Directly behind my chair at my computer desk (which is actually not a desk but a big industrial strength table), Miss Lily lies on the couch, where she always is unless she is lying down by my feet.
There is rarely a moment in the day when Lily is not within 5-10 feet of me. Sometimes she goes outside to sun herself or potty, but I’d say a solid 99% of the time I am home, Lily is within arms reach. The other dogs do as they want, come and go as they please, but Lily is always around.
It’s gotten to the point that I don’t even notice her because she is basically a part of me. I don’t even notice when she gets on my lap most of the time, but suddenly realize I have been petting her for 20 minutes or so. Unlike the other dogs, she’s effortless. You have to tell Thurston to get down when he is on your lap and you want to stand up. Lily just senses when I am getting up and hops down and follows me.
She doesn’t follow too close, either. I never stop short and step on her. She’s by me, always watching. We make a mean team.
I was thinking about this when I was going to bed last night. All I have to say is “Alright, let’s go to bed,” and Lily hops down, goes outside and potties, and then gets in bed while I brush my fangs. I lie down, lift the blanket so she can get under the covers with her butt up near my armpit, and I scratch her ears and rub her head as we fall asleep.
Some dog.
redshirt
John, can you give us a quick summary of how you found Lily again? She was wild on the streets, right?
Anne Laurie
I’m so glad you and Lily found each other, John.
She is living Dog’s Highest Purpose — doing an important job, with all her heart, for someone who appreciates her efforts.
You’re both lucky in the relationship!
Mnemosyne
Watching the finale of “The Great Holiday Baking Show.” It’s a slavish imitation of the British version, right down to the filming location, but weirdly that only makes it more endearing.
After this, “Drunk History” just for the heck of it.
Bo Alawine
John,
This is somewhat OT, but when will you do another “pet bleg”?
Short story: Today, while at my in-laws, I found what appears to be a less than 2- or 3-day old kitten in the middle of their back yard, soaked to the bone (it’s been raining here in the South) and with almost no core body temp left. The ONLY reason I knew it was there is because it was squalling its head off. No sign of the rest of the litter or a mom-cat. The wife’s mother wanted us to leave it in the back yard. I refused to let the poor thing die without at least intervening. So … we now have kitten formula, “sock babies” (socks filled with rice and heated to keep the kitten warm).
So why am I telling you this? I already have two dogs (Fenris and Tuiren) and four cats (Scylla, Socks and the most recent additions of the evil twin kittens, Yin and Yang). All of these animals were rescues. Assuming our Christmas baby survives (and that’s not guaranteed), I’ll desperately need somewhere to rehome him.
Anyway, whenever you do the next bleg, keep us in mind.
v/r
Bo
P.S.: The few times I left a comment here, I didn’t mention my wife’s pet blog. I am including this time in case you are curious.
Mnemosyne
@Bo Alawine:
Anne Laurie usually does the pet blegs — you should be able to email her from the Contact links in the right-hand column. If you need it. WereBear can give you kitten advice on her blog, The Way of Cats.
kindness
So…Thurston is being a teenager is what I heard. Consider yourself blessed John.
max
That was a fucking catch!
max
[‘&*^*&^ NFL.’]
Mnemosyne
Annie is really enjoying taking naps under the Christmas tree. I’ll feel a little guilty when it’s time to take it down.
Bo Alawine
@Mnemosyne:
Thanks for the POC on that.
My wife is pretty plugged in to pet care and we’ve had to bottle feed kittens before … just never this young.
It’s gonna be touch and go for the next couple of days.
redshirt
Let’s give praise to Cole that this photo is almost entirely in focus! And framed! A huge improvement over photos of old.
RobertDSC-Quad Intel Mac
I remember when you got her. So much time in the blink of an eye. After Tunch, she has been my favorite part of your animal family.
redshirt
@efgoldman: Both and neither. But can you think of high volume posters no longer posting?
Ruckus
Most dogs are loyal. Some are personal loyal. Like Lily. I had a rescue like that. Bud had to be in the same room or at least in sight of me, always. After I rescued him he slept at the foot of my bed. Until one night after about a month I woke up to him snuggling up to my side in the middle of the night. From then on, by my side. I had to give him back to the rescue org when I no longer was able to care for him, thanks to the financial
wizardscocksuckers. AL did a pet bleg for me but he was old and an ornery bastard, but damn he was the most loyal and protective 35 lb hunk of hair growing meat I’ve ever seen.I miss him.
Adam L Silverman
@efgoldman: it’s the holidays. People have things to do.
Mobil RoonieRoo
@redshirt: Rosie is the one that was living on the streets. John found Lily at the shelter. She’s been a love since day one.
Mobil RoonieRoo
Oookay. Are comments broken? What causes a comment to be in moderation.
redshirt
I bet a lot of people would vote dogs over people if given the choice.
I know I would.
Dogs are loyal and fun and cool and they’ll never betray you.
People generally suck.
Ruckus
@Adam L Silverman:
Is @efgoldman: story what you had in mind about things to do?
redshirt
11:11
I am yours.
greennotGreen
@redshirt: On the other hand, most people won’t pee in the kitchen if it’s raining outside.
-Owner of many elderly toy dogs
hitchhiker
I love my dog, too. Hardest thing is to leave him in the care of a friend while traveling, which I’m doing right now. He gets anxious when he realizes I’m packing and tries to follow me out the door (which he never does for routine trips to the store or the library or whatever).
Today, though, I got a text from my friend, who informed that he “rocked 3 different xmas parties and charmed everyone he met, no matter their species.”
That’s my dog.
redshirt
@greennotGreen: Sure, there’s some downsides. But very minor in the scheme of things.
greennotGreen
@redshirt: I 100% agree!
PurpleGirl
@Bo Alawine: I support a kitten/cat rescue & shelter in northeast CT. Thank you for taking in the kitten. I hope it survives. But even if it doesn’t, it deserves to feel some love and care.
SIA
I remember when John adopted Lily. I think he planned to get a cat but then saw her. IIRC she’d been living with someone who had a zillion cats abs put Lily had cat pee on her. There were long posts about what to name her. I wanted it to be Rosie but Lily suits her much better. And eventually a Rosie did appear. Life without dogs would be an empty life indeed.
redshirt
@greennotGreen: 11:11
Satby
@Bo Alawine: Keep us posted. And thank you for taking the kitten in. Even if it doesn’t make it, it will have known kindness and love in its short life. Because of you. So thank you from all of us.
PurpleGirl
JGC: That’s a great picture of Lilly. You are both lucky to have each other. My friends’ Dobermann (hugo) was like with me. He watch to see where I was moving to and move with me. When they traveled and had come home, he’d stand in the hall and look at their bedroom and then into my bedroom, back and forth, and then go into their room but half way through the night he’d come into my room.
MomSense
My last dog was like your Lily. It was effortless. I don’t have that with my pup now but she still provides a lot of joy and she is definitely our pup. I have to remind myself that my old dog wasn’t always perfect. I did have to attach his leash to my belt when he was a pup because he ate things like cameras if he was left alone for more than 90 seconds. We were a team for 15 years. I swear that dog raised my kids as much as I did.
Heidi
The BJ community is the best.I lurk here and without you all, the world is a little bleaker and has a lot less humor and wit. I’d take that kitten in a heartbeat – but I’m in Maine and have two kitties and a very Princess-y pup who would antagonize the poor thing to tears (mine).
And I hope that the best wishes of a stranger (in every sense of the word)/lurker to all those deserving – you know who you are – for 2016 being a solidly good year, add some support/happiness to you all! Happy Boxing Day all!
Bobby D
@greennotGreen:
Never been in the ladies room at a rock concert eh? If they’ll pee in the sinks there, I’m sure they would oblige in your kitchen…bigger sink after all.
Hey, it’s like a Who song up in here..Pictures of Lilly
PurpleGirl
@Bo Alawine: I went over to your wife’s blog. It’s neat. I bookmarked the page so I can return to it.
Adam L Silverman
@Ruckus: not really. But I wouldn’t eat at McDonald’s, so your mileage may vary.
rikyrah
Lily looks sweet. She really does. She looks like a ball of love with fur.
Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA
@Bo Alawine: Lucky little kitten. I hope all goes well.
My Iggy is a perfect little cuddle monster. Muppet’s much more of a handful. In fact, for a while I was wavering — do I keep her or bring her back to the rescue? But then my job announced some big changes, and it looked like I might end up with a schedule that required leaving Muppet alone longer than she could handle, which pretty much guaranteed rehoming or returning to the rescue. And I cried for days.
(Happy ending: the only change for me so far is that I can spend even less time in the office, which is better for Muppet. You’ll get my Muppet when you pry her from my cold dead hands.)
Ruckus
@Adam L Silverman:
I will starve rather than eat anything from McDonalds. If that’s the only place to eat, dirt would be better. I used to eat there if there was no place else open when I traveled but after getting food poisoning twice, in two different states, the first of which I made Linda Blair in the Exorcist look like an amateur, basically destroying a service station restroom. Twice. And then having a 104+ temp for 3 days stuck in a hotel room 5 states from home. Starving can not be as bad.
redshirt
@Ruckus: Lol. I haven’t ordered from a McDonald’s since maybe 1991?
Amir Khalid
@Ruckus:
I’ve only ever heard such horror stories about Mickey D’s from America. Could it be because over there, restaurants are run by individual franchise holders of varying degrees of professionalism? Outside the US, as I understand, the big fast-food companies contract out to national franchise holders, (ETA) which are usually more professionally run. (I have a relative whose business holds the Burger King franchise for Malaysia.)
rikyrah
This is RIDICULOUS.
………………….
Edward Clarkin Is The Most Important Man In Journalism Today — And He’s Probably Not A Real Person
BY JUDD LEGUM DEC 25, 2015 8:32 PM
A week ago, no one had ever heard of Edward Clarkin. Today he has inspired multiple parody Twitter accounts, prompted one journalist to quit his job after 22 years and has been the subject of intense speculation in elite media circles.
This is how Edward Clarkin went from an unknown to the center of the world of journalism.
Who Is Edward Clarkin?
Edward Clarkin holds himself out to be a reporter for the New Britain Herald, a small paper in Connecticut with a circulation of about 7500. Prior to this month, Clarkin’s only articles for the New Britain Herald were four effusive restaurant reviews published in 2011. “If A Taste of Poland is anything like Warsaw or Krakow, I’m buying an airplane ticket tomorrow,” Clarkin wrote.
Then, on December 1, Clarkin published a nearly 2,000 word article on the performance of business courts, which specialize in corporate issues. Oddly, the article not only covered Connecticut business courts but included ten paragraphs criticizing Elizabeth Gonzalez, a state judge in Nevada. Clarkin wrote that Gonzalez’s rulings “appear inconsistent and even contradictory” and her conduct “undermines the rationale for the creation of such courts in the first place.”
………………………………………………………………
Is Edward Clarkin A Real Person?
All signs point to no.
“There is no record of an Edward Clarkin in Connecticut on state voting rolls, property records, lawyer registries or various social-media sites, and several current and former newspaper employees said they never met anyone by that name,” the Hartford Currant reported.
The New Britain Herald staff numbers in the single digits — but no one can recall ever meeting or talking to Clarkin.
Michael Schroeder, the publisher of the New Britain Herald, said that he has “no comment on our newsgathering, story selection or writers” and “declined to provide information about Clarkin.”
Schroeder told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he had “no idea” how to reach Clarkin.
Schroeder does have an unusual connection to Clarkin, however. Schroeder’s middle name is Edward and his mother’s maiden name is Clarkin.
………………………………………………………
What else should I know about Michael Schroder?
Michael Schroder is the manager for News + Media Capital Group LLC, a company created by conservative billionaire Sheldon Adelson to purchase the Las Vegas Review-Journal earlier this month.
In other words, he is now the boss of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, answering to Adelson.
……………………….
Does Sheldon Adelson have a special interest in Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez?
Yes.
Judge Gonzalez is overseeing a case against Adelson and his gambling company by a former attorney who alleges “he was fired for trying to break the company’s links to Chinese organized crime triads.” The employee also claims “Adelson turned a blind eye to prostitution and other illegal activities in his resorts there.”
Adelson has clashed with Gonzalez as the case has progressed. At one point, Adelson refused to answer a routine question and Gonzales told him, “Sir, you don’t get to argue with me. You understand that?”
Gonzalez has fined Adelson’s companies hundreds of thousands of dollars for withholding documents. Adelson offered financial support to candidates willing to run against Gonzalez and unseat her, according to the Review Journal.
Roger Moore
@efgoldman:
I think there are fewer posts during the holidays because most people have other things to do.
Sasha
Terrific!
Mnemosyne
G, Keaton and I are all laying in front of the fireplace. It’s a good day after Christmas. Plus I’m off all next week and deciding what to do.
Mary G
Lily is your soul mate, John. I also remember what a scared little thing she was, always with her tail between her legs and how cool it was when she finally lifted it, showing that cute little curl. I feel a bit verklempt.
Ruckus
@Amir Khalid:
That is possible but many franchises here have several stores so they should be a bit better run. However fast food work is exactly that, work. And many places cut the number of employees to the minimum as well as wages and hours. Then there is the conservative idea that no business needs any oversight as to food safety or cleanliness. So a perfect storm of capitalistic stupidity.
NotMax
@redshirt
1971 was the last bite of anything from McDonald’s for me, after being served an effluent burger. Meat was beyond spoiled. Forced to spit out the first nibble. They refused to exchange it or give me a refund. No patronage from NotMax since.
The years have blurred the exact memory, but am positive it took place in either Falls Church or Tyson’s Corners, VA.
mark
Hard to beat the special love that a dog provides. They are exceptional creatures. Some of them do better than others.
mainmata
@efgoldman:yes, of course, like the last time this happened but there’s still hope. (That said, as a Pittsburgher transplanted to the DC area, I am still a Steeler fan.
BillinGlendaleCA
@efgoldman: If they only lowered capital gains rates, none of this would have happened because happy jerb creators.
mark
I haven’t read all of the comments, but it looks like McDonalds has crept in as a major topic. I’ll have to admit, I have fallen under McDonalds spell for about the last 15 years, couldn’t stand them before that. I do go about every 2 months or so now.
BillinGlendaleCA
I quit eating at McDonalds after I quit drinking, there may be a connection.
Elie
Beautiful, John…. Lily is a wonderful gift…lucky you…
Ruckus
@BillinGlendaleCA:
White Castle seems to have the same hold on people. I’ve been told that sliders are a wonderful anecdote for a night of over indulgence. But I’m not that easily convinced nor am I that stupid.
Amir Khalid
@Ruckus:
White Castle didn’t last long n Malaysia. I do remember having to listen with a straight face as this American guy from the Tokyo regional office told me earnestly about how his company’s little buns with only a thin sliver of meat inside were so much tastier than the big, fresh-off-the-grill burgers that this guy outside the White Castle was selling from a stand — and a more consistent product, too!
NotMax
@Amir Khalid
White Castle’s selling point for many decades was that they cost a dime or you could order a bag of a dozen for a buck. The fried onions were the best tasting part of the burger.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Ruckus: The best anecdote for me for over indulgence is Mexican food.
Ruckus
@BillinGlendaleCA:
Mine was learning to say no thank you.
Ruckus
@Amir Khalid:
Well consistency is a selling point. OK consistently good is. Consistently crappy shouldn’t be.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym
@NotMax: Also the fact that some of them are open 24 hours a day, so they’re available after bar close. There are now other fast food chains that do that, too, so a part of the selling point is gone.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Ruckus: Well, I learned that as well. Though it took a visit to the ER.
NotMax
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym
Can still pinpoint the exact moment when had my first White Castle burger. Standing (for hours) on a sidewalk, with snow coming down, waiting for JFK’s motorcade to pass. This was after he was elected but before he was inaugurated.
Sidewalk happened to be right in front of a White Castle. The burgers were a welcome counter to the frigid air outside.
J R in WV
Last McD’s stop was 4 am while wife was on a ventilator in ICU and the hospital food shops weren’t open until 6. Supper at 4 am is pretty bad, nothing but vending machine junk since no real lunch at home. I got a “specialty” burger they had to start on the grill in front of me. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I feared. No serious after effects.
But I needed some calories before leaving town on a 45 minute drive out to the farm. And the neighbors fed the critters while I was still at the hospital, so that was a huge relief – I gave them all a treat snack, they were pretty worried about Mrs J. Smart that way, they surely know when something is bad wrong.
John, it is so great to have a critter that feels that way about you. We have two big dogs and 2 cats, all with their own personality. Alice is the biggest youngest dog. In the evening when I lay down in bed to read, which I do more often than not, sometimes Alice really wants to get up on the bed to lie beside me. She’s very clear about it, and rarely gets up there without a person to be with.
But when Mrs J shows up, Alice hops down without much agonizing about it, she knows there really isn’t room in the bed for three people. ;-)
Everybody, thanks for the blog! It isn’t a blog without the commenters as well as the posters.
Today is my birthday, 65 years old. Medicare starts up on Jan 1. We are probably going to to dinner, probably just a really good pizza place run by a Culinary graduate, really interesting and different mixes of flavors. And good beer! Happy b’day to me…!
Anne Laurie
@J R in WV: Happy birthday, JR, and many happy returns.
Enjoy every
sandwichpizza!SWMBO
@J R in WV: Happy Birthday!
SiubhanDuinne
@J R in WV:
Happy birthday to you!
Amir Khalid
@J R in WV:
Many happy returns of the day.
JPL
@J R in WV: Happy Birthday! Like you, I’m happy that pizza is just not all about cheese anymore.
NotMax
@J R in WV
Congrats and welcome to geezerdom.
J R in WV
Thanks, everyone.
We might shop a little, or see if we can get into Star Wars MCIV in an afternoon showing, or just some movie that’s on. But just going to town when you don’t have to, and hanging out at the book shop/coffee bar is fun. And a nice dinner I don’t cook is always sweet.
Balloon-Juice is a lifesaver when I can’t sleep… having friends to communicate with at 3 or 4 am, just wonderful. I wish Tommy would come back, he was usually fun at 3 am. A little goofy, who isn’t at that time of night? But he got slammed so hard after his part of the site update wasn’t the be all and end all of the update…
Thanks again!
ETA: Dude, I’ve been a geezer for years! I’m just lucky to have friends and relatives who share some of my antiquated tastes!
Bo Alawine
@PurpleGirl:
Thank you.
Satby
@J R in WV: Happy Birthday JR! Enjoy your day and your pizza!
skyweaver
Love this post, John. My current dog is my Lily. And you described her behavior perfectly. She’s a yellow lab/golden mix, and is getting a little rusty in her joints. But it doesn’t matter what I’m doing actively in the house, she’ll happily get up slowly and follow me around, tail wagging the whole time. When I’m surfing on my bed on my laptop she’ll hop up, do one circle, plop down with her body firmly pressed against me, sigh deeply and fall asleep. I am generally a pretty happy person, but this simple thing probably makes me the most deeply happy of anything in my life.
Digital Amish
I’ve been lucky to have had two dogs like Lily. Lab mixes both. Lost the Tips about 25 years ago and Kyu exactly three years ago. I can still bring tears to my eyes remembering them both.
Dupe1970
So you are saying Lily has you well trained? ;-P
Denali
Happy birthday JR Enjoy that Medicare!
Joy
I don’t post here very often but I remember when you were considering adopting Lily, visiting the shelter, befriending her and just really unsure of yourself as far as raising a dog. The connection between the two of you was immediate and you had infinite patience winning over the shy little girl. It was a great to watch you become a “dog” person. And then Rosie came, and Ginger and the babies for a while and now Thurston. It’s been fun to observe this over the years. You have a great commitment to animals (Balloon Juice calendar!) and plus just helping to find homes through dog or cat bleg. I know you really don’t like the sappy stuff, but you are a great guy and a good dad to your critters.
lurker dean
@Heidi: Wishing a good year to you too, Heidi, and all the other BJers!
One my cats just napped with me for 2 hours, pets are best.
CaseyL
Good morning, all; and Happy Birthday to J R in WV!
Today is next-to-last day of my long weekend. I should spend it doing something – got so many projects sitting nearby it’s hard to pick.
My current cats chose themselves – rather, Jeannie did (Oscar is one of her kids) by showing up on my doorstep hungry and pregnant. Previous cats were rescues, but brought to me by the original rescuer. Every time I go to a shelter I feel like crying myself to sleep afterward – or hunting down and gutting the humans who put them there. It’s not only the fact of all those animals needing homes; it’s the stories of how they wound up at the shelter.
wonkie
Love is pain. My cat Jimmy was my dearest companion. When he died I felt like i’d undergone an amputation without anesthesia. I had dreams about Jimmy. In one dream I was holding him in my arms and flying over a landscape. There was some kind of evil force hidden in the forest and I was trying to protect Jimmy, but I couldm;t do it. He disappeared, just vanished, left me holding air. Bereft. I still miss him. I am afraid for John; he loves Lily so much. Love is pain, but worth it. But there is a price.
toschek
My dog, Pie, is just like your Lily – they even look the same. I found her (or should I say she found me) at the pound about 7 years ago and we’ve been inseparable since then. I take her to work with me, she sleeps with me (same way, butt tucked up in my armpit so I can scratch between her ears until she and I both pass out) and is almost always within arms reach. She’s the most intelligent dog I think I’ve ever met and I’m so happy that we are together.
Dogs #1!
Here’s my baby girl: http://imgur.com/he23rdG
frankie blue beans
I showed up, neck sore, bones weary on a cool gray morning, and read about you and your dog. Now I’m floating above your room, watching the wolves howl hosannas as the pack circles you like friendly monks, while out the window a Terry Gilliam sky eases down to sunset, as Lily and you release the universe from its surlier bonds. Yeah, I love dogs too. Thanks for this.
Brachiator
Great Lily story, John. And she is light years away from the timid dog that she was when you first found each other.
I also hope your post is a sign that your friends and family with health issues are doing better.
Ruckus
@J R in WV:
You may have been a geezer in your head most of your life but now it’s official.
Geezer.
Wear that name proudly, you lived long enough to earn it.
I used to think that I wouldn’t use the senior discounts because that just showed I’d gotten old. Which when I was a kid I equated with having false teeth. Almost everyone I knew who was old had at least a bridge, but likely an entire set. Didn’t want that.
But you know what? Fuck that not using the senior discounts, like SS and all the rest, I lived long enough to have earned them. And there have been a few times that doing so was in serious, serious doubt. Such as going sideways on a speedway banked corner on a race bike in the rain at 140 towards a concrete wall. That ended up inches away which was more than was needed.
Now you have made it too, so congrats. Just remember that this isn’t an ending, just a different chapter.
Ruckus
@wonkie:
Good friends always have a price attached. But it is well worth it no matter how fleeting a moment that friendship is.
Brachiator
@J R in WV: Happy birthday to you. Enjoy the pizza and beer, and be sure to mention that it’s your birthday. The restaurant may throw in a treat or at least sing to ya.
gogol's wife
We love Lily too, so much.
gogol's wife
@wonkie:
I know what you’re talking about. One of my cats got her bad diagnosis right before Easter. When we had to sing the line, “Where, o death, is now thy sting?” I just broke down. I knew where the sting was, and Easter wasn’t helping any.
PNW_WarriorWoman
Here’s my Pearly-Girl. I think she and Lilly would be fun friends!
WaterGirl
Cole, it’s so nice to see an I love Lily post again. Makes me smile and tear up at the same time.
gogol's wife
@PNW_WarriorWoman:
Sweetie!
Jebediah, RBG
My wife just said that John’s relationship with Lily reminds her of the end of this Pablo Neruda poem:
I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.
I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.
I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way
than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.
Julia Grey
Omigaud. That was gorgeous.