Bo in Aurora

  My mom has kept me from the keyboard for months!  She's been working on her latest novel, The Daughter's Walk, and when she's not doing that, she's traveling promoting her current projects.  Lately, Caesar and I have gotten to go along.  Saturday, the day before my fourth birthday, we went to Aurora.  I love that little town.  My mom does too.  Here's a shot of us all, at the Community  cemetery in Aurora south of Portland, Oregon.

   I know, you may not like cemeteries but all that grass is cool!  And the stones....well, my mom wouldn't let me well, do my thing on the stones or trees but I did get to walk around the grassy areas.  Emma Giesy, a woman my mom wrote about in her Change and Cherish series  is buried there and visiting her grave was part of the program at Aurora.  So here we are!
    Once she finishes her revisions, I'll get back on here more and write about spring and summer on the Homestead.  Meanwhile, that's me leaning into my dad.  It's a good, good day to be a dog.  Woof!  Woof!  Bodacious Bo

Friends of many features

While my mom swam with a dolphin (you can see the two of them on my mom's blog at www.jkbooks.com) my dad took pictures of these parrots.  I guess they're parrots. They aren't pheasants I know that. Anyway, it's a little disconcerting to know that my parents were looking at other creatures besides Caesar and me.
   I think they thought about us though while they were in Mexico.  They brought home some doggie toys from Cabo san Jose but they looked suspiciously like something purchased at Fred Meyer right here in the states.  When they got back they were a little distressed because their car had been broken into.  Thieves stole this woman that talks to them out of a small box when they're driving.  My mom says she saved their marriage so I hope they get another woman in a box soon!
    Caesar stayed with his brother while our parents were gone.  I stayed here on the ranch with my human brother Matt and his family and their pals Rex, Toby and Charlie.  I've talked about them before.  Anyway, they were good company but I missed Caesar and my parents.
    A few days after they got back I pulled a muscle in my leg. I ran right into a post if you can believe that!  Looking up at the stars.  I wish sometimes I could talk and not just type but naturally with a pulled leg muscle I couldn't very well type even, to tell my parents what had happened.  Instead I lifted my foot, asked for help going up the stairs and in the morning when it still didn't feel good, I went up on the side of the hill and layed down.  I never go up there without PB or Caesar.  But when PB my feline pal started up the hill I let him know that napping on my back wasn't going to work this time.
    My mom called the vet, Cari Wade in Condon, OR (where my mom says three Nobel Prize winners have lived.  She says there is something in the water there so I always have a good long drink when I go to Condon -- which then also requires a good long...well, you know.)  My dad drove me and for the first time my mom didn't come along.  Something about a line that was dead? with her book?
      The vet worked her magic on me.  She seemed to know it was a pulled muscle and she gave me a shot and then she trimmed my nails.  Such a sweet human with a little human playing on the floor outside and another something, maybe a human, being packed inside her shirt where you can't see it or hear it.  Just sometimes I guess it kicks and the vet notices.
    So with a shot and a couple of days of pills I'm doing just great.
    So, do you like to go to the vet?  I really, really do.
    Anyway, I liked the picture of the birds. They acted like friends and that's a good thing.  I like birds in general. After all, I'm a bird dog so I guess enjoying this picture isn't surprising at all.
     Have a great week.  Woof!  Woof!  

Wishing you Merry Christmas

It's almost Christmas!  We had an ice storm this past week.  Just walking on the deck was treacherous.  The grass crunched when Caesar and I walked and gosh, we couldn't even get up the side of the bank without extra effort. All the trees were covered with ice that looked like something good to eat but wasn't.
   Today, the sun came out and everything is melted and now it's mud!  My favorite thing!
   Except that mom insists we get more baths, not something I like at all.  Caesar doesn't seem to mind but then he has smaller feet, no problem with chronic ear infections and less fur. I'll tell you about those infections and the routine my mom goes through with me twice a week.  Yuk!  But not today.  Today is happy time and I won't even mind getting a shower. I still dry faster than Caesar does.
   So I just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas from Caesar and me.  His brother Simon and his mom are coming to visit for New Years.  She always brings hoofs!  My favorite thing!  I have to be careful not to drop one in the toilet bowl (which is a great place to hide stuff from Caesar) because once it clogged up the plumbing and my dad had to take apart the whooooole thing and he wasn't very happy.  But hoofs just taste so great and they keep our teeth clean.I'm hoping my mom will put a  hoof in my Christmas stocking.
    My "sister" Katy sent a package from Florida with both our names on it.  Some of the paper ink is smeared now that I've tried to pick it up and shake it the way dog's do, but giving it a good mouthing.  Can't tell what it actually is but it's soft.  OK, soft things are my favorite things too!
   I hope you find both soft and hard chewies in your Christmas stocking and that next year you'll be a nice warm place whether the sun comes out or the world is covered with ice.  Woof!  Woof!  Bo

Ceasar's Brother, Simon, comes to visit

This is Simon, Cece's brother. He's got a swell sleeping bag but it's in pink! That's a girl's color. No wonder people keep calling my pal Caesar, "she" when he's a "he." Anyway, Simon and his mom spent Thanksgiving with us. It was cool. We went for walks beside the river and I treed a porcupine! But I didn't try to bite him this time. I kept my distance until he found a tree. Whew! Was my mom worried. But I came when she called me. There were gophers to dig up in the field and they're almost as interesting as porcupines.

We're getting the house ready for Christmas! My mom is always bringing new snacks home for me this time of year. I love the all natural ones with peanut butter flavor. I mean, is there anything better than a peanut butter snack? Well, maybe gophers.

Have a good week all of you! More photos later. Woof, Woof! Bo

Fishing with my Dad

Last week my dad's daughter and her husband came to visit from Florida. We had one grand sunshine day for them and so we went fishing. Matt fished too so Rex, the yellow lab, hung out with the rest of us. You can hardly see me, a brownish/white blur beside Rex. That's Caesar making his way to mom. I learned his color is Blenheim. Looks red and white to me but what do I know?

First we got fishing licenses for our Florida guests. We had to go to Condon to check on my ears anyway. Dad dropped mom and I off at the vet and he headed with his kids to get the license. Well, we finished first (I still have to take these steriods and hey, am I bulking up! I'm also full of gas which hasn't won me any points at home). So my mom and I walked toward the down town. We watched our car drive up the street and my mom stepped off the curb into the street to wave them down and they drove right by us!!!!! Boy was mom mad. So we turned around and followed them, with her still waving hoping they'd look in the review mirror. They didn't.

They went to the vet who said we'd already left so he knew he'd driven right by us. I mean, it's one thing not to see mom but how could he have missed me! Later at the Country Gifts and Flower store dad made a purchase he gave to mom later. I guess that's how people do it. We dogs can just sniff our way into apologies.

Anyway, we got the licenses and went fishing the next two days. Well, Cici shouldn't go fishing because he came back matted with burdocks. Really bad. I tried to pull some of them out with my teeth but no luck. Dad and mom had to cut them out so now his soft little ears look like a bad cut and a bad perm too. I got most of mine out by myself. They don't stick much to my fur except around my mouth. Yowsers! Those can hurt! But mom gets them out.

Worst of all, only dad got a single bite. It's supposed to be the best steelhead run of a decade but we haven't been able to interest them. Still, the family had a good time and mom took some photos. It's the best time of the year to be fishing because the rattlesnakes are in their dens sleeping.

Think that's where I'll go now, to sleep so I'm rested up for Thanksgiving leftovers. No turkey skin though. Mom says I'm gassy enough without that!

Woof! Woof! Bo

relatives, becoming top dog, rescuing your pals, Veterans Day

We are getting along great. Ceasar now knows who is top dog which always makes life easier, doesn't it? No more grousing about who eats first, who begs better, who should get the middle of the bed. It took a little training but all is going well.


My parents have had visitors of late. My uncle Craig and Aunt Barb flew out from Minnesota. That was cool. Barb plucked my ears (not so cool) but it's helped with my chronic infections. I'm still on medication...bummer...but doing better. I'm not supposed to have baths while I'm healing so that's a good thing. Who wants to smell pretty when you're a ranch dog! Here I am with the relatives.




I added a shot of Ceasar too. He's really a pretty cool guy. The other day Charley and Toby had him almost backed up against the rose bushes and I could see my mom wasn't close enough to protect him so I bounded in between them and ran parallel along the roses showing Ceasar where he could be safe, beside me with the rat terriors on the other side. Isn't it great when you can do something nice for someone else? Rescuing others seems like a pretty neat occupation. I should have been a firetruck dog. On the other hand, looking after pals wherever you are seems like a good thing to do and a good thing to remember on this Veterans Day. That's what life is all about.
Hope you have a great Thanksgiving...in case I don't get back to the computer before that!
Woof! Woof! Bo

The New Addition

So here I am looking chagrined. It's part of the reason I haven't posted for a time. My parents have brought a new little being into the tribe and along with my parents vacationing (without me so I couldn't post!) they then returned with this.

His name is Ceasar but they call him CiCi and he's so fragile looking my dad keeps referring to him as her. He has been...altered, but so have I and that doesn't change my gender, does it? Certainly not.

He's a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel, ten months old now. He's actually been a pretty good addition. He likes to be petted and cuddled and get underfoot whereas I don't mind being petted, but I prefer action. Let's chase a gopher! My favorite thing! Let's jump in the river! My favorite thing! Let's look for pheasants! My favorite thing. And now when I'm off with my dad, my mom's got a pal; and when I'm off walking with her (my favorite thing!) then my dad's got someone to warm his belly for him.

However, tomorrow his belly gets cut into to remove something called a gull's bladder. Why a gull's bladder would be inside of him I'll never know. Imagine how it got there!

I'm doing the sleepover with my buddies Rex and Charlie and Toby and my mom is taking Cici with her.

I'm a little miffed about that. I loved the hospital (My favorite thing!) and did really well at St. Charles the last time my dad had surgery. They let pets come to visit and to spend the day. At the guest check in, there are crackers! (My favorite thing!) My mom said she had to agree to buy the hospital if I messed anything up but I didn't. Nurses straddled me checking on the tubes that ran into my dad; I drank from this funny shaped plastic bowl and I never barked not once.

But this time my mom hopes it'll be a short stay and they'll be home in a couple of days. So I'll get to run through the alfalfa fields (my favorite thing!) and not be cooped up in a hospital room or make the long three hour drive to the hospital either. Plus, when we travel, I have to be on a leash ALL THE TIME!!! I think my mom's worried that if I got off the leash, I might not listen to her and come back when I'm called. This could happen, especially if I sniffed something really interesting (my favorite thing!). I tell myself she's only looking after me which is what a mom is supposed to do.

One more good thing about Cici's arrival: he likes to sleep under my mom's feet while she works at the computer. I never really fit under there. I always slept in the hall so that if my dad left the bedroom (he has to rest a lot) or my mom left her office, (she's in there a lot!) they had to step over me. That way I never missed any action. My mom's happy with a buddy while she works and that makes me happy too. (My favorite thing!)

I hope you're having a happy week doing your favorite things. Your buddy, Bo.

Woof! Woof!