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A man, a dog, and an altercation

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I was out walking Barkley yesterday with  my friend Nancy when something happened.   We were on a street around the corner from where I live when a big German Shepherd came running out from the yard into the street and approached me.  I have to say, it scared the S*@T out of me.  The situation ended with no injuries except emotional ones.  The owner of the dog called his dog back and then verbally got stuck into me.  We had an altercation.  First I was shocked, then angry, then I got to thinking.    What did it mean? Continue reading →

Garden Setup: building the beds and planting the vegetables

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Earlier this month I blogged about starting a garden.  I planted seeds and watched them carefully, hoping they would grow and thrive to later be planted outside.  Last week I had two of the three raised beds put in the backyard.  The third bed will be installed this week.   Continue reading →

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

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There is an old adage that says absence makes the heart grow fonder.    I was thinking about this recently because my husband is away for a while.   When he travels he says that I don’t miss him, while he misses me.  That isn’t exactly true.  What happens is that I adjust to him being away, which in my book means that if I think too much about missing him I have a harder time during the separation. Continue reading →

A duck, a nest, and a threesome

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About a month ago I wrote about a Mallard duck couple that was frequenting our pond.  I have since named them Mildred and Sylvester.  We have a small manmade pond in front of our house.  It’s so close that if I stand by the front door I can watch them.  The former owner put koi fish in the pond.   I have enough on my plate looking after two active dogs.  Looking after fish is not in the cards for me. Continue reading →

Spring means it’s time to plant

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Since the weather started to warm up my thoughts have turned to my garden.  I have to admit I’m not much for flowers.    With the deer that come up on my front yard after dark, there’s no point planting anything in the front yard that the deer like.   There are some plants they don’t like:  bleeding hearts, daffodils, lavender, and others.   I found a list of them on a website. Continue reading →

All the Light We Cannot See

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Used with permission from freedigitalphotos.net

Last month a larger and more enthusiastic book group met at my local library.  The two person book group had grown with the addition of most of the knit group and a few others into  a fourteen person group with standing room only.   We read “All the Light We Cannot See.”  For anyone who hasn’t yet read it, I highly recommend it.  Yes, it’s about Nazi Germany, but it’s also about the strength of the human spirit and relationships and the will to survive.  The book is redolent with metaphors, starting and ending with the title.  The hero is a blind French girl.  The story mostly takes place when the Germans are occupying France and imposing their brutal will on the population.  Not much light, eh?  Yet, the book is full of hope.  The young French girl, Marie-Laure shows everyone around her that she sees everything, even without eyesight. Continue reading →

The Ducks Return . . . and a Cardinal

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The pond in front of our house is a big draw for local birds.   We have a lot of trees, especially around the pond.  Since the weather got warmer it has been a virtual menagerie of wildlife.   Not only have a pair of mallard ducks made the pond their second home, but other birds enjoy it as well.  This cardinal and her mate come regularly.  The male likes to sit in the tree.  I haven’t been able to get him to stay there long enough for a photo, but I’ll keep trying. Continue reading →

Birds on the pond

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The temperatures hit 80 today in southeastern Pennsylvania.   Barkley stood at the door this afternoon and barked and barked and barked.  What’s going on?  I went to the door and saw this bird sitting in the grass by the side of the pond.  Is she nesting?    Five  minutes later she flew away. Continue reading →