Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

A dilettante blog from the great progressive state of West Virginia.

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

The words do not have to be perfect.

All your base are belong to Tunch.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph how is that election even close?

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

Meanwhile over at truth Social, the former president is busy confessing to crimes.

The republican caucus is already covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the GOP

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

Battle won, war still ongoing.

Let us savor the impending downfall of lawless scoundrels who richly deserve the trouble barreling their way.

if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

The GOP couldn’t organize an orgy in a whorehouse with a fist full of 50s.

Conservatism: there are some people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Dog Blogging / Not Dead, Just Busy

Not Dead, Just Busy

by | 75 Comments

This post is in: ,

buddies

Five dogs and a cat is fun, but it is a lot of work. So between bored with the political scene and the ugliness and being up to my armpits in tootsie roll sized puppy shit, I stepped away from the blog for a little bit.

The puppies are really growing, and really starting to have their personalities come through. Ginger has the parenting skills of a turnip and wants NOTHING to do with her puppies anymore, Rosie and Lily don’t want much to do with them, with Rosie getting bitchy because she is arthritic and doesn’t want puppies bumping into her, and Lily is jealous, so she gets her little nose out of joint, so the slack has been picked up by Steve.

And he has been a champ. They love playing with him, and they’ll bum rush him from both sides and he’ll just flop over on his side and let them attack him while he bats at them. He never ever uses any claws, and really is a gentle giant. They also love their nap times with his floofiness, and he is quite content to let them curl up next to him and take advantage of his girth and his winter coat.

Last night, Steve was actually grooming Lovey. They were both sitting on Shawn’s lap, and Lovey rolled over on her back and Steve licked and cleaned her from head to toe. It was really adorable, and they of course stopped as soon as I got the camera.

The puppies are constantly playing and getting into everything. I caught Thurston chewing on a hershey dark chocolate wrapper, and no one has had a candy bar of that kind in this house for at least six months, so I have no idea where the hell he found it. I went out and did some things this morning, and when I came back, took a nap. I just hung my pants on the knob of my bed, and went to sleep (all five dogs have to be in my room during naptime because otherwise I am getting up every 5 minutes to let one in until everyone is inside, so I just parade them all in before I even try to sleep). When I woke up, I found them on the floor with Lovey and Thurston sleeping on them. Shooed them off my britches, put them on, and the little bastards had chewed a softball sized hole in the ass of them. More rags for cleaning, I guess.

Both are quite independent, but Lovey is more of a pack follower than Thurston. If Lily and Rosie are sleeping, she goes and lies next to them and models them. Thurston is more content to just do his own thing, and we find him in all sorts of odd places sleeping by himself. Probably precisely where he collapsed after his latest burst of energy.

Reader Interactions

75Comments

  3. 3.

    TaMara (BHF)

    All I can say is, I know exactly what you’re going through…only on a grander scale. All of my own doing, so I expect no sympathy.

    That photo and your description of Steve and the puppies pretty much made my heart burst. And now I miss my Harley, for he was my giant love kitteh, just like that.

  4. 4.

    Mnemosyne (iPhone)

    Yep, neutered male cats can be surprisingly nurturing. Keaton was like that with every kitten who ever came into the house.

    The grooming may also be a bit of a dominance thing, because when Keaton was at the Cat House for group boarding, they told us he would groom the other cats there.

  6. 6.

    SWMBO

    JC you’re just keeping the pups a couple of more weeks, until they are housebroken (or some such bullshit). I think you’re keeping them until you get the Steve and Pups Show on video. Which no one here would blame you. But you need to keep the camera charged and ready. They are going to be doing more and more cuteness and you (we) don’t want to miss it. Dog knows if they do go somewhere else as a forever home, I hope that the new family knows they have to check in and let us know how they are doing.

  9. 9.

    Freemark

    So damn adorable it almost hurts to look at them. I realize I haven’t given an update on my kitty Natasha in awhile. For those that remember Balloon-Juicers helped me save her a little over 2 years ago. She’s doing great and even full grown is a petite little thing. Just had her at the vet and she only weighs a completely healthy 6lb 6oz. I’ve always been a dog person and would never have kept her if the BJ community hadn’t convinced me to do so. I am so glad you did.

  12. 12.

    Jacks mom

    Awwww. So nice to hear from you Mr. Cole. The critters look like you have taken very good care of them. So surprised!

    /snark

  17. 17.

    Ruckus

    @Mnemosyne (iPhone):
    Figured that much.
    Sponsored a woman’s bike club out of my shop and they called themselves TARTS. I had nothing to do with the name, didn’t even suggest it. Or even think of it. Did get the clothing silk screened though. Also had some “friends” suggest that I should name my shop Pedalfeelya. I passed. Just in case you don’t get it, say it out loud.

  20. 20.

    Suzanne

    This. Is. ADORABLE. Steve is a champ.

    I got my Persian/Maine Coon mix Nico when I was 16, and we already had two dogs. She would let the dogs beat up on her, and would also groom them (and us), just as you described. She was the greatest cat and I still miss her so much, even though I lost her seven years ago.

  22. 22.

    ruemara

    That is the cutest thing ever. I’m just chilling, with a pack of henna on my hair. Yeah, I felt so good, I decided to just color the greys a bit too. And I have decaf. Watching Solomon Kane. It’s a touch boring.

  26. 26.

    Amir Khalid

    We need video of Steve playing with Thurston and Lovey. That would deliver insane levels of squee for sure.

  31. 31.

    NotMax

    So sent Mom a birthday gift via Priority Mail on Saturday the 14th which still hasn’t arrived. All the online tracking tells me is that it left Honolulu on the 14th (apparently headed for limbo) and that delivery is “expected on Wednesday the 18th.”

  32. 32.

    raven

    @NotMax: I’m reading a book about the divers that went to Pearl right after the attack. Lots of really interesting stuff but one thing that stood out was that there was a second attack on Oahu by two Japanese boat planes. Yamamoto was pissed he missed the flattops that were out to sea on the 7th and these two planes were on a combo recon and bombing mission. As they approached a fog bank rolled in and they missed when they dropped their bombs!

  34. 34.

    geg6

    Lovey is more of a follower? She’s the one! Koda is so much a leader that they would work well together, I think. Will she be fixed before you re-home?

  36. 36.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    My brain hurts. I’ve been trying to figure out how to get activity data(when a light is turned on or off, or a door is locking or unlocking, etc.) for my Home Automation(HA) system. Unfortunately the way to get this data out of the system is undocumented in the API. I’ve managed to figure how to get some of the data, but it’s paginated(20/page) and I can’t figure out how to request a specific page(as in the most recent). So it’s telling me that I locked and unlocked the door 20 times last Sunday and Monday; while useful, something more recent would be more helpful.

    /rant

  38. 38.

    ThresherK

    Steve grooming Lovey?

    I’m a tad jealous.

    Our situation has downgraded a bit: The first (longer-in-residence) cat has gone from actually grooming the “newcomer” cat (three years in May) to “pretending to groom to push her away from something he wants”.

    This morning it was an empty water bowl which I filled and the Newcomer Cat started drinking from immediately. The First Cat happened in the room half a minute later, started this faux-grooming think behind her ear until she walked away and he had the water all to himself.

    Maybe I’ll have to turn the thermostat down and create that “you two have to get along for warmth” status. That’s what I remember from the other home.

  39. 39.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @raven: If you want a really good read on diving, pick up “Shadow Divers”. 2 and a half men, Atlantic wreck diving, and a sunken U-boat off the coast of New Jersey that wasn’t supposed to be there.

    Seriously one of the best books I have ever read, and every word of it is true.

  40. 40.

    geg6

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    I read that book and loved it, too. Having been a recreational diver, I found it fascinating. But I’d never, ever, ever take the risks they took. Ever.

  42. 42.

    raven

    @geg6: One of my old friends was a oil rig diver based out of New Orleans. He’s now a supervisor and a musician down there but he has some hairy tales!

  44. 44.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @geg6: Cave diving is something I am more familiar with and very similar in a lot of ways. Every year the NSS puts out a report about the last years caving accidents with analysis of each incident. App. 95+% of caving accidents result in injury, not death. 99% of cave diving accidents, no matter how minor the initial problem may have been, end in fatalities.

    That stuff is insane.

  45. 45.

    Schlemazel

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    HUH! I read that book about 8-10 years ago I believe & fr a long time would excitedly tell people about it & they not ony had never heard of it they didn’t believe it could been very interesting. I am grateful to know I am not alone in enjoying it.

  46. 46.

    Schlemazel

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    HUH! I read that book about 8-10 years ago I believe & fr a long time would excitedly tell people about it & they not ony had never heard of it they didn’t believe it could been very interesting. I am grateful to know I am not alone in enjoying it.

    @raven:
    Thanks for the recommendation – this one looks like an interesting read too.

  48. 48.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @raven: Looks really good. On my clipboard now.

    @Schlemazel: Everybody I have given that book to, has absolutely loved it. It was the last book I read to my mother (big time reader) when she was in ICU. She loved it too.

  49. 49.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @OzarkHillbilly: I should also mention that my Spanish born wife just found it in digital form, so now she is listening to it on her commutes. She read it some years back so this is #2 for her.

  51. 51.

    PurpleGirl

    That’s a great story about Steve and Lovey. The picture is adorable. Thanks JC. Both are squeeable.

  52. 52.

    J.

    That post should come with a side of insulin or at least a CUTE OVERLOAD warning.

    Steve is my hero.

    So anyone else think John is going to keep at least one of those puppies?

  54. 54.

    Pogonip

    Thanks for the pupdate, John! What, if any, word on whether the dog rescue will let sweet Mary G. have Ginger?

  55. 55.

    geg6

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    I have friends who own a commercial diving company. They mostly work the rivers and lakes, being logical to their location here but they do oceans stuff, too. They mostly do industrial work (intakes, locks and dams, hydro, etc.) but always are up for disaster work from hurricanes, too. My ex, who teaches welding at our local vo-tech, met him through work and, being a recreational diver already, got his certs to do commercial diving and underwater welding and worked with him over his summers off. Crazy, scary stuff they did. I was terrified every time he went out on a job.

  56. 56.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @geg6: A buddy of mine worked salvage diving in the Mississippi for a couple years but it just freaked him out too much. Became a union carpenter instead.

  57. 57.

    WereBear

    Ginger has the parenting skills of a turnip and wants NOTHING to do with her puppies anymore

    Doesn’t surprise me. She doesn’t have any mothering experience, despite the conveyor belt her reproductive organs got turned into. And I’m sure all previous puppies were snatched away at peak cuteness, continually derailing her attempts at it.

    I had a fostering situation where I was happy to let our Gentle Giant, RJ, fuss over the kitten, but didn’t get attached.

    We let the kitten go to another home.

    We had other things going on that would keep us from giving him the attention he needed. Then, last spring, Mr WereBear decided we were set up for a new kitten, and got one.

    Welcome Mithrandir!

    I’m ready anytime, as my rescue past can testify to. But I don’t live alone.

    Rescue is also about letting them go.

  58. 58.

    gogol's wife

    There is nothing more peaceful than watching my cats groom each other. I can’t imagine seeing one of them groom a puppy — squeee!

    News flash: it’s snowing.

  59. 59.

    Baud

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    I tried tourist diving once, but I couldn’t figure out how to keep the water out of my mouth.

    I also always get water in my ear when I swim so I’m not sure how well I would do diving.

  60. 60.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Baud: I never have, just don’t like the water that much. I hate wearing a wetsuit even tho I have probably spent a few thousands of hours in them while caving and I did my fair share of sump dives and ceiling sucks, but I always felt that the best part of swimming was getting out.

  61. 61.

    tybee

    @raven:

    just finished reading “Japan 1941” (E.Hotta), a detailed look at the politics in japan that lead to WWII.
    also recently read “Neptune’s Inferno” (J.Hornfischer), a look at u.s. naval tactics (or the lack thereof) around Guadalcanal from the initial invasion in August ’42 until the Japanese withdrawal in February ’43.

    i highly recommend both for those interested in that time period.

  62. 62.

    RoonieRoo

    Cole, I want to comment that, to me, Steve looks better on the weight side in the recent photos. Have you made a food change? To me, he looks like he’s at a healthier weight than he was previously and I want to congratulate you.

  66. 66.

    WereBear

    @OzarkHillbilly: Well, I’m kinda like that. Lots of people are all about relaxing in a warm bath, but I’m: “Oh, it’s not hot enough. It cools off so fast. Am I going to drop the book into the water? Now there’s a drip on my shoulder. I’ll sink down more… ack, now I’ve got watery prints on the pages. It tickles right where the water laps. I’ve still got to get out and dried off and get dressed. THEN I’ll be comfortable!”

  69. 69.

    Elizabelle

    Personally, I am all about the beagle.

    However, you might enjoy this from today’s NYTimes: Emily Yoffe: Beware the Beagle.

    Mishaps with her since sainted beagle, Sasha. She has a King Charles Spaniel now.

    [I learned] the evening, early on, when I found myself out in the rain while [Sasha] strained to pass … something. Finally, like a surgeon suiting up for an emergency, I put a newspaper bag over my hand, and yanked at what was dangling from her nether regions. It was long and elastic, with a metal ring on one end. I realized it was the strap from my favorite bra, which had gone missing a few days earlier. Yes, my beagle ate my bra.

    My beags were not like that. Although the older one did once pee in a basket of clean clothes. I was sitting in class, starting to smell something, and realized …

  70. 70.

    Pogonip

    It’s just another pantsless Sunday…

    John, as far as I’m concerned, you don’t have to confine your writing to politics. It’s your site, write about anything you like! Well, almost anything. I’d be just as happy if I never saw anything about Sarah Palin, Ross Douthat, or MoDo again. I don’t even remember what or who a MoDo is, because I quickly learned to skip anything using the name because it would be boring. So write away! Pupdates always welcome.

    I am glad to see Steve is following his owner’s lead in charitable activity and has joined the Big Brothers.

    If Ginger came out of really bad conditions, she may not be wrapped all that tight.

  72. 72.

    Elizabelle

    @Pogonip: Yeah. I don’t check in much on threads about Jeb! or the other Klowns. Why circle the drain with them? Depressing.

    I like to be informed and entertained and would love to hear more personal essays on the past and how it informs the future. Pupdates and recipes, fer sure. But why does BJ have to address the daily poutrage that every other site does? Gets tiresome.

    Love that Richard Mayhew and the Ph.D. guy and other actual experts are here.

  74. 74.

    Bill D.

    John, here’s my hypothesis. The wrapper was pulled out of the trash by a pet six months or so ago and spirited away, perhaps passing through possession by multiple pets before being hidden in a safe place once the last owner lost interest. One of the current animal residents found it just now, pulled it out of hiding, and Thurston happened to be in possession when you found out.

  75. 75.

    Pogonip

    @shelley: They avoid them during weaning–those little puppy teeth are like needles!–but after that Mom and pups should get along fine. Ginger probably has the dog equivalent of PTSD and so behaves oddly.

Comments are closed.