pardon me for bragging but i do love the composition of this photo. and it really reminds me of a sidney goodman painting.
actually, flan doesn't hate baths that much at all. particularly with the hose, in the yard.
note: ripley runs away and has to be caught at the end of the alley, with nowhere to turn. flan just stays and takes it.
been kinda slow updating here lately. in little news, there was another butterfly in the yard.
in much, much bigger news, ripley got a small piece of my gelato cone.
in medium-sized news, we only leave the house if we have to, and we really only have to to shop for food and to exercise the dogs. (you can see by ben's expression here, what summertime is like for us.)
but the biggest news of all of course is the carnival that was directly (you can see, very directly) outside our front door for ten days. we took quite a few pictures of it. and we miss it now that it's gone! but it's kinda nice to have the field back. we are just waiting for the return of the saxaphone guy.
this confused moth/butterfly thing was in between the storm door and the screen door to the backyard this morning.
when i say "unparallelled bedlam"... i am not exaggerating. every single animal was jumping in a snarling, unreasoning frenzy at the back door, and the winged thing was very upset indeed. he was so large, and so close, that you could see from his body language how freaked out he was. the fact that we were playing beethoven's piano sonatas during all of this was somehow fitting - it was all very frenetic.
i left the house, figuring there was nothing to be done about it. i had to put the ottoman up against the tv cabinet so ripley couldn't get back there and dig through the glass.
the animals were all still so focused on it four hours later that i just went and took the door off the track to free the thing. it was very pretty.
this photo may look picturesque and violence-free, but i was threatening ripley's life in low tones the entire time. she did not get to eat this butterfly/moth. this time.
in other news, the hair alliums appear to have entered the sinister "phase two" of their development.
she may refuse to kiss ben, but look at that look. that's love! or maybe greed! whatever!
the plates were leftover from passeaster; i didn't buy plates just for the dog's birthday. sheesh.
see flan's pretty new collar! also see that ripley - having a rough day and having received a dose of frontline that didn't seem to please her - has run off with her cake, away from the revelers, to enjoy it in solitude.
let's get ready to par-tay.
as expected, the birthday girl is very obsessed with the new novelty flying disc. (try to note her new striped collar; we'll try to get a better photo later today.)
they sell a frozen dog treat at the acme - i think the brand name is "frosty paws" - and they are like little dixie cups. i, stupidly, thought that flan and ripley wouldn't know "what to do" with them. not only did they know but it only took each of them about five seconds to figure out that it was a good idea to put the cup up against a flat surface perpendicular to the ground, so they wouldn't have to chase it all over the yard.
i got the peanut butter flavor, but for sure, i'm getting more for them next time.
frankie belongs to denise next door, and he is a special friend to ripley and a sometimes-friend to hillel. frank and rip don't get to see each other much over the winter, and are happy that it's getting warm. frank comes to the back door and waits for ripley often, and she knows the sound of the bell on his collar anywhere.
we too are very fond of frank and are glad to see he is enjoying the nice weather.
the only sad thing is how desperately hillel seems to wish he could get out and play, too. it's never gonna happen.
rip wants to be more like her uncle jeffrey, and since we took away her ethel merman cd's, this is how she's coping.
flan loves carrots too, although believe me when i say she made a far, far less photogenic display of herself eating hers.
we admit, we got the new staircase mostly for the dogs. the problem is, they both hate it. flannery will go up, but doesn't like getting past the newel at the top to come down. and ripley -- ripley prefers a carpeted step. these will get carpet runners after they are stained and sealed, but for now, we thought we'd get her practicing a bit.
right after the last picture, of course, she fell down, limped about tragically for a few minutes, and we haven't seen her go up again since. we'll get there.
it's entirely possible that this is contributing to her performance anxiety. the cats are offended that we are teaching the dog to climb the staircase. they are in for a rude awakening when she gets good at it.
okay. tomorrow's actually the day we brought her home, but today is the one-year anniversary of me meeting ripley at the animal refuge. and so, to celebrate, we have been saving these special xmas-themed cat voodoo dolls for the girls. i handed them over this afternoon, to great applause.
for those of you who shop for dog and cat toys -- i can't say i know the name of this company but the toys are everywhere, and they are great. dogs LOVE the floppy limbs -- we love the sturdy construction (flannery's "burglar" doll lasted about two years, although ripley can get one of these apart in a day or two. she still likes 'em though.) and the designs are always so cute!
i wish i could have gotten more action shots but i was laughing too hard. the first ten minutes they had them, all both dogs did was hold them in their mouths and shake them back and forth hard enough to dislodge their own brains. it was the best!
(also, i looked it up, and the company is called fat cat inc. -- they get our highest approval rating!)
we have a roomba vaccuum now, and ripley is getting used to it. the first time we ran it, she watched, then looked at us witheringly and pooped on the floor. the second time, she just watched.
the third time, she realized what the roomba was doing -- which of course was eating detritus off the floor. but ripley likes to eat detritus off the floor, and so, she was pretty pissed. and jealous. and, in no time at all, overcame her fear of the roomba, and began running a few steps ahead of it -- desperately licking up any bit of fuzz or leaf or schmutz she could find. way to be, ripley.
ripley is involved in a letter exchange with the little boy down the street. ever since we got ripley, she has been particularly entranced with this little boy, and he her. and lately they have been exchanging letters, and agreed to meet last night -- on halloween -- to show each other their costumes.
not surprisingly, rip was pretty freaked out by halloween. we had already been tormenting her with the mechanical bat (a family tradition), and the next door neighbors had a spooky soundtrack and strobe light coming from their basement. ripley was a bit overwhelmed. (hey, does our pumpkin look slightly korean to you?)
and even though rip had received a missive earlier in the week letting her know how her special friend would be dressed...
when he actually appeared -- walking stiffly and undoubtedly not smelling a bit like usual -- ripley went completely bonkers. although leashed and harnessed to our front steps, she backed out of all her restraints, and took off at top speed, across the street and towards the park.
it is an AWFUL thing to see your little brownheaded puppy disappear into the night, running in terror. ben, who had been sitting on the steps, flew after her. the treat bowl on his lap spun into the air. candy was everywhere. the robot and his sister, snow white, were pretty darned concerned, too. luckily, the drama was very short-lived. ripley is home safely and is looking forward to a visit with her friend as long as he has returned to his normal identity.
other than that, it was a perfectly good halloween! roasted pumpkin seeds are great on tilapia, by the way.
halloween can't come soon enough for ripley -- and with its passing, the return of her dignity. she does not know about the wine-colored satin christmas gown with rhinestone belt buckle, from target, that is sitting on the bookshelf.
you know what they say: don't postpone joy. it may be a little early for halloween costume pictures but god knows there is NO guarantee they will be willing to do this for us in another four weeks. now that they know what it entails, chances are they won't be willing to do it again (although we really laid it on with the treats afterwards.)
if you are a reader of this blog, you never know when you will be asked to walk ripley. and if you walk ripley, you will need to know how to put her into her new harness!
begin by noting that we leave the leash attached to the harness when we take it on and off. the "D" ring to which the leash attaches is arrayed such that the leash will, when the harness is on, "point" toward ripley's tail.
when you have it all oriented in your hands, tell ripley to SIT. the center loop of the harness can be slid easily over her head.
if that first step has gone correctly, it will look like this.
next, put ripley's LEFT front leg through the loop. the loop itself will seem very loose and floppy -- it will get snugged up in the next step.
ripley is very good at putting her foot through the loop.
snap the snap closed BEHIND ripley's RIGHT front leg. she also picks her leg up to help you get the pieces of the snap together! snapping the snap will make the left leg's loop get snugger.
here's how it looks when she's ready to go!
do not be alarmed when the first thing ripley does when her harness is on is to attack the leash. this is what she loves to do.
grrrrrrr!
to take off the harness, just unsnap it, then pull out her left leg (she will help) and then pull it off over her head (she will help). leave the leash attached to the harness for the next time!
here you see ripley in the backyard, hanging out with her best cat friend frankie from next door -- while hillel looks on from the inside. hillel thinks he wants to go outside, but hillel is wrong. i'm sure he wouldn't like it. i'm sure it would bring back many bad memories. but he does like to watch!
we know. garden garden garden. dogs dogs dogs.
ben IS painting the steps to the basement, but really, is that better than pictures of dogs in a garden?
it's not and you know that.
therefore...
dogs dogs dogs
garden garden garden garden dogs.
the girls love going to the ballfield across the street and running like crazy. they are always finding icky old toys and balls and stuff.
ripley likes rolling over in the clover -- but, when it comes to her formal rolling-over lessons, it's flannery who steals the show.
ripley enjoyed the numerous guests on the fourth, and their numerous plates, and numerous kinds of meat on their plates. lou took more pictures which will probably be forthcoming, although this was of course the photo-op of the afternoon.
yes, hillel is truly an amazing cat.
ha ha ha. you KNEW i meant ben. and so did ben.
here is ben up on the roof of the powder room -- an addition to the original house that isn't even as big as a double bed, but has its own roof nonetheless -- putting some sealant on it. the air conditioner drips onto this little roof (which we were told in inspection wasn't long for this world) and we are getting some drips in the powder room. eventually, it will be replaced, but for now, sealant is fine.
poor ben, out there on the roof with a nasty summer cold. the best cure: a nap with a puppy.
he knew i was going to post that, too.
we hoped she'd look like paris hilton in it, but really she looked like a miserable sausage robbed of any dignity it might have contained within its natural casings. so we gave the dress to cousin kira in broolyn, who might also be too big for it -- we shall see.
and the heat is on. why why why does philly have to be so darned disgusting in the summertime? nearly unbearable.
happy birthday, flannery jane!
we began the special day with designer doggie cookies (that frankly smelled, to me, like italian bakery finery -- not impossible for my ex to confuse the two) from flanny's daddy. flan and ripper shared the cookies throughout the day, slowly whipping into an unstoppable frenzy of greed and entitlement.
then... cake!!!
let us not forget one year ago today, when flannery's tenth birthday was overshadowed by a mantis bomb.
come on, doesn't that sound like a perfect lead-in for this photo?
what makes them get like this? the two of them are so much greater than the sum of their parts, and they keep each others' counsel and NO others. it's scary; i am very aware many days that i am the enemy.
i don't know what this is about either. i call this their andy warhol/velvet underground and nico look. they were just like, "let's be art."
i swear it is like living with a motorcycle gang that speaks esperanto. i am such an outsider now.
in the yard, with the hose.
i hate you, mom.
when rip gets wet, she gets curly -- it's very cute!
god, you give dogs baths and they just smell WORSE somehow.
better than a knocked-up britney spears being bitch-slapped by her inbred husband! better than bendy-toy jessica simpson and her giant ugly gash of a mouth! better than cigarettey, jack-o-lantern-headed lindsay lohan!
it's flanny and ripley, alone in the backyard, being good! eating flowers, yes, but being "good"!
there are lots of things to look at in the backyard. like jimmy and joe's pretty pink kleenex tree...
or the peonies that lyn and eric gave us, which will bloom any week now...
...but of course, if you are rip and flan, you are looking at something else.
frank.
frank is the next-door neighbor's cat. he comes and sits at our back door, asking for ripley and flan to come out -- or at least, for hillel and gib to come to the back door, so they can all talk. (and probably share business cards, of which hillel has quite a collection.)
frank's owner is amazed at how well frankie gets along with the dogs, and how well they get on with him. sometimes, the three of them are just sitting outside together, in the sun.
frank is stepping on my squash plants a little too much, but, he's still welcome.
a nice big field across the street. a dog that does come when she is called. and a dog that does not.
what to do?
make flannery responsible for what happens to ripley -- by putting them on opposite ends of the same leash, and letting go!
and, for her most hardcore fans, the penthouse-style, vaseline-lens, soft-focus cheesecake shot:
notsoswift.com visitors may notice that the "from seeds" blog no longer exists. i felt that any plant and gardening blogging i did from now on would be more at home on the "album" page, right here. and, in the battle of my duel personalities of documentarist/slash-and-burn artist, guess which won out? suffice it to say, all the "from seeds" posts no longer exist (although many pictures of last year's mantids, and previous years' gardening, still do exist in the home category of this page.)
ripley was her usual helpful self while ben replanted seedlings yesterday. ripley LOVES being in the yard, and can even spend a little time out there on her own, which is nice for everyone.
we are not doing mantis egg sacs this year since we are having our backyard planter rebuild by a mason -- a neighbor who is currently shuttling back and forth between his home on our block, and a restoration project at the library of congress. and the thought of wet mortar coinciding with the birth and frolicksome childhood of some six hundred mantid babies was not a pretty thought. but we did do some sowing; ben's valentine's day gift from me was a bouquet of rare heirloom variety seeds, including "green zebra" tomatoes and about fifteen varieties of pumpkin, squash and gourd, including "thai large pumpkin", "kukuza", "yugoslavian finger fruit", "tennessee spinning gourd" and others.
we also sowed wisteria seeds, from a pod i snatched last fall at maple acres on our annual pumpkin buying trip. i remember this day as the day we went to visit lyn and eric, and so i feel extra strongly that the wisteria should do well. in fact, there are two pink peony plants from lyn and eric somewhere in our planter right now, and i am really hoping they make an appearance this year.
more gardening posts will follow soon -- as well as comprehensive coverage of this years home improvements including "backyard and planter" as well as "grotto" and "out front".
the whole gang in handknit sweaters! (and ben in a handknit hat as well.)
early march comes in like a jack russell/dachshund mix... and goes out like... what?
crappity crappity crap.
once valentine's day has come and gone, i have no use for this winter thing. so tired of the grey, achey feeling; so tired of the soup and the stew; so tired of the dry itchy skin; so tired of the piles of coats and sweaters and gloves and hats.
what to do?
but huddle up on the couch with a little live courtroom coverage via court tv (ripley has a crush on vinnie politan...)
or, chase the beam of a laser pointer around the room. but it seems i'd be late getting on the bandwagon where that is concerned.
ho hum. we REALLY need some sun, and a few crocuses.
puppies can help make pancakes on the weekends.
puppies can help do your income taxes!
nope, that's not the title of the lately-discovered sixth "ripley" novel by patricia highsmith. although that would be very exciting.
these are just... ripley's teeth. she's been losing them like mad. look how we got all four of the "main" fangy ones! bingo! is there a prize?
we didn't name this little chickpea "ripley" because she stretches the limits of credibility, but, believe it or not, in an attempt to outwit us when it came to crate training, this puppy actually refused to pee for sixteen hours. (and had as many walks outside as there were hours in that standoff. probably more.) she looked like a water balloon. but, then, she gave in.
we did NOT name her ripley in honor of the last survivor of the nostromo. although there is an analogy there, for crate training, that we would be using if she understood it:
the house = the nostromo
the crate = the escape pod of the nostromo
pee = the alien!
you don't want the alien in the nostromo. you CERTAINLY don't want it in the escape pod with you! you want it OUTSIDE!!!
but that's beyond ripley.
not entirely, we think. some, sure. but we see some beagle in here. and maybe some dachsund.
housebreaking success has waxed and waned this week. ripley and flannery have slept together on a dog bed alllll night, like big girls, and ripley has lost a tooth! (in a struggle to get an antibiotic tablet in her mouth, we discovered the tooth lodged in ben's elbow, stuck there with peanut butter.)
but we are hearing distinctive beagle bark in this girl, and the vet said she was "long" (hint hint!)
ad infinitum, ripley would like to remind you all, particularly at this holiday season: DON'T BREED OR BUY WHILE SHELTER PETS DIE.
santa has confirmed for us what ripley would like for christmas this year.
she wants hamsters. lots of hamsters. running. playing. o god. hamsters. look at them. moving. living. breathing. hamsters. now.
i opine that you could take certain puppy toys, in the packaging they come in at the stores, and switch them with the baby toys in the MoMA design and bookstore, and no one would ever be the wiser.
ripley is already enjoying toys -- some new ones, and some old ones that never suited flannery properly. ripley and hillel have actually been playing with toys together, and they also shared a milk-bone this morning, with hillel eating the crumbs that fell out of ripley's mouth, as they lay head to head on the steps to the den.
flannery, gibson and hillel have a sister this christmastime! she's between 12 and 16 weeks old, and is a jack russell terrier. her name is ripley edith. she came home tonight, from the morris animal refuge, where i met her for the first time yesterday.
so far, she's very popular with the crowd here!