Eyes on stalks

I almost stepped on this snail the other morning as he "scurried" across the dirt road out in the vineyard. He withdrew into his shell (like that would have saved him), but I saw him and was able to adjust my step. I waited about thirty seconds and he came back out of his shell and continued across the road. I like that his eyes show up in the photo.

Hurry up!

I really shouldn't call it a "him." Most snails are hermaphroditic. I won't get into the details of their reproduction here. I'm still having my morning coffee.

It's always something

If it's not one thing, it's another, as Roseanne Roseannadanna's father used to say. On Thursday night around nine o'clock, I took Tasha outside for the last time before bedtime. We wandered around a bit with no result. Then, suddenly, it started to rain. And thunder. Tasha turned and ran back into the house to get out of the rain (and so did I). We spent the next hour with Callie barking at the thunder and Tasha barking at Callie. Then, finally, sleep.

A rose in our garden.

Later, at about three-thirty in the morning, I woke up to the muffled sounds of Tasha poking around in the room. Uh-oh. So I got up, got dressed, and took her outside. The rain had ended and the moon was shining brightly. Then, suddenly, the loudspeaker out in the vineyard screamed out with wild animal noises (to scare the deer). It wasn't enough to scare the you-know-what out of Tasha, but still, she turned tail and ran back into the house (and so did I). Then, after a while, more sleep.

At five o'clock I opened my eyes and could see the back-lit silhouette of Tasha starting to crouch down across the room. I got up abruptly, startling her, got dressed (again) and whisked her outside (again). After a few minutes of sniffing around in the damp grass, she did her business. Tasha then trotted proudly back into the house (and so did I). What a night!

Well, duh

When we picked up Tasha from the breeder's, the breeder gave us a lot of information, as breeders are wont to do. For example, she told us how Sheltie ears should be folded over, and if Tasha's ears tried to stand up, we should bend them manually and use glue if we had too. We're not doing that. If Tasha's ears want to stand up, they are welcome to do so (she's not going to be a show dog).

Close up of a peony, now blooming in our garden.

Another thing she told us was more practical: feeding. The breeder fed Tasha four times a day. One-quarter cup of puppy chow each time. Once we got home, we decided four times was too much trouble and that we'd do only three feedings a day: morning, noon, and night. So we did that. Then, after two weeks, I realized that feeding Tasha just before bedtime meant, well, that she'd need to "go" during the night. So we have just stopped the evening meal. Tasha now gets a good breakfast, and a good lunch. Then just a treat or two before bedtime. So far, so good. No more morning surprises in the loft? Hope springs eternal.

Leafus interruptus

The first half of April was unusually warm and dry, and the trees and grape vines started to bloom and leaf out. Then the freeze hit. The greening of the vineyard was abruptly interrupted. It's starting to recover now, but the impact that the freeze will have on this year's harvest will likely be significant.

This photo is from last week. The vines look a little greener now, but not much.

The late April freeze was promptly followed by a couple weeks of chilly and wet weather which, unfortunately, coincided with Tasha's arrival. Being cooped up indoors with an active puppy and having to take her outside in the cold rain is not particularly fun (two reasons for not getting a puppy as winter begins). There have been some nice days, and we enjoy them because we can be outdoors with the dogs. Wednesday was beautiful and we got some outdoor work done (garden tilling, mowing, etc.).

The piney woods

Callie and I haven't ventured into the piney woods in quite a while. It's really neat in there, but getting in is not easy. The edges of the woods are thick with small trees, bushes, and brambles. It's easier to get in and out on the far end, but a clear path through is not easy to find. We'll have to give it another try one day soon.

The piney woods, just beyond a small parcel of sauvignon blanc.

I woke up at five this morning when the garbage truck came by. Tasha was active, so I got up, dressed, and took her out. Pee but no poop. We came back in and I fed her, then took her out again. Nothing. I dealt with the cat and played with Tasha a little, then took her outside again. Still nothing. As it turns out, she had done a nice poop up in the loft before I had even got out of bed. Baby steps...

Tasha Tuesday

With Callie. I think I'll try to post one photo of Tasha each week for a while and see how that goes. When Callie was a pup, I did "Puppy Pic of the Week." That evolved into "Periodic Puppy Pics," the fact that they weren't particularly periodic notwithstanding.

Nous sommes deux sœurs jumelles, nées sous le signe des gémeaux. Not!

Both dogs were outside just before I cut the grass on Friday afternoon. I wanted them to sit together, but they would not have it. Until after I put the camera away, of course.

Through the woods

This is the Artsy Organized Neighbor's "road to nowhere." It connects to the vineyard road on the far end, but stops abruptly at the edge of a ravine (behind where I'm standing). It's part of one of Callie's favorite walks through the woods.

The meticulously maintained road to nowhere.

The French presidential race is finally over, as you more than likely know by now. I'm glad that the extreme-right candidate lost. It will be interesting to see how Macron's cabinet shapes up and what will happen in the National Assembly. The new president doesn't belong to any established political party and therefore has no seats, let alone a majority, in the assembly. Parliamentary elections are coming up next month. Like I said, it will be interesting.