Cookie time!

Not too long ago, my brother’s fiance and fellow dog-lover dropped off some home-baked tasty morsels for Molly and Ben to taste test. We got big baggies each of Coconut Ginger Chews with a Peanut Butter or Carob half dip, Peanut Butter Biscuits, Blueberry Mini-muffins, Pumpkin Poppers and Carob Mini-muffins. I take a sampling each week to store in the fridge and pop the rest in the freezer for good keepin’. All are made without corn and wheat and no added sugar or artificial nastiness. This is good stuff.. But that’s just me. The verdict of all this gluten-free goodness by the taste testers themselves...

Ben ranked the Coconut Ginger Chews the highest, gobbling those up fast with nary an ‘inspection sniff.’ The chews were followed by the Peanut Butter Biscuits which he ate eagerly.

BTW, I rank how much Ben enjoys foodstuffs by how many times and if he sniffs the treat in question before taking it (the ‘inspection sniff’) and not just how quickly he consumes them because he tends to savor and eat slowly most types of treats (meat not included).

The two muffin flavors tied at 3rd. Pumpkin Poppers, to my surprise, ranked low for Ben. He sniffed twice before taking it – halfheartedly at that – and didn’t proceed to eat the popper til he saw Molly inhale 2 of them.

And Molly, her thoughts? The goodies receive her approval... All of them, equally. The bigger quantities and the higher the frequency the better.

Days and daze of dog

Dog days
The star, Sirius, also known as the Dog Star, resides in the constellation Canis Major. All stars shine... but none do it quite like Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky... shining twice as bright as any other star.

In ancient Greek times the dawn rising of Sirius marked the hottest part of summer. This is the origin of the phrase "dog days of summer." The Old Farmer's Almanac lists the traditional timing of “dog days” as the 40 days beginning July 3 and ending August 11.


Dog daze
Often I find my dogs in what I perceive as peaceful, introspective moments, as if in a daze... taking in the morning sun, or evening light. I always wonder what they are thinking when I see them like this. But maybe they are thinking nothing at all, which is the purpose. I’ll come and sit next to them. I’ll gaze out to the horizon and temporarily lose myself to that moment. I’m suddenly aware of the birds chirping, the sway of the trees in the slightest breeze. The encroaching humidity signaling the onset of another hot summer day. And I take it all in. Thinking nothing at all, which is the purpose.