I appreciated my home better after I was gone a week. All my music at my fingertips. My wife, of course. And all my pets–all seven cats and three dogs. Now I am usually in charge of meals. There is nothing like being gone and back and realizing all your amenities are near by. Now I made my own coffee and drank out of my special cup. My coffee now tasted like I remembered it to. I did not have to listen to too many lectures when I did something wrong. My friend was a bit opinionated and overbearing, which is not to say my wife can’t be–she can. All in all I was glad to be home and grateful I had one to return to.
Tags: appreciated my home, cats, dogs, four dogs, glad to be home, God, grateful, music, my old friend, my own coffee, my wife, pets, seven cats, vacation
Posted in God, life, local, love, marriage, music, pets, time |
China and I have engrossing conversations. He is this long haired black and white exotically marked cat. We talk to one another. I “meow” and “meow”. And sometimes he replies. Other times he snuggles against me. I have no idea what I am saying in cat language but he gets the message: I love him and want to be near him. He is the most vocal of all our cats. We have seven. I have different relationships with all of them. Cheyenne, also long haired like China and his brother is one of the most beautiful cats I have ever seen. He often goes in the opposite direction when I approach him. He just does not like me. Both China and Cheyenne have the same mother Jasmine, a diminutive female who seems to get along with everyone including her four sons from two litters. Sometimes they all can be found lying near each other on my bed. I never thought I would become a cat lover but I have. They are very different than dogs. And I have four dogs. Our menagerie now numbers eleven. No fish yet.
Tags: cat conversations, cat language, cat lover, cats, cats and dogs, cats and dogs are very different, cats on the bed, Cheyenne, China, dogs, four dogs, I "meow" and "meow", Jasmine, long haired cat, our menagerie, pets, seven cats
Posted in animals, beauty, local, pets, relationships |
I looked at my dogs outside. All four. Each was facing away from the large white pine tree forming a circle around the tree in a different direction. I love my four dogs. Each differently. Coco, a female black long haired is simply sweet. Pax the elder likes the sound of his own voice. Sweetie the golden retriever is just that sweet and happy go lucky and loves to gnaw on branches. Tilla and I have a special relationship. I earned his loyalty by almost endlessly rubbing his belly. In fact, he often gives me a hug by resting his upper body on me and then having me pet him. He is no small dog–at least seventy pounds–very affectionate. All of them are big. They are enjoying the snow today. I never in my wildest dreams expected to own four dogs (and that does not include the seven cats who roam the house). To say the least, we have no mouse problem in our house. I could not have imagined this menagerie twenty-five years ago.
Tags: belly rubs, big dogs, Coco, dog hugs, dogs, four dogs, my menagerie, no mouse problem, Pax, pets, seven cats, snow, Sweetie, Tilla, white pine tree
Posted in local, pets, relationships |
NYC is another world. I was there briefly–forty-eight hours. So many people. All, seemingly, in a rush. Surrounded by thousands of people. I took the subway to get around. It is a world I am not in too often any more. I was glad to get back home surrounded by trees and quiet. My dogs gave me a terrific greeting jumping all over me when I entered my house. I left my wife for my trip. It is difficult for us to go away with our menagerie–all four dogs and seven cats. Maybe, once a year my wife and I go away usually to the NJ shore. I was glad to get home. To peace and quiet although I was glad to see part of my family in New York if only briefly. NY city is just another world.
Tags: dogs, four dogs, my wife, New York, NJ shore, NYC, peace and quiet, pets, see my family, seven cats, subway, the peace and quiet of a small town, thousands of people, trees and quiet
Posted in local, love, marriage, pets, relationships, time |
The differences between my two black pups now full grown are several. Coco is long haired and when she is happy to see you, she will swish her tail back and forth slowly. She likes to observe and takes in the whole situation. Tilla is exuberant. When he is happy to see you, his tail goes thump, thump. Sometimes I will go into my bedroom and he will jump on the bed wiggling all over to greet me. He is the most athletic. He necessitated us building our fence higher. He could jump over it. He is the most unpredictable and is streamed lined really muscular.
He has some peculiarities. He will lock himself in the bedroom and act so happy when we open the door. Also if he joins me in the office he will close the door as if to make sure he has me all to himself. He is male and the most aggressive of our four dogs. If you throw four snacks out for our dogs, he will get three.
Coco is female and just plain sweet. If she wants her belly rubbed, she will slowly demurely lift her leg to indicate that. Coco can be quite insistent and will bark if she wants to go out. They are only the second and third dogs I raised from pups.
The two dogs have had some different nicknames over time. Coco is also called Coco Puff and Puffy Girl by my wife. Atilla was originally called Atilla The Hun now shortened to Tilla, and once called Atilla The Olympian (when he kept jumping the fence) and now affectionately Tilly Willy. Both of the dogs are a lot of fun.
Tags: Coco, Coco Puff, differences between Coco and Tilla, dogs, four dogs, pets, Tilla, Tilla is exuberant and Coco is more laid back
Posted in animals, local, pets, time |
Pax the elder of our pack of four dogs is getting old. Both knees are torn and we started giving him pain meds. It was just too painful for him to get around. We were thrilled when we started giving him a second pain pill (in the morning) and he became more active. No dog lives forever. He is thirteen — old for a big dog (he must be eighty pounds) now. His rear muscles have atrophied. The vet said to make him as comfortable as possible. He has been around forever. He is the father of two of our dogs. He is feisty. Sometimes he will come into my room just to get one pat on the head and then he leaves. He is one confident dog. He literally prances up and down at the end of the day for after the last “out” for all the four dogs he will get some kind of treat. And he knows that and gets all excited. Now it is a slice of bread with some peanut butter dabbed on it to hide the pain pill. He has always loved bread.
Tags: big dog, both knees torn, dogs, dogs get treats, four dogs, Pax, Pax loves bread, pets, slice of bread with peanut butter, the elder dog, vet
Posted in animals, death, health, local, pets, relationships |
Praise the Lord I can feed my seven cats and four dogs. The dogs are large dogs between seventy-five and ninety pounds so it take quite a bit dog food to feed them. The cats are not as bad although we get special cat food for them: one cat needs a certain diet and we can’t feed him that and not the rest of the six cats a cheaper cat food. And that does not include the bird seed I put out and the suet cakes for the woodpeckers. It is only by grace I can do all those things. Some families who are broke or unemployed would love to have the money we spend just on our pets (and bird seed). Praise the Lord for all that.
Tags: bird feeding, bird food, birds, cat food, cats, dog food, dogs, feeding our pets and birds, four dogs, God, large dogs, our provisions are only by grace, our seven cats and four dogs, pets, praise the Lord, seven cats, suet cakes, woodpeckers
Posted in animals, birds, God, life, local, nature, pets, relationships |
It is so odd not having any of our four dogs around. We kenneled them so we could leave on our trip to the shore the following morning. I fell asleep and none of them were at the foot of the bed. No barking. No locking the front door so Tilla does not let himself out by “popping” the screen door latch. No Tilla under our computer desk. Pax is not under his blanket facing the big fan. No Sweetie or Coco. No barking. No anything. I miss them already and we have not left on our trip.
Tags: Coco, Coco or Sweetie or Tilla, dogs, four dogs, kenneling our dogs, No barking at all in the house, no dogs at the foot of my bed when I retire, Pax, pets, Sweetie, Tilla, trip to the shore
Posted in animals, local, marriage, pets, relationships, time |
I am a homebody. The grass is not, necessarily, greener somewhere else. One of my sisters loves to travel. I don’t have the same wanderlust. It is true I don’t have the financial means she has. Nevertheless, I like being home. I still make discoveries every day in my backyard and in my house. I am surrounded by my books and music. I like having them at my fingertips. I do have seven cats and four dogs that make it more difficult to just leave and go somewhere but I love my animals, particularly my dogs, and always miss them when we go away once or twice a year. Sometimes I visit my oldest friend in New Orleans. And I go by myself. It is just easier that way. When I return from a trip, home is just that much sweeter. As Richard Thompson says in a song, ‘Every heart needs a home.’ Even when I am home I only go out briefly.
Tags: 'Every heart needs a home', books, cats, dogs, four dogs, grass is not necessarily greener, homebody, music, my backyard, my sister, New Orleans, oldest friend, pets, Richard Thompson, seven cats, travel, wanderlust
Posted in balance, beauty, life, local, marriage, money, music, nature, pets, relationships, time, wisdom |
I never had a dog like “Tilla” before. I won his loyalty by rubbing his belly any time he wants, which is often. Dogs don’t live forever. I never thought another dog would replace the first dog I raised from a pet, which was “Daisy” a black mutt. One stubborn dog. Tilla wants to please. I trained Daisy when she was an adult. When I was in a room with her, she never took my eyes off of me. Tilla often comes to my pad when I am watching TV and my wife has gone to bed. Then he usually nudges the door shut as if to say, “I now have you all to myself.” Tilla has quirks. He is unpredictable. I never know exactly how he is going to act. Sometimes he will lock himself in the bathroom and wait for us to discover that and then be so pleased when we open the door. He is more aggressive then the other three dogs we have. If you throw four snacks in front of our four dogs, he will get three. He is quick. His mom a female golden retriever (appropriately named “Sweetie”) usually defers to him as well as his to his (???) sister–Coco. Tilla is streamlined–one lean muscular black dog. He is the reason we had to build our fence higher. He could jump over it. I will love Tilla while I have him. I know he is only on “loan.”
Tags: Coco, Daisy, Daisy I trained when he was an adult, Daisy never took her eyes off of me when we were in the same room, Daisy was the first dog I raised from a pup, dogs, four dogs, golden retriever, I rub Tilla's belly almost any time he wants it, my relationship with Tilla, one stubborn dog, pets, Sweetie, Tilla, Tilla was the only dog who could make it over the fence
Posted in humor, local, pets, relationships, time |
I had to rattle the screen door when I let our four dogs out for we had a chipmunk who was eating the birdseed that fell to the ground. Yesterday he zipped the forty feet to hide under a bush. I did not want any of my four dogs to hurt him. Occasionally we get chipmunks and even less often a cottontail under our tree. They all like the easy meal.
Tags: bird feeding, birdseed, chipmunk, chipmunks and cottontail like to munch on the birdseed that fell to the ground, chipmunks and cottontails, cottontail, dogs, four dogs, pets
Posted in animals, birds, local, pets, time |
Pax is the patriarch of our four dogs. Every evening he starts the exit into our yard. He barks at me indicating it is time. He knows what he gets when he comes back into our house. It is their evening biscuit. He starts this process and the (our ???) other three dogs follow him into the yard. All four know what they get when they come back into the house. Pax really gets excited. He “bounces up and down” excitedly. It is hard to believe he is a twelve year old dog. He lets us know in no uncertain terms what time it is for. And the other dogs follow his lead.
Tags: all four dogs know what time it is, dogs, four dogs, Pax, Pax and the evening biscuit, pets, twelve year old dog
Posted in local, pets, relationships, time |
