Thursday, December 28, 2006

Lil DJ




















When you have a pet it brings you much joy. It also creates clear cut responsibilities.
Lil Dj ate a 3 ounce bar of Trader Joe's organic 60% chocolate. Strong chocolate like this is very toxic to dogs especially the toy type breeds like DJ. She ended up in a small animal ER last week with a toxic reaction including cardiac arythmia and a few seizures. We received a call at 4:30 am that she was getting more serious complications but that she was treated and is now stable. The good docs in South Deerfield MA saved her life and she was returned back to us 24 hours later.

Five days later she developed a complication which resulted in an infection in her back paws resulting in a three day course of hospitalization and IV antibiotics. She stepped back into the house with a tight red bandage protecting her foot and a constricting halo preventing her from bending her neck to mess with her healing paw.

Your mind reflects about how a four pound animal that shares your couch can mean so much when she gets hurt and the personal sacrifices made to prevent deeper tragedies.

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Splitting cordwood














The age old art of maintaining a warm temperature during the cold winter days begins with the tree. It takes years for the hardwood tree to become ready for harvest. The difficult job of bringing the wood to your stove is many faceted and laborious. Requiring heavy equipment and personal brute strength. People that do this job tend to love the outdoors and being their own boss.

Their is nothing like feeling the crack of the wood split as it is perfectly hit with sharp end of the maul. When it is hit just right it can be felt in the shoulders resonating down to the axe handle. The cold steel seems to smoothly rip through the sinewy layers of oak. It offers little resistance unless it has knots or irregular shapes. It is the sturdy yellow birch does not easily yield to maul and muscle.

It is the simple act of doing the work itself that fulfills the man & comforts the soul.