To Be Continued, I Promise!

Oh lordy, I've fallen off the blog wagon, but I intend to get back on! I met up with Becky and Cricket over the weekend, a friendship that came about through our blogs, and I was reminded of all the good things that have resulted from this blog. Plus, I had a few other reminders. A dog park friend said that Cabana was the nicest dog she'd ever met, and another said that at 4.5 years old, Cabana was in her prime. I thought, these are little things I want to remember. Time goes by so fast, and I may not remember this special time in my life and in Cabana's life if I don't record it on this blog. I know that Facebook has taken the place of blogging for many people, but I need to remember that this blog is first and foremost for ME. It's a record of Cabana's life, and I intend to keep blogging for the entirety of it.

A year or more ago, I vowed to start taking Cabana to the beach more often, my goal being like 10 times a year. Well, that didn't happen, BUT I did take Cabana there a couple days ago. It's a 30-minute drive there, 2 hours to leisurely walk the length of the beach and back, another 30-minute drive back, plus about an hour to bathe her (and myself) afterwards. It's a time commitment that I can't justify often, but I was glad to get to do it on Monday.

When we first arrived at the beach, we saw our old friends, the Blue Picardy Spaniels, arriving at the same time. Such a happy surprise! They haven't been coming to the dog park lately, so it had been almost a year since we'd seen them. Cabana recognized them right away, and they were excited to see her, too.

The Blue Pics are "regulars" at the beach--their breeder brings them 3 times a week. It was evident that there were other "regulars", too, gathering together to chat and let their dogs intermingle.

Some of the regulars noticed Cabana and decided to come in for a closer sniff.

I could tell by Cabana's pinned-back ears that she was a little overwhelmed by the mass scrutiny, but she passed muster, as I knew she would.

The town of Dillon Beach is a tiny place. About 90% of it is pictured here. Would I like to live in one of those houses overlooking the ocean? If I had a spare $2 million, maybe--but it's so often foggy at the coast, so for that reason (and not because of the $2 million thing) I'll stay where I am.

Cabana spots a dead crab in the waves. I wonder if she knows that's what's in the crabcakes I often make. Cabana loves crabcakes, but then, what food doesn't Cabana love?

Cabana also loves babies, or at least, she loves the way they smell. Here she is, trying to be polite but get a good whiff of the baby at the same time.

It's funny how the kelp mounds together in little piles that dot the shore. I bet there's some scientific law of nature as to why it does this, like matter attracting matter. Kinda like how Cabana's fur gathers in little tufts under the kitchen table.

Cabana on things.

I didn't even know Cabana had momentarily stolen another dog's ball until I saw this photo! She's a sly one.

We had a great time. I don't usually like butt shots, but it seems appropriate here. The end.

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No Tomatoes for Cabana

All summer long, we've had a bounty crop of tomatoes in our backyard--overflowing the sides of my planter box as they got heavy and ripened. All summer long, Cabana never touched them. She showed no interest, never looked at them, never sniffed them.

BUT about two weeks ago, my little cherry tomatoes got to that overripe stage, where they burst through their own skins, exposing their juice and seeds. All of the sudden, the tomatoes became the focal point of Cabana's attention in our yard. I caught her eating one of these overripe guys--and that was the end of undisturbed tomatoes.



Since that time, I don't think Cabana's eaten many more ripe tomatoes. Instead, she likes to find hard green cherry tomatoes and hold them in her mouth. I can see her rolling it around in her mouth like a marble. When I catch her with one, she spits it out, whole and unsquished. Still, tomatoes are so acidic, and I don't think it's good for her tummy to be eating them, whatever color or degree of ripeness.

In order to keep Cabana away from the tomatoes, I haven't been letting her roam in the backyard off-leash. This was okay for a while because it was rainy and wet, and I didn't want her walking through mud and dirt anyway. But now that the weather is nice again, I'd like to give Cabana some of her freedom back.

So today, I'll pick what I can, then the rest of the tomatoes are going in the compost. I think my family has had their fill of tomatoes for the season anyway. I've fixed tomatoes and/or zucchini in some form just about every night for the past couple months! Thank goodness that all good things must come to an end.

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Dog Bloggers of Bygone Eras

As a kid, I never read Lassie or Rin Tin Tin books, although as a big fan of Beverly Cleary, I did read Ribsy. Now, thanks to Cabana and my growing interest in dogs, I have started to search out books on canine subjects.

I am currently reading (listening to) Shaggy Muses, by Maureen Adams. It's about the role of dogs in the lives of 5 famous women authors: Emily Bronte, Emily Dickinson, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Edith Wharton, and Virginia Woolf. These women had rather bleak and tumultuous lives--but they all derived great comfort and companionship from their dogs. Many put their dogs into the stories, poems and letters they wrote. And their diaries contain many references to their dogs, which struck me as being the pre-internet way of blogging their dogs!

It's gratifying to think that we are following in the footsteps of some very talented and renowned women. And I'm so grateful to not be living in the Victorian era--what a horribly limiting and misguided period that was!

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Tuesday Topics 10 - Bloggin' the Dog

When I first started this blog, my purpose was to keep it as a journal for myself. I didn't expect anyone else to read it, although I did hope to be able to share it with Cabana's future partner someday as a "baby album" of her puppyhood.

As a mom, I know how easy it is to say, I'm always going to remember when my baby started crawling or first walked up steps or had her first haircut, etc. But 14 and 15 years later, I can't remember worth a darn! Thankfully, I have it documented in scrapbooks and baby record books.

Along those lines, this blog was a place to keep a record of when Cabana's baby teeth started falling out and when she stopped eating every piece of tanbark (not to imply that these are related phenomena). And of course, I wanted to witness Cabana's physical growth by taking pictures often.

But along the blogging way, I became acquainted with the fabulous resource of fellow dog bloggers and puppy raisers! A supportive network of people who love their dogs and take the time to give advice (and sometimes correction, which as a first time puppy raiser, I gratefully receive), and ALWAYS share encouragement and camaraderie.

For today's Tuesday Topic, I'd love to hear about why you blog. (And if you don't, then why NOT?!) If you are a puppy raiser, do you ever tell people you meet who take an interest in your puppy about your blog? Has anything out of the ordinary (good or bad) happened as a result of your blog? Do you sometimes feel like you are slightly addicted to blogging? (Who me? No way!)

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