Author Archives: Debbie

Monkey Gets Hurt — Part Two

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Best doctor in the world is the Veterinarian. He can’t ask his patients what’s the matter. He’s just got to know. ~Will Rogers, American humorist, author, and actor

I Monkey here, with a continuation of yesterday’s tale.

(What, you haven’t read it? Leave right now and do so or this part won’t make sense. We’ll wait.)

Since Mama wasn’t getting any medical help from my dogtur, she promptly called another vet but was told I’d have to wait two weeks before they could see me.

Holidays, you know.

In the meantime, they told Mama to keep me quiet so my paw can heal.

Don’t they know how impossible it is to keep a herding dog quiet??

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Monkey Gets Hurt — Part One

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Best doctor in the world is the Veterinarian. He can’t ask his patients what’s the matter. He’s just got to know. ~Will Rogers, American humorist, author, and actor

I Monkey here.

Mama’s cleaning the house, or decorating, or some such nonsense, so I’m commandeering her laptop because I have something BIG to complain about.

And her blog is just the place to do it.

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Time for a Wee Break

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Leaves do miraculous things. ~Hal Borland, American writer, journalist, and naturalist

This is the Red Oak that my son Domer helped me plant last year:

Red Oak, September 2024

I did the best I could with its care — watering it, talking to it, and trying to keep the bugs off it.

One of my neighbors (a Master Gardener, no less) advised me to buy that green bag zipped around its trunk so I wouldn’t have to guess how much water to give it. She said a slow, steady drip would provide a proper foundation.

Still, the nasty Japanese Beetles chomped on it with glee. Notice the ragged limbs on its right side:

Red Oak, November 2024

Notice also how miniscule it looks, particularly in the number of leaves and that skinny trunk.

Red Oak is supposed to be a fast-grower, but I started to fear I’d never have shade.

What a difference a year makes:

Red Oak, November 2025

I hose-watered it this year — deeply and on a regular basis throughout the growing season. I sprayed it with something called Neem Oil and banished the bugs. And my oak grew taller and fuller, with a much bigger trunk and leaves that were almost as big as my hands!

And notice that delightful red-orange color!

I guess I did something right after all. Or perhaps, the tree is thriving in spite of me.

Anyway, Happy Fall, y’all! And Happy Thanksgiving feasting! I’m taking a bit of time off but will catch up with you in December!

(Nearly) Wordless Wednesday

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Around and around the house the leaves fall thick—but never fast, for they come circling down with a dead lightness that is sombre and slow. Let the gardener sweep and sweep the turf as he will, and press the leaves into full barrows, and wheel them off, still they lie ankle-deep. ~Charles Dickens, English novelist, journalist, and social critic, from Bleak House

Dazzling Autumn

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Summer ends, and Autumn comes, and he who would have it otherwise would have high tide always and a full moon every night; and thus he would never know the rhythms that are at the heart of life. ~Hal Borland, American writer, journalist, and naturalist

Do

You know

What a joy

It is to see

Autumn exploding

In brilliant shades of bronze,

Scarlet, lemon, and orange

When nobody thought the leaves would

Do anything but turn brown and drop

Before winter’s chill could make the trees bare?

 

 

Note: Poetry form is Etheree.

Walking with Monkey 2025

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October sunshine bathed the park with such a melting light that it had the dimmed impressive look of a landscape by an old master. Leaves, one, two at a time, sidled down through the windless air. ~Elizabeth Enright, American writer, illustrator, literary critic, and teacher

I Monkey here.

After I upchucked my lunch, Mama decided we should go on my Walktober (something about her being okay with vomit outdoors but NOT okay with it inside on her carpet — huh).

Don’t feel sorry for me, though. After everything was up, I felt just fine and was raring to GO. Tag along while I show you some of our Fall color (such as it is).

Let’s go, Mama — gee, you’d think she was the one vomiting!!

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Walktober 2025

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Nowhere can I think so happily as in a train. — A.A. Milne, English writer best known for creating Winnie-the-Pooh bear

Once again, it’s time for Walktober!

(You can read the details about it — dates, etc. — at Dawn’s blog. Join us if you can — the more, the merrier!)

This year, I decided to change things up a bit. The walk I took last year was breath-taking but having talked to others who live in that area and learning how desolate (and potentially dangerous) such a solitary walk could be, I opted to surround myself with living, breathing humans!

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Who Wears It Better?

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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, English novelist and critic

One of the magazines I casually glanced through many years ago had a regular feature section called “Who Wears It Better?”

Apparently, the compiler photographed two celebrities on separate occasions sporting very similar outfits, yet one invariably came up short.

Maybe the style wasn’t as flattering on them as on the other person; maybe the color or accessories were wrong.

Anyway, I remembered a photo I’d taken of Dallas (circa 2016) and decided to see my two Shelties side by side in glasses. Monk is on the left; Dallas is on the right.

So, who wears those spectacles better?

Oh, Butterfly

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Love and a cough cannot be hid. ~Proverb

There once was a saucy butterfly
Who clung to a bush by and by
He fluttered his wings
And did everything
To catch a pretty miss’s eye.

Note: Poetry form is Limerick.

Lazy? Or What?

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For even worse than laziness of body is laziness of the mind and heart. ~May Sinclair, British novelist, poet, and critic

A few days ago, I went to WalMart to pick up some things I needed, and I came out so disgusted and angry I was ready to throttle somebody.

Anybody.

Here’s what happened — and I’ll be interested in hearing if you (as intelligent, well-meaning readers) feel the same way, or if I’m way off base:

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