Favorites of 2019; New Names for Ewe Lambs

I’m still reveling in a holiday break. Seeing friends, working Maggie, learning about writing fiction, cooking, eating . . . Even organized my massive collection of recipes:

I also have file as big as your arm of “recipes that I should try sometime.” There are so many that I’d have to do little but cook for months to try them all out. Worse things could happen.

I thought a fun way to end the year is to list some of my favorites in hopes that they add to your life as they have to mine. I’m counting on you all to add your own and enrich our lives even more.

I’m interspersing my list of favorites with some of the favorite photographs that I’ve taken, not just from 2019, but from years past. I hope you enjoy them.

My favorite FACEBOOK PAGE is far and away Frans de Waal’s public page. He has permission to post the work of some of the most amazing wildlife photographers imaginable. (I wish I could show you some, but alas, I don’t have permission.) I visit his page several times a week, and I’m always happier after I do. Also included are some great videos, including those of dogs and cats. Check it out if you haven’t already.

         Scarlet Macaws playing/fighting/courting(?) outside of Lapa Rios, Costa Rica, February 2019

 

My favorite INSTAGRAM poster is The Dogist. Here’s the description from the website. “The Dogist was created in 2013 by Elias Weiss Friedman, whose goal was to create a happy place on the internet for dog lovers .  . .  Elias has since photographed over 30,000 dogs across the world, authored a NYT Bestselling book, and gathered an audience of over 3.6 million people on social platforms.” This is another way to find a reason to smile, always a good thing.

               Willie at the Nippersink  Sheepdog Trial, the day I decided to retire him from competition.

My favorite animal-related blog is Companion Animal Psychology. As author Zazie Todd says, By Zazie Todd, PhD. “Happy cats. Happy dogs. Thanks to science.”  That pretty much sums up what is important to many of us–using science-based information to improve the lives of our dogs. Bloggers are never supposed to send their readers to other blogs, but really, that’s like an author never recommending someone else’s book. If you haven’t read this one yet, check it out. It’s great.

                                                    Flowers. What would I do without them?

 

Favorite dog-related magazine? It’s a tie, between Bark magazine and Whole Dog Journal. Both magazines add greatly to my life with dogs, from the vast range of topics in Bark–art, literature, behavior, psychology–to the laser focus of Whole Dog Journal on physical and behavioral health. It’s a tough world in publishing right now, and I am grateful that these two magazines are there for us.

             This photograph makes me so happy I enlarged it and hung it in the garage by the door.

My favorite memoir of the year, paws down, is Deep Creek by Pam Houston. I reviewed in March of 2019, and said “I love this book, love it deeply and completely. It is everything a book should be: Brilliantly written, flat out honest, rich with a sense of place in the Colorado Rockies, layered with her love of the land, her dogs, her donkeys, her stranded elk babies and frozen water tanks.” I’m sure it’s not for everyone, Pam doesn’t mince words, but I adored it.

    I took this photo in fall at the Japanese Garden in Portland, OR. It’s one of my favorite photos ever.

Favorite New Dog -Related book? I’m going for Canine Enrichment for the Real World by Allie Bender and Emily Strong. Here’s what Ken Ramirez said about it: “Don’t let the word “enrichment” in the title fool you into thinking that the scope of this book is too narrow or not something you will find valuable. It focuses comprehensively on meeting your dog’s needs and is written in a holistic, science-based, practical, straightforward, and easy-to-understand way. I love this book!” I don’t know about you, but if Ken, animal trainer extraordinaire, says it’s good, you know it is.

      This is the one photograph here that I didn’t take; it was taken by a good friend, Robert Streiffer.

And last but never least, I couldn’t resist reposting one of my favorites from my collection of signs that make me laugh.

MEANWHILE, back on the farm: Meet our newly named ewe lambs! BaaBaa Streisand, Baabarella  and Badonna. Thanks and gratitude to J Christine (BaaBaa Streisand), Frances (Baabarella) and Helen Parker (Baadonna) for their contributions. Who knew social media would provide endless years of joy, by coming up with the best names ever, including Lady Baa Baa and Meryl Sheep.

Now all I have to do is decide who is who, and how to learn to distinguish them. I could put larger ear tags on them, but it’s fun for me to find subtle differences on their faces that allow me to identify each as individuals. Once an ethologist, always an ethologist.

And you? Your favorites from 2019? We’ll all love to hear from you.

              And, HAPPY HAPPY NEW YEAR! AND NEW DECADE! Wow. 2020. Wow.