A Perfect Day

Shandy's Birthday Album

Shandy had an absolutely perfect day for her 16th birthday. Great weather, great food, and, of course, great friends. You can see pictures of all the fun in Shandy's Picasa album by clicking on the photo.

Many thanks to Shandy's wonderful friends for making her day so special!

We even had some surprise guests. Mary Pankonen's 16 year-old Kurt Russell was such a trooper to come brave the canine hoards. And I was so excited when two of our foster puppies and their families arrived to help Shandy celebrate! (Look for the "Puppy Album" on Picasa to see photos of them as tiny pups.)

This was a party I'll truly never forget. Thank you again to all Shandy's guests for memories we'll treasure forever.

Puppy Max Visits Chicago

Shandy and Bandit had a nice surprise when my niece Susan came to visit from Wisconsin last weekend. They got to meet her new puppy, Max!

Isn't he a cutie? He's sweet as can be but so quick that I couldn't get any photos of him with Shandy or Bandit--all I'd catch was a blur.

Shandy Surveys Chicago Flooding

Flooding rains rocked Chicago this weekend and our north side neighborhood was hit especially hard. As I write I still hear news helicopters flying overhead.

Shandy and I took a walk when the rain stopped a short while ago--here's what we saw (click on photos to enlarge).

The dam on the river at Argyle St. is roaring--there's usually an 8-10 foot drop but, as you can see, it's almost even with the river now. That's Shandy with a new friend, Mugsy, checking out the situation. The final photo shows our girl turning around when she found our path blocked by water. The red circle indicates a "no swimming" sign that is usually about 5 feet above the water.

Mother Nature is very impressive. Hope you're safe and dry.

Shandy and Friends at Home

Nothing nicer than sitting on the deck on a fine September evening and sharing it with friends. Of course, the photo here is from Thursday night, well ahead of the torrential rains we've been getting.

That's (from the foreground) Butkus, Tish, and Bandit all waiting for a treat, with Shandy getting edged out a bit. Aren't they a handsome group?!

Fuzzy Spiked Caterpillar

Shandy and I were lounging on the deck the other day (our favorite summer "activity") when I spied this little fuzzy critter.

Haven't seen a caterpillar with spikes before so I tried to find some info online. You won't believe the variety of caterpillars out there--some are darn scary. See for yourself at What's That Bug. I've sent them a request to see if they can identify our find and will keep you posted. Can you name that caterpillar?

Mystery Bird

On our walk just now, Shandy and I finally saw the bird Richard's been telling us about. It's been hanging around out back for the last week or so but we're afraid it won't be around for long because it's rather slow (in every sense of the word, sorry to say).

No one seems to know what it is but we've had suggestions of turkey, partridge, and chicken. Anyone know for sure? This is your chance to "name that bird".

Coyote in the City

Took this photo of a coyote out in the back field from my deck tonight. Almost every night for the past 6 weeks or so he (or she) runs up and down the field.

Lately he's coming out earlier and is sometimes even out in the morning. I'm getting a little concerned for him because he's getting very used to people--that line you see in the foreground is a bike path.

But it sure is cool to get to watch him run and play. At dusk he seems to be chasing moths and will jump straight up in the air to catch one. I'm going to try to get that on video but I make no promises. I tried tonight and have a zillion mosquito bites to show for my effort.

Isn't it amazing when you find a bit of the wild in the heart of the city?

Oh yeah, in case you're wondering, Shandy and Bandit bark like maniacs when they see him (or do they smell him?) At any rate, they let him know he's on their territory. He is unfazed by them and continues to go about his business, which I assume includes eating a lot of rabbits because, like last year with the family of foxes, we've seen absolutely no rabbits this year. Very unusual.

Shandy in Clover

Have you noticed how much clover is blooming this year? The white is most common near us but I've seen pink and now some yellow is starting.

Shandy loves rolling in it, but that doesn't make for a great photo so we have to settle for this.