I never knew what Coco, one of our dogs, caught. She and the other two dogs were having their last “out” of the evening. I thought, at first, Coco had a bone in her mouth and would not drop it to get her evening biscuit.
I realized it was more than that. It was alive although I could not tell what creature she had in her mouth. The lighting was not too good. First I thought she caught “Oscar” our “local” rat but the animal had fur.
I grabbed the animal out of her mouth and it lay in front of the door. My wife was screaming, “Get it out of the house!”
Finally I scooped it up with a cat scooper and dropped it over the fence onto our driveway. At the same time one of our cats got out.
Seconds later I got a flashlight and shined it on the spot I dropped the animal. It was nowhere to be seen.
It is possible the animal was just stunned (Coco has retriever blood in her) or the cat grabbed it who escaped. My wife thought the animal might have been a baby squirrel. I will never know for sure. I felt bad for the animal hours (an hour) later. There was nothing else I could do.
Tags: baby squirrel, cats, Coco, dog catches an animal, dogs, Oscar, pets
Posted in animals, death, local, nature, pets |
I am going to vanquish my winter blues. It is too much self–indulgence. My pets love me (and my wife). And that is enough. My favorite dog, Tilla, ‘adores’ me, in the words of my daughter. I did nothing to deserve all that. And that is an incomplete list of the seven cats and two dogs who each love me in their own way. My pets do not care what I do or am. And my wife does not care about the degree I do not have, or job for that matter.
Tags: cats, depression, dogs, my daughter, pets, the love of my wife, Tilla, vanquish Winter blues, winter blues
Posted in animals, balance, children, life, local, love, marriage, mental health, pets, relationships, seasons, wisdom |
Tilla is so unpredictable. Two nights ago he would not come into my bedroom after I called his name repeatedly and not until my wife came in to bed. Yesterday I went to bed and my dog immediately followed me to my bedroom and fell asleep at the foot of my bed. I did not say one word to him or call his name once. My favorite dog is so unpredictable. I never know what he is going to do next.
Tags: dog sleeps at the foot of my bed, dogs, my wife, pets, Tilla
Posted in humor, local, love, pets, relationships, time |
I was thrilled two nights ago when Tilla, my favorite dog, joined us on our king-sized bed. My wife had to “nudge” him over so she had enough space. Last night I called him repeatedly after I went to bed and he would not come. Finally my wife joined me and called him and he lay on the cushioned bed that is on the side of the bed, which was originally set up for his sister, Coco. My wife said he was standing on the pillow under the computer looking somewhat conflicted and “guilty” when I was calling him. He likes tight spaces. Anyway, I was happy when he finally came to our bedroom. The week I was gone hardly any animals slept with her. I guess we broke their routine.
Tags: Coco, dog bed, dog routine, dogs, my wife, pets, Tilla
Posted in local, love, pets, relationships, time |
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 |
Our three dogs must have been really hungry. I only fill the dogs’ bowls once a day in the morning. When I went to the vet with Coco, she had lost over seven pounds. She was getting really chunky so that was a good thing. I went away for a week. My wife was not paying attention and left an open almost full bag of cat food in the kitchen. I usually store cat food in the garage. Then she noticed the dogs had a “picnic” and must have been really hungry. Half of it was gone.
Tags: cat food, cats, Coco, dogs, dogs ate cat food, feed the dogs, my wife, pets, three dogs, vet
Posted in humor, local, pets, time |
Tilla, one of my dogs, will often “nudge” you lightly when he comes in from the yard. He will tap you lightly with his nose as if to say, “I am glad to see you again.” He is the only dog of our three to do that. Coco, his sister, sometimes will “mouth” you in her excitement if she has not seen you for awhile. She does not bite. The two greet me differently. Each dog, each pet, is an individual and has their own personality.
Tags: Coco, dog greetings, dogs, each dog has their own personality, each pet is an individual, pets, three dogs, Tilla
Posted in local, pets, time |
My one dog (I have three) Tilla gave me a great greeting. I was away a whole week. He must have jumped at least a dozen times on me slobbering me with kisses. The other two dogs I have gave me a more restrained greeting although I have to say they were happy to see me, too. Tilla is my favorite dog. I guess the feeling is mutual. There is nothing like a dog to make you feel welcome.
Tags: a dog makes you feel welcome, dog greeting, dogs, dogs happy to see me, my favorite dog, pets, three dogs, Tilla, vacation
Posted in animals, local, love, pets, relationships, time |
Vacations always end. Today Chuck and I will go on that fishing trip we talked about for, at least, a year. Unless, it is cancelled, again. We were supposed to go fishing on Lake Pontchartrain on Wednesday but the waves were too choppy and the bottom of the lake was stirred up.
The fishing would have been lousy that day. This is my last chance this visit to go fishing. I have never caught a fish that weighed several pounds. I might catch a speckled trout or if I am lucky a redfish that weighs even more. Chuck has never fished in this area.
Maybe, next year we will go camping again. We will see. In any case it was fun and I am looking forward now to flying home and sleeping in the same bed with my wife and seeing all my critters (I especially miss Tilla, my favorite dog) and being in familiar surrounding. It was nice to go away but thank God I have a place to go home to. And a wife to return to. This is the longest we been apart–one week.
Tags: a place to go home to, camping, childhood friend, Chuck, dogs, fishing trip, God, Lake Pontchartrain, my wife, New Orleans, pets, redfish, speckled trout, thank God, Tilla, vacation
Posted in God, knowledge&learning, life, love, marriage, nature, pets, time, wisdom |
Absence makes your heart fonder. I know that is a cliche but it is true. I have been kept a little too busy on my vacation 
to miss my wife and menagerie particularly my dogs too much. I have called my wife every day and made several quick calls. My vacation to New Orleans has two days to go and then I fly back. I see my lifelong friend once a year. Once a year we reconnect. After fifty years Chuck still makes me laugh and that is an accomplishment. I had fun. Saturday we go out on a charter as long as the weather behaves and I will probably catch the biggest fish of my life. Chuck said some speckled trout weigh several pounds. So I am excited about that. My vacation here will end in a bang.
Tags: absence makes your heart fonder, charter boat, cliche, dogs, fishing, lifelong friend, my wife, New Orleans, pets, speckled trout, vacation
Posted in God, life, love, nature, pets, relationships, time |
Tilla, my favorite dog, was only on loan. This was brought to the forefront when I found another lump on his neck. It felt like a cyst like the larger mass on his back. I realized suddenly he was not going to be around forever so I needed to appreciate him now. Humans most of the time outlive their pets. I had to enjoy him now. Not tomorrow but today.
Tags: brevity of pets lives, cyst, dogs, enjoy your pets, my favorite dog, pets, pets are on loan to us, Tilla
Posted in animals, balance, death, local, pets, relationships, time, wisdom |
What do I know for certainty? My wife loves me. So does my favorite dog–Tilla. Probably Coco, his sister. Maybe, that needs to be enough. Two dogs and my wife. Maybe, that should be sufficient. Let me bask in that love. I did nothing to earn that. Of course, I did not mention Jesus. He loves me, too. I don’t know why you can feel so separated and so alone sometimes?
Tags: Coco, dogs, feeling separated and alone, God, Jesus, love, pets, the love of my dogs, the love of my wife, Tilla
Posted in animals, God, life, marriage, pets, relationships, wisdom |
