Thanks for all the enthusiasm over our adoption of Archie. He is a good dog, but unfortunately, he is not our good dog. In short, MacIntosh was going to kill him. Tosh went from bemused to irritated to outright hostile and aggressive in a week - the wrong direction (and he’s never been dog-aggressive before [...]

Mom and I were talking about "our" words a while back.  It’s something Elizabeth Gilbert talks about in Eat Pray Love - if I recall correctly, she has a friend who believes that every city and every person has a word that describes them or sums them up.  It’s "their" word.  Mom asked me what [...]

Robynn has promised some 4theanimals dosh, so here’s my first YouTube effort to say “thanks!”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYZYpWq9M6U

1. Thank you, Marilee, for being the first contributor to the Poplar Springs 5k fund! Her donation coincided with a particularly fortuitous afternoon’s snaps of the Smith household animals, so here’s a photographic “thank you” from those worthies:

2. Thanks to: a.) the fact that my husband actually reads the Birchmere’s occasional missives, b.) my [...]

I mentioned in my last post that I had been watching a lot of Dog Whisperer.  I always hate it when I jump on a bandwagon - I tend to object on principle to buying wholesale into someone else’s world-view.  I also get a little irritated with the people who breathlessly gasp about Cesar Millan’s [...]

Marissa wants equal time for Tosh. Ah, I am in an accommodating mood this week (maybe it’s the turkey). So. Not quite so many photos, maybe, but very cute.

Who needs a catnap when you can have a dognap?

Tosh spent Thanksgiving with his cousin, Joey. We can tell who’s all about being [...]

We’ve had the loveliest weekend here.  It’s suddenly Fall: cool, dry, sunny and gorgeous.  I’ve made bread, and I’m wearing a homemade sweater and homemade socks, so I’m not sure I could be any happier (well, a fire in the fireplace would also do me some good). 
The cats have been mellow, also, enjoying the open [...]