Moving the Goal Posts

Can you see it? Can you see what's different? To the occasional visitor it might not be super evident but to us it's major: the gate is GONE!! There was a scabby wire fence separating this section of the yard from the "outside world". In order for us to access the vegetable garden or compost pile, you had to exit through a gate; not always easy when carrying a pile of kitchen scraps or wheeling a wheel barrow. Psychologically, it was a big barrier. Besides, Lil' Robin the Good was doomed to remain on the other side of the fence.
Yesterday, we finally moved the fence. Bob had done preparations in the form of selecting and resurfacing the posts- stout cedar posts that he employed an ancient Japanese wood burning technique to preserve. The gate got moved first:

(Yes, the gate will be repainted soon.) Then we moved the wire fence and let Robin out of the house. First she approached what used to be a fence, apparently uncertain that it was gone. Then she stepped forward hesitantly, like a force field was going to rebuff her. Then she exploded out into the new area- lots more space and smells to explore!

And I discovered lots of weeds! Holy cow! That fence prevented me from accessing the side of the Blue Garden and weeds and invasive ornamental grasses had run amuck. (I guess I know what I'll be doing for the next week or so.) But I did get a good idea of how to reshape the edge of that garden...

In all fairness, this side looks pretty good. And here's a close up of my favorite pale blue "Belladonna"Delphinium:

That color is pretty accurate; like a summer sky. I'll have to take a few pictures of the area behind the Blue Garden- sort of our utility room for the vegetable garden. Bob constructed a lovely fence out of old slats from recycled stockade fence affixed to a simple wire grid fence. It looks great and functions to afford more privacy while composting or working in the vegetable garden. It's beautiful! (And worthy of it's own blog post... coming soon.)
Here's the view from the driveway side looking back to our yard.

Kinda makes the propane tank surround look wonky... hahahaha! If it's not one thing it's another. But the overall affect is one of splendor and open vistas. Come by and see it!

Dog Party

Crazy cat ladies do things like have 75 cats. Crazy dog owners dress their dogs in pajamas and drive them to play dates and have birthday parties. I will never order Robin a set of Star Wars themed dog sleepwear, but yes, I did plan a birthday party for her last Saturday.
I had originally projected inviting six dogs (and their respective humans) but three doggos were able to attend, and in retrospect, that was probably plenty. We provided cupcakes and crackers and dip for the humans and I wrapped small treats for the canines. I took the precaution of hiding most of Robin's toys and not offering too much in the way of dog edibles so as to prevent spats and aggression. This was probably smart on my part as Lil Robin seemed to discover that she could growl. In fact, Robin (who had previously met and played with all three of the dogs in attendance) decided she wasn't spectacularly happy with so many dog "frenemies" in her living room! Our friend Mary- who accompanied her dog Izzie- suggested that poor Robin was worried that this pack of dogs was here to stay... in her house!

Here's the guest of honor attempting to escape her collected friends. Here nose looked even longer than usual. It took her most of the afternoon to decide that a birthday party was okay. But the other dogs seemed to have a swell time:

Emily looked quite pleased. She is a delightful peachy pumpkin colored girl and seemed to beam the entire time... at least someone enjoyed themselves! And Emmett- quite dapper in his orange winter suit- liked being the only boy surrounded by lovely lady dogs. (His human, Michelle had fun, too. She made delicious brownies for us humans. We were pretty well behaved- no snapping or growling!)

Emmett appears bigger in this picture than he really is. I think he weighs all of 12 pounds! And our other guest was Izzie, a spunky and entertaining terrier mix who I was unable to get a good picture of. I seem to have taken a few blurry ones, probably because Izzie was always on the move.

That's Izzie (behind Emmett) in the yellow poncho, scarfing up bits of food dropped on the floor. At least I didn't have to vacuum! We attempted a group photo, but quickly abandoned the idea as our assembled guests were unwillingly to sit and stay. But I had a good time! I like to party with a pack!

In addition to turkey legs and wild thing dog jerky and happy birthday bones and assorted treats, I gave Robin an entertaining squeaky snake (squeaks in three places!) after her friends departed. It was a big hit: as we went upstairs to retire for the evening, Robin chose the snake to bring along and has been making quite a happy racket with it ever since. I guess I made a good choice!

Our Own Little Botanical Garden

Hahahahaha! See? We've got dandelions! We didn't see too many of these at the New York Botanical Garden, but they probably were there as they seem to have loads of everything that grows. And it was humbling: coming back from touring over 400 acres (or some such hard to comprehend number), and seeing the modest patch of ground that you spent all summer digging wild roses, assorted brambles, rocks and small trees out of (not to mention battling seriously entrenched poison ivy) to plant a modest batch of daffodils and vinca...
But I don't have a staff of a hundred. There's just me and the dog (Hi Lil' Robin!) and occasionally Bob (when a rock or tree is just too much!). And I am thrilled with my efforts to produce a spring garden. The lilacs- although young- are in bud and the predominately white daffodils are in full bloom thanks to the rain and warm weather.

That's Mount Hood- spectacular when full out as they just get whiter and whiter and more imposing...

No wonder this variety has been in cultivation since the 1920's!
And here's "Barrett Browning", which has a nifty orange center but is a creamy white:

 

And then there's "Ice Follies", which is especially cheerful...

And "Geranium" is starting to come out and looks sort of cosmic and cluster-y (these are all new and exciting to me as I had never planted daffodils! I think you can tell...) and "Misty Glen" and "Thalia" are later still so I still have plenty of spring flowers to enjoy. Hey! I waited all winter for this extravaganza to erupt!
The only perplexing aspect to all this loveliness is that the daffodils- to a one- insist on facing toward the sun and you have to walk on the lower path to enjoy them; from the upper side, they've all turned their backs on you. I never considered this when planting. Oh well...

*And there is some foolishness going on with the blogger site! For four days, I couldn't even access my blog account and then I was entirely unable to upload any more pictures. Probably those pesky Russians or the evil rethuglicans!

An Xmas Post

Xmas was celebrated today (December 28th) with my family. Things got off to a rocky start as the reports of ultra cold weather to come threatened to derail our festivities. After the inevitable testy phone calls, emails and smoke billowing from both of my ears, rapprochement was achieved and- cold weather be damned!- Christmas happened.
I think this year was more heavily laden with emotional and familial baggage because it is the first one since Mommy's death. Holidays are always fraught events; this is nothing if not the perennial cliche. My family certainly comes up with it's own exotic expressions of stress, sisterly hierarchies, issues of control etc etc. You get the picture.
I guess I'm lucky in that differences of opinion and questions of rationality versus emotionalism appear insurmountable and yet (mostly) seem to be overcome once we're in each others company. Then we have a good time. I suppose food and wine solve many squabbles...
We cleaned, we cooked, my family arrived. Indeed, they were brave and doughty souls to bundle up in parkas and boots and scarves and gloves and confront the arctic chill. I applaud their heartiness as it is Siberian out there, what with single digit temperatures and bracing wind chill. But our house was warm and the tree was lit up, well... like a Christmas tree.
The food was stellar. We ate so much that Bob and I skipped dinner altogether and I woke up after midnight full of energy and rarin' to go. (Go where you might ask, as it is 1:30 and something like 3 degrees outside? I know this last bit in reality as Lil' Robin the Good just decided that she needed to relieve herself. It really is cold!) Highlights of food included guacamole, spinach artichoke dip, roast pork, sweet potato casserole, cranberry relish (I could eat the whole bowl myself!),squash, brownies, peach pie, several bottles of wine.... and slightly musty tasting green beans.
The green beans sparked a new tradition. They were passed around, tossed, balanced, fondled and generally employed as entertainment. Worthy of the Schmenge Christmas! (Google that on YouTube if the reference escapes you.)
All in all, it was a nice day. We don't exchange Xmas presents anymore- thank god!- so at least that source of stress is eliminated. (Although Bob and I did give my brother in law John his birthday gifts, distinguished this year with a black and red motif.) Lots of food, bright sunlight (despite cold), a tree harvested from the side of our driveway, politics with everyone on the same side of the aisle; it was a good time.

Dog Dreams

Robin does sleep in elaborate and seemingly uncomfortable contorted poses, wedging herself in a space next to my side of the bed and flinging her legs akimbo. She often has one leg thrown across her face in dramatic fashion... quite the diva! And this little diva has a Urinary Tract Infection!

I thought she was suffering from blocked anal glands when I took her to the vet last Wednesday. She had been dragging her butt on the floor and had rubbed a good deal of hair off her tail (which I didn't really notice until I looked an older picture of her and noticed her tail lookd skinny). They "expressed" them (half full) in a professional manner- oh! Yes! I watched several dazzling Youtube videos on the correct fashion in which to empty dog anal glands but found it not at all easy to locate "two grape sized glands at five and seven o'clock; lift and squeeze". Needless to say, Lil' Robin the Good was deeply disturbed by all of the attention to her back side and spent the next several days with her tail clamped tightly down and spinning if I approached her from the rear, as if to say , "Oh no you don't!"
I was less than impressed with the "new vet" who was on duty that Wednesday that we visited the office. I sometimes think that there's a conspiracy to make vets more like people doctors: they're now very quick to recommend expensive tests and lab work and x-rays. The vet I had been going to for years was much more common sense and was really a nice guy. His son has inherited the practice and is very "yuppie" in his up-selling approach. I suppose they did (expensively) redesign the waiting rooms and exam offices and have to pay for all that antique woodwork somehow! Like when Robin was taking a course of antibiotics for a tick-borne disease this spring. Vet Junior proscribed a "pro-biotic" for Robin... sort of like when I take acidophilus while on Doxycycline to keep my gut moving. I went along with it and then was flabbergasted to see Robin's pro-biotics were waaaaaaaaaaaaaay more costly than the antibiotics and possibly irrelevant. I had actually asked Vet Senior this same question years ago when Frank the Dog was under treatment for Lyme disease. He scoffed and said, "Look your dog is probably picking up all kinds of bacteria from eating animal poop and the like. His gut bacteria is just fine." Doctor knows best.

(There's Robin now, wondering what all the fuss is about. And enjoying the mess that she has helped to create. Way to go Robin!)
Many friends have reported similar experiences with their vets: a rush to tests and much more aggressive interventions, without better results. Friends have dogs on chemotherapy and long term diabetes treatment. It's pretty appalling that our four legged friends are suffering the same debilitating chronic conditions that we do! (Bad diet, awful breeding of "purebreds" with congenital disorders, stupid ill advised medical procedures like spaying and neutering... don't get me started! Much of this is avoidable). And I know several friends who have sprung for very expensive pet health care plans. I read the fine points of a few of these plans and was less than impressed with what was covered for the cost; many of the larger bills are not covered.
So Robin seems fine; ironically her urine test came back negative.... but she's also not waking me up at 2:00 am to go out and pee so maybe she had a very low-grade infection. I've had the same! Symptoms but a negative test. And Robin looks great- very shiny and in good weight and she has more energy than the average dog (although she is far from average!!) so I'm certain her prognosis is good. Long live Robin the Good!

Garden Clean Up and Othe Innocuous Postings

Nice clean garden beds! The wonderful warm, sunny (maybe a little windy!) weather begged me to begin the vernal ritual of garden clean up. It is so good to see tiny nascent leaves exposed and
bits of green shoots and snouts poking up. I start to recall all my horticultural fiends...

(There's my helper Lil' Robin the Good, overseeing my efforts and making sure that I don't miss random sticks and leaves. Actually, she photobombed me- appeared out of left field!) It took three full days to chop everything down and rake it into sizeable piles. I confess I haven't picked up all the piles yet; tired of lugging tarps through the gate...
We still have one small ridge of snow in the shadiest section of the yard, but Robin and I ran through it a few hundred times and tried to scatter it so maybe by today it will be all gone. Who needs a reminder of winter?!?!?
Bob and I are finalizing our seed orders and are hopeful that we'll have a beautiful and productive season. We'd better as we committed to being on a garden tour- in the end of August, which means we have to make the garden look good for an extended period of time. And what's blooming in the end of August?!!?! And we're on the tour the same day as a man who is a Master Gardener and probably has a gardening staff (with names sown on the pockets of their uniform tee shirts, no less) and I'm certain the tour will be in for a huge comparison shock. But we do have exotic sculpture and many "Items of Interest" to view.

I splurged and bought two really nice urns to adorn the soon-to-be-constructed terrace area. Many of our old planters- mostly half rusted cooking pots and the like- were simply falling apart. Don't worry: we still have a good assortment of weird containers, but I liked the color and size of these. (And they were a hopelessly good buy!) I know poor Bob is very busy working and making metal work for heads of state and royalty, but I just can't wait to start pulling up decayed boards and ridding our world of the rotting "deck"; remember, there was good sized clusters of grass growing in it last year.
The back of the BauHaus Chicken Coop will look amazing once that's done...
(You will notice- and be thankful for, no doubt!- that there was not even one reference to The Orange Menace in this entire post! He and his evil henchmen are busy destroying the environment and signing executive orders to permit the dumping of toxins into our water and rolling back regulations to allow the use of hideous pesticides... we are happy to be growing many of our own vegetables!!)

A Girlie Dog

Yes, that's Lil' Robin falling through time and space in her (wildest) dreams! And a fine time for a (very unscientific) exploration of sex differences in girls and boy dogs. Your actual experiences may differ*; but a year in on harboring a female dog and I can assure you there are some differences.
I consider myself a card-carrying feminist, so I don't believe in dressing my dog up in pink bows or silly sweaters with tutus stitched to the bottom or talk more (or less) "baby talk" to her... (Oh please! Talking baby talk to the dog just happens!) I guess what I'm trying to say is that I believe myself to be somewhat unbiased. Background-wise I have had more males than females: Woofie, Archie, Charlie (for like a two weeks, poor thing!), Frank the Dog and Jules as opposed to only Ricky and now Robin in the girl department.*
First, I do subscribe to the basic premise that it has more to do with how you raise/nurture/handle the dog than some inherent traits, but I do observe some temperament variations. The boy dogs seem easy going in a funny way; not "goofy" as I've read other dog people describe it, just more relaxed and ready to have fun. My two girls seem to "worry" more; Robin suffers from a bit of separation anxiety and this could be (and is!) breed-related, but it fits with Ricky who nearly lost her marbles when we boarded her once. If you gave Ricky a biscuit, she would wander miserably around the house, moaning to herself (I think she was searching for her abandoned mother dog and her eleven siblings.) Very pathetic!
I think they're more naturally protective, too. Robin barks when people come to the house and is not as welcoming to men that enter. And she is definitely more guarded and more suspicious of people and dogs on our morning walks. Jules (and Archie and Woofie) used to love everybody. It's interesting that neighbors remark on this to me and I respond, "They're different dogs!" Perhaps more of this is personality than sex...
Robin also is more measured in her affections. She is extraordinarily affectionate, but when she's done, she makes it clear and moves on. She seems discerning (but this could be that she is a Sagittarius, like Frank the Dog with whom she seems to share other character traits. Yeesh! Has anyone out there studied Astrological Signs in dogs?!?!?!)
Funny enough, I think Robin is more rough and tumble in play. Boy, she's ferocious with the sticks and balls outside- she'll caroom around the yard at a million miles an hour and then POW! body slam you when she runs your way. Very physical, although she's also incredibly willowy and graceful. (Remember, she has high cheekbones and very long legs and is slim and I call her my Supermodel.) And then she prances across the yard and poses. She also sulks, pouts and preens. It occurs to me that she's more outwardly feminine than I'll ever be- that's a strange thing to ponder!

(Robin, rearranging the cosmic furniture.)
Our next door neighbor likes to comment that girl dogs are much smarter than males. Granted, the dog they have now is denser than a door knob (they'll be the first to admit it!) but all of my males have been smart. But I think that that's the single most important attribute I look for in any dog, regardless of make, model or year... or color or gender or size. (Although I do tend towards the mid-sized, silky coated, wavy pendulous eared setter/spaniel/retriever end of the canine spectrum and have never been drawn to terrier/hound/pit bull or herding types.
This is only a years worth of evidence and based on more boys than girls so check back in with me. But Lil' Robin keeps surprising me with her opinions on things and you can definitely see the gears moving between her (silky) ears!

*Let me know your experiences.
*And I'm not weighing in on the intact vs spay/neutered controversy- yet! There are definite differences along with politics. My dogs have all been "factory equipped" so to speak- with no weird or undesirable side effects. Don't get me started...

Building A Wall

I realize that the title of this post seems to refer to a notorious project that is being trumpeted about by a recent occupier of the White House (that will cost billions and accomplish nothing other than to make many people's lives worse than they already are...). But in this instance, the title refers to various barricades that Bob and I now live with as a matter of course. These demi-walls are set up to temporarily block a certain young dog access to rooms in our house.(Hi Robin!)

As we all fondly remember, Lil' Robin the Good refused to be confined when she was a mere pup. She scaled barriers of every description and height, perhaps employing magical powers, as she seemed to miraculously appear on the other side of whatever wall was erected. It was impressive. We finally relented, and gave her the run of the house and so far we have suffered no disastrous consequence, excepting Robin's consumption (with no ill effect) of several pairs of reading glasses, sun glasses and Bob's prescription glasses and a passel of pens.
However, when we're not present, we do restrict her access to a few rooms with these temporary barriers. Inexplicably, these pieces of plywood and fiberboard work where more serious blockades never did. And you may ask, why not just close the doors to these rooms? Because Lil' Robin doesn't like closed doors and will scratch and whine vigorously until the door is opened.

My studio, the bedroom and the "office" are all off limits as they are beyond impossible to secure from her idiosyncratic quest for things to chew. (I call it "shopping": she cases a room, checking out all nose-height surfaces.) Robin seems content to roam the rest of the house, and in general, we have been lucky that furniture has been spared. And Robin was a pretty quick study in the house training department; we really didn't experience many "accidents" of the liquids and solids variety.

And look! There's Lil' Robin now, with an entertaining assortment of her preferred chewables: empty seltzer bottles and plastic perennial pots, with the occasional foray into more traditional things like balls. And below? The Magic Robin! (Looks sort of like she's saying "Who me? I didn't eat that!")

Robin's First Birthday

Our Lil' Robin! All grown up! Robin celebrated her first birthday in fine style yesterday. Her actual birthday was on Monday the fifth of December, but we had in mind to throw the party on two-for-one pizza night. Several friends- under the weather- couldn't make it but the friends in attendance had a wonderful time and Robin couldn't be happier.

I spent the previous evening decorating and cleaning. (Poor Bob was laid up by the unexpected extraction of a sideways wisdom tooth and was reduced to eating mush and retreating back to bed with a heavy dose of Advil to keep pain at bay. And while we dined on pizza, Bob consumed eggs, squash and mashed potatoes...)

The house looked festive with all the streamers and balloons and our friends were approving of the results (They even noticed the rug as being cleaner than is typical for our somewhat slippery standards. I pointed out that this was due to the fact that I had removed all the semi-chewed logs from the floor.)
So Robin is a smarty pants and realized that the packages I had snuck into my studio were for her. I had to take the presents to work to wrap them! She made out quite handsomely, with our generous friends Sheldon and Louise giving her a new dog-bone motif collar, cookies and a braided rawhide chew bone and there was a delightful rope toy from Bob and Bill:

Look at her haul! She likes every one of her toys. She had a dog food cake with a Pupperoni candle (not lit) while we enjoyed adult drinks and cup cakes. We also serenaded Robin with singing and noise makers... it was quite a lovely event!

 

Robin also received thoughtful cards with an emphasis on her status as a little princess. She looked quite pleased with herself this morning, carefully revisiting all of her new toys. I have told her we will spend part of the day composing "thank you" cards!

Robin the Good- Super Model

Ooooh! Our Lil' Robin is all grown up and quite the stunner. I call her "Super Model"* because she has these high cheek bones and very long legs. And she's slim. What a looker! (She is actually still a teenager at eleven months old).
I'm thrilled to have been able to snap these pictures because Robin is either running full tilt around the yard, in hot pursuit of falling leaves or she's conked out in some upside down outlandish, tongue lolling deranged sprawl. The other day, though, her guard was down and she just kept posing.

I did annoy the hell out of her by following her around with my camera at the ready, trying to document her canine magnificence. She didn't hold most poses long enough for me to take a picture but I was wilier than she and finally managed to capture her in that coiled muscle moment, just before she sprang into motion again.
Even if she weren't beautiful she'd still be a great dog... responsive, affectionate and smart, smart, smart. She does have her endearingly persistent interests in socks, eye glasses and ball point pens but in general she's a good canine citizen.
Here's a doctored Robin:

(Nothing like a bit of Photoshop to enhance the most jejune of surroundings!)
I am entertained that while on our morning walk, people we encounter often ask what kind of dog Robin is. They have frequently mistaken her for a Flat Coated Retriever and one person thought she might be a Belgian Shepard (although they have definitely upright pricked ears... but she's black!) I guess that mixed or mutt designations often bring to mind scrappy lab or pit bull mixes so frequently seen nowadays. When people see an attractive dog, they just assume it MUST be some purebred. I tell them that Robin is the best kind of dog- a happy accident between two (not so common) breeds. (Just for the record, Mom was a Long Haired Weimaraner and Dad was a Llewellin Setter, which is the field or working variety of the English Setter (although that apparently has some controversy as to what denotes a "real" Llewellin. Dog breeders are nuts; way crazier than artists!) We are fortunate that both of these breeds tend to be healthy and not over bred and inbred. Don't get me started on the perfidy of the American Kennel Club and their desire to breed to (something they call) "type". Give me a good mix any day!



*In reality, Robin has about a million nicknames: everything from "Klondike Bar" to "Wicket" (because she's so leggy and thin that sometimes  she arches her back and looks like a croquet wicket).

Fortuitous Coincidence

Maybe you remember our shower curtain. Maybe you don't (you're forgiven). That's it above. It has lovely summery stripes. (The picture is a tad dark but I'm having trouble locating the "brighten" command in Paint Shop Pro and our Photoshop program doesn't work with Windows 10...the accursed Windows 10 again!) Anyway a couple of weeks ago, Bob and I were at a second hand store and I remarked that I wanted to get Lil' Robin a new water dish to put in the bathroom upstairs. (We had a couple of supremely ugly ones that neither one of us liked. Poor Robin was kind enough to with hold her opinion.) We both liked a particular bowl but it wasn't until we got it home that we understood why:

It matched the shower curtain exactly! (Those odd spots are water drops from my having washed it, not glazing imperfections). Robin seemed to like the cheerful bowl and we enjoyed the colorful serendipity. But then friends (thank you Sheldon and Louise!) gave me several pairs of socks for my latest birthday and as I selected a particular pair to put on, it occurred to me that the stripes looked eerily familiar:

Must be cosmic! Maybe we'll repaint the exterior of the house...

Wildlife

As wild as life gets! That's Lil' Robin the Good, laying blue eggs. Isn't taht what Robin's do? (It's actually Robin laying around with her football, but it looked like a big egg.)

(Unretouched photo.) But! Life has been anything but dull in the sightings (and hearings) of wild animals department. Bob and I went to a really nice backyard Fourth of July party on Sunday and saw a BOBCAT cross the road in the wilds of Beacon Falls. When we got home and let Robin out to run her yayas out, there were BATS! in the sky above; circling and devouring millions of mosquitoes. I love BATS! I hope their populations are recovering from that dreadful white nose fungus.
And then we heard coyotes that night...
And next morning, while watering the vegetable garden, Bob saw a slew (gaggle? flotilla? gobble?) of turkeys crossing the driveway, with both parents and babies in attendance. Minutes after I returned from my walk with Robin, I saw something dive across the fence line and thought it was the neighbor's pesky Siamese cat, but it was a FOX! Maggie came out from the cool of her stall to investigate, but the FOX was long gone.
Robin and I also saw a very large SNAPPING TURTLE laying her roadside eggs last week. I think it must be the same one I've seen several years running now.

Maggie's not looking too wild in this picture. Who can blame her; it's been very hot.
A close up:

Yup! She's snoozing. I think she's being to feel her age. Aren't we all? I'm due to turn 60 in a couple of weeks. I guess I still have a bit of wild life in me!