Alas, poor Nicky and her woes of gardening in Montana in the spring. Being English, she likely thinks of carpeted green fields studded with daffodils, crocus, muscari, friendly hedgehogs, and quaint talking bunnies. Then, of course, she married Barry and moved to Montana and spring has never been the same since. Now she has porcupines,…
Month: June 2018
Hulk Smash Hands, or You Don’t Want to See Me When I’m ANGRY!!
A couple of years ago, I was puttering through the toy aisle at Target, ostensibly shopping for our godson’s birthday but really wondering exactly what kids find enjoyable these days. I was not a typical girl (my Barbies tended to be missing legs or heads and have “interesting” hair cuts), so children’s toys and the…
Pearl before Swine…
This is Pearl. Pearl is full-blown border collie, papers and everything. While Pearl is bred and has the instincts to be a working dog, she is completely useless in that regard, much to the chagrin of the nice Oklahoma man who bred her. What Pearl does well: Chases squeaky toys in the house Swims in…
Exploring Dominance at Three in the Morning, or Sleepless Is the House with Two Puppies
Right now, I’m feeling a special kind of crazy, the kind of crazy that said “Having two puppies at the same time sounds like a great idea!” And it is a great idea, at least in theory. But where I used to get some reading done or maybe make it to yoga, I now spend…
Going to the Dogs, or How Yellowstone Dog Sports Makes Mattie Happy and Agile
Believe it or not, we do read the mail. So last year when we received a flyer that a new dog center had opened over in Red Lodge, we took note. After all, it’s not too often that new businesses open in our area, let alone businesses specifically geared toward dogs, so we read that…
My Nephew, the Poo Swirler, or Why Sand Isn’t Good for Horses
Ah yes, a proud moment. My brother sent me this video clip of my nephew, better known as his son, helping him out by swirling an equine exam sleeve filled with poo. The questions I had likely mimic your own, but here they are nonetheless: Why is the nephew swirling poo? Does he swirl poo…
The Hazards and Likeliness of Poo, or Where Are Boundaries When I Need Them
There is poo on my shoe. I feel like the scatological knock-off of Dr. Suess. And yes, I know I’ve written much about poo as of late–the nephew swirls it, it’s now on my shoe–but for all of my friends with kids, consider this payback for all of the times you talked about poo and…
That Hot Pink Squeeze Chute: SOLVED!!!
You know you’ve created something of a monster when people go to livestock expos and start sending you photos of pink squeeze chutes. Like this one spotted by Becky Johnson at the NILE in Billings, Montana. Or this one that my brother found down in Waco, Texas. And it all traces back to Megan, who saw…
Showered with Love, or How Quilts and Cookies Make the Day
A very good friend had her third child in February of 2015. As you might guess, she and her husband were over-the-moon happy, and so am were all of their friends. At long last, one of my Austin friends is having a girl. (I have lots of nieces, and they are delightful, but they live up…
The Importance of Napping
Why it is important to nap with your dogs…
He’s Smarter Than He Looks, or Why You Should Never Trust a Nebraska Farmer
My good friend Mary and I were trading emails, and we somehow got onto the subject of game shows. She tells this story of growing up in Nebraska. Wheel of Fortune, that game show where people spin the wheel and guess letters, would come on after my sisters and I got home from school at 4:00…
The Western Canon, or Books Erin Thinks that Everyone Should Read
An old friend emailed recently, asking for possible book suggestions for his daughter. I’m generally hesitant to recommend children’s or young-adult books for several reasons, chief among them being that we don’t have children except for Smelly and Bee and they cannot read, and secondly, I was not a normal child reader. Teachers were forever…
Strayhounds 