When we moved into Footlights 4 years ago we had planned to build two porches so we could leave the doors open and get that breeze-way effect.  The back porch was already covered and we slapped up a frame to screen it in and talked about eventually expanding to incorporate the uncovered portion of the…

Shads is our Star Fetcher…he’ll chase toy mice and little fluffy balls and bring them back just like a dog. I didn’t say that! This year we have a lot of large grass-hoppers in the flower beds, they hop on the screen and drive the cats crazy… But I think Shads, Madge and Callie now…

This is my best Bud, Rooster, who, after a busy spring of lamb duty is back to saying good morning to me as I run past. Rooster has a girl-puppy in-training.  She’s about the same age as Sprout, our son’s Pyrenees, and I’ve been watching her grow from a distance. She has been living in…

Sprout really isn’t much of a walker. I ended up giving up on her company during my morning walks because I thought dragging her along the lane rather defeated the purpose of walking a dog. However, this morning as I was taking her for a quick spin around the outside of the house Charlie came…

Our son and daughter-in-law, the Window to the Wild folk, are busy with baby showers at the moment. This week they took a trip out of town to party with her side of the family in Michigan. And we got Sprout…the grand-dog…the great Pyrenees pup.  I suppose it keeps us on our toes for when…

A friend of mine travelled to South America and I asked her to show me her pictures… “I don’t want to be a bore,” she said. I insisted and when she got to the shots she’d taken in a fruit & vegetable market in Peru I was so taken by the vibrant colors spilling off…

On my way home one morning Charlie come dashing up the lane to great me, “I’ve already been on my walk,” I told her leaning down to rub her ears as she nuzzled my pockets for the biscuits I’d already given away. “Sorry, I don’t have any treats for you!”  She wagged her tail and…

Hubs and I have tractor envy. The farmers around us have the latest air-conditioned models that they ride on roads and between fields and sometimes home to their barns. But for the most part, like children they leave their toys out when they’re called in for supper. Because of the rain this year the mowing…

In England I used to turn on the heat during the winter months only when my sensible cold weather, indoor gear of a sweater, long trousers, socks and slippers failed to keep me comfortable. Then I’d conservatively heat the main rooms with fires (or central heating if we had it) and cook as many of…

This year we were all set to take our five cats at Footlights for their annual rabies shots. I went up into the attic and brought down the three boxes I have for mine. Daughts worked on her two in the bardominium. When the time arrived for departure mine wouldn’t co-operate. Bedlam broke out in…