Mister is trying out his new self-appointed position of Joy Police. Someone has got to put a stop to this chaos. This girl dog is relentless. It’s all the endless zooming and dawn bitey-face and tug whenever there is a loose end. Just when he thinks he might catch a nap, she climbs in … Read more
I didn’t know whether I should mention this. Is it too private to share? For questions of social etiquette, I defer to Mister. He has better manners than any of us. He ponders the question. Looks at her dragging a dog bed out the back door, and says Yeah, go ahead. Jolene’s an extrovert. She … Read more
The leftovers are gone, the pie plates back in the cupboard, and Parental Peas, Parker and Penny, have headed back to Texas. If you ask Jolene, it’s tragic news. She would’ve been fine if they had stayed forever. They spoke her language. They played her games. We took a hike while the Peas were here. … Read more
Remember that Thanksgiving painting by Norman Rockwell? With a jovial white-bread family leaning into frame with smiling, delighted faces? A woman wearing an apron is placing a turkey on the table while the man standing behind her looks like your favorite grandpa. It was completed in 1943, and FDR was president. The painting is called … Read more
It was a bathroom sort of week here, in that way that the entire universe can fit in a small space sometimes. And Jolene ran the gamut of emotions about it. She is almost nine months old and a very big girl with very big feelings. It used to be that a small plush toy … Read more
Saints preserve us. This weekend, Jolene is having her friend, Tachi, sleep over. I’ll believe the sleep part when I get some. They have been running out the dog door, letting it slam-slam behind them. Then barreling back through in a gray cloud of leaves and dirt with another double slam. Like a pair of … Read more
I usually write about living things, but today I want to write about a beloved Halloween costume. Leave it to me to get sentimental about plastic weapons, fake fur, and a rubber werewolf head. Sentimental about all the animals that shared it with me. It started at my first dressage barn. To say we over-celebrated … Read more
You know when you catch a toe and you have a little stumble and try to right yourself. Suddenly, you’re taking giant steps, hunched forward, ready to brace with your arms, trying to catch yourself before falling. So now you’re at a dead run, refusing to fall. It would’ve been easier to just fall. Finally, … Read more
I have a too-cute collection of plush dog toys Jolene thinks are silly and beneath her. I understand; I didn’t play with dolls when I was little. Most of my dogs don’t play ball either. They know it’s a game that always ends the same way. Where is the fun in that? Call it splitting … Read more
Jolene is changing faster than the fall colors. It isn’t just that she’s grown lacey bloomers on her backside. Sometimes she’s elegant, alert, and just sizzling smart. Then she’s full-on tug-monster and bitey-face queen. Almost mature, with peaceful lap-sitting moments that exude Zen-like wisdom, and the next moment she’s running past you with the toilet … Read more