More Pearl
A bit of “karma congestion” lately. So as a default I feel like doing a Pearl post. We never let her up on the furniture until about a year ago, but now she seems to have claimed the center section of this sofa. It is really nice to have the wood stove going with her asleep next to you.
Cris was putting some wrapped presents under the tree yesterday, and Pearl went right to this “Mega P’nut” dog treat. She got an early gift.
Peter is home from DC and he and I took her for a walk today. I know I have posted a similar photo, but for some reason this still gets to me. She wants to carry her leash everywhere.
This past year has been monumental in many ways, and next year could be equally interesting. My very best wishes to all of you who follow this blog. I’ll get back to some serious stuff soon, but in the meantime, ’tis the season to be thinking about friends and family and have lots of love in your hearts.
Cheers, Jon
Walk
The Pearl and I had a nice walk late this afternoon. It was, as they say “seasonably warm”. The cattails are starting to go to seed, or whatever it is they do.
As usual, she found some water on the way back to the car and I was happy to have an old towel to dry her off. She is a great dog.
Dog
I shot UMASS women’s lacrosse for my friend Thom Kendall on Sunday as he was tied up with the A10 track meet. It was fun and I even got this nice shot of a fan with his dog.
Basset Hound
Peter and I flew to London last night. He is here working on his Union College senior thesis. It has to do with how terraces disappeared from Premier League football grounds and the effect that change has had on supporters and organizations. So we are here for a few days and then off around the midlands and Lincolnshire to go to some clubs and interview as many people as we can. / We were eating lunch in a pub near Putney Bridge when we heard what I thought was someone imitating a basset hound. I looked over and saw this guy. Amazing; just sitting there with his mistress.
I just love it how dogs hang out in pubs. He was sweet.
Pearl and her bowl
In many ways Pearl is a true retriever. She is not obsessed with balls or sticks but she really loves her bowl. Since she was young she would eat and then pick it up and carry it around the house. We never know where it will end up, and sometimes in the morning it is a pain to have to look for it. About a year ago, I began to make her go find it before I would feed her. She is mostly good at it, but sometimes she brings me one of her stuffed animals instead. But she has figured out that bringing me the bowl means she gets to eat so there is some incentive for her. The only problem is that at random times throughout the day she will get the bowl and carry it around expecting a meal. I can mostly ignore it, but once in a great while I succumb to her cuteness and give in.
Pearl
For some reason, Pearl has become very attached to her leash. When we walk down to the bottom of our street, we need one to cross the Amherst Road. Just this past summer, she started wanting to carry it in her mouth. If I have it in my hand, she keeps nudging me until I give it to her. She is the sweetest dog.
August Walk
Peter, Pearl, and I had a lovely late afternoon walk today. Goldenrod, cattails, and loosestrife.
It was breezy and cool, and the light was beautiful.
Lots of queen anne’s lace, too.
Mavis
Mavis Ffarquhar of Sodor 1 April, 1995 -16 July, 2011
She was a great dog. May she rest in peace.
Toby
Toby is Lynne and John’s Sealyham terrier. He is a really lovely dog and has a quite a personality. You get the idea that he is ready to get into mischief at the drop of a hat.
Snow walk
It was a lovely day yesterday. We had a heavy wet snow overnight, then the sun came out. At about 3.00, Cris and I took the Pearl up into the woods for a walk. Really perfect conditions for the snow shoes. Cris has the more modern metal ones, and I have these older LL Bean jobs that my brother gave me for Christmas many years ago. I forgot to grab a camera on the way out the door (gaiters-check, poles-check, snow shoes-check, camera-duh). So I took this with my phone. Pearl thought I was getting a biscuit for her, which is why she was looking up.
Jon Crispin's Notebook 
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