YESTERDAY

Yesterday, Saturday, I drove to Oak Park to visit my daughter who is one of  the most precious things to me in the world.

This time, to their horror, dogs don't count.

Anyway the first step was the most daunting because it required that I drive my elderly Van through Chicago (not the Loop part) by myself. Here I am, a thousand years old and I have never done it before. But I did. I got a google map and I followed it and one thing about Chicago is that they damn well have good signs and if you follow the instructions, and read the signs, you will be good.

My friend Susan Spinhirne spent years teaching me to drive the tollways and now I don't even think about it. So I figured the same rules apply: take a deep breath, have gasoline, adjust your mirrors and don't screw around.

And until I actually got off the road into Oak Park I was fine, and then of course I must have turned left instead of right and Boom! I was lost. Not really. Turned around and I knew it but I called and my daughter got me turned back, and I got there. I did it.

And I had a wonderful time. I hope she had as good a time as I did.
This was a girl's day out.
We went to eat at a Cafe called Winberries. We left her husband home with their two dogs and had pita chips with warm artichoke dip, onions and tomatoes, and I had a huge burger with so much melted Monterey Jack cheese that it slid out of the bun.

                          (This is my daughter, originally.)
I had good white wine, she had a mixed Brazilian drink I cannot remember but it was not a Mojito. And it had RUM, enough to taste clearly.
And we talked and talked and talked and talked.
And then we walked. Oak Park is where Hemingway was from, and where Frank Lloyd Wright worked and played and it is full of FLWright houses. We did not go there, but went to the little shops, the Fair Trade, the two stores that sell dog stuff.The bead store of course. Antique stores, boutiques, paper stores, and a totally terrifying place called "Sugar-Fixe" which is exactly what it sounds like. I did not buy a thing, but could feel my fat quivering with anticipation as soon as I walked in the door. Caramel-filled brownies three inches high: Creme Brulee cookies. Inch and a half big cookies that you knew would melt in your mouth quite literally. Scones...you get the picture.

At one of the dog stores I talked awhile to one of the owners about Nigel. I am trying to learn more about handling his bladder stones but her answers were good but not really answers: that's ok. They were lovely people who cook dog food and sell it, and the smells in the shop were as wonderful as any restaurant.

                            My daughter now. With her husband, John.
                                (Who is wonderful, too.)

Then we headed back and after a short respite I headed home. Traffic was light, I knew the way, it was great.  Except I was dying of thirst. (You don't pull off the Dan Ryan to get a drink of water.)

And when I got home, John said the dogs would not settle all day, that Nigel would not stay in one spot, that Llewis would not stay in the house, that Conley was Conley only more so than usual. After I had been home about an hour, everyone was asleep. Including John, in his chair.

It was a lovely day.

SOMETIME TODAY

Sometime today I will think of something to put in this space.

LONG HOT DULL SUMMER

It has been a long hot boring summer here. It is too hot to do much, even by 7 in the morning. I bought a bike to exercise with but  I have a Thing about riding before 6 in the morning. (It isn't what you think. There was a lovely woman, probably a little nutso, who rode all over several villages on her white and pink bike, wearing white and pink and pink flowers in her hair, who I called the flower lady. I have no idea what the deal was with her, never spoke, only saw her over and over-- she was a fixture. And was found dead, run over by a car, about 6 one morning. Never found the driver. Freaked me out.)
Besides I ride alone. I don't know anyone around here to ride with. Everyone works.

I want to thank all of you who have bought my jewelry or written to encourage me to write again. Thank you for the kind words and thinking of me.

This is my favorite photo right now of Nigel. He is on my bed (as usual) looking calm and regal. There is a better one that is cropped but apparently it did not transfer. Darn it. Someday i will get the hang of this. Some times the photos I want just seamlessly get sent where I want them and other times it takes me hours. I prefer the cropped version. Oh well.

I have a new Belgian Puppy on order. Unfortunately there were only two males in the litter and the second bitch either never took or resorbed. So MAYBE I have a puppy coming and maybe I do not. There is not a single day when I don't think of Cooper and think of the puppy and wonder if I will have a new Belgian by Halloween.

This is Ch. Liswyn's Quiche La Neige. She is the one with the two male puppies so maybe this is the Mother of the puppy I may get.
She lives in Dallas, Texas. Cooper was from Arkanas. I must like Southern dogs.

I have absolutely no clue what the Boys are going to do with a puppy. Every now and then I catch them all huddled together giggling, but when I come into the room they walk away and scowl.
For all I know they are telling dirty Basset jokes, but that is not the feeling I get....

The Boys, early this spring. I may have printed this already. The Belly bands do not work real well but do help. More and More Nigel wants to go outside with the others, and if we aren't careful he drags himself around the yard, across rocks and sticks and makes his netherland raw and ouchie, or it would be if he could feel it but we do not think he can. He is able to "stand" if he gets his legs just right BUT it is accidental, not something he controls.

Four houses on the street put the flag out for the 4th and for Flag day: Roger, us, Carlos and Sara and Jesse (it is hard to see the 4th flag). I am standing in Roger's impeccably green yard looking down the street.
Next to Roger behind me is an abandoned house and directly across the street from where I am standing to take the photo is another. There are a couple more down at the other end of the street which is about two and ahalf blocks long.

Summer Flowers. It was so hot the flowers did not do well this year.

I didn't spend a lot of time watering the flowers, either. All my geraniums died. I think partly it is because we have no front lawn-- it is still a mess from have the sewer repaired. It is still SINKING where the trenches were dug!!

My good friend McBeth got a new puppy, Sheldon. She brought Sheldon over to meet us. Llewis took one look and snarled!!!! Conley was wary but then after a few minutes began to play, laying down so Sheldon could terrorize him a little easier. After two weeks Sheldon is about three times bigger than he is in this photo.

And finally, don't mess with fat old ladies. You never know what they do in their spare time.

WRITING WHEN THERE IS NOTHING TO WRITE ABOUT

I haven't written forever because there is really not much going on. It has been so hot even the dogs are behaving. Llewis goes outside on the hottest days and lays in the sun: I set a timer for 5 or 10 minutes and then have to go out with a leash and bring him in. He is going to parboil what brains he has left.

Nigel has bladder stones and we are dealing with that.

I left Conley outside for 20 minutes one hot day and nearly killed him: temp of 105+ at which point I quit reading the thermometer and began cooling the dog. John just dumped Conley in the tub and turned on the shower, poor dog. We ended up pouring rubbing alcohol on him to bring the temp to 103 at which point we stopped, knowing it would probably continue to decline. It stopped at 98 and took awhile to get back up to normal, but he is fine. If I can kill a dog this way anybody can so watch your hounds in this weather.

I have a Belgian puppy on order but there were only two males in the litter and whether one is show quality or not will determine whether I get a pup this go-round or not.

I am not sure how the Boys are going to be with a puppy-- Nigel will be grumpy, I am sure. Llewis --- I never know. One day he enjoys new dogs and the next we are lip-lifting. Conley is wary at first but seems to warm up to new dogs eventually, at least pups. I am hoping that because he is a puppy the boys will grant him some slack for the first couple of the weeks anyway.

Nigel's spa treatment. Seems to really help his skin and keeps him smelling a little less...ah..pungent.

     A typical late summer guest on my screen. I love Cicadas.

                      Even Llewis knows how to relax, Basset style.

HOW MANY TIMES?

How many times have I thought about you since you left?
Ch. First Class Ensign M. Bonsai, TD. (Mitchell)

Ch. Midnight Acres High Noon  (Cooper)

First Class Zelda Ypsilandra.....

&

Children

Kailey

Midnight Acres Quiller

Beemr & Arsenal

                        The one who started it all: Prince.

BE PREPAIRT

By LLEWIS CONLEY AN NIGEL

Taday sposed to be beginner to hottest daze ob summer so far an awreddy it bin plenny hot.
So we thot we git prepairt, like Boy Scuts onley Bassetscuts. Scouts. Llewis say it scouts. Scots? Scouts. BOYOBOYSCOUTS. Ok you heppy now Llewis?
So firss ob all:
1. Hab plenny ob water.

Shuddup Conley it no madder if you sit init or drink it youse juss gotts nose where it is.
2. Nose where you Cooling Cenders is.

Still mine still mine!! I juss demmystratin. No I did NOT pee inna watter, Llewis so there.

3.Practise maximising saving ennergy. Fine a cool spot an stay dere.

(Dis MY spot: Mama's bed.

Conley lob dis spot not only dat pad cool but it right convenyent to da counners, case MomPerson drop sumfine.

We nebber say Llewis graceful but he ours.

Dis how we prepper for taday. Stay cool, youse all.

NIGEL LLEWIS AN CONLEY

WHY I DONT BELONG TO THE DOG PARK

A number of years ago, when Mitchell and Cooper were still alive, we joined a dog park in a neigboring Village. It was one of the first in the area and it was pretty nice-- got better physically as time went on
Cooper and Mitchell loved it. Cooper ran with the big boys and Mitchell motored along the perimeter, always checking to see where we were.
Cooper was a youngster when we joined, and Mitchell a nice, well socialized male. Both were intact.

Mitchell
Cooper


Eventually a time came when Mr. Cooper answered the call of the Testesterone Howl and decided to be King of the Park. This was not acceptable and that was the end of their association with the dog park.

Recently, the Village here took the lousiest (almost) tract of free land they could find and turned it into a dog park. It is about one block walking slowly from my house. You do, of course, have to pay to join.

I  have an acquaintance who has Belgians and she lives quite near the park and so belongs and periodically I wander past the park and she is there as she was a couple of evenings ago when I took Conley for a very short walk. I was sick and couldn't go far, and as it happened, so was he, altho I did not know it until 3 this morning.

We do not belong but we stopped. There were two Belgians, a pit, a large terrier mix and a Harelquin Gt Dane.  They were all friendly but Conley was not especially interested, even on the far side of the fence.

The one person told me how her collie had drowned a few weeks earlier in a pool. The dog was 13. She said "Well,, she WAS 13..." as if in my imagination that made the increasingly weight of the thick wet coat easier to manage, as if in my imagination it made it easier to think the dog was not thinking WHERE ARE THEY? WHAT DO I DO?? I AM SO TERRIBLY TIRED......

The Gt Dane owner told me how his other dog had died. I had known that, known about the other dog. I asked if they had simethecone all over the house and was told no, they probably wouldn't need it with this one, and the other didn't bloat. I nodded. Yes, ok, yes I see.

Then the pit owner stood and waved her arms INSIDE THE PARK and said "Doggies, I have chicken!!!" She got lucky. The dogs were very well behaved. I recounted the number of times my friend Taffy's dog was attacked and nearly killed in her dog park-- a big red Dobe, afraid of her own shadow....

I asked if anyone had seen the woman walking her two dogs, Presa Canarios. Yes, yes they had. The dogs were wonderful. They had attended obedience at Pet Smart but now were not allowed in the park anymore. Oh. Why not? No one knew......


But on our way home we passed the house where the two Presa's live and as we went by one tore down the curtains screaming at us.


I do not think Conley and I, or any other of my dogs, will be joining that particular dog park. Or any other.

Maybe they are not all like that.....