Tag Archives: Dogs

Tweaking the Backyard

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A vine on the post supporting the terrace roof had grown so big that it totally blocked off access to the sidewalk from the terrace. Going down to turn off water to the pool, as a result, was a tricky and dangerous business, especially at night, when I had to step off onto an uneven area of dirt and plants.  I also had a whole set of lawn furniture I couldn’t use because the yard incline was too severe, the back legs sunk into the dirt, and I tipped over backwards when I sat down on them. Lastly, the junction of the two brick pathways had become a favorite digging site for the dogs.  Solution? A little brickwork and a few plants. 

Please click on first photo to see captions and enlarge all photos.

The maestros at work.
Wedding of the ways.
Parting of the ways.
Fourteen small shrubs and a few smooth stones filled out the junction
Morrie and Diego no longer dig. But they find the manure in the dirt very tasty. Then they come up and kiss their mom on the lips. No, I’m not a volunary recpient, but they are fast.
Payday makes for a happy maestro
I meant for this to be a bit more irregular. I can’t decide if it looks more like a footprint or a peanut.
A place in the shade. Scrabble, anyone?

 

(This post was done at the request of Forgottenman, who has been dying to see what is going on.)

Frisky Business: Animal Mischief (In Celebration of National Dog Day)

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Frisky Business

My dogs aren’t highfalutin. Don’t compete by size and weight.
All that classy dog shows preach, they repudiate.
Diego never notices where a thrown stick lands,
and neither one’s consistent in following commands.

On stormy days, Morrie’s been known not to chance the rain
to go about his business in the usual terrain.
They’re murderers of  possums. This is no fresh news.
And when six pork chops vanished, I followed all the clues

down to where the evidence lay “hidden” in the yard.
How did six chop bones get there? It wasn’t very hard
to figure out the mystery. Diego was the thief
tall enough to bring about my dinner party grief,

swiping all the main course directly from the pan.
When his master’s back is turned, a dog does what he can.
But at least they are consistent in appearing for their meals.
No dog can only live on the comestibles he steals.

For more frisky business, go HERE or HERE or HERE or HERE! Or HERE, HERE or HERE or HERE! The entire story of the purloined pork chops is HERE, and, if you want it all in a nutshell, THIS ONE pretty much wraps up the whole story of my misbehaving dogs.

Prompt words today are highfalutin, repudiate, consistent and, since none of my other prompt sites has posted a prompt yet and since August 26 is National Dog Day, I’m declaring  my fourth prompt word to be dog!! If you see this and want to play along, just post a link to a photo or poem or anecdote about your dog to this site.

Here is my link for your pingbacks to this site: https://judydykstrabrown.com/2019/08/26/frisky-businessanimal-mischief/

When Cars Stop, Sticks Will Do!!!

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When Cars Stop, Sticks Will Do!!!

A dog just needs something to chase and lacking a car to chase, given a friendly arm to throw it, sticks work just fine.  Those bottles, by the way, are not trash.  The fishermen were using them to hold up ropes keeping the water hyacinth back to open a channel.

Click on first photo to enlarge all.

 

 

For the Six Word Challenge

Interruption

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Interruption

The dogs made their usual frenzied protest at his leaving. “This time he’s not coming back,” I told them just before opening the gate for them, even though I knew that all I had to do, really, was to think it. They were his dogs, but they were psychically attuned to my thoughts.

Their “tracking”  brays grew fainter but more frenzied as they vanished behind hill after hill, and finally, when far away—an interrupted cry as a shot rang out.  Then the yelping of one dog. Or was it two?

Was it fear or mourning for a master already forgiven that brought about the brief caesura that followed the gunshot and preceded the wailing––that trio of sounds that have reverberated, in sequence, down through my life since then.

 

For the DVerse Poet’s Pub, we are to write a flash fiction prose piece of no more than 144 words and to incorporate this line from a Robert Frost poem, “When far away an interrupted cry.” 

Flower of the Day: May 1, 2019

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Happy May Day!! No Maypoles in Mexico.  Here it is celebrated as Labor Day which means no one works. Ha.  I, however, will not use that as an excuse to shirk my duty. Here is a shot of Morrie and Diego enjoying the pleasures of the back yard. Diego sips from the biggest water dish in the world as Morrie seems to be in the act of sitting down, rather awkwardly, I might add.  In the foreground, the last of the poinsettias, in the middle, a plumeria/frangipani tree in full bloom, cactus, various bougainvillea, Virginia creeper and palms. This is the view from my writing desk. Not my usual flower closeup..

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And the jungle side of the view.

 

I always love Cee’s peonies.  You can see one HERE.

Deb and Jeff’s Visit

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A few days ago, I showed you some photos of our trip to the Herradura Tequila Distillery. Here are a few photos of the rest of Debbie and Jeff’s visit, including trips to our local Tiengas market, Tonala and Telaquepaque as well as to Jesus Lopez Vega’s art studio, Chac Lan Restaurant  at Monte Coxala and Yolanda’s house!

Click on first photo to enlarge photos and read captions.

A visit to Yolanda’s house to see Oscar’s new dog.
And to the Brewhouse
for a little wining…
and dining
Then a musical welcome to Tlaquepaque.
Debbie and Judy earn their wings in Tlaquepaque (photo by Jeff)
A little more dining…
to the music of female mariachis
in Telaquepaque.
Lots of local color…
and shopping.
Then a return to Lake Chapala
and a trip to Monte Coxala (photo by Jeff)
for a drink at Chac Lan Restaurant,
to be serenaded by birds,
and to enjoy the remarkable artistry of every detail of the restaurant and grounds,
Then a trip to Jesus Lopez Vega’s studio
Jesus and Jeff.
and a visit to the local Pantheon where artisans were creating a wonderful domed crypt.
To find the graves I adopted four years ago have again reverted to nature after my absence for last year’s Day of the Dead cleanup. Time to hire some help to clean them up again.
A trip through La Floresta