Tis the season

Seeing summer out

A little visual to savor on this day after the autumnal equinox, the last day of summer punctuated by blue skies and Border collie anticipation, and within hours after this Frisbee lawn ritual, a cold front moved through Whatcom County, accompanied by non-stop rain showers and gusty winds. And from now until May, Casey will have to finesse each catch through fall and winter blusters. 

Another must-share

This is just another one of those feel-good videos that a friend of mine posted on Facebook that I just had to share. After all, it has all the right ingredients, abandoned pets, inseparable companions, frolicking in a river, and a happy ending. How can it not go viral? 

 

Purple summer send-off

Catching my eye today as I was cutting the lawn was a showy purple perennial that was pulsating with living color, enhanced by late afternoon sunshine and hundreds of honey bees in a mad scramble to collect an autumn cache of pollen to last the winter.

Of course right away I’m thinking Chrysanthemums until I check with Victoria and Google. It seems this variety is the Michaelmas daisy, or aster, and it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down, at least for the next few days, as it ushers in fall.   

Soft landing

All we ever have to say aloud is, “Did we do Casey’s eyes today?” and he immediately goes airborne, landing right in the center of the living room couch. It’s not that he’s excited to receive his daily dose of tacrolimus on each cornea, he’s not. He just knows that it’s inevitable, so he assumes the position on the couch – usually after a standing jump - and Vic works her magic, applying a dab in each eye. Today grandson Ezra and daughter-in-law Ernelyn got a lapful of Border collie before we could rephrase the question. Cute picture though.

Sweet spot

Oh boy! Greg’s home. And before he can even get shut his car door Casey’s on his way across the street to shamelessly work his favorite guy neighbor for a rubdown. When it comes to soliciting for a scratch behind the ear, or anyplace else for that matter, the kid’s got no pride, and like most pooches, is all sweet spot.

 

Oh yeah. Right there.

Grabbing a nap

With the grand kids at the house after school (you can tell by the backpacks on the right), Casey knows to keep a low profile while grabbing a well-deserved snooze. Smart guy.

Peace rally in Bellingham

A enthusiastic gathering of over 150 organized by Bellingham’s peace coalition and represented by banner and sign holders from across generational and political spectrums – progressives, anti-war activists, county Tea Party supporters, Republicans and Dems - occupied Bellingham’s Five Corners intersection at Lakeway and Ellis for over an hour beginning at noon on Saturday.

And after an enthusiastic midtown response from hundreds of drivers opposing war in Syria, the crowd marched on both sides of Holly Street to the Farmers Market where members were tabling for another week to gather signatures for a petition demanding a peaceful resolution to the Syrian conflict. Organizers are hoping for the best but planning for additional actions and demonstrations this week following a less than favorable vote in the Senate or House, and even worse, a possible attack on Syria with global repercussions.

Leavings

Synchronizing rain showers today paid off with an opportunity to get in a jog on the south side with the kid. And, from the looks of the trail, the soggy leavings of summer are just about everywhere, clear evidence that the party’s just about over as far as our annual ration of 70◦ sunshine is concerned.

Bergamot with bee

How serendipitous is this shot. I had absolutely no idea what kind of a summer bloom this was until Victoria schooled me. There was something especially intergalactic about it so I had to get a shot before it started losing its luster. 

And I ended up with a “two-fer” that included this lonely bumblebee giving a splash of bergamot lavender a once-over.

Saner minds and a simple song

Anti-war rally in downtown Bellingham

Clearly, I’ve had better weeks.

Oh, this one started out OK. A meeting with my Democratic Congressional representative, arranged with no expectations whatsoever that he would be actively listening much less agree to get back to me, ended on that positive note. Over the weekend he must have pondered my position opposing military intervention in Syria, because his community liaison Thomas phoned on Monday. The Congressman wanted to know if I had changed my position, in light of John Kerry’s stern remarks at the State Department, citing Assad’s “undeniable” use of a chemical weapon on the civilians of Ghouta.

Since the Tomahawks were on lock ‘n load, my email reply (below) had to be crystal clear. The survival of the species was at stake.

Thomas,

Just to recap, during our meeting last week I urged Rick to “actively oppose any military intervention in Syria…while supporting diplomatic approaches to conflict resolution. This preferable peaceful alternative should also include an endorsement for constitutionally approved elections scheduled for next year in Syria as a non-violent opportunity to permit political change without violence or the threat of violence. Until all key actors are seated at the negotiating table, including Iran, the political tensions at play will only escalate.” While this diplomatic alternative to “letting slip the dogs of war” may seem simplistic, it could work. A ceasefire could be obtained if the Obama Administration pressured Saudi Arabia, the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, as well as Turkey to halt the flow of weapons to the Syrian opposition, while negotiating in good faith with Russia and the now moderate Iranian leadership to do the same. Appeasing Israeli right wingers and DC warmongers by wreaking additional havoc on a war-torn country that poses absolutely no threat to the US doesn’t even have an end game. Remember the end state that Bush redefined for five years? Or is the next so-called “coalition of the willing” actually gearing up for an attack on Iran?... In short, VFP (Veterans For Peace) seeks to abolish war as an instrument of national policy, so there would be no change to my position since we last spoke. As a leader in the organization and a combat veteran who knows first-hand war’s enormous costs, I would urge Rick to not line up in support of more destruction and protecting Obama’s right flank – like John Kerry. I listened to Kerry’s remarks today and he was a disgrace – he “Colin Powell-ed” us, without even the courtesy of a faked proof of a chemical attack. And this from a fellow vet that once said of the Vietnam disaster “How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?" Well, how about the next! Or the next kid, or the next thousand kids.

Thanks for calling, Thomas. I’m hoping Rick does the right thing.

 
Today it looks like similar pressure from all over the country has paid off, at least for now. Obama was forced to call for a debate and vote in Congress, for an authorization to attack Syria. Imagine that...let's hope it fails miserably. A reprieve of sorts, but there's still a hard road ahead.

Dusky standout

It's easy to underestimate existing ambient light late in the day, what with fringes of daylight slipping into various recesses of our backyard just after legal sunset. But today our blue hydrangea, one of the last blossom holdouts of summer, seemed to be basking in the gloaming. And we actually noticed.

At least I'm not sucking my thumb

One of the kid’s little idiosyncrasies, among several that might even seem normal for Border collies, is toting his Frisbee around the house; at least until his ma Victoria puts the kibosh on it.  You’d think by now that he would keep it, along with its fresh coat of slobber, on the down-low.

It might be the closest thing to a Linus security blanket for Casey, sometimes ending up in his kennel at night, but it’s still one warm canine fuzzy that will never become an indoor fixture anytime soon.

An LOL "must-share"

You’ve got to at least give this distant cousin of Casey’s some credit…he’s persistent.

Leading the way

Away…come bye, left…right, Casey is usually on the same wavelength as me before I need to vocalize the next turn. Not always, but most of the time. And it’s not like I’m biased or anything, but I never take this pseudo sixth sense for granted anymore. Today’s outing was a good example, with no rationale for my favoring one turn over the other, and the kid didn’t disappoint.

Now he’s just getting impatient with me, and deservedly so, simply for hanging a right.      

Singing from the same sheet of music

During a long weekend in Madison, Wisconsin - actually Wednesday through Sunday - Victoria and I attended the National Veterans For Peace Conference, and a highlight for many of us was participating in a noon Capitol Rotunda sing-a-long each day. It was exhilarating standing up for the First and Fourth Amendments, risking arrest while defending free speech along with other folks from all over the country. In case you’re wondering, during our session several people were arrested and fined over $200 bail each. Victoria and I lucked out. A side note – Veterans For Peace representatives organized a human mic on the Capitol grounds and raised more than enough bail money to cover everyone hauled in for peace and justice.

Did you hear that?

A half hour after official sunset, while Casey and I were finishing up our walk on the interurban trail, we both became aware that we were being watched. A dead giveaway was the tell-tale screech of an Great Horned Owl, common in the Whatcom Falls Park area, as it tailed us along the creek path. Casey was more than happy to get off the trail and head for home. He’d probably been hearing this watchful predator soundtrack long before his ol’ man. 

This final screechy, even eerie send off was occurring from a branch about 15 feet above the path. Wish I had more than my phone to capture a little visual, but you get the point.

    

Don't tell Casey

From today’s vet STREET – Your Pet, Your Vet: 

Often referred to as a canine Eistein, the Border collie has a desire to work that borders on the obsessive…if he is underemployed at home, he is likely to develop compulsive behaviors such as chasing light and shadows, twirling in circles, and bouncing up and down…be prepared to keep him busy with dog sports, activities around the house, etc. etc.
  
Right. Like tonight.

Stutter step

The things Casey’s gotta do, especially on the days when the grandkids are over. Today, a simple walk around the neighborhood was more invigorating than it had to be, with Kaya and Silas on point. And in spite of frequent leg-leash disentanglements, and a sporadic pace that would wear out even the most patient grandparents, our guy was perfectly accommodating as he let them “lead” him home. 

That's a good boy.

Shake, my friend

Nearly every day Satwant, our Sikh neighbor, goes out of his way to finish up his daily stroll by cajoling a paw shake out of Casey. Believe it or not, Case has made a point of dropping everything - even putting a Frisbee toss on hold - to cater to our cul de sac elder. While Satwant's English is limited, he has mastered a heavily accented “Shake, my friend”, and our guy never disappoints.