Old Dogs Matter

August 26, 2016

Celebrate!  Today is National Dog Day!

Doug says every day around here is National Dog Day.  That could be because Princess Zuma was determined to clamber onto our bed and take up half of it last night.  If you've ever had the privilege of a 135 lb long legged Great Dane hogging the bed, you'll know what I'm talkin' about.  They are not easily moved.  She is now snoozing in the sunshine, we will nap later.


We meet a lot of senior dogs along our journey.  Beloved and cherished, they accompany their families and friends through life, through their travels. Recently, our close friend Bill lost his long-time canine companion Babe.

This blog is dedicated to Babe and to all the senior citizen dogs. 
If you're going to adopt a dog, why not give a senior a wonderful life in its final years, like my friend Daryl gave this lovely, kind Golden Retriever a retirement home (below), Dutch:

I found many quotes on Google so, grab a tissue 
and hold tight the memories.  

                             

It takes a long time for a soul to become this sweet.

~ Author Unknown.

Enjoy The Golden Years.

Dutch:

In memory of Babe:

Don't cry because it's over.

Smile because it happened.

~Author Unknown

Dogs come into our lives to teach us about love, 

they depart to teach us about loss.  

A new dog never replaces an old dog, 

it merely expands the heart.

~Author Unknown

The journey of life is sweeter when traveled with a dog.

~Author Unknown.

Everybody loves a puppy.
Old dogs love everyone.
~Author Unknown

The one best place to bury a good dog is in the heart of his master.
~Author Unknown.

Retired Irish Setter Show Dog:

Blessed is the person who has earned the love of an old dog.
~Sydney Jeanne Seward

There is a special place in Heaven 
for people who give their heart to an old dog.
~ Author Anonymous

Old dogs, like old shoes, are comfortable.

They might be a bit out of shape 

and a little worn around the edges, but they fit well.
~Bennie Wilcox.

You'll never walk alone

because I'll always be with you.

Love, your old dog.

Thank you to Lins for this photo of Monty:

My face may be white, but my heart is pure gold.  

There is no shame in growing old.
~Author Unknown.

Dakota:

Do you have a photo of your senior dog you'd like to share on the blog?  Please e.mail it to me at:  soniatheobalds8@gmail.com and with your permission, I'll add it here.

Here's to The Golden Oldies.

Have a great weekend!


Thank you to Daryl for this photo of Dutch:

Thank you Lina for this photo of your beloved friend!

Blueberries and a Drone

August 23, 2016

Wow.  I've been really slacking off on blogging so I'm on catch-up mode this week.  Doug arrived back in NC last week, after the usual (expected) airport delays, bringing with him LOADS of pints of tiny Maine blueberries.  And a DRONE.

The blueberries from Maine taste nothing like blueberries from anywhere else.  They are petite and burst with luscious freshness and, after a few mouthfuls, they turn your teeth blue.  I kid you not. It's awesome.  It's also a great party trick.  Plus, they are a natural antioxidant for all you people out there who wanna be healthy and all that stuff.  Doug's flights were delayed delayed delayed and he had to wait for hours for a flight from Charlotte, NC but he wouldn't stay over in a hotel because he wanted these indigo-colored babies to arrive fresh.  What a nice guy.  We shared some with our friends here and froze the rest for later.  After I ate so many I had blue teeth.

The other gem Doug brought here this trip is a DRONE.  He's going to use it for work/business purposes but he couldn't resist bringing it to learn how to operate it.  

If you want to turn a grown man into a 9 year old boy, get one.

The neighborhood boys (and men) have been out and about test-driving around the campground.  

Zuma is wary.  She refuses to sniff it, probably she doesn't like the buzzing sound, but she likes to watch from afar.  Ah yes, boys and their toys, gotta love it.

Please share a comment, if you like, about your fave blueberry recipe .... or your partner's "kid toys"!

Summertime Scrumptiousness

Is scrumptiousness even a word?  Spellcheck doesn't think so.
I think I may have just created a new word.
  
With an abundance of fresh veggies and fruit bursting all around us, I'm feeling the need to chuck meat from my diet and just gorge on all the goodness available at local markets.  

Luscious, blushing Georgia (and local) peaches are peaking right now (my fave).  The perfect breakfast.

All the markets are brimming with displays of bright red juicy tomatoes, colorful peppers, sweet baby potatoes, patty pan squash and dark green zucchini.  A feast for the eyes!

All this yumminess is available every day but Sundays and Mondays.  Our fridge and freezer are pretty small compact so we're truly thankful there are daily Farmer's Markets all around us for guaranteed local freshness.  There are cheerful bouquets of freshly harvested flowers available at many booths; I miss having cut flowers (available to snip at any time) right outside our kitchen door.  These really brighten up the table!

Almost everything is organic at the markets.  We also purchase fresh handmade pasta, genuine homemade Mexican tamales and enchiladas, artisan breads, honey, dried flavored beans for salad toppings, gourmet mustard, jams, cheeses, amazing balsamic vinegar, fabulous granola, grass-fed beef, free range chicken and eggs and even locally crafted organic salve for Zuma's "elephant" elbows, etc.  We rarely shop at the grocery store.  When food this fresh is available and hasn't traveled for hundreds or thousands of miles, eat local!

The vendors are happy to share their recipes and they are all delicious. There are some colorful, fun and funky people at the markets.  

West Asheville is very cool with a vibrant population of hippie-like folks who are genuinely into the farm-to-table back-to-the-earth philosophy.  

It's so much fun going to the markets as Zu gets to meet lots of people.  There are cool dogs.

And cool people.

We've been here over five months and both the people at farm stands and the market shoppers recognize us and know Zuma's name ("Hey!  Zuma!  Didn't I see you Wednesday at the Farmer's Market?!"  Followed by warm greeting and big hug).  

She gets excited when we arrive, every market day is a party for Zuma.    

Let's Get In The Tub!

August 2016

It's not often Zuma requires a bath but every now and then she needs "a freshening up" (as we all do).  I wash all her car bedding and her house bedding and if we don't have an available bath tub, we ship her off to the local Doggie Salon.  We really love 'The Soapy Dog' in Asheville and so does Zuma. In fact, she thoroughly enjoys a trip there for her monthly mani-pedicure.   If you're in this area, you will love this pet grooming place. 

The people at The Soapy Dog are really kind and are genuine dog lovers. Zuma starts to wiggle and whine with excitement when we pull into the parking lot every four weeks.  Once inside she is a happy bubbly giant until she has to go into the back room for the mani-pedi.  You can see her say, "Oh S***" in her head.  But then she rapidly recovers, behaves extremely well (the staff all know she is neurotic) and bounds joyfully into the reception area for a cookie.  The she hops into the car and off we go, with a whole lot less clacking on the sidewalk.

The soil here is mostly reddish clay and Zu's white chest takes on an orange tinge from laying on the lawn outside "Hula Girl", our Motorhome. She has a comfy bed to lay on but the ground is cool. And dirty.  And she loves being cool.  And dirty.

With all the rain we've had here, the clay turned into a sloppy gloppy mess and the dog was resembling a piece of badly constructed pottery.  So one day last week we decided to bathe her ourselves at their Do-It-Yourself Dog Wash.  We didn't think it would be a wise decision to wrestle her into the tub; we envisioned her splaying out her long spider legs and dumping us all into the drink, so we opted for showering her on the ground.  This worked perfectly well. Abandon shoes, don apron, apply shampoo, scrub like crazy, turn on gentle sprinkling hose.  It was a very positive experience, we paraded out with a clean dog and very clean feet.

Yes, we ALL got cooled down (!) and it felt great on a steaming hot August day.  Very refreshing! 

Meanwhile, Back in Maine ....

August 8, 2016



Back in Maine, our nearby town of Rockland celebrated the annual Lobsterfest this past weekend.  

The town hosts a large parade and people visit from all over the world to celebrate fresh crustacean fare.  There are plenty
of offerings: lobster with fresh corn on the cob, lobster rolls, lobster pasta, lobster chowder (lobstah chowdah as they pronounce it in Maine).  You name it, there's tons of lobster in every shape and form.  

It's a huge big deal for this usually sleepy seaside town and the streets are crowded as tourists and locals fill their bellies with the freshest, finest seafood from the Maine coast.  

Lobster boats constantly cruise and chug into the harbor loaded with their fresh salty ocean catch hour after hour and the town bustles with outstanding goodies, energy and wholesome activity.



PETA (People for The Ethical Treatment of Animals) made a splash with this young woman laying on a "paper plate" on a busy corner of town.  Painted red and wearing a skimpy pair of panties and "claws" she drew a lot of attention to the fact that thousands of pounds of lobsters are boiled alive when killed to be eaten by thousands of visitors to the area.  I think she made a point.  At the very least, she raised more than a few eyebrows and gave people something to think about. 

Dog Days of Summer

August 7, 2016.

Along our journey, we've met some fabulous dogs and people.  This blog is dedicated to them, for making us smile.  I will be adding to this ....

"Women and cats will do as they please and men should relax and get used to the idea."

~ Robert A. Heinlein.

"The dog is a gentleman; I hope to go to his Heaven, not Man's."

~ Mark Twain, April 2, 1899, letter to W.D. Wells.

"Dogs are miracles with paws."

~Attributed to Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy.

"My goal in life is to be as good of a person 

as my dog already thinks I am."

~Author Unknown.

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress 

can be judged by

the way its animals are treated."

~ Mahatma Gandi.

"The biggest dog has been a pup."

~ Joaquin Miller, US Poet. 

"Anyone who doesn't know what soap tastes like 

never washed a dog."  

~  Franklin P. Jones.

"Happiness is a warm puppy."

Charles Schultz (Peanuts).

"Dogs laugh, but they laugh with their tails."

~ Max Eastman, Enjoyment of Laughter.

Randall and Zuma:

"Dogs lives are short.  Their only fault, really."

~Agnes Sligh Turnbull.

Fritz and Zuma:

"The dog was created especially for children."

~Henry Ward Bleecher.