Now that the wild meadow grasses have gone to seed, it’s time to trim the pastures. It’s both a fire mitigation as well as a see-the-snakes-better tactic. This year, Tom decided to do reverse crop circles. The strategy lets us keep areas natural with wildflowers and so that the wildlife have a place to bed down come winter. But, it’s apparently causing quite a stir in our rural valley. …

Read More

I’ve given up taking Lilly for long walks in our rural neighborhood. It’s a safety issue, and I simply cannot take it anymore. Too many unsocialized, untrained, territorial dogs wander unsupervised from nearby homes. Then again, there’s wandering and pursuing. …

Read More

Subtitle — what can happen when a border collie gets bored. As a youngster, Lilly did not get into typical puppy trouble. She did not chew anything up. She did not have potty accidents in the house. She did not fuss much at all. Instead, she went looking for adventure. …

Read More

Over the weekend, we babysat a parrot. Despite early success at befriending him, it turns out the bird hates me. It sounds silly, I know, but it really hurt my feelings. After all, I’m pretty good with smart, sensitive animals, right?

Read More

My friend Linda jokes that when you have dogs, you never pee alone. That’s pretty much true around here, so I’ve taken to asking for a variety of behaviors. If Lilly is going to follow me into the bathroom, she might as well entertain me. …

Read More

A few weeks ago, Lilly rolled in some foul smelling something or other. Her neck and shoulders were completely encrusted. A bath was beyond necessary. Lilly has never been a big fan of baths, but this one … for some reason … caused a total panic attack. Unfortunately, for me, the experience has ruined her recall at home. …

Read More

Last week, we made a mad dash to the veterinarian. Lilly suffered from both tapeworms (as a result of catching and eating things in the pasture) and a fly larva under the skin. Eeew … on both accounts. …

Read More

Twenty years ago today, I went on a blind date that changed my life. I’d been summarily dumped by a young man with whom I’d had a long-distance, on-again/off-again thing for four years. The first time in a long time, we were scheduled to be in the same city for the summer. Proximity, it seems, undid the deal … rather than seal it. Apparently, I was fun enough for a date now and again, but not so much for an entire summer. I’d been pouting for many weeks, when my cousin Dina told me to stop crying and get dressed. …

Read More

I read a lot, and I mean A LOT. I am bookworm and pretty proud of it. For many years, thanks to my undergraduate thesis, my specialty was 20th century African American women’s literature. There’s no “chick” in this “lit” … that’s for sure. Lately, I’ve been reading more good novels, good stories, than good

Read More