The Birds!

When I was child, one of the scariest movies to trouble my safe little world was Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. Today the movie just seems hokey; then it gave me pause. Every time I saw more than a bird or two roosting in the towering maples outside our home, I was certain what I'd seen in the movie was about to be realized in my front yard. ;o)

It's amazing how childhood memories stick with us through our adulthoods.

Earlier this week, when it was in the 70s here in SE PA, I felt like enjoying a few minutes with the doggies out on our back deck. The sun felt good; the air smelled sweet with the promise of spring. My revelry in the pleasant outdoors lasted about three seconds; then the birds came.

They were just starlings, I believe. And they meant no harm. But thousands upon thousands (I kid you not) flew in droves over our backyard.

Sometimes a few would stop to rest in the trees on our back hill. But mostly they just flew over, cackling as they flapped overhead.

That's how I knew they were coming: I heard them first--just like in the movie.

Talk about a throw-back to childhood memories. The BIRDS! ;o)


My gut reaction (childhood fear) gave way almost immediately to fascination. And I wasn't the only one intrigued by the birds' arrival: Baxter, Elsie, and Ridge stood fascinated, silently tracking them in the sky.

Elsie has the strongest hunting and retrieving instincts of the three. Baxter and Ridge soon grew bored. But Elsie could've stayed and watched for hours.

Thankfully, after literally tens of thousands flying over in several, punctuated waves, The Birds phenomenon stopped.

It was quiet again. And still.

Amazing, isn't it, how noisy nature can be! I never really thought about it before. But nature can create quite a ruckus.

It's a ruckus the canine kids enjoy. This was one ruckus, however, that my childhood mind can live without!

'Til next time,
Joan 

A Lab Point of View (Part Two)

You can tell me to stop helping you put out the bird seed, but...














it's just in my nature to help. :o)













You can work at the computer, but...



only if you let me nudge your mouse hand and only if you explain to me what you're doing.








Ha! You can say this is your recliner, but...




we know differently. Move your feet, lose your seat. :o)

A Lab's Point of View (Part One)

You can read, but...













only if you let me nudge and butt the book or magazine enough so that you finally give up reading and pay attention to to me. :o)


















You can eat, but...













only if you're willing to share. :o)

Back from the Flu

Sorry it's been a while. I've been down and out with some sort of virus (low-grade fever, chills, sweats, aches and pains, whopping headache, dizziness, weakness, exhaustion, etc.). It hasn't been fun; and it's going on six days now, although today I'm starting to feel human again. Not 100%, but definitely better.

Poor kids: they're feeling neglected. I've been sleeping most of the last five days away (and sleeping soundly all night--if that says anything).


Elsie's depressed. She hangs out on the doggie bed by the fire and yawns a lot. Poor girl wants to be touched and held and played with. I just can't do it when I'm sick (the last thing I want when I feel lousy is face washes by dog tongues and 80 lbs of Lab on my lap ).








Ridge is depressed, too, but he hangs out on the couch cushions. He's gentle with me and seems to know I don't feel well.








Nothing seems to get Baxter down. He's as relaxed and low-key as ever (Mr Sprawl seen here on the recliner). And he's as sweet with me as ever.



At least the kids got their usual romp in the woods today with Dad. So everybody's content for the time being.

Hopefully I'll be back to form in the next day or two (this being sick thing is getting old). Then the kids and I can romp (it's good for them and good for me). :o)

'Til next time,
Joan

Too Much Stuff!

"Oh no! What's Lab marketing come to!"

Lab Stuff

If you've read any of my posts here you'll know I love Labrador retrievers: not just my three, but the breed itself. It's a fabulous breed, one my husband and I will stick with for our lifetimes.

But one part of Labdom drives me a little nuts: Lab stuff. Not Lab supplies or training materials or even a few select items that display a love for Labs (baseball caps, t-shirts, jewelry, or maybe even a decal or two, etc.).

But do we really need these items (found in a recent general search on eBay):

Lab puppy bookends (and I'm a book lover and addict! I'm even an author, but bookends?)
Lab Franklin Mint collector plates
Lab puppy belt buckles
Lab roller-ball pens
Lab collectors' bottle openers
Collectors' 18-wheel truck with Labs painted on the side
Lab-decorated cigar and pill boxs
Tin "Wanted!" sign for Labrador retrievers
a Neimann-Marcus Five-Dancing-Labradors statue (they don't even look like Labs)

I can understand Lab-decorated neck ties, keychains, portraits, socks, Christmas ornaments, door mats, leash hangers, stuffed animals, notecards, wall-paper borders, figurines, playing cards, and the like (all quickly found through an eBay search) ; they make at least a little sense to me. I can see why people would buy them

But roller pens and toy trucks?

Just when is enough stuff enough? Just when has breed marketing gone too far?

Okay (true confessions), I'll admit that hubby and Iuse three Lab mugs between us (all received as gifts); he wears one Lab baseball cap; we each own a Lab sweatshirt, and I have a Lab nightshirt. And we enjoy them all.

We also own boatloads of Lab training books, gift books, videos and DVDs, and veterinary manuals.

But I seriously doubt well ever buy a $150 Neimann Marcus Lab statue or a Lab roller-ball pen.

How silly.

I suppose one man's junk is indeed another's treasure.

At least the breed itself isn't tainted by marketing; Labs are still Labs, and will be for the foreseeable future.

What do you think about Lab stuff? Is it good, bad, or irrelevant?

'Til next time,
Joan

We Love the Outdoors, for Good or Bad

The kids (canine variety) just love the outdoors.

It doesn't matter what time of year, what type of weather, or how cold it is. If they can be outside, that's where they want to be.

The only exception is summer heat, but that's another story for another day.

They especially love to be outside when it's messy: muddy, rainy, icy. Go figure.

Well, Don took Baxter, Elsie, and Ridge for their usual lengthy Saturday morning romp out along the dirty roads and streams near our house. And, you guessed it: they loved splashing in anything they could get their paws into: mud, ice cold water, drainage ditches.

Silly, muddy, muddy kids.

Thankfully we have a somewhat mess-free backyard. And the kids love to hang out there.
They stay pretty clean, all things considered (not that they care; I care, though, especially when they come inside!).

They stay mud-free just about everywhere in the back yard, except when they visit the lower corner beyond the crabapple tree. That's a mud pit. And, of course, it's right next to where the neighbors come and go, so the dogs loiter there so they can bark and race back and forth when the neighbors walk by.

It figures. Their one guard post happens to be the only mud pit in the yard.

So, we decided to throw some straw in the mud pit to at least tone down the splash factor.

Elsie, Baxter, and Ridge had to help, of course.

And they did.

But even two bales later, we still have a mud pit.

And muddy dogs.

I guess that's just part of living with Labs. :o)

I'll take muddy paws and underbellies with Lab kisses and faithfulness any day. To experience the good, we accept the bad (or at least learn to live with it).

Sounds a lot like life to me.

'Til next time,
Joan

Sleeping in Peace

The Elsie girl sleeps soundly in Don's lap. It's her favorite place to snooze, and she rests comfortably there.

Always. Without exception.

Such peace. Such contentment. Such rest.

Head nestled close; feeling the warmth of her #1 human; hearing his heartbeat--she must feel secure, like a pup nuzzled close to her mother.

I suppose that's why she sleeps so well: All is well because Daddy is near; he'll protect her.

I wish Don could do the same for our girl-child.

When Sarah (the human girl-child) came home earlier this week, she'd just completed necessary tests for the new job she's taking as an EMT in Wilmington, Delaware. She's a college student, too, and works on campus as an EMT, but working for the City of Wilmington is something quite different (more like a war zone, we're told).

In the two days prior to her testing, Wilmington EMTs had to deal with a scalping (yes, skin and hair removed from the top of the skull) and a fatal shooting (two gun shot wounds). The ambulance is marred with bullet holes.

Oh, and Sarah announced on Monday that she was purchasing a bullet-proof vest to wear over her chest plate! Apparently the city requires both as part of the EMT uniform.

Yikes.

That's my little girl we're talking about (well, not so little anymore)!

Sometimes I miss the days when Sarah was small enough to nestle against her Daddy's shoulder and fall asleep--something she loved to do and did readily. The world seemed far less dangerous then.

Frankly, sometimes I wish I could nestle against a human shoulder secure in the knowledge that all is safe and well. But I'm a grown-up. We know better.

So I suppose I'll try to nestle into the arms of my Heavenly Father; the only One who can truly protect Sarah from harm, if He chooses to do so. Then maybe I'll sleep better when I know the sweet girl-child is riding ambulance on the city streets in Wilmington.

Gulp.

'Til next time,
Joan 

Looks Can Be Deceiving!

At first glance, what would you think was happening in this photo?

Nope. Baxter is NOT snarling or growling, or even unhappy for that matter.

I captured this picture of him at the end of his yawn (which Sarah is mimicing). He's only yawning while Sarah is leaning against him.

That's all. Honest.

But, boy-oh-boy, it doesn't look that way.

The false assumptions we could make about this photo make me wonder: how much of what we see in the media (print, digital, electronic...doesn't matter) is actually what's happening?

I could, if I wanted to, take this photo and present a case for the aggressive behavior of Labradors (how silly, really, knowing the breed as I do, and knowing they don't have a single aggressive bone in their bodies). The picture sure seems to make that point, though.

Knowing its context and knowing the real action in the picture, I could never use the photo that way.

But unscrupulous journalists certainly could.

Just how accurate is what we see on TV and on the news and in magazines and newspapers?

I suspect a healthy dose of skepticism (or at least critical thinking skills) is in order when it comes to photography and implied lessons or arguments made from photos.

Baxter's yawn is a case in point if I ever saw one.

'Til next time,
Joan

Littermate!

As far as the canine kids are concerned, Sarah (our sweet, 19-year-old, girl child) is just another littermate.

Sarah dropped by for the day yesterday from college (yay!). She had job-related tests to take only forty-five minutes from our house, so after her tests she scooted home for the afternoon and evening, then drove back to school late last night.

She said she needed a break from campus life. But I know the real reason she came home:

She need her Lab fix; in particular, she needed a Baxter fix (see top photo).

The canine kids love her to death. She's just one of the gang. And she loves them--all three of them.

But she and Baxter are buds. Special buds. Maybe it's because she still lived at home when Baxter came to us as a 6.5-week-old. He's the only one of the dogs she "grew up" with (Ridge came to us as an adult; Elsie came to us as a 7-week-old, but Sarah lived away at school by then). And she and Baxter were inseparable then.

Then again, maybe it's because Baxter is Baxter. He seems to have a similar bond with Daniel (our 22-year-old son). But then again, too, Dan was here for Baxter's puppyhood.

In any case, the canine kids love the human kids and the human kids love the canine kids. And the fact that they do warms this mother's heart. :o)

It just makes me smile to see them romp and play and giggle and snuggle together. I love what our Labs bring out in our kids and what the kids bring out in our Labs: they seem to bring the best out of each other.

And both bring the best out of me.

Oh, that the world were filled with giggling children (of all ages) and wiggling Labs! What a wonderful world it would be.

'Til next time,
Joan 

Togetherness

Last night I went to our Zambia team meeting. (Have I mentioned on this blog that I'm going to Zambia in May with three other middle-aged women as part of a short-term missions trip to teach at a women's conference? If you're interested, I put a link to that blog in the sidebar on the left where you can read about it.) It was our third team meeting so far.

I came home scared.

Hmmmm.

It's not that I haven't been to Africa before; I taught in Kenya in 2001 as part of another short-term missions trip, that time at a conference for pastors and their wives.

It's not that I haven't traveled internationally; we lived in France for three months in 1996 because my husband was temporarily relocated there. We bopped around several European countries while we were there (did plenty of customs stuff). That experience plus our trip to Kenya should be enough to ease my mind.

It's not that I can't teach; I teach a two-hour class nearly every week from September to May (January 0ff). And I'm good at it (at least people tell me I am).

It's not that I don't know the people I'm going with; they're good friends, and to boot, one is my identical twin sister--we even get to room together. Yay!

It's not that I'll be gone that long; the trip is only two weeks start-to-finish, with direct flights and same airline both ways (easy travel).

It's not that I don't have my passport or current immunizations or travelers' insurance; all that's taken care of.

It's not that Don and the kids (canine and human) won't do just fine without me; they're more than self-sufficient.

So what's bugging me?

I think it's that I'm going without dear hubby. I've never traveled internationally without him. I've traveled some in the states (flown to Chicago or California or Florida) without him, but never overseas, and never where a passport and visa were required.

Harrumph. I don't like having this knot in my stomach; I feel like Ridge and Elsie both look in the picture above: neither is happy where she/he is because they're apart from each other.

I feel that way now, and we still have 76 days to go until we leave (but who's counting?).

That's probably it; I just don't want to go without my hubby and best friend. :o) We're so used to being partners in everything (except work) that doing this trip on my own feels threatening.

I think.

I'm not sure.

I just have this awful tightness in my throat and churning in my tummy.

Maybe I'm just nervous period, and last night's meeting (where we received confirmed flight info, teaching schedules, itineraries, etc.) made it all seem so real.

Now I understand a bit more about the canine kids' need for togetherness. It feels secure.

At least I'll be with my seeeeeester (and two other good friends). That will help.

Besides, if I took Don with me, the canine kids would have to be kennelled for a couple of weeks; something we don't want to do.

Oh well. I'm committed. It's Zambia in May or bust.

'Til next time,
Joan

We're Back from the Kennel!

It's funny how the canine kids react to the kennel.

They seem to "know" they're going: they can't wait to get in the car; they wiggle with excitement; they pant with anticipation.

It's the same way when we pick them up to come home: wiggling and drooling with glee.

They they arrive back at the house and drop. :o)

They literally sleep for two days (with the necessary exceptions for eating and potty-ing, of course).

Elsie can't seem to stop yawning.

And all three want and need human contact more than normal, especially the Elsie squirt.

The kennel folks this time fell in love with Ridge. They liked Baxter (their comment: "he drooled a lot") and Elsie (their comment: "she was fine as long as she got enough attention"), but they loved Ridge. They said he was very calm and affectionate.

I suppose the difference in their behaviors comes from experience: Ridge is most familiar with kennels (he lived in one); Baxter and Elsie have only experienced them when we've gone away.

But for all three, it's an exhilarating, exhausting time. They come home, need to be touched, eat, then fall asleep.

It makes for greater productivity for me. :o) And a quieter house overall.

What's silly, though, is this: I miss their rambunctiousness! Go figure.

Not to worry. They'll be their old selves tomorrow. :o)

'Til next time,
Joan

P.S. After our visit earlier this week, Jon has decided to go to IUP (my alma mater). Yay!

Oh Happy Day!

"Huh?"


"Kennel?"


"Did someone say Kennel?"


"As in doggie hotel?"
"Ohboyohboyohboyohboyohboyohboyohboyohboy!"

Yup, my book manuscript is DONE! C'EST FINIS! COMPLETE! (oh happy day!) :o)

And just in time, because today we leave for a brief college visitation with our youngest son, Jon. He wants to check out IUP (Indiana University of PA) as a potential place to go to college (he's been accepted at IUP already), and it will take us five hours to get there, sooooo...it's off to kiddie camp for the kids (aka: the Kennel). :o)

It will be nice to get away even if only for a day. IUP is my alma mater, and Indiana, PA, is where hubby and I met and married over 25 years ago. We lived there for the first eight months of our life together while we were still kid-free and carefree. I'm looking forward to the journey--a relaxed trip, like going home (in the best senses of the word).

Since I'm now the little squirt (like Elsie) of the human family (everyone outgrew me), I'll ride in the Jetta's back seat (hello, Dramamine), put my legs up across the seat (goodbye fluid retention), and dink around on my AlphaSmart just for fun. I might even take a Soduko book or two along to puzzle over. Throw in my mp3 player and some headphones, and I'm ready to go.

Wow. Relaxation here I come.

So we're off to Indiana! I'll check in when we return. TTFN (said with every bit of Tigger bounce and enthusiasm)!

'Til next time,
Joan

Focus

When Don doles out the kids' vitamins each morning he grabs and holds their attention. They must wait until Don, by name, tells each it's "okay" to receive the plump, yummy pills. Then they're allowed, one-by-one, to gently take the treat from his hand.

Nothing distracts them. Baxter, Elsie, and Ridge focus exclusively on the hand holding their treasures. They know the object of their focus is something good. So they wait, undeterred.

Their ease in focusing on the good in store illustrates the reason behind my recent distractability when writing. The outcome (a published book and payment for it) no longer holds the same value it once did (to my discredit). Writing is my job now; it's no longer a passion (at least the kind of writing I do for income). After twenty-five books, I'm not surprised.

The rewards of seeing my name on a book jacket and adding funds to my bank account aren't as enticing as they used to be. And I think that may be why I'm so distracted. Cost (in time and effort) is beginning to outweigh benefit. So I'm no longer as motivated; my focus wanes.

Professionals, however, do the job (and do it well) no matter how motivated (or unmotivated) they may be. It's a matter of integrity. And I'm a professional, like it or not.

So I'll finish the book and finish it well. I'll maintain focus, even if the only reward is the satisfaction of knowing I finished the job and honored my contract. If once-a-day vitamins are enough to keep the kids' focus, then soul-satisfaction should certainly be enough for me.

So now I'm back to it. I won't post again until the manuscript is done. ;o)

'Til next time (which I hope is soon),

Joan

Ridge's Way

For all his chest-thumping bravado, Ridge is really just a big baby. :o)

This is his typical posture when we pet him: on his back, legs splayed, usually kicking his hind feet with excitement and vocalizing his pleasure with moans, groans and sighing.

He even hangs out on the recliner this way, though he doesn't often sleep this way.

Note: I hadn't even pet Ridge yet when I took this picture; I'd just approached him with the camera. Sweet, silly boy.

Gee, I wonder if he's comfortable?

'Til next time,
Joan (who's finally in the home stretch on this book manuscript! Now, it's back to work for me.) 

I'd Rather Play

Baxter: "Come on, Mom, Can't we go out and play? See, see...I even got this bright yellow-green thingy we can find in the snow. Come on, Mom, please? Pretty please?"

Me: "No, Bud, sorry. I still have this book manuscript to get out. No playtime for me. At least not yet."

Baxter: "But, Elsie wants to play, too. Can't you toss the ring with us for just a little while."

Me (reluctantly): "I really can't, Boos. I need to work."


A few hours later...


Baxter: "Huh? What? You mean you still haven't finished that book yet?"

Me: "Nope" (big sigh, pat Boos on the head). "This one's painfully slow. I just can't seem to wrap my head around it."

Baxter: "Well (yawn, stretch), wake me up where you're done. In the meantime, I think I'll nap here a while."

Me (mumbling): "I wish I could join you, Bud. You don't know how much I wish I could."

Now it's back to work for me (and snoozing for the kids). Oh, to have the life of a dog!

'Til next time (big sigh),
Joan 

My Helpers

Okay. I really am trying to get this book done. My editor graciously gave me a bit more time, and I'm working hard to finish.

But the "kids" keep offering to help.

When I work on my laptop in the family room (in the same room with them to give them attention while I work), all three nuzzle my keyboard and monitor. I finally gave up on the laptop (too easy for the kids to create problems on) and started using my AlphaSmart instead (the little green word processor I'm typing on in the pictures).



Baxter is the easiest, of course; I can actually write on top of him, and he doesn't mind.





But then Ridge gets jealous and climbs on top of Baxter to wedge himself between Baxter and me. He seems to think I need an attention break (how loving of him):




This is Ridge sitting on Baxter nuzzling me. :o)






Then Ridge settles down between us, making it too crowded to work (notice the Westminster Dog Show on the TV behind Baxter).


Elsie, on the other hand, thinks I need help keying. She paws the keyboard (the primary reason I switched to the AlphaSmart from my laptop--she can't damage that as easily). Or she rests her head on my arms (ever try to key on a keyboard with a Lab head on your forearms?)

So today I gave up hanging with the canine kids and I'm back in my office on my desktop while the kids hang out in the family room. I try to keep an ear out for them, and check on them regularly, but every now and then I miss something...like Don's stuffed polar bear from Valentine's Day.

Ridge wanted to protect us from big, bad, ferocious, four-legged arctic predators, especially those threatening plush kind. What a helper he is!

Wow. With this much help I should be able to get all kinds of things done!

'Til next time,
Joan

Caught!

There's our Ridge, caught in the act. This is the dog who absolute hates anything stuffed. I should rephrase that: he doesn't hate stuffed things; he loves to shred stuffed things, almost compulsively.

But his compulsion targets only stuffed animals: never stuffed chairs or pillows or dog beds or cushions. He's our never-chew-on-anything-but-what's-in-the-toy-bin guy. We can trust him to behave. And he does.

Except when a stuffed animal is near. This one he scarfed off the kitchen table (a Valentine's gift for hubby). Oh well.

Chalk up another one to canine neuroses. :o)

'Til next time,
Joan 

Snow!

We have snow!!!!


















Lots of snow. :o)



















And Labs love snow. Especially our Blizzard Boy Baxter.
















Baxter and Elsie romp...









while Ridge wrassles a "greenie" bone in the warmth and comfort of the family room.



Ridge can take or leave snow. He'd rather hang inside with us.











Elsie enjoys it (well, an adventure is an adventure, of course, and Elsie is always up for an adventure). But she comes in now and then to warm up and dry in front of the fire.









Baxter relishes snow. And he'd stay out in it all day if we let him.






That's my boy!

More to come...


'Til next time,
Joan