We just got back from a clinic in Wyoming, a place where the weather controls the landscape and there are more animals than people. It was heaven. And they gave us a special welcome. This was Jolene’s first work trip. It’s not a simple job for a pro like Mister, so it’s a big ask … Read more
We are camping in the yard lately. Did you do it when you were a kid? I’m hooked. Evenings are my favorite time on my farm. A prairie breeze cools the air. The thunderstorms have scared the clouds from the sky, and we all settle in to wait for the sunset. Well, not all of … Read more
Mister has been studying Edgar Rice Burro, our farm’s moral compass, these last years. He recognizes the donkey’s buddha-like wisdom and believes himself to be the canine equivalent. Mister says he has the ears for it. And he’s a deep thinker. It only looks like he’s napping, but his belly is sticking out, which is … Read more
This week was our last appointment for puppy shots. My vet has a bustling office with three people at the front desk and a few vet techs always circling through. We’re only part way in when a chorus of voices calls her name, some singing the chorus of her song. They are loud and happy, … Read more
When was the last time you tried to get an electrified dog collar, the kind with poison pins facing inward, on a puppy? It’s disguised to look like a normal collar, but puppies have wild imagination. I pick it up and Jolene runs at full speed, slamming the dog door behind her. Mister, the Cardigan … Read more
We turn into the driveway and the umpire flings his arms wide and yells, “Safe!” It’s the feeling I get passing my mailbox. Mister and I went to Texas on a blind date to meet Jolene. She said yes. After three days in a truck cab by day, a tiny camper at night, we became … Read more
Sometimes, change sneaks up behind you when you least expect it, knocks you down, and drags you off, kicking and screaming. Jolene careened into our lives like a bowling ball toward a triangle of pins. We saw her coming and stood still, waiting. Monday: When we left off, I was all mushed up about Jolene. … Read more