In the crate they peep out. The larger of the two barks loudly and wants to be held. The other slightly smaller one also wants to be held; only he waits in silence.
They both play hard and yes they fight like brothers do. It is nothing unusual, just regular, ‘you where too close to me’, type of fighting. At the end of the day they cuddle and sleep next to each other and all is forgiven.
The girls fight as well. Maddy, the bigger of the two always seems to go for the neck and it looks like she is beating up her sister. It’s all part of pecking order that dogs have. The girls really do love each other as do the boys.
One of the boys likes to sit on his butt and uses his paw to balance himself on the side of the crate. He just likes to sit up straight. Even when he was smaller he would get himself up on the side of the whelping box and sit up. Sort of like he was in an arm chair and he liked to be propped up like that, with his tongue sticking out a bit, he still does that.
The family that wants the boys wants to keep them together. They may end up in a big rig and travel, keeping the new owner company on his long halls. If that works out then they will have grand adventures and I couldn’t be happier for both of them.
In time the boys will go on their way and learn to be good with another family and ‘make their way in the world’, so to speak. I do care for all the pups we have had and I am so glad I got to meet them all. Its’ been great to get to know them and see all of their personalities. This time we are keeping Maddy, named after a friends and Crackers, who also goes by ‘Crackers Morven’. In the times we have bred our dog everyone else gets a puppy this time I get two!
As for the boys, they make a great pair. I couldn’t be happier for someone to take both of them and keep them together. I’ll miss them, but I’m happy for them to ride on into the sunset!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Green hour
The door is at the bottom of the staircase in a dark corner of the building. The street level has a courtyard and a few other restaurants and some shops. This is not like the others, and has been around longer than all of the others.
The carpet may be a bit better for ware, and the inside feels and looks like a cave. All part of the charm you see. The leather upholstered bar with red leather chairs great you. As well as a party of people, at least this time.
They were celebrating a birthday. There was a cake in the corner at one of the booths. There are also a few tables and chairs. No one is using them at the time. The bulk of the group is crowded around the bar. This group happens to be made up of the 50 plus singles crowd. As they sip their drinks the flirting begins. Only the alcohol is making their conversation skills go downhill.
“ I don’t have time to get naked, I just take off my clothes and put my night gown on right away.” A loud woman announced. I didn’t really understand that statement, I have a feeling she didn’t either.
“ Are you going to be able to get up by 8 a.m. tomorrow?” A blonde asked a older man in black tight pants and shinny button down shirt.
“ Yup, I am going straight home, it’s a long drive back to Long Beach.” He said. They seemed to all work together and had met here for drinks and this party. Usually the crowd here is much younger, so this was an exception. Gratefully this group left after a short time. One woman was laughing so loud and she had more of a cackle, it was a relief to see her leave.
The rest of the night the crowd was more usual, a group of young girls from the local college, and some young men trying to flirt with the new bar girl. The tall Brit girl that is getting sloppy on wine wearing a long white trench coat, yes she should have eaten first.
Why endure all this when I could be home and drinking in peace and quit? While that is true, it doesn’t beat this story. Plus this is my new favorite place. The end of the night finds us enjoying some abisinthe and have a laugh, quite a few in fact. Long after this evening is over I still have the taste of absinthe in my mind and can’t wait to have a nice evening and enjoy it and the atmosphere of this spot again.
The carpet may be a bit better for ware, and the inside feels and looks like a cave. All part of the charm you see. The leather upholstered bar with red leather chairs great you. As well as a party of people, at least this time.
They were celebrating a birthday. There was a cake in the corner at one of the booths. There are also a few tables and chairs. No one is using them at the time. The bulk of the group is crowded around the bar. This group happens to be made up of the 50 plus singles crowd. As they sip their drinks the flirting begins. Only the alcohol is making their conversation skills go downhill.
“ I don’t have time to get naked, I just take off my clothes and put my night gown on right away.” A loud woman announced. I didn’t really understand that statement, I have a feeling she didn’t either.
“ Are you going to be able to get up by 8 a.m. tomorrow?” A blonde asked a older man in black tight pants and shinny button down shirt.
“ Yup, I am going straight home, it’s a long drive back to Long Beach.” He said. They seemed to all work together and had met here for drinks and this party. Usually the crowd here is much younger, so this was an exception. Gratefully this group left after a short time. One woman was laughing so loud and she had more of a cackle, it was a relief to see her leave.
The rest of the night the crowd was more usual, a group of young girls from the local college, and some young men trying to flirt with the new bar girl. The tall Brit girl that is getting sloppy on wine wearing a long white trench coat, yes she should have eaten first.
Why endure all this when I could be home and drinking in peace and quit? While that is true, it doesn’t beat this story. Plus this is my new favorite place. The end of the night finds us enjoying some abisinthe and have a laugh, quite a few in fact. Long after this evening is over I still have the taste of absinthe in my mind and can’t wait to have a nice evening and enjoy it and the atmosphere of this spot again.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Errands
The middle of the week and she has so many things to do. Her goal is to get everything done before 5 P.M. It’s not that she is older; it is just satisfying to get things done before the rush hour.
The hardware store, as soon as she enters there is a strong smell, bug spray mixed with plastic and popcorn. The small store always makes popcorn, with the other industrial smells the popcorn can’t compete with, and it never seems appetizing to her. This store always has unusual and fun things. She only has a few things to get; still it’s hard not to get distracted by the 8 dollar spatula found in the gourmet food display.
Does she want to drive her usual route or go down another street? It can get boring to always drive down the same streets. Today, it will only take her a few seconds more to go left and down another side street. It’s such a nice proper down town, why not enjoy the scenery?
She lowers the window and lets in some fresh air, the wind blows around her long hair. The cool fall wind feels great; a few trees have started to change color. Unlike back east, the last of these leafs will still be around till late December.
There is a quick trip to the store. She gets into the checkout line, the clerk recognizes her.
“It’s late in the week for you to be here. Didn’t you make all your dinners already?” She asks Devon.
“Yes I did and I just need to pick up some tortillas. I’m making up some burritos for lunches. I made some beans and now I will make them up and freeze them. I usually make about 24 at a time.” Devon answers.
“Wow, you’re more ambitious than I am.” The clerk says with a smile.
“I just like getting it done. I only have to do this like once a month. Then we can just grab them out of the freezer, nuke them at work and I don’t have to scramble every morning wondering what to pack for lunch.” Devon says. She pays for her purchase and drives off. Sure it’s a lot of work, but only for one night.
The hardware store, as soon as she enters there is a strong smell, bug spray mixed with plastic and popcorn. The small store always makes popcorn, with the other industrial smells the popcorn can’t compete with, and it never seems appetizing to her. This store always has unusual and fun things. She only has a few things to get; still it’s hard not to get distracted by the 8 dollar spatula found in the gourmet food display.
Does she want to drive her usual route or go down another street? It can get boring to always drive down the same streets. Today, it will only take her a few seconds more to go left and down another side street. It’s such a nice proper down town, why not enjoy the scenery?
She lowers the window and lets in some fresh air, the wind blows around her long hair. The cool fall wind feels great; a few trees have started to change color. Unlike back east, the last of these leafs will still be around till late December.
There is a quick trip to the store. She gets into the checkout line, the clerk recognizes her.
“It’s late in the week for you to be here. Didn’t you make all your dinners already?” She asks Devon.
“Yes I did and I just need to pick up some tortillas. I’m making up some burritos for lunches. I made some beans and now I will make them up and freeze them. I usually make about 24 at a time.” Devon answers.
“Wow, you’re more ambitious than I am.” The clerk says with a smile.
“I just like getting it done. I only have to do this like once a month. Then we can just grab them out of the freezer, nuke them at work and I don’t have to scramble every morning wondering what to pack for lunch.” Devon says. She pays for her purchase and drives off. Sure it’s a lot of work, but only for one night.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Urban farming
I don’t like to think of myself as part of a fad, but being practical, yes I am urban farming this year.
We have lavender in the front yard. Lavender is a deterrent for moths and is great aromatherapy. If you have some under your window and open it up at night, or anytime of the day, it can be calming. At night it may be able to help you sleep better. That is if you don’t have allergies that prevent you from enjoying them.
In the back yard we have some tomatoes and that has been nice. We have a big plant and not that much of a yield, but that is this year. Next year we will plan a little earlier.
The chickens have been great and a lot of our friends have been happy to get some fresh eggs. They really do taste much better and cook up faster. The chickens are fun and have their own personality. I never knew that they would. Champers is very much the mother hen and Jamamia is nice and both like to be picked up.
Home fry, the chicken is a big girl and she doesn’t always like to be picked up, but she does like to get water sprinkled on her when it’s hot. We are not always at full production, while we have 7 chickens we usually get 5 to 6 eggs at the most. Someone isn’t consistent in producing eggs.
We keep our dogs away from the chickens since that is their favorite meal just running around there. They only make clucking sounds, in the morning they are noisy the rest of the time not so much. A few of the chickens like to peck on the plastic pail that holds the water. Its’ like a drum for them and they just like making little drum sounds on it. I don’t mind.
It may turn out that I will end up with an egg route and drop off eggs to my friends once a week. I have been joking that I will need a truck with a chicken painted on the side to deliver the eggs.
The whole lesson of urban farming is one that my grandmother taught me. She passed away a few years. I know if she was still around she would be proud of me for being resourceful and tell me once again about the chicken she got from her aunt. My Great grand- father cooked that chicken on accident one day. My grandmother had to go back to her aunt and pick another chicken, she told her father all the way home that, this was her chicken and not to kill it. Right on grandma, thanks for these and other lessons.
We have lavender in the front yard. Lavender is a deterrent for moths and is great aromatherapy. If you have some under your window and open it up at night, or anytime of the day, it can be calming. At night it may be able to help you sleep better. That is if you don’t have allergies that prevent you from enjoying them.
In the back yard we have some tomatoes and that has been nice. We have a big plant and not that much of a yield, but that is this year. Next year we will plan a little earlier.
The chickens have been great and a lot of our friends have been happy to get some fresh eggs. They really do taste much better and cook up faster. The chickens are fun and have their own personality. I never knew that they would. Champers is very much the mother hen and Jamamia is nice and both like to be picked up.
Home fry, the chicken is a big girl and she doesn’t always like to be picked up, but she does like to get water sprinkled on her when it’s hot. We are not always at full production, while we have 7 chickens we usually get 5 to 6 eggs at the most. Someone isn’t consistent in producing eggs.
We keep our dogs away from the chickens since that is their favorite meal just running around there. They only make clucking sounds, in the morning they are noisy the rest of the time not so much. A few of the chickens like to peck on the plastic pail that holds the water. Its’ like a drum for them and they just like making little drum sounds on it. I don’t mind.
It may turn out that I will end up with an egg route and drop off eggs to my friends once a week. I have been joking that I will need a truck with a chicken painted on the side to deliver the eggs.
The whole lesson of urban farming is one that my grandmother taught me. She passed away a few years. I know if she was still around she would be proud of me for being resourceful and tell me once again about the chicken she got from her aunt. My Great grand- father cooked that chicken on accident one day. My grandmother had to go back to her aunt and pick another chicken, she told her father all the way home that, this was her chicken and not to kill it. Right on grandma, thanks for these and other lessons.
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