Connie and I recently returned from a trip to northwestern Washington, where we attended our niece’s wedding. Connie has three older brothers who live in that part of the state, Terry in Seattle, Tim in Bellingham, and Jeff in the countryside east of Blaine. Terry had recently bought a small farm on Lopez Island, out …
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The Politically Correct Pet
When Mr P came down for the sheep, he brought a piece of humor he and I had collaborated on when he was in High School. I don’t know what it says about our minds, or that this is the first venue we found for it… Introducing TAPEWORMS— the politically correct,animal- rights- safe pet of …
Of Mutton and Saws- Alls
Our friend Pieter Ditmars raises grass- fed meat sheep on Dunhill Ranch in the western foothills of the Magdalenas, using livestock guard dogs (Pyrenees) and border collies as assistants. We always buy a lamb from him. But we had found him a lot of new customers, and this year he offered us a 5 year- …
Bird & Pupdate
She is not getting aerial as fast as I’d like but she is working perfectly with the dogs. Irbis,as befits his youth, stays a respectable distance away. Ataika would rebuke him if he didn’t. Ataika, who knows how to inspire confidence in a bird, gets a lot closer in hope of a tidbit.
More Links
Despite some recent data from Africa, it seems that southeast China still looks to be the most likely point of dog origin. But they might have eaten them at first, as some people there do today. HT Reid. They are looking for the Mongolian Death Worm again. I must say more people THERE believe in …
Links #1
Perhaps the ridiculous, the risible, and the maddening first? Che’s daughter poses nude (but armed) for PETA. Copenhagen decides that walking helmets for pedestrians are a good idea. Chas knows who the dope growers despoiling National forests are: it’s those pesky Finns! Scroll down to the second photo. I should probably take this one more …
Back…
From a few overwhelming weeks– broken ribs (now tolerable, but not conducive to much but insomnia) a sick dog (Coronavirus, now totally recovered but scary enough for a midnight emergency run) a sick pigeon, a recalcitrant if friendly hawk (maybe the warm weather is keeping her weight up but I am beginning to think she …
Lane Batot on Trailhounds– Part 3
Once I had decided to keep Notches, the little Black-And-Tan hound, I naturally sought to fulfill my old desire of training a trailhound to pursue a variety of game, as the old time pioneers had done. I knew that with this previously traumatized dog, I would have to proceed slowly and patiently. At first she …
Companionable cowbirds
It’s always a pleasure to watch the cowbirds as they pick for bugs and seed heads in wool, even as the wool remains on the sheep. Most of the sheep don’t mind their presence at all, and the birds fly/hop from the back of one sheep to another. The fattest brown-headed cowbirds I’ve ever seen …
Suburban Elk
We were totally surprised this morning to see these two bull elk as we were driving into work. This was quite near our office, which is in west suburban Denver (Lakewood, for those who know) on the edge of the Front Range foothills. There are countless mule deer around here, but elk rarely come this …