Degas Horse and Dog Painting

At the Stables, Horse and Dog

Artist: Edgar Degas

I found this art canvas on ebay. Since I never saw this particular Degas picture before, I just wanted to share it. I love the little dog.

 

Still Life of Animated Dogs by Paul Fierlinger



Though this is over twenty-six minutes long, you need to watch this video. It's excellent! Paul Fierlinger is brilliant.

Daisy, Ellie, Bailey, and an Old Factory

The girls!

Let me introduce you to Daisy, Bailey, and Ellie. I'm caring for these girls while their family is on a cruise. Daisy's on the top. followed by Bailey with mismatched eyes, and tiny Miss Ellie. Their home is a third floor loft built in a converted webbing factory. As the conversion isn't complete, the elevator sits lifeless. This means the "girls" and I hike a lot of stairs. I must stop whining, and be thankful they don't live on the top floor. Besides, the exercise is good for me. 

They judge my picture taking ability with a mixture of annoyance and horror.  

Bailey's blue eye is visible here. When I arrive, Bailey gets so excited and happy she wheezes like an asthma victim. As she also suffers a weak bladder, puppy pads placed in the bathroom are a must. Bailey just can't hold it like the other two can. Due to Bailey's peeing problem, she stays behind the dog gate in the bathroom. She's not alone, as her litter mate Ellie accompanies her. They're inseparable.

Somebody wants a treat.

When begging attention, Ellie sits on her haunches for maximum cuteness.

It looks like a Paint by Number!

 Poor Daisy had many health issues (cancer) and spent much time in the hospital. Her doctors say it's a miracle she survived. Though hesitant around strangers, she's a sweet girl, and very well behaved. Bailey should take notes.

"Aren't you finished yet!"

 It's not easy taking pictures of dogs. They have a talent for turning their heads when the photo is snapped. I'm in a constant state of deleting pictures. Daisy wishes I'd stop taking pictures altogether.

The old webbing factory is in three sections. This is the unfixed middle building seen from my client's living room.

 It will be a big job and take a long time. I can't imagine how much the renovations are costing the developers. I was told they may repair the facade first, and do the rest later.

As we pass under this on our walks, I hope it's well attached! There was a nice blue sky that day.

A river runs behind the factory.

There's also a falls.

 A flood accounts for the chunks of concrete in the foreground. Fortunately, it didn't come close enough to harm the building.

Gossip!

Bailey is telling her sister sad things about me. Don't believe a word of it. IT'S NOT TRUE! I CAN find the camera button! Honestly!

Becky

It's time to write about another ancestral pet. This is Becky, a devilish little cocker spaniel who made everyone smile except the cat. Since this picture was taken in 1980, I must have been twenty-three at the time. Though Becky is cute, that rug is an eyesore. Nightmare inducing braided rugs were popular in the seventies and eighties. A short time later, Becky was taken for a trim. The poor thing hated the trim, and hid behind the sofa for the longest time. I liked her better shaggy too. 

   

Another view of the ugly rug. Becky is obviously contemplating naughtiness in this photo. She was an accomplished escape artist, and loved to dig under fences for self-guided walks. I chased after her more than once. She'd stop, wag her tiny tail, then zip off just before capture. Once, I fooled her by lying on the ground until curiosity got the best of her and I grabbed her collar. She never fell for that again. She was a smart little tyke.

This is Becky's hidey sofa. The fashionable pillows where made by my mother. Whenever a dog walked past the house, Becky would drape herself on the back of the sofa to watch. She was a very friendly puppy who loved everybody and everything, and often expressed that love by squealing and/or peeing on the floor. Cockers frequently have weak bladders. She especially loved the paperboy. Since the paperboy was a daily visitor, paper towels were always at hand. Fortunately, she grew out of the peeing problem with age.

 

Hey! It's my mother! Since Mom inherited all the cheek bones in the family, nothing was left for the rest of us. Don't look at the chair. When Becky was first adopted, an effort was made to keep her in the kitchen at night. It soon became clear the effort was a failure. She'd climb over the doggie gate, run into my mother's bedroom carrying her spitty old chew toy, and sleep on the bed. Becky was the Queen, but her rule was benevolent.

Allowing pets to rule is a family tradition!

Winston

Winston

I'm sorry to say one of my little friends has passed away. Winston, a very gentlemanly beagle, is no longer with us. I'm currently sitting his brother Toby, who seems sad and lost without Winston for companionship. The human family is sad too. They had Winston since a puppy, and you know how upsetting it is when a member of the family dies. Toby, an occasionally nervous fellow from a beagle rescue, felt more secure with the emotional support of his friend. 

When I think of Winston, I remember him slipping and rolling down the hill behind his home . It's a VERY steep hill. He was already about fourteen, and walked in a stiff-legged old man shuffle. There he was, legs in the air, radiating a aura of finality. I thought he was dead! To my relief, he righted himself and tottered off holding his remaining dignity intact. Applause was required. 

He will be missed.

     



I Want a Hat Like That!

Since I won't have time to post anything lengthy for the next five days or so, I'll just share this picture of a young lady wearing a wonderful hat. I think she looks fetching! "Mimi's" not only a fashion statement, she doesn't need her computer to contact the web.  

Nora the Cat Plays Piano



Nora plays the piano better than I do!

German Postcards

This little "behind the wheel" beagle is from a series of German postcards printed between the late 1800's to early 1900's. I have named him Johnny, and greatly admire his goggles! The matted cards can be purchased at dogsonthenet.com.

There must be a race! Charles the pointer looks much more intense than Johnny. He obviously has places to go, and will tolerate no interference. The fur coat alone gives an air of entitlement. I suspect his family has money, and always provided his every wish. He'll eventually inherent and never work for a living. Sadly, his permissive puppyhood has made him badly spoilt and rude.  

A bulldog out butterfly hunting! Miss Harriet is determined to add to her collection. Though her fiance, Charles, finds her butterfly obsession silly, she does it in the name of science. She knows someday her name will be famous among entomologists everywhere. Her knowledge of success keeps her strong.

Hoping for a good catch, Old Salty Dog the collie could tell many stories. He's lived through storms, torn nets, nasty catfish and leaky boats. Regardless of it all, no one can herd the fish like Salty can. The wealthy of Salty's town depend on his fresh fish.

A very established looking mastiff named William. This fine soul lives in an elegant old home with a number of servants and his step-son Johnny. He recently got angry with Miss Harriet for running through the grounds after a butterfly she called "rare". Secretly, he finds Miss Harriet charming, but is loath to let anyone know. William has enough trouble with his step-son Johnny. Though the boy is kindly, he's constantly out racing automobiles and getting into trouble. Sometimes William just doesn't know what to do!

 

Madison the Taste Tester

Madison has graciously agreed to occasionally taste test cat foods and treats. I appreciate his willingness to assist in the important job of finding something cats may eat on a semi-regular basis if and when they feel like it.

The food tested was Best Feline Friend, or b.f.f.  for short. It's made by the same people who manufacture the Weruva brand of pet food. Best Feline Friend is a less costly product poor people such as myself can afford. I bought the tuna and shrimp flavor, since I never offered Madison food containing shimp before. The cute blue and white label featured a girl hugging her cat, and asserted the food inside was grain free. The first three ingredients listed where tuna, water sufficient for processing balance, and shrimp. When I opened the can, I was surprised to see tiny whole shrimp mixed with the tuna. That's what the pale things you see in the picture are. Though the food looked squishy, and somewhat gross, that's true of most cat foods. It smelled as I expected. 

   

To my surprise, Madison thought the food was delicious. He gobbled it all up, then asked for more. Most importantly, the tuna and shrimp didn't make an encore appearance on my rug. The cat next to Madison's dish is Flat Freddie. He's a picture on the place mat. 

An "artsy" picture of Madison.

The taste test went well. Madison liked b.f.f., and now prefers the special shrimp fare over his usual food. Then again, maybe it didn't go so well. Though b.f.f. is considered reasonably priced for a premium cat food, at over $1.00 a can, it's still a bit expensive for me. Except as a rare treat, b.f.f. will not be a constant on the menu. Poor gourmet Madison will have to tolerate the affordable stuff.   

 

Buttercup and the Next Ice Age

Nothing starts my day off better than a cheerful face. This is my friend Buttercup. She was found as a stray, and taken in by Adopt a Boxer Rescue. Though very thin at first, Buttercup has gained weight, and is now very happy in her new home in Pawtucket, RI. I don't know what happened to this girl, but she was obviously someone's pet. She's well mannered and walks nicely on a leash. I suspect she's a graduate of puppy school. She loves peanut butter and any kind of dog cookie. On Friday, her dads left a little peanut butter on a plate as a special treat. She somehow got the plate off the counter and ate all the special treat on her own. At least she didn't eat the plastic wrap it was covered in.   

      

You can see she's still a little thin.

Buttercup is looking thoughtful in this picture. It's too bad there's a garden hose behind her. It spoils the photo.

We take part of our walk through Slater Memorial Park. If you look closely, there's also a golf course lurking behind the trees. The whole thing looks a bit like fantasy la-la land. The sky is disturbingly blue. Oh dear!

A view of the trail. I always take poop bags along to pick-up the messes. Pawtucket takes good care of their park, and we need to be respectful guests.

A photo of the trail in the opposite direction. Annoying squirrels occasionally keep tabs as we walk along.

When not dodging nosey squirrels, we spend time in Buttercup's backyard gazing into her crystal ball. If you've read past posts, you'll know I've encountered yard decorations I call crystal balls. Though the last ball was bright red and predicted global warming, this one is an Earth-like blue with snow covered continents pointing to an imminent ice age. These crystal balls need to make up their minds! Well, if this one is correct, we better buy ourselves some thermals. It's going to get chilly. 

  

Maybe if we all grow enough hot peppers, the ice age won't happen! These peppers are in Buttercup's yard. There are also many, many, many, basil plants.

Well, Buttercup is tired now, and so am I. I think I'll go take a nap.

Maddy, Casey, Birdhouses and Psycho Bunny

Here's Maddy making her happy face. She's happy because she went outside for three seconds and thinks she's getting a carrot treat as a reward. Maddy lives for carrots. She's in a constant state of wanting and expecting carrots. If I look at the refrigerator, Maddy gets happy and excited about carrots. If I briefly go to my car, she gets happy and excited about carrots. If I collect the mail, she gets happy and excited about a carrot monsoon. All this happiness and excitement includes snorting, gasping, wheezing and noises I couldn't begin to explain in ordinary English. It's hilarious. Maddy's brother Casey also loves carrots.

 

Casey looks sad in this picture. Probably because his glutton of a sister stole his carrot. I have to stand next to Casey while he eats his treat or Maddy will grab it and run. Since poor Casey is totally blind, he's an easy victim to Maddy's greedy carrot obsession. Also, since only ten teeth remain in Casey's mouth, Maddy has plenty of time to plot her theft. It takes Casey a while to chew.

Maddy rolling in the grass. She is not semi-conscious from colliding with the barrel.

Not only does Maddy love carrots, she also loves to eat junk in the yard. The barrel you see in this picture catches acorns that apparently fall from the clouds, as no large tree grows nearby. It's a bit like Charles Fort's frog falls. Maddy crunches the cloud-born acorns up, and swallows them with glee. Recently, that barrel caused another problem. Maddy, seeing me go in, became so happy and excited she ran full tilt into the barrel. Hearing a strangely hollow thud, I thought she damaged herself with her foolishness. Fortunately, that was not the case. Maddy recovered, ran around the barrel, and went indoors as if nothing happened. Since Casey is the blind one, this is ridiculous! 

Casey is blind because he's diabetic and requires insulin injections twice a day to stabilize his system. I've acquired a flair for giving insulin injections. I haven't jabbed myself in the finger for months! Though Casey had many peeing accidents before, he's doing much better now. He's gained weight, and hasn't had an accident in days. He needs his face washed in this picture.

Lately, I've included yard decor in my pet posts. This is an American still-life featuring a psycho bunny.

A close-up of the bunny. It's seen too many mystery acorns fall from the clouds.

A cute birdhouse. Since it has two stories, I hope the neighbors upstairs are quiet.

A woodland gnome birdhouse. I suspect it climbs off the tree and crawls around the yard late at night.

"You've finished the post! Can I have a carrot now?"

Smart Donkey

A cute video.

Keno

I want to introduce you to a very handsome Siberian Husky named Keno. He's huge, pure white, and has lovely blue eyes. Though he's a white dog with blue eyes, his hearing is fine. Well, his hearing was fine until age started to catch-up with him. Now he relies more on sight than hearing. 

   

Keno doesn't care for the hot weather. On especially steamy days, The Big Furry Guy stays in the living room close to the air conditioner. Since I don't like hot weather either, I understand completely. He must be very happy September is finally here, and cooler temperatures aren't far away.