Good morning. ☕☕☕

5 December 2025

I was looking forward to cooler weather. Well—it’s here, and it brought the wet with it. I suspect this will be one of those winters that turns part of my yard into a bog, a soggy muddy mess.

Here’s Charlie. It’s ten minutes to mealtime, and he’s making sure I don’t forget. We’ve been hunkered down inside for several days while I try to adjust to the damp chill. And yes, here I go again, talking about the weather. I keep telling myself: get out there, take a walk. At the end of the driveway it’s nothing but a muddy mess, but maybe we’ll go this morning after Charlie eats. Just Charlie and his trusty sidekick—me.

When was the last time you took a trip on a bus? For me, it’s been a while. About twenty years ago, when we first moved here, we rode a Greyhound bus to Houston to pick up a car we had shipped from Germany. The Greyhound stop in town has since closed.

Decades ago, though, I was a regular passenger. Duffle or seabag stowed beneath, and off down the highway. It was a thing then, and I suppose it still is for some folks.

My late mother-in-law used to tickle me with her approach. She treated it as an adventure, always calling it “riding the dog.” She wouldn’t fly, so we’d bring her in by Greyhound when she came to visit. My wife and her sisters would track her progress from stop to stop, like following a trail of breadcrumbs.

There are still Greyhound stations in the larger cities, but I rarely see one of their buses on the road anymore.

“Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet.” — Bob Marley

“Dogs are our link to paradise. They don’t know evil or jealousy or discontent.” — Milan Kundera

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” — St. Augustine

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #wildlife #nature #bird #birds #birding #birdwatching #birdphotography #morning #beach #ocean #greyhoundbus #weather #dogs

Good morning. 🐶🐈☕

2 December 2025

Charlie is right here, nudging me to scratch his head—it’s a thing, you know. He gets something out of it, perhaps a feeling of kinship or belonging, and of course I do too. Scientifically speaking, petting a dog releases oxytocin—the “love hormone”—that bonds us together. Dog or cat, it works beautifully. I doubt it’s the same for an iguana or a goldfish, but what do I know. At the same time, cortisol—the stress hormone—drops, calming you, while dopamine and serotonin rise, further inducing contentment. So if you have a furry friend nearby, reach out.

I glance out the window and see darkness and gloom—not doom, just a cold, drizzly morning. The birds are absent, but the squirrels are busy raiding the feeders, as usual. Until I let Charlie out the back door, that is. For him, it’s sport—chasing squirrels. Sometimes it’s fun to watch the sudden scatter of birds and squirrels when Charlie charges outside.

I’ve thought about installing a pet door in the back storm door, or perhaps replacing it with one that already includes a pet door. For those across the water, a storm door is simply a door that’s one big window, sitting outside the entry door. But I wonder—would I be inviting critters in if I did that? The last thing I need is a squirrel, raccoon, or possum bouncing around inside the house. And what about the local reptiles? Would they see it as an open invitation? I’ll need to give it some more thought. 🤔

“Happiness is a warm puppy.” – Charles M. Schulz

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass… it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” – Vivian Greene

“Nature is alive with surprises; just look at the squirrels racing through the trees.” – William Faulkner

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #wildlife #nature #morning #barn #architecture #dogs #pets #weather

Good morning. 🦋🍂🍁

19 November 2025

The Battle of the Bed

Here’s an interesting story about Ben and Charlie.

Ben was a smallish black-and-tan terrier who passed away this past June. He’d been with us for over sixteen years, so now it’s just Charlie—the border collie. You know, Ben’s been gone five months, and I still haven’t moved his bed. But that’s not the story.

Back when Ben was around, their beds were tucked together in a corner. Ben’s was nestled beneath a tall sofa table. For reasons only he knew, he liked having overhead cover—even indoors. That bed stayed in the same spot his entire life.

Then came Charlie. We added a second bed, placing it some distance away on the wood floor. But as Charlie grew, he became attached to Ben. Slowly, he started nudging his bed closer. I noticed what was happening and eventually moved Charlie’s bed right up against Ben’s in the corner.

Now, Charlie being Charlie—he can be a pest and really work a nerve—they’d occasionally quarrel. But all in all, the beds being together seemed to work. Every now and then I’d find Charlie’s bed moved, and I’d slide it back into place. Until…

One day, I let Charlie out into the backyard and went to work in my office. Soon I heard a scoot, scoot, scoot coming from the family room. Curious, I peeked around the corner—and there was Ben, using his head to push Charlie’s bed away from his.

I chuckled. I knew exactly what was going on. Charlie can be a nuisance.

And so, the battle of the bed continued.

“Day after day, the whole day through—Wherever my road inclined—Four-Feet said, ‘I am coming with you!’ And trotted along behind.” — Rudyard Kipling

“The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too.” — Samuel Butler

#morning #butterfly #dogs #photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers