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Bad Bridge! Bad!
I’d say that working on a drawbridge is a very zen-like experience 95% of the time. Unfortunately, you never know when that 5% of pure chaos is going to rear up and bite you on the patootie. I had one of those days recently. I went to bed at 3am. No, I’m not a party…
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Sound Memories
This coming June, I’ll have officially lived longer without my mother in my life than I did with her. What a concept. I can no longer remember her voice, except for the sound of one painfully high note she would hit when we’d sing a particular song. “Ain’t gonna GRIEEEEEVE my Lord no more!” I…
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Dedication
I admire dedication. For instance, when I watch the rowing crews practicing in the pouring rain in the dead of Seattle winter, I think, “Wow. I could never do that.” But that’s not true. I could do that, I suppose. But would I? Hell no. I like warmth. And if I can’t have warmth, I…
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Have You Ever Been Licked on the Eyeball?
My dog did that to me just the other day. It was not a pleasant experience. He meant well. It was just his way of showing me that he was very happy to see me. It’s not his fault that I was disgusted by it. It’s always kind of unsettling when the gesture that is…
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Quagmire Lays an Egg
Okay everybody, someone is really trying to mess with my head. Not since the movie “Gaslight” has anyone been as manipulated into questioning his or her sanity as I have been lately. To bring you up to speed, 10 months ago I wrote The Great Banana Mystery, in which I described the antics of my…
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Transformations
Not long ago, I had a good dog. He was my best friend. He was my emotional bedrock. In a time when all the sand seems to be shifting beneath my feet, he was the one living thing that I could count on. And then I went to dinner. And when I got back home,…
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Coming to the Rescue
I just had a long talk with my newest dog, Quagmire. Don’t panic. I’m not Son of Sam. I’m willing to acknowledge that the conversation was rather one-sided. But just by being the dog that he is, he was able to tell me quite a bit. Before I adopted him, he was found dirty, terrified,…
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The Great Banana Mystery
The other day I got home from work and let the dogs out into the back yard to play. My new little dachshund came running back in almost immediately, looking quite pleased with himself and carrying a ripe, unpeeled banana. Just let that sink in for a minute. Now, here are some facts. I do…
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Finding a Lost Pet
Anyone who owns pets knows that they quickly become part of the family. The unconditional love that they provide is priceless. The companionship is irreplaceable. So if one runs away or is otherwise lost, you will naturally be very upset. This happened to me recently, and I thought I’d lose my mind. Not only was…
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Feeling Blue
For the past month, my dog has been desperately ill. He had Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia, which basically means his immune system was attacking his red blood cells. It killed me to think there was a war going on inside his little body. Some dogs get past this disease, with the help of steroids and…