It is a fine day, about 38F and clear, so the cattle dogs and I celebrated by spending some time outside. they engaged in a bit of play while I enjoyed a cigar.
Tag: Stella
Snug as a bug
We were very fortunate to not see the icing and snow that other parts of southwestern Ontario got during the past day or so. A few of our online friends are without hydro, and I wish for them that it’s restored soon.
Here in Dresden we’ve gotten 1.30″ (39-ish mm) of rain since yesterday morning. Much of the snow is gone had it’s a sloppy mess outside. We’ve largely stayed in today, puttering on various projects. Faye and I did walk the dogs a short time ago. Now Stella is ensconced on the couch.
Dog run
This is a favourite photo, taken in Goderich not long after Achilles, Stella, and I arrived in Canada.
Stella as she so often is, is a blur. Angling in on Achilles, who is spotlighted by the sun, whiskers glowing. He’s galloping along, looking sideways at her and running so hard that his big, sturdy, upright ears are flopping down.
It’s a portrait of life, living in the here and now. It’s a good reminder to live in the now.
More holiday swing
Here are a few more photos of the dogs.
Achilles, looking wistfully (pardon my anthropomorphizing) at something . . .
Stella looks right at the photographer.
And Kendal, the best of the three.
Slumber
I came across this photo of Kendal and Stella sharing one of the dog beds. They do not often do so, Stella tends to be protective of her space while Kendal takes little notice of who may be there and simply flops or throws himself down where the notion strikes him. He is very much a dog, with great dog-ness, in the sense that he lives in the moment.
Waiting
Taken with the PlayBook.
When a walk is in the offing, you will find Stella here. Not in the laundry room. Not near the door. Her butt is in contact with the door and she moves little if at all until her collar is slipped over her head.
No way the door will be opened without her being aware of it.
Relenting
We have been busy today, up and down offthe couch, getting stuff done. When we did sit down Stella wanted up,and we consistently said ‘nope, no ma’am not going to happen.’ Refusing permission in a matter offact way does scarher for life, she ges on about her caninebusiness soonenough.
We eventually relented. We made time and space for Chili dog. Kendal had already had couch time.
My truck
I bought this 1999 Mazda B2500 new off the lot in January 2000. The shell was added in 2002 and has been removed perhaps three times.
It’s a ’99 model and has been an extraordinarily reliable vehicle. Though it’s almost 14 years old it has around 132,000 miles because for much of its life it’s been the secondary vehicle therefore not driven as much. There are a few scratches yet is virtually no rust, still runs on the original clutch and tranny, probably needs a new power steering pump. Speaking of tranny it has a five speed manual linked to the 2.5 liter engine.
My major (and really only) complaint is that it’s woefully underpowered, which made merging onto IH-35 in downtown Austin an adventure in tooth-grinding as I wound the engine up near the read line simply to approach highway speed as the merge lane came to an all-too-quick end.
Having said that it gets decent mileage (22-25 mpg highway), is fairly comfortable for two people, and the stereo has no blown speakers so it still rocks. I do not permit the dogs to ride in the bed so two dogs fit somewhat comfortably behind the seat, which is where Achilles and Stella rode when I moved to Canada. Three can be stuffed in for short trips.
We hope to get several more years of service from it.
Stella at ease
When I sit down after getting home from work, Stella almost always asks for permission to get on the couch. Permission is almost always granted. If denied, she rarely pursues the issue.
Attentive
Faye was up to something in the kitchen, and Stella listened in.
previouslytexan 