A tribute to Merlin

A poem for Merlin:

Creation

When God had made the earth and sky,
the flowers and the trees,
He then made all the animals
the fish, the birds and bees
And when at last He'd finished
not one was quite the same.
He said I'll walk this world of mine
and give each one a name.
And so He travelled far and wide
and everywhere He went,
a little creature followed Him
until its strength was spent.
When all were named upon the earth
and in the Sky and Sea,
the little creature said "Dear Lord,
there's no name left for me."
Kindly the Father said to him
"I've left you to the end.
I've turned my own name back to front
And called you DOG, my friend".

Author Unknown

All bark, but no bite

We have been getting to know the neighbors. Several golden retrievers bound up from the woods to bark and greet Sylvia as we pass by. Today we had a little fright, though. A large dog from the other end of the road came right up to Sylvia. I thought everything would be okay at first. The female human who demanded her dog friend's attention stood nearby, hands on hips, while the dogs sniffed one another. Then the big dog growled, bared her teeth and attacked Sylvia. Luckily, I stood right in the way of the bigger dog and shielded Sylvia from big, gnashing teeth. Sylvia was not at all bothered. In fact, she stood her ground and barked right back. After a few seconds of this the big dog bounded back to the other side of the road and to her house. 

Sylvia and I chatted about the exchange as we ambled down the hill into the shallow valley by Roger's Pond and up the other side toward home again. We came to the conclusion the other dog was merely protecting her turf, even though she didn't legally have rights to the other side of the road. Sylvia left her mark and will likely return. The next time the exchange might be a little more cordial. Even as she balefully gazes up at me with those colorful saucers, tail wagging away, I am not completely certain. But I think she likes the little flat-faced critter next door, the one with huge eyes, chocolate colored fur, little sticks for legs and a stubby torso.

Soon we will have a chance to make more friends and reunite with others.

 Just me and my shadow here...

 Sylvia and I have been taking many long walks, despite the cold weather. The past two days were a little too cold, though. Sylvia would raise her paw, as if she injured it, and trot along after a few minutes. On these especially cold days we stayed close to home. I tried to convince Sylvia to wear the booties that came with her survival gear, but she told me she wasn't thrilled about them. I kept my promise of better, more scenic and longer walks on warmer days.

 

Sylvia and I were snowed in under more than a foot of snow today. As you see by these photos, she had a lot of fun plowing through great clouds of snow. We will run around a lot more tomorrow. Just thinking about it all is making her tired. Luckily we didn't have to go to the vet today. The vet wants to brush her teeth (expensive!). I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. In the meantime, Sylvia is peacefully snoring on her bed nearby as the wind howls outside and great gusts whip all around us.

Sleddin'

As you can see, Sylvia doesn't leave my side for a minute. Not even for a slide down the hill.

Special thanks goes to Meghan for her keen observation.

Anchored to the shore, we built snowmen

 It's ALIVE! Well, our snowman wasn't quite complete at this point, but I had to demonstrate our plan for Sylvia.

Meghan and Sylvia, just hangin' out with Gonzo...

 We also explored the mysterious and windy Rockland. Sylvia chased after a ship in the harbor, but only came trotting back with this anchor. We couldn't fit it in the car, so we had to get a picture to prove it to you.

Happy (belated) Birthday Sylvia!

Sylvia was so happy to get her new bone, she didn't even notice the hat, I don't think. In fact, she seems to like the hat, also. Sylvia is a very happy dog!

 Meghan helps Sylvia open her presents on her birthday morning. I am sure she would bark enthusiastically to the generous admirers who gave her gifts!
She and Meghan have become great friends, too.

Running in the blizzard

Sylvia and I have been running out into great clouds of snow. Here is a short series of photos from that last great blizzard of 2010, in December.