Skippy's Backyard

2008-07-23T22:01:00.002-05:00

I haven't been doing very good at keeping up with this blog. Please check my other blog: Skippy's Vegetable Garden.

evening swim

2008-06-16T21:55:00.002-05:00

It was a bit muddy at low tide on the Ipswich River, but Skippy always likes a nice swim.

water dog

2008-05-26T20:40:00.001-05:00

Nothing link a nice cool pond in the hot weather!

life's a beech

2008-05-26T20:38:00.002-05:00

summer clip

2008-05-08T18:05:00.004-05:00

Yippee Skippy! He has a brand new summer clip. Last night was sooo hot for Skippy - he panted instead of sleeping. He's much more comfortable now with his short haircut.

I do have to make a quick comment on the ticks this year. Terrible! Poor Skippy gets so many of them. I hate stop him from running through the tall grasses. He loves this. But even in relatively urban Belmont, he picked up a dozen yesterday. If we walk in towns to the north or west its worse. Also, he often picks them up in our community garden. Seems like its just a bad year for ticks.

hot weather for a long-haired puppy

2008-05-07T21:07:00.003-05:00

Skippy is SOO hot today. He still has his winter coat and the weather is up into the 70's now. Skippy is a puppy who likes to sleep on the snow all night when his fur is long.

The good news is he has an appointment for a haircut tomorrow. Its a big deal to finally get a grooming appointment around Belmont. All the groomers are booked up weeks in advance. Thanks goodness people/I don't need to wait so long for a hair cut!

doggie water fountain

2008-04-26T18:19:00.003-05:00

Can you believe this cool water fountain! The City of Cambridge installed this one recently at Fresh Pond. Skippy is ready for a cool drink! Looks like the water is not on yet though. We'll definitely come back later.

Does your town care for its dogs so well? Unfortunately there's nothing quite like this in our town of Belmont.... Oh well. Cambridge is right next door.

muddy (happy) dog

2008-04-07T20:19:00.003-05:00

... and why is it that Skippy gets a bath so often? I remember now. There's something about the spring that is very very muddy. Today Skippy swam in the lake, then played ball in the dirt. Then he went home and had a bath and jumped up and bed and slept like a puppy.

Skippy runs

2008-04-07T20:09:00.003-05:00

I love the way Skippy can run at full speed and still squeak his toy the whole time!

what a day!

2008-04-03T21:08:00.005-05:00

Spring in New England is beautiful. This is Callahan State Park in Framingham, MA. Skippy had fun running and swimming and looking at wildlife. He thought it was pretty nice.

easter is skippy's birthday!!!

2008-03-23T21:02:00.002-05:00

Skippy is 3 years old today. He was born on Easter (or maybe late on the night before?). Easter was March 26 the year he was born, but we like to celebrate on Easter Sunday.

Happy Birthday Skippy!! He's 3 years old. What a dog. He's very special.

Skippy had a birthday Easter basket filled with plastic eggs, dog cookies, Merrick dehydrated lamb lung (!!!) and a Merrick Flossie (chewy dried beef tendon). He eat all but the eggs and then stretched out on the porch floor for a nap. Aahhh... the life of a dog....

The photos below show the nice new haircut he got on Friday at Laundromutt (by his favorite groomer, Alana).

cool blue spring water

2008-03-17T20:01:00.003-05:00

I was admiring the bright blue of the water in the photos of the next post. The early spring sky is reflected in the water. Its a clear deep blue, in the cold crisp air, with no leaves to filter. Skippy is enjoying it. Frost described it perfectly:

Spring Pools
by Robert Frost

These pools that, though in forests, still reflect
The total sky almost without defect,
And like the flowers beside them, chill and shiver,
Will like the flowers beside them soon be gone,
And yet not out by any brook or river,
But up by roots to bring dark foliage on.
The trees that have it in their pent-up buds
To darken nature and be summer woods---
Let them think twice before they use their powers
To blot out and drink up and sweep away
These flowery waters and these watery flowers
From snow that melted only yesterday.

water dog

2008-03-12T13:11:00.002-05:00

Beaver Brook runs through Waverly Oaks Park in Waltham MA. Its full to the brim now that all our snow has melted. Still looks pretty chilly.

sunset over the pond

2008-03-09T21:11:00.002-05:00

The ice is off the big pond now. I'm watching closely for the trees to bud and fill with leaves. Still the branches are bare. (Fresh Pond, Cambridge MA)

snow

2008-03-03T11:43:00.002-05:00

mallard pair in the snow

2008-02-24T13:31:00.001-05:00

Yet another snow storm. Yet more cold weather. But I think its a good sign that the ducks are staring to pair up. As someone once told me: "Spring will come - it always does".

portuguese water dogs

2008-02-12T22:52:00.000-05:00

Here's video of the Portuguese water dog judging.

show dog Sam

2008-02-12T22:49:00.004-05:00

CONGRATIONS TO SKIPPY'S COUSIN, SAM!!!
He was in the Westminster Dog Show today.

19 Ch C-Lion's Sequel To The Ring NA
Breed: Portuguese Water Dog
Sex: Dog
AKC: WS 16390701
Date of Birth: January 21, 2006
Breeder: Heather Shilo & Jennifer Krieger & T Phillips
Sire: Ch Downeast Lord Of The Rings
Dam: C-Lion's Nina Simone
Owner: Heather Shilo & Terese Phillips & J Krieger

the big dog show

2008-02-12T10:48:00.000-05:00

Best of Breed Winners from the 2008 Westminster Dog Show! The Portuguese water dogs are scheduled for 2:15 this afternoon. I bet they're beautiful.

winter woods

2008-02-08T16:44:00.000-05:00

Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary, Belmont, MA

a warm winter day

2008-01-09T17:27:00.001-05:00

Skippy thought it was a good day for a swim. The temperatures were up in the 50s again. A great day for a walk. (Belmont Conservation Land)

NOSE

2008-01-07T21:26:00.000-05:00

This is my best photo of Skippy! I use Flickr for my photos and, of my 2,502 photos, this photo has gotten the most views. A perfect shot of Skip. He has the best nose! Also such sweet brown eyes and always so enthusiastic ....

a walk in the snow

2007-12-29T10:36:00.000-05:00

This is Callahan State Park, Framingham MA. Skippy and I went for a long walk this afternoon. After being away from him for a week, it was really nice to spend time together.

Callahan is a great place to walk, with beautiful wide open spaces. But, I think its time they did something about all the dog waste on the trails. Yuck!! It really ruins the beauty of the place. One question I have: how can a dog walker with 8 dogs clean up after them all??? The photo below shows 5 people with 23 dogs.

happy holidays!!!

2007-12-08T22:44:00.000-05:00

Skippy just got a nice haircut from our favorite groomer. Its a real bother. When we go for a walk now, everyone stops and says. "Excuse me. What kind of dog is that?" Or, "Wow, that dog looks like velvet." I can't argue. He is an awesome puppy.

We're looking forward to visiting the kids at Spaulding Pediatric Rehab Hospital in downtown Boston tomorrow. We're scheduled for a therapy visit there. Skippy will be able to jump up on the kid's beds. (I have to make sure his paws are clean!) I hope they like Skippy's velvety soft fur.

silhouette

2007-12-04T11:52:00.001-05:00

millions of Skippy pictures

2007-11-25T21:22:00.000-05:00

I've accumulated so many pictures of Skippy! I was impressed to look at my Flickr site and see all the dog pictures there. Here's a composite of some of these. One nice thing about a blog is to have a way to "use" and organize photos.

Another use of my dog photos is the calling cards I give out at our therapy dog visits. (Skippy is a Caring Canines therapy dog.) I ordered a few new calling cards from Flickr just now to see what they look like. Many of the people we visit appreciate these.

autumn colors at the fellsway

2007-11-09T15:25:00.000-05:00

Middlesex Fells Reservation

red oak leaves

2007-11-07T22:30:00.000-05:00

It's a beautiful fall! Sometimes the leaves just glow like they have lights in them. Especially on cloudy dark days. Nice yellows and reds and golds.

how about those RED SOX!!

2007-10-22T07:57:00.000-05:00

Skippy visits the ducks in Boston

2007-10-18T19:45:00.000-05:00

Today, Skippy and I and guests of ours went into downtown Boston to see the ducks. It was Skippy's first ride on the subway. He seemed pretty nervous. The trains are noisy and bumpy and the tunnels are dark. But he did a good job.

It was a beautiful warm fall day in Boston. The tree leaves are turning red and yellow. We walked across the Common and through the Boston Public Garden. There were lots of ducks and squirrels. Skippy doesn't pay attention to these, but he enjoyed getting attention and pats from passers-by.

weeds close up

2007-09-29T21:45:00.000-05:00

While Skippy sniffs here and there, often I photograph whatever is nearby. Here are my pictures of Queen Anne's Lace seed head, grass flowers, ragweed flowers and a dandelion puff ball.

Skippy and his new toy

2007-09-25T19:35:00.000-05:00

I was playing with this photo of Skippy using a program that came with my Olympus camera. This make his coat look are velvety as it feels. And it brings out those blue highlights!

new bumper toy

2007-09-25T14:04:00.000-05:00

napping puppy

2007-09-16T19:16:00.000-05:00

It was a busy weekend for Skippy! This is what he did most of the afternoon and is still doing now. Napping.

We visited my parents and biked and walked with them. Then Skippy had to be on guard all night in a different house. (He's a very attentive guard dog.)

This afternoon, Skippy visited with the kids at Spaulding Pediatric Rehab in downtown Boston. This is always fun, as Skippy gets to jump up on the beds and get great snuggles. Today he would have liked to stay a while with the kids.

evergreens

2007-09-16T16:26:00.000-05:00

These are the beautiful spruce and pine trees at Cleaveland Farm State Park. It one of our favorite places for a walk.

white mountain vacation

2007-08-26T11:36:00.000-05:00

These are photos from our brief, late summer vacation hiking the White Mountains of New Hampshire. We stayed at the dog-friendly (and people-friendly!) Beal House Inn of Littleton. A quiet bed and breakfast with a very nice dining room and a bar with an awesome martini list. From top: Crawford Notch in the clouds, Arethusa Falls on a 90 degree day, a cute little chipmunk, blackberries, rooftops of Littleton New Hampshire from the window of the Inn, the Littleton grist mill, and last but not least, Skippy on the trail. A slide show of my photos is here.

wildflowers in the white mountains

2007-08-26T11:30:00.000-05:00

white flower and Joe Pye weed (Eupatorium purpureum)

Bumble bee on goldenrod (Solidago species) and a fall white aster (Aster species)

Field of goldenrod, rudbeckia, coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) and white asters.

Spotted jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) and goldenrod (Solidago species)
I will have to get out my wildflower ID book and figure out the ones I did not nome yet. I don't think I will be able to figure out which goldenrod or aster species I photographed.

birthday cake

2007-08-20T19:41:00.000-05:00

Here's a picture of my birthday cake. A delicious rich chocolate cake with chocolate icing and a bit of raspberry jam in the middle. Big sparkler candles. My son asked if I was 18. I guess at some point all of the candles don't fit on the cake. If you count, this one only fit 18. I am lucky to have a birthday at the perfect time of year - in the middle of August at the height of summer. My party always feels like a celebration of the season.

pictures from my birthday

2007-08-18T17:26:00.000-05:00

For my birthday, I brought my big camera on our walk. Skippy is used to hanging out and waiting while I take pictures. He sniffs, eats grass or just sits. Or sometimes he lies down or rolls in the dirt. Here are pictures of all the things Skippy and I saw.

From top left: Skippy, screech owl, Canada geese, wild cucumber, goldenrod, tansy, field with Joe Pye weed and Skippy in the dirt.
Fresh Pond

summer lace

2007-08-12T19:14:00.000-05:00

Queen Anne, Queen Anne, has washed her lace
(She chose a summer's day)
And hung it in a grassy place
To whiten, if it may.

Queen Anne, Queen Anne, has left it there,
And slept the dewy night;
Then waked, to find the sunshine fair,
And all the meadows white. (by Mary Leslie Newton)

I came across some beautiful photography of Queen Anne's Lace wildflowers (Daucus carota) by Brian Johnston

August gold

2007-08-05T08:58:00.000-05:00

An August morning! The world is at its most beautiful. The grasses have turned to gold, the sky is a soft blue. Skippy and I found a nice swimming spot and then he ran through the spun gold beauty. Ran and tumbled and rolled and chased other wet dogs. Happiness is a wet dog and a big August field.

Middlesex Fells Reservation

more home made agility equipment

2007-08-01T23:08:00.001-05:00

It used to be a nice quiet backyard with green grass and pretty flowers here and there. AAhhh. But NOW, its an agility course. Jumps, table, teeter and weave poles. And tracks get worn in the yard, marks from the posts (not really) and all the commotion!

I'm teasing - its a lot of fun to hear Skippy and his trainer out practicing.

My son and his dad made all the equipment last weekend, tried it out and then made some modifications. A bit of friction tape added to the table, stronger joints for the weave poles (because the dirt is like cement they say).

Practice on our very own course helped a lot with Skippy's running of the big real course at agility class. Skippy looks forward to a few minutes here and there with his buddy out in the backyard training. It just seems to be Skippy's thing.

As our teacher, Jan, recommended: we move the equipment around often and we don't practice too long on any one thing. Keep it fun for both the dog and the young trainer.

see Skippy run

2007-07-22T15:36:00.000-05:00

This is a video I took last fall and have just now figured out how to post. Its a 4 second video of Skippy running down the hill. Pretty basic home video.

new haircut

2007-07-18T15:43:00.000-05:00

Skippy has a new summer haircut. Nice and short!

Joseph's in the newspaper

2007-07-18T09:22:00.000-05:00

Here's a nice article in the Winchester Star about one of Skippy's coworkers, a pug named Joseph. The article describes the work that Caring Canines therapy dogs do.

kayaking with a dog

2007-07-15T18:11:00.001-05:00

We've been trying out all sorts of ways to kayak with Skippy. Skippy is now about 55 lbs and prefers to be up on all fours and moving around in a boat. He jumps in the water for a swim now and then, and whines when I get too far from him. The life jacket helps a lot for picking him up and getting back onto a boat.

Top: the best kayak we've found so far (a sit-on-top plastic Cobra Explorer kayak with a big flat deck). Lower right: a silly thing we tried, but Skippy was able to balance (briefly) when in a small kayak on his own. He wasn't so good with the paddle. Lower left: another method we tried for fun. Skippy was actually able to balance pretty well on the large plastic sea kayak, but it took a lot of effort for me to keep the boat upright. We kayaked like this about 5 minutes and didn't even get wet!

backyard pond

2007-07-14T22:49:00.000-05:00

Just a quick video of our backyard pond with a couple of koi swimming around on a hot summer day.

2007-07-12T09:20:00.000-05:00

I can across this about Sam, an 18 year old flat coated retriever. "... memories like filtered sunlight falling all around him" - a beautiful post.

vacation

2007-07-09T22:15:00.000-05:00

Skippy's on vacation this week! See you later.

kayaking

fledgling blue jay

2007-07-04T22:51:00.000-05:00

This little guy was waiting for his mom in a tree in my backyard today. When she came back, he followed her, squawking for food. Lots of birds are busy feeding their growing youngsters now.

chocolate chip scones

2007-07-04T22:15:00.000-05:00

A year ago I published picture of my scones. I've been meaning to add the recipe, because they are truly delicious. Here's a photo of a new batch and the recipe follows:

(recipe coming soon)

homemade agilty equipment

2007-06-29T22:25:00.000-05:00

My son was busy today making agility equipment to practice with. Skippy does a good job on both the new teeter and the jump.

grilled pizza

2007-06-25T22:49:00.000-05:00

One of our favorite dinners to grill out on the patio is pizza. Here's a basic cheese and veggie pizza. Skippy always like eating out 'cause he gets to have grilled chicken.

American chestnuts at Baldpate pond

2007-06-23T10:39:00.000-05:00

Skippy and I walked in the wet woods at Baldpate Pond in Boxford/Georgetown yesterday. Raindrops always make the leaves look lovely. We ended up quite soggy and had to run for cover from the lighting. I was particularly interested in the numerous American chestnut saplings growing around the pond. I didn't see any substantial trees, but the young growth is still lovely. I've never noticed an American chestnut before in the Northeast. I'll have to check for larger, fruiting trees next time I go back as MassChestnut likes to locate 10 new trees each year to pollinate. "Once there were 4 billion trees. Then came the blight..."

hangin' out

2007-06-21T21:14:00.000-05:00

Its the first day of SUMMER! Skippy's ready to kick back and take it easy. (Can you find him relaxing in the shade? No that not a fluffy black rug...)

agility class

2007-06-20T20:41:00.000-05:00

We've started a new agility class. Beginner's level 2 at B.A.R.K. Wow! Skippy is advancing slowly but surely. Every class, the instructor brings out a new piece of equipment. This week the new one was the weave. Skippy's getting really good at jumping and going fast. He has to work a bit more on stopping on the table - he tends to fly right up and over it when he's supposed to sit until we tell him to go.

From top left: wing jump, Skippy jumps, Skippy waits his turn at agility class, weave, teeter, Skippy in chute, Skippy on A-frame, agility equipment.

Essex salt marsh

2007-06-17T22:33:00.000-05:00

Today Skippy visited the salt marsh and river at the Cox Reservation of the Essex County Greenbelt Association. A great spot for a water dog!

Spauding Pediatric therapy visit

2007-06-17T21:00:00.000-05:00

Today Skippy visited a children's hospital in downtown Boston. Its on the 10th floor of the Mass Eye and Ear Hospital. Skippy did a good job braving the metal stairs near the parking lot and crossing the busy road. He's been here before, so he knew he would be able to snuggle with some kids. The nice thing about this visit is he gets to jump right up onto the bed next to the kids. He curls up and gets patted. Skippy would have stayed there if I had let him. We visited with some great kids. We sure hope they all get well soon.

a new friend for Skippy

2007-06-16T20:41:00.000-05:00

Skippy found a really cute friend at Fresh Pond today. Its Tilly, an 11 week old Burmese mountain dog. They ran and tumbled together. What fun!

patio lights

2007-06-14T08:55:00.000-05:00

I've been collecting summer patio lighting to hang under our big umbrella. Nothing like a summer evening relaxing on the patio!

flowers in our backyard

2007-06-10T20:41:00.000-05:00

Cleaveland Farm State Forest

2007-06-09T10:01:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we went on one of our favorite walks: Cleaveland Farm in Boxford/Rowley. There is a great little pond that Skippy LOVES to swim in. He did some retrieving and then A LOT of running. Skippy has been feeling really chipper recently. (I think maybe he feels better with his lyme medicine). He just ran and ran in circles through the fields and woods!

We took our usual path by the pond and were met with a surprise when we came to the back of the pond. Beavers had flooded the whole area and made the trail impassable. DAM! They had made a remarkable dam that was not there last fall. Probably a three foot water differential. This is the second trail in the area that we have found to be blocked by beaver dams. (The other is at Bald Hill in Boxford.)

I am happy that Skippy is feeling so chipper this week. However, before our walk in the woods Skippy did some running that was very bad. He ran and ran after a young boy about 5 or 6 years old. The boy was VERY fast and VERY scared of Skippy. Skippy thought this was great and he bounded and jumped at his heels for several minutes. He was doing a little "mouthing" too. Many of us tried to divert Skippy, yell at Skippy to stop, tell the boy to stop running, but to no avail. I couldn't even keep up with the two of them - they were going so fast. Aaargh. Finally Skippy decided to play keep-away with me instead. Then I accidentally dropped his baggie full of treats and he grabbed this and ran off and shook it until they flew all over the place. As he searched for them, I got the leash on him. I am afraid that Skippy (the fluffy, gentle, calm and perfect puppy) has made a little boy pretty scared of dogs. Next time this would be a good situation to keep a leash on Skippy. The whole situation was just TOO exciting for him.

Hydrangea petiolaris

2007-06-08T12:28:00.000-05:00

My climbing hydrangea is blooming this week. Always a welcome sight. I planted it about 10 years ago. It climbs up the dark side of our garage and sprawls out on the roof in the sunlight.

Middlesex Fells Reservation

2007-06-05T21:43:00.000-05:00

Our weekend walk was at Middlesex Fells. A new place for us. An amazing 2,500 acres of fields and woodlands right near Boston. Skippy loved the big open field with lots of other dogs to run with. It was a misty gray day with silver dew drops on the grasses. A really nice day for a walk.

Too bad we got lost, but then I'd always heard that's what happens at the Fells. Its just such a big place that us city folks get lost. We even had 2 maps and a GPS! Oh well. We had a lot of fun. I think Skippy would recommend this walk.

If you go, the big field where dogs run is called the Sheepfold.

You can see Skippy's new summer haircut in these pictures. Really short for the hot weather!

big old oak

2007-06-02T21:59:00.000-05:00

This is an enormous old white oak tree we walked by today. A beautiful tree. Cool shade on a steamy hot day. I was imaging climbing up and sitting up in the branches. Also wondering how many birds and animals live in this great old tree.

relaxing on the patio

2007-06-01T21:45:00.001-05:00

Rhododendron Madame Masson

2007-05-30T21:39:00.000-05:00

This is a rhododendron that is tucked into my back border. It has too much shade and too much competition from the big Norway maple. I keep wondering if I should move it a bit.

I looked up the variety. It is this one. Description: Beautiful old hybrid, dating from 1849. Forms an open upright shrub. Unusual almost flat flowers, white with a large yellow blotch, are produced in tall conical trusses. Highly recommended for cold gardens. Parentage: catawbiense x ponticum. Utimate Height: 3.0 meters after 10 years

skippy's check up

2007-05-29T21:46:00.000-05:00

Skippy had his annual check up today. He really did not like the shots, but got a very good report on is health from his veterinarian. He is up to 55 pounds! A great weight. (Skippy has been working on putting on a few pounds.) The only issue is that he has been Lyme positive for about a year now. It stays at a low level and I don't notice any symptoms (lameness, lethargy, loss of appetite), but these symptoms are fairly vague and its hard to tell. So the vet did a quantitative test, which came out in the positive range. She said we should go ahead and treat with 30 days of antibiotics (amoxicillin). Skippy's good a taking the pills and after a day or two seems very chipper and comfortable. Who knows, maybe he had some low level symptoms. I think its good to go ahead and get him treated.

more agility practice

2007-05-28T16:42:00.000-05:00

Skippy and his trainer are working hard on jumps and leg placement. To help build awareness of rear leg placement. Skippy runs along a ladder. He also balances and turns on a fairly unstable over turned bucket. Since Skippy is over 2 years old (26 mo) and over 22" tall, he can do fairly high jumps. In competition, he would be doing 24" or 26" jumps. For practice, we are using jumps of about 16" so he doesn't risk injury.

Memorial Day

2007-05-28T15:58:00.000-05:00

therapy work

2007-05-27T17:08:00.000-05:00

Today we visited a nursing home in Somerville. A real nice visit. Everyone wanted Skippy's calling cards and I totally ran out. Time to print out more! Skippy showed off his obedience skills and his long fluffy fur. It was my third visit as a team leader. I've lost track of how many total visits Skippy has done now. A lot, since we've gone nearly once a week for the past four months.

Skippy's tips on how to get really dirty

2007-05-27T08:16:00.000-05:00

Skippy has experimented with a lot of methods for getting dirty. This one worked great. First, he found a nice cool pond and got good and wet. Then he found a freshly plowed field and ran over the ridges.

Then - the best part - find a newly harrowed field and roll in the dirt. AAaahhhh!
Dog heaven!

Callahan State Park, Framingham MA

wild turkey

2007-05-26T11:52:00.000-05:00

Wild turkeys in suburbia?!! We were having a quiet, early evening dinner party on the patio with my parents visiting and my dad says "Oh look, a turkey." At first we thought he was talking about our neighbor. Then we thought it was the heat (or the wine) getting to him. But no, a wild turkey just strolled on by along our fence, across the street and into another yard. Since our neighborhood is heavily populated with 1/8th acre lots, this seemed remarkable. Skippy thought so too. He's hoping to get a closer look next time.

late spring backyard

2007-05-26T08:59:00.000-05:00

Seems like summer on this Memorial day weekend. We have a new giant patio umbrella and the grass is long and green.

backyard objects

2007-05-25T08:55:00.000-05:00

Another collection of mine - garden objects. These are scattered around my backyard gardens.

agility class

2007-05-24T20:48:00.000-05:00

At Skippy's agility class, they add new equipment every week. This is our course this week. Skippy is really good at it! He's too fast for me to get a picture of him jumping. I'll keep trying.

flower pots

2007-05-24T20:38:00.000-05:00

I've potted up 15 pots for my patio this year.

tree peony

2007-05-23T07:16:00.000-05:00

Pink blossoms in the early morning sunlight.

skippy in the flowers

2007-05-22T16:16:00.000-05:00

Skippy is such a good sport - he sat in the middle of the wildflowers so I could take this picture.

therapy visit

2007-05-19T21:27:00.000-05:00

Skippy and I are going to visit the kids at Spaulding Pediatric Rehab Hospital tomorrow. Skippy just had his bath and he's puffy-fluffy. I'll post a photo of the hospital in downtown Boston.

(Oops, my camera battery was dead. Maybe next time.)

house wrens

2007-05-14T20:25:00.000-05:00

The house wrens were back again today, after being away for a day or two. They seem to like the little wren house, but the sparrows, who already have chicks in their house about 40 ft away, are not pleased with them as neighbors. The wrens have brought many nest materials into the wren house. I do have to say that for such tiny birds, those wrens sure are LOUD! We'll see if they end up nesting in our backyard.

backyard birds

2007-05-14T17:18:00.000-05:00

I like to keep a list of all of the birds I see in my backyard. From top left these are a Nashville warbler, house sparrow, American robin, house wren, black and white warbler, and a chipping sparrow. Other birds I've seen recently in the backyard are chickadees, cardinals, mourning doves, grackles, and blue jays.

sleeping puppy

2007-05-14T14:19:00.000-05:00

I got Skippy this nice big bed and he still sleeps with his head off the side of it. This is what he did all morning! What a life!

willards woods

2007-05-13T20:55:00.000-05:00

grape hyacinths

2007-05-12T12:11:00.000-05:00

tubers

2007-05-12T12:01:00.000-05:00

Today I planted my dahlia, elephant ear, and caladium tubers.

agility practice

2007-05-11T21:03:00.000-05:00

Go Skip!!! Skippy and his new trainer (my 14 year old son) have been practicing their agility work in the backyard. This is some beginner stuff to work with Skippy on knowing where his back paws are. He walks along a ladder and around a pot. He's also doing some jumping. Since we waited 'til he's 2 years old to start agility, he can do the high jumps as a beginner. All the teachers warn us not to do high jumping with a dog who is too young.

tulips in my backyard

2007-05-11T17:05:00.000-05:00

I took a picture of all of the varieties in bloom today. Some are "past", but still lovely.

backyard

2007-05-10T20:13:00.000-05:00

Here are pictures of my backyard. All of a sudden its summer! The grass has turned green. The crab apple is in full bloom. And it was a perfect day to work outside on the patio. I had another full day (scientific) writing project and was able to sit outside and enjoy the air while I typed away. Not too bad.

red tulips

2007-05-09T22:22:00.000-05:00

I'm really pleased with my tulips this year. I planted 50 Red Impression Darwin hybrids from White Flower Farms in my front yard. My neighbors commented on them, too.

My son keeps asking me "Why are they called tulips?" Who knows!

mount auburn cemetery

2007-05-08T21:26:00.000-05:00

Mt Auburn Cemetery (Watertown, MA) is always a great place to see warblers in the spring. These are photos from our visit there on Monday.

playing with a pot

2007-05-07T20:55:00.000-05:00

Skippy has always enjoyed a tussle with an empty pot.

bird list

2007-05-07T20:16:00.000-05:00

These are the birds we saw at Fresh Pond today:

Baltimore Oriole
American Goldfinch
Tufted Titmouse
House Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Common Grackle
American Robin
Song Sparrow
Tree Swallow
Double-crested Cormorant
Yellow Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Canada Geese
Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Downy Woodpecker

A pretty good day for birds!

viburnum blossoms

2007-05-06T21:29:00.000-05:00

These flowers are from an Arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum) in our backyard. It is growing in heavy shade - tucked well under our big old Norway maple. Its a shrub that is native to our area. It gives clusters of beautiful flowers every year and dark blue berries in the fall that the birds enjoy.

backyardflowers

squirrel with collar

2007-05-06T20:52:00.000-05:00

Is this the new fashion with squirrels? This guy was at my window feeder this morning. It looks more like a plastic ring from a bottle top than a monitoring collar. Maybe he got into someone's trash. It seems to fit him fine and doesn't seem to bother him (I hope). Don't you love plastics! What a great way to screw up the environment!

agility class

2007-05-03T21:03:00.000-05:00

Skippy has just started an agility class. My 14 year old son is his trainer, which is a great experience for both Skippy and him. They are doing great! Skippy is doing jumps and going through hoops and tunnels and all sorts of things. I had some trouble getting a good picture, but this shot caught Skippy's tail as he finished a jump.

violets

2007-05-01T22:07:00.001-05:00

backyardflowers

pink azalea and green moss

2007-05-01T08:22:00.000-05:00

The azalea next to our backyard pond has opened its flowers. I have also been admiring the thick green moss growing on the rocks of our little waterfall.

freshly mowed

2007-04-30T07:44:00.000-05:00

Don't you love a field of newly moved grass! Our grass has started to grow again (finally!) and this is the first mowing this spring at the big field by Fresh Pond. Beautiful lawn mower stripes and the fresh smell of spring! Great for rolling and running in. Too bad dogs are not allowed on the grass. (I don't see a dog out there - do you?!)

Skippy's new haircut

2007-04-29T07:22:00.000-05:00

Skippy got a nice haircut last Friday. He very happy about this. I thought I'd post a bunch of pictures of him. I took them with my little camera on a dark day, so some are a bit fuzzy.