All the Things to Report

Once a few years ago, we got home from skiing and Linden promptly barfed up a dog bootie I hadn't even seen her swallow while we were out:


Yesterday, while were out skiing, I saw her snarf one down. I could not believe it.


I called my vet when I got home, "Um my dog just ate a bootie. Should I be alarmed?" They told me to bring her in and they'd get her to barf it up.

83 bucks later, it was up. I am amazed that I paid 83 bucks to get Linden to barf, when she so frequently barfs for free!

In other news, here are some doggie photos.

My neighbor MR's dogs visiting us again. The big gentle one is Gabbro; the goofy little pup is Fiona Freckles:


Charcoal, the huge galoot:


Linden cleaning her teef:


Tandem teef cleaning:


Charcoal doesn't hold his bone in his paws. He just splays out on the floor and gnaws against the floor. Dignity isn't quite his thing:


All three sit nicely for a biscuit:


You know what's nice? Veggie soup with tons of veggies and Pilot Bread toasted with cheese are nice.


Today as I shoveled my driveway for the umpteenth time, lifting the shovel to my waist as the berms grew ever higher, I thought about how much time rural life costs. Between splitting and stacking wood, and hauling water, and shoveling snow over and over, it's a lot more time than city folks could probably spare, what with their active social lives and rushed lifestyles. But then, I thought, on the other hand, city people go to the gym or go jogging in city parks to get exercise. I never exercise only for its own purpose, and I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I have set foot in a gym in my life. Plus, my "exercise" is in clean, fresh air instead of a sweat-smelling gym. The only downside is that if one exercises on purpose, one can optimize a workout for one's health and fitness goals, for example, by running one day and doing pushups the next, all according to a prescribed routine. Me, I run every day and do my other chores when I need to. I might go six weeks without doing anything upper body, then split and stack a cord of wood in a single weekend, or shovel the driveway three times in as many days. I just don't get to plan weather.