Category: dogs

A Tale of Two Trees

Posted in apples, asphalt, children, dogs, greenbelt, HOA, Home Owners' Association, memoir, park, playground, shade trees, treesLeave a comment

(re-run) Eleven years ago, I moved into my cozy house next to a park. When I hear the squeaky swings I know that someone is in the greenbelt. My dogs run to the park to play ball or go for a walk. They always head right once out the front door, never left. They know… Continue reading A Tale of Two Trees

My Life in Dogs

Posted in adopting, animal rescue, college, dogs, farm, farm house, memoir, Nebraska, Omaha, pet, roommate, sleepover, small town, Spanish, superintendent, teachingLeave a comment

(re-run) It was a dogless childhood for me, until I was thirteen. I had asked. My sisters had asked. It wasn’t until our younger brother came home from school and said that somebody in his third-grade class was giving away a perfectly good dog and could he keep it? It happened so fast. I was… Continue reading My Life in Dogs

Just Me and the Pups

Posted in 2020, 2021, children, chorus, COVID, dancing, dogs, Facebook, fireworks, grandma, Halloween, January 6th, Jeopardy, memoir, New Year's Eve, party, Paul McCartney, summer, vaccineLeave a comment

(re-run) It’s New Year’s Eve and my adult children just left for a party. My eldest and her hubby flew home this morning. The house is empty except for me and three dogs. They’re calm now, but at midnight, when the fireworks go off, Daisy will dive under the bed. As I scroll on Facebook,… Continue reading Just Me and the Pups

The Power of Vacation

Posted in Alexa, biking, California, Carmel, dogs, memoir, Monterey Bay, Point Lobos, relationships, thrift store, Tor House, travel, vacationLeave a comment

(re-run, pre-pandemic) The week after Christmas is dead time for scheduled activities. Chorus rehearsals are cancelled. The city building where I exercise three times a week is closed.  There’s a lot of extra time during the day. So . . . . . . for the first time in two and a half years, I… Continue reading The Power of Vacation

It’s the Little Things

Posted in birthday, cooking, dancing, dogs, drinking, friends, gardening, hiking, hospital, memoir, party, singing, walking, weekend, writingLeave a comment

(re-run) A morning sunrise, skies streaked pink and blue.  A warm dog cuddled under the afghan throw as I read a book. A hot cup of fake mocha coffee and a Madeleine cookie.  A bunch of texts from an adult child 3000 miles away.  A photo of my smiling grandson in his high chair. The… Continue reading It’s the Little Things

Stray Dog, Happy Ending

Posted in adopting, animal adoption, animal shelter, California, DNA, dogs, forever home, pay it forward, Placer County, stray dogLeave a comment

(re-run) Julie’s beautiful golden retriever lab mix, Sadie, lived to be thirteen years old.  But when she passed, Julie’s other dog, Finn, started getting mopey. It wasn’t like the Jack Russell mix to act that way, so when Julie saw a big scraggly dog on the Placer County Animal Shelter website, she knew she had… Continue reading Stray Dog, Happy Ending

How to Get your Dog to Come to You

Posted in animal rescue, animal training, California, commands, dog training, dogs, ex-husband, memoir, party, pet, praise, treatsLeave a comment

(re-run) On a recent meet-up hike, there were four small dogs with 15 or more people. One person was saying how hard it was to get his one-year-old dog to come to him. I remembered back to one of the many dog training sessions I’ve attended in my life – training Tess, the spaniel/heeler, Penny,… Continue reading How to Get your Dog to Come to You