Happy Holidays 2023 from George and Olive

 

It has been a while and I have not kept up Olive’s blog over the last year. That is mostly because at age 12 now, Olive is not as active and energetic as she used to be. She has trouble getting into my car, so that I do not take her anywhere if I can help it except to the kennel for daycare and the vet. A plastic folding stair that I had hoped would make it easier for her to get into the car did not quite work out as I had hoped. It is a bit wobbly and I do not think she really trusts it. I will be going to a few pet stores to see what is available after the holidays.

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In October I traveled to England to see cousin’s daughter Lisa graduate with a PhD from Cambridge University. Olive spent that week at Candlewick kennels, where I know she was well taken care of. When I got home and picked her up from the kennel her reaction was one of “you’re here? Okay, let’s go home.” No exuberance at seeing me. It was after we got home that she stuck to me like glue and wouldn’t let me leave her even to go into the next room. It was good to be back home with my dog.

Lisa has not only graduated from Cambridge but is not engaged to an impressive young English man named Chris. I had met him both over in England on previous trips and here when he came to visit Lisa’s family. This trip I met his family and was quite favorably impressed. On a previous visit by Chris to the US he came to my house and met Olive. She seemed to like him and took to him right away. So Chris has passed the “Olive test”. Olive approves of him and so do I.

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This year Olive cooperated for her annual portrait in front of my holiday tree. She doesn’t seem puzzled by the presence of the tree, perhaps because after nearly nine years she is used to it appearing in December.

 

Okay, I posed. Are you happy now?

I had some friends over for a “supper by the tree” a week ago. Olive had a good time and enjoyed the attention she got. Among the presents I got was a border collie dish towel. Olive was given some bags of dog treats, which she will enjoy a few at a time over the next few months. She may be a bit perturbed that she doesn’t get to enjoy HER holiday presents on her schedule (all at once), but too bad. I’m the boss.

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This season our gift to all of the readers of Olive’s blog is a Christmas story involving the clay horse named Pokey, who was Gumby’s pal in those early 60s Claymation films. Everyone remembers Gumby, but this is the only film I have ever seen with Pokey and not Gumby.

Note the old dial telephone and the old TV set. There is also what seems to be a guest appearance by Davey (of Davey and Goliath, a Sunday morning semi-religious morality series that was also a Clokey production). Enjoy!

Happy holidays to everyone from George and Olive.

Olive and I observe Arbor Day

 

Some years ago, there was an ornamental tree on the south side of my townhouse that I could see out a window. That tree blew over in a storm some years back; the tree was removed and the stump dug out. A hole was left in the earth that still existed until this morning.

I thought that the area looked empty and thought that another tree should go there. As a kid we had an apple tree in our backyard, so I sentimentally would have liked to see an apple tree in that spot. After a few years of no action by the Association, I decided to take some action. I spoke with my next-door neighbors who said they would have no objection to a tree in that spot. I wrote to the property manager asking for an okay to put an apple tree there. To my surprise, I got a response back after a few days giving me an okay to plant one.

On Saturday I went to a nearby garden center. The people there were very helpful and helped me pick out a Macintosh sapling on their lot. They also gave me some helpful advice about planting it. I bought the sapling and a sack of planting soil that they recommended. Somehow, they managed to fit it into my car and I was off. By coincidence, that was the day after Arbor Day, the traditional day to plant a tree.

 

 

Home from the garden center on a rainy day

Saturday and Sunday were quite rainy, but the forecast was for dryer weather on Monday. So, Monday had to be the day. I parked the tree in the plastic pot on my back deck and removed the yarn used to temporarily tie the branches up to fit the tree into my car.

 

The rain was heavy on Sunday night, so I waited until the ground drained and dried a bit. After a breakfast of oatmeal, egg, a bagel, and a large mug of high-test coffee I was raring to go. First, I had to cut through the sod.

 

One foot deep, 28" in diameter.

As the people at the garden center recommended, I dug a hole one foot deep and 28” in diameter. I placed the tree in the hole and cut away the plastic bucket with a razor cutting tool. I mixed the sack of planting soil with an equal amount of native soil and little by little packed it around the cylinder of soil that was in the bucket, packing it with my hands as tightly as I could to avoid any air voids.

 

View from the East

View from the South

Finally, I replaced the sod as best I could.

 

Not so easy to put the sod back

Lastly, I brought Olive out to see the new addition. She did not seem to have much reaction to the tree; she was more interested in playing Frisbee.

 

"Well, at least he didn't try to plant a tree in the middle of the living room like he did last December!"

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A few bits of dog humor I collected over the past few months.

How else would humans know that it's time to exercise?

How true.

You knew he was a working dog when you married him.

More cat humor than dog humor, but I have heard that cats have secret names known only to themselves.

Starting the New Year

 

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I took Olive for her routine physical exam by the veterinarian in early January. The vet detected a heart murmur. That did not concern me too much as Smokey, the dog I had as a kid, had a murmur for years and lived to be almost seventeen. Murmurs are rated on a scale of 1-6; the vet initially gave Olive’s murmur a 2, which could require medication. To be certain and help get a more accurate evaluation, the vet did recommend a special type of scan, called an echo cardiogram, which would be three-dimensional and show more than a simple x-ray. I agreed and set an appointment for the following Monday.

As instructed, I dropped Olive off at 7:30 a.m., then headed to a nearby café for coffee and a bagel. From there I poked around a home improvement store for a while until around 10:30 when I had been told that the procedure should be finished. Back at the vet’s I used my cell phone to call and ask about Olive (this vet is still being cautious in the wake of Covid and not allowing people to accumulate in the waiting room). It turned out that Olive was just finishing up. I said I would be right in. I should have added that I was right outside the door, as the receptionist was startled when I walked in. She apparently thought it would take some ten or fifteen minutes for me to drive to the office.

In any event, the murmur turned out to be slighter than  the vet had feared, level 1. No medication was required, just “monitor the situation.” That was a relief.

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On Christmas Eve, after my Holiday entry was posted, I had family at my house for Christmas Eve dinner. My one-year-old grandniece was there and took delight in seeing Olive catch her ball. My sister, the child’s grandmother, took a short video.

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Some dog humor I have collected over the past few months.

Well, even border collies need to relax and socialize.

Okay, so she took a shortcut.

Well, I can't survive without a border collie.

Merry Christmas from Olive

 

When Olive had her surgery in October of 2021, the surgeon instructed me to keep her in a crate and see that she got plenty of bed rest. I immediately went out and bought a large wire crate, or kennel, from a pet supply shop and set it up in my living room in a spot that I knew she liked to nap in. I was apprehensive that she would not take to being confined; she surprised me by going right into the crate onto a dog bed I placed there and laying right down. I made sure to give her lots of TLC and kept her until she was well enough to roam the house.

Now, more than a year later, she still likes to nap there and occasionally will even eschew her usual bed upstairs near me to sleep downstairs in the crate. If Olive likes having the crate, as she seems to, then I do not want to take it apart and store it in my garage as I had originally planned. The drawback is that the location of the crate blocks access to my liquor cabinet and my stereo set. If I want to access either item, I must pull the crate out of the way then put it back.

The things I do for that dog. She is, however, more than worth it.

 

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At fiddle camp last summer an impressive film was shown that, I am told, was animated entirely by one artist. Call “Crack” (the sound a tree made when cut down at the beginning of the film) The story is seen from the point of view of a homemade wooden chair traversing Quebec history from the 1800s until contemporary times through many changes. Although not strictly speaking a Christmas story, it does depict some holiday celebrations including Christmas and Easter.

One feature that may need to be clarified: the seemingly non sequitur appearance of indigenous Americans at various points through the story. It was explained to the audience that in Quebecoise culture indigenous Americans signify the arrival of a child, as storks do in American culture.

 

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Despite having the dog crate in a place that is inconvenient for me (though not for Olive) I was able to get my Holiday tree up and decorated. It has never been easy to get her to pose in front of the tree, but here is what I was able to photograph.

 

Okay, George, I posed. Now can I have that treat you promised?

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Some dog humor I have collected over the past few months.

I may have been fortunate that Olive was older than 24 months when i got her.

That is something Olive would do.

Good advice to stay clear of any potential partner who doesn't like dogs.

If a border collie can't keep the sheep together, nothing can!

Happy Birthday Olive!

 

Short posting this time.

Olive was born on a wool farm in Maine on August 1, 2011. To celebrate her birthday, we went for dinner at “Lucky Lou’s” restaurant in the nearby town of Wethersfield, CT. As I mentioned in the last post, the restaurant welcomes dogs in their outdoor dining area and even has a special menu for dogs. My sister and cousin Donna joined us.

It was a hot afternoon, with temperatures in the 90s, but we found a table in the shade. We humans all had light salad-based suppers, while I ordered Olive grilled chicken with a side of carrots and celery. Olive enjoyed the chicken, but when I tried to get her to eat some of the vegetables, she actually spit out the carrot and celery. I could almost hear her thinking “the heck with this—I want some more of that delicious chicken!” She barked up a storm, which must have annoyed some of the other patrons, but was otherwise well behaved. I took her for very short walks from our table to try to get her to stop barking, to no avail.

We were also visited by a number of yellowjackets. I had to wonder if we were somewhere near a nest, though Olive didn’t seem to be bothered. Because of the heat, we decided to skip dessert and get back into our air-conditioned cars

I think that Olive did enjoy the outing, but I will not be taking her to Lucky Lou’s again at least for another year.

My cousin and sister help celebrate Olive's birthday. Olive is more interested in her chicken dinner.

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Here are a few bits of dog humor that I have collected since the last posting:

No surprise here!

That last one is definitely Olive.

Any dog person knows this.

No explanation needed.

Why, go to work with her, of course!

Getting Back to Normal

 

It has been a few months since I reported on Olive’s surgery last October.

I am happy to say that Olive is doing quite well since her surgery. There was a spot where the fur wasn’t growing back, but even that seems to have grown in. There are a few signs that Olive is starting to get older; she seems a bit more reluctant to go up and down stairs, but otherwise she is acting like she is still a puppy.

I have even started letting her play just a bit with the foam rubber Frisbee, giving her very gentle easy tosses to catch out on the grassy field behind my unit. She seems ok without the challenging tosses I used to give her before the problems began last fall. She seems more interested in the other two games she would play: the “chase me” game (which seems more like a “follow me” game as she is not going as fast as she used to) and the “ha-ha you can’t have it” game in which she will put the Frisbee down as if she wants me to toss it, then grabs it and moves off when I try to pick it up. The whole series doesn’t last as long as it once did; she is ready to go inside after just a few gentle tosses and goes in when I tell her to.

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I had lunch with a friend recently at a restaurant in the historic section of a nearby town called “Lucky Lou’s”. Yes, that sounds like the name of a cheap bar, but the place is upscale, has a very nice outdoor dining patio, and though the food is very good and the prices are reasonable it is not particularly cheap. While having lunch I noticed some people who brought their dog onto the patio with them. Then the dog ate out of a bowl the waiter brought. When I inquired, I was told that the restaurant offers a special menu for dogs!

Olive’s eleventh birthday comes on August 1. I just may take her there for a birthday dinner. She seems to like salmon and chicken; when I grill chicken, I usually put a piece aside without seasoning then cut it up so she can have some. When I grill salmon, I save the skin for her after cutting it up, checking for bones, and letting it cool.

I think I will have to draw the line at ordering a glass of chardonnay, rose, or cabernet for my dog, however.😉

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Some neighbors have recently acquired a golden retriever puppy they named “Apollo”. Olive seems to have taken a liking to Apollo, which I am pleased about. While Olive is not a quarrelsome dog by any means, she has in the past shown some annoyance with puppies. A few times I thought I saw an “oh, no, not that puppy again” look to Olive, but Olive seems to understand that I want her and Apollo to be friends. She has been polite to Apollo, for which I have been praising her.

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On a sad note, Olive’s friend Lenny, a cattle dog mix, has passed away. Olive and Lenny got along very well, so well that her people and I used to joke about them being boyfriend and girlfriend. I think Olive misses Lenny in that she still looks toward the unit Lenny lived in as we walk past. I regret that I don’t have any photos of Lenny.

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Here are a few bits of border collie humor I have collected recently:

Border collies ARE creative!

If that answer isn't a definition of heaven, I don't know what is.

I hope that this doesn't give Olive any ideas for when I take her to "Lucky Lou's".

Happy Holidays from Olive and George

 

I am happy to say that Olive has made a remarkable recovery since her surgery. She seems as energetic as ever and seems to think she is back to normal. Of course, I know that she should take it easy for a while; for that reason, I have been keeping her from jumping around, chasing geese, and rolling in the grass. I have avoided playing Frisbee with her and have been indulging her strictly with easy gentle tosses of balls and sticks.

Olive's crate is still set up in the living room, but I lock the door only when I go out for some errand or other. She seems to actually like the crate so that I often find her napping in there with the door open. I am wondering if she will be upset when I fold up the crate and put it away. I plan to leave the bed there in that spot, but the crate does get in the way of access to my liquor cabinet and stereo system.

A few people have told me they think Olive is walking strangely. I have been watching and have not noticed anything being off. If she is walking differently, it is very subtle. I will ask the vet for an opinion the next time I bring her in for a shot, which will be in January.

Olive's fur is filling in nicely except for a spot on her lower back, which I believe is slowly starting to grow back. In all, I think she is well on the mend and has come out of the whole ordeal very well.

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A few bits of dog humor that I have been saving:

Olive is a better watchdog than that, though not by much.

Of course, 1000 love.

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After minimally decorating for the holidays last year, I put up my tree and other decorations for this year. The decorations include a dog Advent calendar that someone gave us with twenty-five cardboard doors that each open to reveal a doggy treat. I coordinated the openings so that Olive will get #25 on Christmas Eve.

I hosted a holiday roast beef supper with a few close friends that Olive knows well, not wanting to get her too excited with too many people. Olive has already gotten several nice holiday gifts, including a box of gourmet dog treats, a few toys, and an electric dog biscuit maker. The biscuit maker is similar to a waffle iron or donut baker, with indentations in the shape of dog biscuits. I am looking forward to making some spent grain biscuits with a quantity of spent grain that a person who home brews beer gave me. I have in the past made such biscuits in my oven with peanut butter from a simple recipe; Olive loved them.

I had a 100 year old suitcase that belonged to my grandfather. The suitcase is a bit beat up and doesn't even close properly, so I didn't think it would be worth much as an antique. I had thoughts of junking it, but then thought it might make a nice holiday accent piece if I filled it with gifts under the tree. So far the reviews have been positive, and I think of it as a way to include my grandfather (a very kind and intelligent man) in this year's holiday celebration, some 39 years after he left us. 

With that, Olive and I wish all a happy holiday and a good new year.

So when are you going to make those dog biscuits you mentioned?