Still Smiling

"Do you know how to get people's attention?" a man asked me a little while ago, as I was entering the post office. "No, how?" I asked him. I smiled when the man told me how he'd laughed when he saw a dog supposedly driving a car. Rebel and I, in my right-hand-drive vehicle, have put smiles on many faces over the past ten years. And it still warms my heart whenever the sight of Rebel in my car makes someone smile.

On the Sofa

"'Tis the Season...."

Trying to Take a Nap

"Enough with the Santa hat--I'm trying to take a nap!"

Rebel as Santa Dog Again

Toys from Christmas Past

The "Canine Genius" keeps Rebel occupied for a while, while Mark Twain likes to play with his favorite chipmunk toy which he recently rediscovered in the large pile of cat toys near the fireplace.

Naptime

Beware

"Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes."

--Henry David Thoreau, Walden, 'Economy'

Rebel

Rebel and Locksley have a couple of major things in common: they found their way here and, apparently, each of them had been struck by a vehicle once upon a time. One of Rebel's legs is shorter, although he has compensated so well that it is not noticeable. I would venture to guess that Rebel's previous owner did not take him to the vet to take care of his broken femur, which I noticed only after Rebel started limping several months after his arrival. As for Locksley, since he was a feral cat, Mother Nature performed the doctoring on his thighbone. Locksley is handicapped only in the sense that he cannot jump as easily or as high as other cats, but he manages quite well. I just realized I need to add a third major thing that Rebel and Locksley have in common: resilience.

Living with Bears

I was in the middle of writing a long post about black bears, but my assistant, Ponzo, strongly suggested I delete it and, instead, recommend a book by Linda Masterson entitled Living with Bears, A Practical Guide to Bear Country. I do highly recommend this book to anyone living in black bear country or anyone going camping in black bear country.

I have sometimes wondered what would happen if I ran smack into a black bear--something I almost did a few nights ago. I know that although black bears are shy by nature and do not want any trouble, a person is wise not to turn their back and run--unless, of course, they foolishly wish to be chased. Okay, it was nighttime and Rebel was tied in the yard. Since it was a nice night, I took a little stroll in my yard. Simultaneously, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as Rebel let out his there's-a-bear barks and I heard the heavy crashing sounds through the woods next to me. I suspect the bear had been sitting there until I got too near him, and then we both turned and walked off in opposite directions when Rebel started barking. It was only then that I realized I had turned my back to the black bear, who, by the way, had also turned his back to me. I think it must have been the little guy who has his own bear crossing path through my yard.

Three Out of Nine

I spent the entire month of October worrying about Mark Twain, who required two emergency veterinary visits and was hospitalized for approximately a total of ten days. This past Sunday, I was getting ready to take Mark Twain back to the veterinary hospital for another catheter (and an operation this time), when he suddenly took a turn for the better after Rebel comforted him, so to speak. Mark Twain was diagnosed with FUS. Although he's not out of the woods yet, Mark Twain is doing well, but he did use three out of his nine cat lives in a month's time.

No Photo Today

My camera has decided to be uncooperative today. Otherwise, perhaps I would have attempted to take a photo of Ponzo insisting on giving Rebel a love bite; needless to say, Rebel does not desire a love bite from anyone, especially not from a feline.

This Politics Thing

"The more you read and observe about this politics thing,

the more you've got to admit that each party's worse than the other.

The one that's out always looks the best."

--Will Rogers

No Party

"No party is as bad as its leaders."

--Will Rogers

Two Wrongs

Two wrongs do not make a right.

--Proverb

Autumn Harvest

I started collecting acorns in early September, and this year's acorn harvest was huge, beyond anything I ever imagined. If these acorns had been pecans, I would have enough collected nuts to make more than a dozen pecan pies for Thanksgiving. But I am sure the bountiful acorn crop was appreciated by the black bears and squirrels this year. And every now and then, even Rebel treats himself to an acorn or two.

Appellation of Friendship

"Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the appellation."--George Washington

Contentment

Beyond a shadow of a doubt, I know this photo represents Mark Twain's idea of perfect contentment, having his best buddy lie down next to him.

A Young Black Bear

While Rebel and I were on the sofa watching Oprah this past Friday (okay, one of us was sound asleep), I happened to glance out the window; it took me several seconds to realize I was looking at a young black bear eating acorns in my driveway, no more than a dozen feet from the house. When I jumped up to get my camera, my action woke up Rebel, who immediately started barking at our visitor. Well, if I had returned my camera to its designated location on top of the desk in the living room, I would probably have gotten some good photos. But by the time I found my camera, the bear had already moved away, due to Rebel's incessant barking. I have no one to blame but myself, since I was the one who had left the camera next to the computer, and so I wasted precious moments. Nonetheless, I am thankful I got this one photo, taken from within the house. Just in case you cannot find the bear in the original photo, I decided to enlarge a cropped version of it in which the black bear is more visible, although blurry.

Photos of Harry's Summer Vacation