UPDATE: Max woke up this morning with kennel cough. Poor baby boy! So now he's isolated from the other dogs and he DOES NOT LIKE IT! I can't quite identify the sounds he's making...perhaps something along the lines of a baby dinosaur? :)

 We just got back from the vet where… Read full post »

Call to action: Help defeat California's Prop 8, the initiative against gay marriage.

UPDATE:

No on 8 has released a new commercial with Sen. Dianne Feinstein the discriminatory nature of Prop 8. Polls have shown positive reaction to commercials highlighting this issue--that this amendment is unfai… Read full post »

Call to action: Help defeat California's Prop 8, the initiative against gay marriage.

There's still time.

I have just made a donation to the No on Prop 8 campaign right here: http://www.noonprop8.com/

 No, I don't live in California any more, and that doesn't matter in the least. The proponent… Read full post »

On Tuesday I looked out in my backyard to find our two dogs playing with a beautiful Pit Bull boy. I was a bit surprised, to say the least.

He seems to be full grown, but still puppy-ish in behavior, so maybe a couple years… Read full post »

Christine's Bacon & Onion Roast

 I've been cooking since I was 8 years old (no, really--standing on a kitchen chair and making hamburger helper). I really enjoy cooking and I'm pretty good at it, according to vict^H^H^H guests who've eaten at my table. At least, I haven't poisoned anyone… Read full post »

The cats at Che' Mer have got their knickers all in a knot about all the press the canines have been receiving lately. They have presented a list of demands, which includes posting their pictures, telling some stories, and talking about how adorable they are. They refuse to resume their regular… Read full post »

So I'm outside getting firewood--only a few spider-infested pieces got chucked out into the yard :-)  --and Abby and Collin come over to see what's doing. Abby's limping, front right, so I decide I should take them in before she hurts herself worse. As I'm finishing collecting wood I smell… Read full post »

Jodi requests a look at our bookshelves. Are you sure about that? :)

 First of all, we have "the library." This is actually a storage unit the husband built into our shop, primarily so I could have room to get all my books out of boxes for the first time… Read full post »

(or, You know you're country when you turn your living room into a Field Hospital)

When last we left her, my darling Abby Rose was finally healing from her first run in with the evil fence monster. By the time Christmas rolled around, we could hardly even tell where she'd been… Read full post »

Since it seems to be the consensus on OS that we all need more happy in our lives, I thought I'd share this picture with you. This is my largest dahlia so far, at about 10 inches across. It's also the last dahlia of the year, since fall seems to be… Read full post »

Abby the border collie joined our family in Aug '07. She was 10 weeks old and had complete puppy adorability on her side. Collin, our Aussie, was 11 years old, and has age and wisdom on his side. She figured she was so adorable she could do whatever she wanted. He… Read full post »

We lost our first chow, my big beautiful Blue, the first dog I got as an adult, to cancer in Oct '01.

 It was very unexpected; I found a lump Wednesday evening, and Saturday we had to put her to sleep. She was the love of… Read full post »

So, I wondered why I was seeing all these "6 ____ for Susan" posts, and finally tracked down the origin. A-ha! Now, this is something I can get behind!

So congratulations, Susan, what great news! And here are my 6 things:

 Mt. Hood: These steps lead to one of the… Read full post »

 Please rate or comment or both if you think this post deserving. Thank you.

I remember exactly where I was when the world changed: I was sound asleep. The first plane hit at 7:45 a.m. Houston time; my husband called me from Indiana (where he was attending a corporate… Read full post »

(If you enjoy this post, please rate it or comment on it or both. Thanks!)

Sometime around '89 or '90, the ex and I went to Monterey, CA for vacation. This was not our first nor our last visit, but it was one of the more memorable.… Read full post »

The coyotes are singing outside my house tonight.

I have always loved the sound of coyotes. Oddly enough, I remember seeing only one coyote while growing up in Nebraska, and I remember (vaguely) hearing them one time out at the farm. I didn't start having regular coyote experiences until I… Read full post »

There's a Category 3 hurricane headed straight for New Orleans, and my husband Jeffrey's entire immediate family is refusing to evacuate. It's like they've totally forgotten Katrina. The old man is positive that nothing will come of Gustav, so he won't leave. Jeffrey's twin brother Scott won't evacua… Read full post »

An email from a friend about wild deer got me thinking about the time I spent at my grandparents' farm while I was growing up. 

 My grandparents had what we all called "yard deer." The deer would vault over the 4-5ft fence and graze on the lawn. We'd find their… Read full post »