It’s still dark out, and I’m sitting on the edge of my bed trying to pull my pants on. Isn’t there an idiom about one leg at a time? It’s something about humility, that everyone still has to do the same basic, mundane tasks. I swear I’m not looking for special consideration. One leg would … Read more
Jolene, Mister, and I have returned home. Just in time for Jolene to transform into a charming but unrepentant hellion rebel. At 22 weeks, she is the dog equivalent of a ten-year-old who bullies ants. If anything drops to the floor, she grabs it and bolts. No amount of cajoling can get it back. If … Read more
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
It felt like a militant act of self care. Like cutting your hair really short or tossing out jeans for their inability to adapt to change. But those things are common to me. This was bigger. I found the life-altering drug that Mister and I needed. There is a puppy. She has a name. But … Read more