Tuesday, October 30

Waiting for Iorek: Some Ideas


1. Get bear (large, fierce, not teddy) cookie cutter. Make a polar bear cookie for everyone. Serve at *gathering* to introduce TGC.

2. Get PBs for everyone. [How many?]

3. Blog about it on SDL and invite parents (8th) to read it too.

4. Use tape at *gathering* and ***MAYBE*** loan tape.

5. Watch previews at *gathering* and drink cider.
I added the cider to avoid dealing with punctuation issues.




Sunday, October 28

Evening Traffic Report

4:30 p.m., traffic moving normally through the Village, sqwak! Chatter chitter chutter, swswswswsw. Looka that one, just turned into Wendeez withou blinking, ooh that one behinda didn like it, hes mad, givin the Eyetalian elbow. Those people still smokin on the bus stop bench, wonderin will the bus ever come. We could tell em it's already past HoJo's, comin down on the cathedral. Just wish that old guy would quit with the menthol, though, jeez it stinks.

Wish we could check out that crane over there, getta good view, but its still swingin back and forth. Too bad it doesn't quit till we go to the trees. Where you stay at? I stay in Seven Springs.Where you stay? Oh , I stay over at All Souls, its real cozy there. Haveta share with the bats, though.

Train's comin, onna theez days I gonna catch a ride down to Canton, see my neeces and nephews.

Here comes my cuzzin now, with his flock. Hey bro! Plennya room for all of yaz.

Friday, October 26

Three GOOD Dogs

This picture fell out of the rubble on my desk last night -- three of the best, all now gone to Dog Heaven. That's D in the lead, being the youngest girl of the group, then Sophie, then Roni (Veronica). Since my last post generated more responses from my vast readership than do most, I thought people would like to see this picture of a picture.
Roni was a white German Shepherd-wolf mix, 120 lbs., golden eyes, and a super sweet disposition. Scary looking, but a lamb, unless you were swimming in Boone Lake with her. She loved to swim and would come right at you, paws scrabbling. I found the best way to manage that situation was to reach out my arms, grab her, turn her around (easy to move 120 lbs. when they're floating), and then hold on to the fur on her sides for a nice tow. On the shores of the lake she'd look at your eagerly, poised and ready for you to pick up a piece of shale and pitch it out into the water. She'd catch a piece of rock in her mouth, give it a few chews, then spit it out and ask for the next one. She'd go after sticks, too, but rocks were her specialty. At the beach, she'd thunder into the waves, fetch sticks, and swim.
Sophie HATED the beach, wasn't much for swimming and hated the heat. She wanted to run up into the dunes and flush out small wildlife. One night while Rob (Roni's person) and I were sitting by our campfire at the edge of a swampy bit of the maritime forest behind the dunes, Roni and Sophie, both leashed to trees because that was the park rule, bolted suddenly into the swamp after a raccoon, breaking their leashes.
On one late evening walk down the beach, the dogs, who were off-leash (oh no!) suddenly raced up over the dunes and disappeared for a few minutes. Shortly, we heard eerie, loud squealing cries which subsided after a minute or two. We never found out what they'd caught that night, but they definitely violated the island's wildlife.
Congratulations to Rebecca and Michele, who have made a fine choice of dogs and now have a German Shepherd, who will be their best friend for many years, if all goes well. You will never regret your choice!

Sunday, October 14

In Memory of D, One of the World's Best Dogs



December Pansy, October 1995--October 2007


D joins the company of Good Dogs we will always remember. She was one of the best. She was the dog who taught me that German Shepherds are just about perfect. Noble, intelligent, and protective, they love to learn and to obey their master or mistress. They are guarded with strangers and completely trustworthy with their family. They are the embodiment of Dog.

Last weekend I spent two nights with D and her mate and daughters, Corkscrew and Miry. I let D sleep in the house, a treat for her. I took these pictures of her out on the porch. Every time I'd visit she would stay near me when I sat on the porch. She'd long since given up hope that I'd take her home with me, but when I sat down, she'd curl up near me.

Tuesday, October 9

Fall Colors



Seen migrating through the library of late.


Also, tiny pink Chucks on a very small girl, but no camera handy.


Another sighting in library:



And a whirl of color from a late September birthday party for J and J: