The Big Red Barn

The little red barn which was something of a landmark around here burned in the fire. The animals are nowhere to be seen, but it looks like the house is still standing, so we hope they'll be back.

The field behind our house, from which I took this picture is becoming Spike's favorite place. He races around in huge circles looking for his ball which is often right at his feet. He can't see very well but his trained sniffer works overtime. The hills and valleys mean that his ball, actually a barbell shaped Kong which, coupled with my unpredictable throwing abilities, takes unpredictable bounces. He will always find it if left to his own devices long enough. These frigid mornings he must run five miles to each of mine. He wasn't the least tired when we got back.

We found Dana in the garden working on her rock waterfall and Blake under the bird feeders gobbling up bird seed and shells. Today was a school holiday and Dana said she'd rather work on her waterfall than clean bathrooms!  Seems like a clear choice to me...

I got my second 'invitation' to sign up for my first Covid vaccination today. Since I've already had it I have to let it go even though John doesn't get his first until March 3rd. It would seem common sense to vaccinate all the members of a household at the same time, but I'm sure the metrics of this mass vaccination effort are beyond what seems obvious to me. I read that South Aftica  has suspended its AstraZeneca vaccination program because it is ineffective against the new variant that is spread rapidly there. The vagaries of this Covid virus seem to be without end, even as everyone's patience is coming to one.

We finally overcame our lethargy to go to the nursery and order some plants per a beautifully organized email from Kim following her visit to the garden last week. The nursery is closed on Monday as many nurseries are. Good thing we decided to go to the one that is only a few blocks away....

I'm now about to take Spike to the vet in a third attempt to figure out what is causing his ear infection. I think I already know the answer...Spaniel Ears!