When new people moved in across the road from us several years ago, my husband Steve and I went over and introduced ourselves. The new neighbors were a middle-aged couple and their adult son. Since they said they owned a car repair shop in town, from that point on Steve and I referred to them in private as the Mechanics. We have private names for all of our neighbors. We call one the Golfer because he likes to golf in our field. We call another Chipper Shredder because he is always cutting things down and running them through a chipper. Steve and I welcomed the Mechanics to the neighborhood; something we would not have done if we had known what was to come. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Dogs
Blame the Dog
They were an odd pair; a little white dog whose legs looked even shorter than they actually were because of his fat, round body and a little white dog with tan markings that looked somewhat like a Jack Russell Terrier. I saw them both running across my yard as I was returning from a trip to the drug store to buy more cold medicine. I parked the car in the garage and stepped outside to see where they were going but when they saw me, they changed direction and ran over to me. Continue reading
Living and Dying with Giant Breed Dogs
Before I brought home our first Saint Bernard puppy I did a lot of research about Saint Bernards and giant breed dogs in general. Because I’ve always lived with dogs, I wasn’t interested in learning more about general dog care, but rather, the types of things I needed to consider before bringing home a puppy that would eventually be the size of a full-grown man. Continue reading
The Lab and the Basset Hound
Several years ago my husband Steve and I were huddled downstairs during a snow storm the week after Christmas. At some point that evening, we went out to the garage to get more drinks and check the snowfall. I turned on the outside light to see how much snow had already fallen and saw two dogs, a Black Labrador and a Basset Hound, standing in the yard. Continue reading
Duke’s Last Hurrah
At first, she denied the dog was hers. But my husband Steve was sure it was her dog because the other Golden Retriever that had been at our house, a young pup, was right there in her yard. She finally admitted that the dog lying in our garage was her dog when Steve told her that the dog had not caused any trouble and we just wanted to help him get home. Showing Steve her arm, which was in a sling, she told him she was not allowed to drive and that her husband wasn’t home. Steve told her that wasn’t a problem, that he’d drive the dog to her house now that he knew whose dog it was. Continue reading
Playing Possum
Our female Saint Bernard, Neva, was a runner. For the first two years of her life, I could only take her outside on a leash because whenever the opportunity to go for a run through the neighborhood arose, Neva took off. I chased her through fields, through the woods, even through a neighbor’s open garage; she went in through the overhead door and out the open man-door that lead to their (thankfully) fenced in back yard. Continue reading
Christmas Blow Up
When it comes to Christmas decorations I know what I like; classic evergreen wreaths with big red bows, live Christmas trees, preferably a fraser fir or a blue spruce, green garlands with pretty white lights, pointseittas, and old-fashioned, hand-made knit stockings on the mantel. I’m a Christmas decoration snob and I’ve been that way for a long time. Continue reading
The Case of the Missing Pumpkin Pie
My husband Steve and I have hosted Thanksgiving at our house for more than thirty years. Despite the fact that we have the logistics of holding such a feast down pat, it seems like every year there is something that does not go according to plan. One year the turkey was done too early, another year it took too long to cook. One year the oven broke the day before Thanksgiving and we had to replace the baking element. And then there was the year that Thanksgiving was almost ruined for my son Aaron, whose favorite part of the meal is the pumpkin pie. Continue reading
Lucy and Ginger
My husband Steve and I have had at least one Saint Bernard at any given time for the past 16 years. To accommodate them, we have a kennel, that is actually a 12 foot by 20 foot building that is insulated and fully equipped with water and electricity. Surrounding the dog kennel is a large fenced in area that allows our dogs to run and play all day without direct supervision. This has worked out well for us and for the Saints. Saint Bernards, which were originally bred in the Swiss Alps, love being outside and they love the cold and snow . Although their kennel is insulated, and although we have wall heaters for it….we’ve never had to turn on the heat; the dogs have a very natural ability to keep themselves warm. Continue reading
Is That Your Ostrich?
A few seconds after the doorbell rang my son Aaron knocked on the bathroom door, “Mom, there’s a state cop at the door”.
Although it was only the middle of October and not yet seven o’clock in the evening, I had been taking a bath because I was cold. “I’ll be right there,” I said, trying to keep the panic out of my voice. Continue reading
Splendippity 