things started coming apart.

I was absolutely precious and perky as a puppy! I pranced and danced and loved my new home and humans. I think I was a big of a wild child.

One tramatic event of my youth that Michael reminded me of. We had company over for dinner and to meet me. I very politely laid on the dining room floor and rested while the humans ate and visited. They moved on to the living room. I tried to, my tag was stuck in the floor vent. I panicked and pulled. Next think I knew, I was free, but the floor register came with me. I was scared and embarrassed, and Barbara had to chase me to free me. After that, no collar in the house for me.

Caprice Demands Equal Time!

I've spent so much time thinking about Canon and posting his pictures, Caprice was beginning to get jealous, so the first thing I did when my new camera came today was to snap a few pictures of her. It's difficult sometimes, to take a picture of a black dog. They do have eyes, but they're hard to see.

I picked Caprice up in Las Vegas three years ago. I had to put my beloved Persi to sleep in November. It seemed like everyone around me was getting puppies and I so missed Persi. I spent a lot of time on the internet and eventually found Ash's Mystical Poodles in Las Vegas-- perfect, because my nieces lived there and I could do two things at once. Caprice was born on March 13, 2006. Her mother, a white poodle named Monet, and her father, a black named Stephen.

Right before school was out at the end of May 2006 I picked her up in Las Vegas and flew home with her under my seat. I cried when I first saw her because I was so delighted to have another dog to love. She was much more beautiful in person and had little pink painted paw nails!

She was so little, but barely fit into the doggie carrier Marie lent me to take her home in.

Canon is playing!

Canon is the pup in the middle.
You can see him playing in this clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3mFOCOgXVA
Posted by Karen July 15, 2009

And there's more!
http://picasaweb.google.com/desertreefpoodles1/VideoClip?authkey=Gv1sRgCJGlloy94sW14QE&feat=email#5359185822808795378

Numbers

I'm thinking about numbers that are in my head that I no longer need. Our old home phone number and address. My grandmothers' addresses. HHH's phone and address. The combination for the lock I used on the gym locker. I've forgotten a lot, but there are leftovers. Is there a home for old numbers?

Yes, I'm Into Facebook, Too!

I protested at first, and then, at Sharie's suggestion, I signed up for Facebook. I thought I'd check up on my nieces and nephews. The next thing I knew, I was finding out about the cousins, too. Alana was bodybuilding; Jenna & Haim were in Israel; Wendy B. had a little white poodle.

Then it became all about getting "friends." More cousins. Poodle people. Teaching friends. Acquaintances. I looked for former students to see what they were doing, where they went to school. I became a "stalker," looking at others' friends lists to see who I could add to mine. I kept track of my nephew & niece's baby bump and nursery decoration, visits from grandchildren, meanderings of the minds of others.

This was followed by the taking quizzes. Silly questions, inane answers-- but I still wanted to know. If friend X was Desdemona in a Shakespeare quiz, who was I? If Y's real age was 42, would I be older or younger?

Was that enought strange behavior? No. There's the "gift" giving, sending virtual gifts to "friends." I sent and received flowers, poodle pictures, and plants. This also became pillow fights and balloon fights, drinking and sending cyberdrinks.

Somehow I resisted Mafia Wars and building a farm/village/ whatever. That's because I became involved with the games. Rolling dice in Farkle, trying to make more words than Bonnie in Word Challenge, looking to match the high scores of dog friends in Bejeweled Blitz, or type faster than Betty in Typing Maniac.

I made myself a pledge that I would limit my visits to Facebook to twice a day. Pledge broken before the day was out.

Is Facebook an awful thing? Keeps me sitting on my butt more than I should, but I've seen some good things come out of it. I've inched into the lives of some people I care about (and some I don't). A great thrill was hearing from someone I worked with in my college days- he's a missionary in Russia now! Two people I respect discovered they have some interests in common and have become friends. I learn a little about a little. I feel connected...to something...

A Favorite Mini-Memory: Getting Ready for a Walk

I do the usual morning things- bathroom, face and teeth, dress. Then I go into the closet to get my walking shoes. Rondo and Caprice go crazy. I sit down on the floor to put on my shoes and socks. Sometimes Caprice bites at the sock, then chews on the laces until I am ready for the shoes. Rondo crawls all over me, biting at my hair every chance he gets. I finish, and there is great joy as we go to get leashes and be on our way.

Caprice is more reserved now. I get a tail wag, and then she sinks her teeth into one of her soft animals, usually her big bear. I miss the excitement of two young dogs, but I still love the walks...

Bone Cancer Dogs

Almost 11 months ago, I began a journey that changed my life. Rondo was diagnosed with osteosarcoma (bone cancer) in August of 2008. As I do with most things I want/need to know more about, I went to the internet. I found Bone Cancer Dogs and its companion Yahoo group bonecancerdogs http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/bonecancerdogs/ . What I found there were people who were willing to advise and console, to be there to support us as we fought OS. I learned what to feed my boy, what supplements might help, how to tempt a dog whose taste for food had been destroyed by chemotherapy. I learned to be supported and to give support.

Rondo has been gone 4 months now. I've remained with the yahoo group to support others who have to take this terrible journey. I cry almost every day as I read e-mails expressing dog owners' dilemmas and grief. Every death (this is a frequent occurence here) is hard to take. Every success makes me smile.

I have a commitment now-- to this group and its members, to others who find their dogs have this terrible disease. I will reach out to help and support these people, emotionally and financially, when possible. It's what I can do now in Rondo's memory.

Note: The story I wrote about Rondo for the Bone Cancer Dogs heroes page can be found at http://www.bonecancerdogs.org/main/hero/292 .

Grooming Day

Caprice- Brush. Cotton in the ears. Into the shower. Soak. Lather up with lovely smelling rosemary soap and conditioner. Rinse. Squeeze out water . Shake water all over bathroom. Wet pictures. Run and dry in the sun. Brush. Comb. Buzzzzzz: face, feet, tail, body.

Soft! Picture time again.

Rest.

Barbara- Chase dog to bring into shower. Bend over dog in shower, straining back. Brush, clip. Brush off lots of hair. Take pictures. Vacuum hair up. Rinse hair off contacts. Shower and pick off little black hairs that remain.

Word Play

What about that B...B...B...? Not knowing what to call this blog, I settled on "Barbara Bravely Blogs." Not feeling very brave, I changed that to BBB. Could mean the same, or not.
Assuming the first word stands for Barbara, we could have...
Barely Blogs
Brightly Blogs, or Blogs Brightly
Blogs Beautifully
Beneficially Blogs...and so one with the adverbs and blogs.
How about getting rid of "Blogs?"
Barbara, Barkers, and Big (ideas)
Barely Been Busy
Barely Been Brainy

Whoops! Empty mind. No more play today, until I read a dictionary.

Gluten-Free Tea

Savories served with Summer's Bounty Tisane

• Daniel Boulod's Curried Shrimp and Crab on Watermelon
• Emeril's Corn and Basil CupJulia Child's Quiche Lorraine
• Alice Waters's Avocado and Grapefruit Salad
• Traditional Tea Sandwich: Fanny Farmer's Chicken Fresh Herb Salad with Cucumber

Scones & Bread served with Organic Orange Flower Oolong Tea

• Beth Hensperger's Maple Scone with Maple Butter
• St. James Traditional Cream Scone with Lemon Curd and Clotted Cream

Sweets served with Earl of St. James Black Tea

• Rose Levy Beranbaum's Lemon Bar
• Emily Luchetti's Chocolate Silk
• Paula Deen's Amaretto and Peach Sauce on Vanilla Gelato

A menu. Why a simple listing of food? Because this was my first tea since going gluten-free in 2000 (and a long time before that, too!). It was my first opportunity to have a slew of different foods prepared for me (and about 36 others). I'm not a foodie, or a gourmet, but it was just such a treat to visit the St. James Tearoom and be served the same as anyone else.

Mini Memories

At some point in our later teen years, my sister Nancy and I worked at getting along. We'd go on $1 (or more) shoppping sprees at Duckwall's 5 & 10 to buy each other gifts. Don't remember any of the gifts- I'm sure they were silly, but it was fun.

Neighborhood games were fun. My friend, Margaret lived a block and a half south of us. I remember playing "Capture the Flag" in the warm weather. When the Daulton's put up a basketball hoop, that was popular. Mostly we played "Horse." Then there was the time I got hit in the eye with the basketball. Next thing I knew we were at the eye doctor's office having a big swelling lanced. We played a lot of baseball with a tennis ball in our yard, the Daulton's yard, and the mesa behind us.

The mesa behind us. Great source for escaping over the wall. Playing games. Capturing lizards and horney toads (yes, I could catch them and I touched them). Cars sometimes went into the mesa at night. I could see the lights from my bedroom window. Sometimes we found some strange things there...

Canon Dining

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSz8WGV5W7E

Barbara Barely Blogging

It's harder for me than I thought to blog every day, in addition to think of what to write. Dogs are in my head, and I just can't keep writing about that.