You might have noticed

a lack of any equid references lately in the old blog, and a concentration on the dogs and cat and occasionally humans in my life. Like Flip, who had just entirely ignored everything I had been saying, and gave me this look of innocence. Obsequious innocence. I don't know how she does it so well, it works every time..

Flip, the best dog ever

The other day, as she was ignoring me calling, I decided to say instead, "Oh, Flip, I'm so sorry! Oh, Flip I am SO SORRY!!" She immediately came over, for of course, I owed her an apology. For what, I really don't know;)

My horse light has been dialed way back, with so many good reasons. There is no need to list them here, for those who have read me from the beginning. I haven't forgotten them or anything. I still read about them, and admire them, and cheer them, and feel sorrow for them. But I'm feeling not so "GoLightly" right now. I can easily miss the old life, but it's best to move on from things you can't change, right?

My company is in the midst of a big shift, and I will be needing my wits about me, and my heart steady. You all know what horses have done to this old heart through the years. One reader asked if I'd still answer questions about riding and stuff, which of course I will, I'd be glad to. I'm slowly (of course) starting to realize what happened to horses, just as with dogs and cats and.. So it's nice to take my mind off the sad stuff, and think about the stuff I used to know, like how to ride a horse and even have the horse enjoy it.

We have a new feral cat on the property, I wonder how long the wee thing will last. Smaller sized brown tabby DSH, with a rounder/flatter face. I called to him/her, but terrified, he ran away, poor critter. Must be spring, time to dump your no longer kitten cat. A worn out Christmas present. (tamps down the cynicism..)

Stinky is doing great, and even allows the girls to pass within 18" without hissing or spitting. Stinks raises himself up on his toes a bit, but doesn't fluff. His eyes go a bit wide, that's it! Good cat! Not all dogs are anti-cat! Stinky has a bum hind leg, wonder how that happened, it's hard to notice, but I have gotten to know him really well. I just wish I knew how he ended up as a shop cat, with no claws, and a condition just like mine. I mean, what were his chances?

We are NOT enjoying our crappy wet/cold/rainy spring so far. I worry for the farmers. Planting into mud is not often a good thing, unless you are hand-seeding, maybe. Big machines, heck, little machines have a hard time with mud. Maybe mules could make a comeback. Donkeys for smaller properties. YeaH!

Take care, fierce readers. Take care.

May Days

Blaze, concerned because the end of the game had been mentioned.

Flip! HaPpY DaNcInG with Sculpture

Sorry Flip's picture is blurry, she is SO fast. I laughed as I watched Blaze challenge Flip to a race towards me, Flip leaving Blaze in the dust just long enough to prove her point. No discernable hip joints? No problem! Flip conserves her energy, always has, for the important stuff, like her FrisBee redesigns, her latest shown beside her. She is verY proud of it.

FrisBee Population Problems!
I've only recently learned that floatable Nylabone FrisBees are now extinct. I have one and a half left, and I started with six, just two years ago. Thanks, Flip. The floatables plastic is way soft, and my girls have very strong jaws, as most dogs do. Flip just can't STOP herself from killing them.

I brought the girls to work twice this week, to StinkyCat's utter disgust. Stinky's slave (me) has finally (duH) decided to start feeding Stinky his yummy food/meds while the dogs are there. This has increased his disdain (which is hard to do with cats) but  is lessening his fear of them. Food is a very powerful trainer, used at jusT the right time.

Stinky will stalk past them tail held high, and strut to wherever he's going, which isn't very far. I've been leaving the door to outside slightly ajar, and Stinky leaves, and immediately returns, although I have to shoo Blaze away from the door, as Blaze deArLy wants to explain her benign intentions to this clearly misinformed cat. Blaze has now sniffed Stinky's tail and butt twice (Stinky wasn't looking, as he was on my lap, and I coaxed Blaze over..) and craves more. ewwww.

I had a moment of reliving a "Friends" episode, where Phoebe kills a smoke-alarm with a hammer. I had been rooting in the fibber mcgee drawer, you know the one, everything that isn't findable elsewhere is in there. Picture-hangers, CrappyTire money (looks like millions, but isn't, and yes, I am going to donate it..), arctic dubbin, candles, toggle switches, other parts I have no idea what they are useful for, and a hammer.

AND this weird soft plastic disky thing with the Molson's Logo on it, about 3" round, 0.375" thick, and as soon as I touched it, a tinny "Hockey Night in Canada" theme song started playing.  I dropped it back in the drawer, and it kept playing. I touched it again, it stopped. I put it in the hallway vestibule, as I didn't want to think about it, or look at it. Half an hour later, I walk past, and the danged thing starts playing. Startled me. I touched the top, and it stopped, but it started up again. And it wouldn't stop. I finally killed it with a hammer. Take THAT, Molson's! I DON'T DRINK BEER! NOR DO I WATCH HOCKEY!!!
HaHA!

We've really been enjoying this coolder than normal wet spring. It has been so preternaturally beautiful here, I cannot tell you. The solitude is soothing. The birds have been keeping us entertained, and everyone, save the red-headed woodpecker, is back. Indigo Bunting, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Little Green Heron, Great Blue Heron, Baltimore Oriole, Cape May Warbler, Cardinals singing their hearts out every morning at 4:45, finally waking me at 5:15, nice way to wake up, I freely admit. sigh.
 
Our little conservation area feels safe, for the first time in over 20 years. I leave you with more GoldHearts, and a Baltimore Oriole enjoying the peanut butter feeder.

Hearts of Gold

 

Sigh. Gardening by eye. My favourite pastime. These beautiful plants are unfurling over a very few days this year, you can see them growing, if you're patient. Which I'm not, so snap away at them with my camera I do.

"I've been a miner for a heart of gold, and I'm getting old". Thanks, Neil Young. You've depressed me for as long as I can remember, and I love ya for it:)

Oh, this is funny. I was listening at work (during lunch minute) to a Neil Young classic from After the Gold Rush, you know the one "I was lying in a burned out basement, with the full-moon in my eyes.." THAT one, I'm singing away, Stinky on my lap, as I eat and read and generally multi-task. I hear the deeedle-doodle tunes of the ice cream truck, annoyingly loud over Neil, can't they turn those things down? Shouldn't they be selling this stuff to kids??

I keep hearing some faintly urgent radio noises and a woman's voice saying expectantly "Hello?" as if I have answered the phone, but not answered. Weird, I could NOT figure out where the dratted sound was coming from. At first I honestly thought it was coming from Stinks. Maybe he swallowed a radio? Checked my ancient phone, finally had to get up and go outside and look and listen. It was the freakin' ice-cream truck. That background to the deedle noise FORCED me out of my shop. Scary, huh? How innocuous, how clever. How controlling.

1984, man oh man. "Look at mother nature on the run, in the 1970's"..
Sorry. I love ol' Neil. A grand old Canadian.

To my faithful ferocious readers. All three of you, including my shorter older sister. BIG mistake, letting sisters read your blog. Huge.

SOS can cook, she has proven it. I better be good to her:)
To Mom, and her gold heart.

What I would give you

Miss you, Mom.
Happy Mother's Day, all you mothers!

Foresights in Canine Language

It's occurred to me that Flip is often the dumbest dog that ever walked, but there is always something close to Einstein himself, in how she reacts to her life. Flip has studied me closely for several years now, and while I am in no way a mystic, I think part of red dog has lived on in Flip. Flip's bark is just exactly like Red Dog's. I often rued that I found Flip so soon after RedDog's loss, but perhaps having the grave site so close to the house allowed for some cosmic osmosis of RedDog's genius on & into Flip.

Okay, that idea came from the book whose name I can't remember now, kid sister has it. Typical. Anyway, I haven't been taking the girls to work much, too much fur is bad for business. We have limits;) It's been hurting Flip's feelings, and I am often soundly berated for no apparent reason. She's trying to tell me. Flip hates a herd split too many ways.

Monday night, not before bed, I said to Flip, "We'll go to work tomorrow, okay? Go see Sega and the Stinky?" Flip gave me a look of disbelief, tinged with disgust at my constant abandonment.. But Tuesday morning, after breakfast and potties, Flip rushed for the door, ready to go when I was. Blaze, surprised because I hadn't said or shown any symptoms of taking them, looked so confused, until I started getting some lunch ready for them. But Flip knew. Did she think about it all night? Work is mostly dull and boring these days (for dogs) which rarely changes.

Yes, I've been remiss in taking them to exciting places in the city. I like what I like. The city is too exciting for these old bones. But Flip needed to go for a car ride to work with her mom, Flip who hates car rides. Flip knows, when you gotta go, you just gotta.