Restroom sentiment

Okay, so Border Collies didn’t make the top ten American AKC breed list…again, but then again no Golden Retriever or German Shepherd, or Beagle made the wall of the restroom in Bellingham's Home Skillet. 

And the Katherine Hepburn quote is also a nice touch. 

Debut

No one’s hiding from Casey. It’s just that we noticed the first lilac buds of 2013 are debuting in the front yard. It seems a little early, and the branches aren’t exactly bowing from their weight, but it’s a start. 

Standoff

Just had to share this standoff between a couple of determined BFFs – “best farm friends”– a focused forager and a leash-obsessed pooch. Casey’s also hooked on tugging on his leash before a run or walk, but he was sporting a cracked rib when we found him, probably from hanging around horses. So we don’t see him nearly as driven as this very distant cousin.

Springscape

Casey and Company played a waiting game today with continuous rain dictating the extent of our aerobics.  As usual our boy was perfectly comfortable staying put, warm and dry, until a brief afternoon break let us squeeze in a sloppy, high-twitch, wind-churned Frisbee toss.  Now, toweled off and close by the crackling syncopation of the free-standing stove, the kid is likely working on a much drier spring dreamscape.     

Staying power

Now this is staying power. Say what you will about Stella’s enduring sleep patterns. When it comes to waiting for the free-standing stove to kick in with some radiant heat, she’s definitely in for the long haul.

Sun sync

How often does the perfect glint of sunshine sync with a ready camera and a Casey pose? Today it just happened to come together, long enough for a favorite weekend image.

Lap dog

What do you do when a 56 pound border collie really wants a back rub and thinks he’s a lap dog or a cat?

If you’re lucky, you see it coming and get to brace yourself. If not, at least Casey's pretty light on his feet.

Away from it all

When you consider Stella’s environs are somewhat limited as an indoor domestic house cat, she can still be as elusive as she needs to be, especially when it comes to napping. Her latest hideaway, an out-of-the-way closet storage bin that is just clandestine enough to even throw Casey off for a while.

Couch crash

So do you think our “working” dog got some work today? This is definitely a must share.

Snugglers

OK, Stella does a lot of sheet time, right? There is also no way she will ever suffer from sleep deprivation. Lately though she’s added a new wrinkle to stacking zzz’s, drifting off with her new toy stuffed mouse by her side. And they seem to be purrfect for each other.

Hand me down

This favorite weekend image capitalizes on some direct afternoon solar brilliance and shows off Casey’s left partially blue eye, a hand-me-down from his pop who sported a merle coat and two baby blues. Often it’s part of the opening conversation when Casey meets the occasional stranger who notices this discoloration and can’t help asking if the kid has something wrong with his eye.

  

“Nope, just a souvenir from his merle coated dad, Bubba.” And of course most admirers nod without grasping the merle concept. Actually Casey’s DNA marker is called sectoral heterochromia, and is nothing more than a genetic marker, with no effect whatsoever on his vision...or animal magnetism.    

Don't crack the lawn

Today was one of those days that demanded, if anything, a pair of gloves. And with temperatures hovering just above thirty degrees, we feel like we’re pushing the thermo envelope on border collie paws, no matter how many times Casey tries to nudge us to the front door.

A quick and dirty Frisbee toss on a crystalline lawn is a poor substitute, but it’s a subzero win-win.

Next time, kid

Winter tease

Luckily we didn't sleep through it, but part of this morning’s wake up call was manna to Casey and wonderment to the rest of house. A snowfall that looked like it had some real potential got us scrambling to weather forecast websites before our first cup of coffee.

And just as quickly as we connected with NOAA, our child-like, or in this case border collie-like, expectations returned to earth. After about an inch had accumulated, our winter tease abated and our first thaw of winter took over. Always fun while it lasts though.

Sad commentary for Gizmo

Another sad commentary, not uncommon in the neighborhood over the years I’m afraid, was posted on the street light near out house. Every time we run into a notice like this taped to a fence or post near the Cedar Ridge tree line, after feeling down for another indoor/outdoor cat - for another Gizmo or Sadie that has just become part of the food chain - we just want to throw in the towel, or our hands in the air. What are people thinking, with coyotes stalking any creature as large as a dog by night, and eagles or hawks feeding on most prey small enough to carry off during the day?

Luck have it Stella is quite satisfied coping with her wanderlust from the vantage point of the thermostat side of any window pane, with her sidekick in tow if he's up to it.

Workin' it

After four days of dealing with the flu and hanging or laying around the house, about the most exciting photo op I had the energy to catch on camera today was Casey in the kitchen working Vic for a hand out.

You have to admire his staying power, and those eyes. 

That intensity…you have to appreciate the pure DNA of it. You’d think he was face to face with an obstinate ram, instead of a ladle full of Vic's turkey noodle soup.

Clear and visibility unlimited

Sixty miles away, as the eagle flies, and Mount Rainier dominates the horizon at the close of the day.

Vic and Case at this afternoon's vista point near Marsh’s house in Seattle’s Madrona neighborhood.

 

Reflective

When I was sliding through a gallery of photos taken while strolling through a Seattle neighborhood this afternoon, nothing grabbed me, except this single close up. Something about the eyes, but then it’s always about the eyes with a Border Collie, and for a second or two, Casey’s rapt gaze seemed like reflections on another time and place. Hope he took us with him.