Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Dear Washington Post, you are the darkness now.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

The Giant Orange Man Baby is having a bad day.

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

Hell hath no fury like a farmer bankrupted.

Stop using mental illness to avoid talking about armed white supremacy.

The gop is a fucking disgrace.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

Never give a known liar the benefit of the doubt.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

We still have time to mess this up!

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

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

Everything is totally normal and fine!!!

At some point, the ability to learn is a factor of character, not IQ.

Welcome to day five of every-bit-as-bad-as-you-thought-it-would-be.

Fight them, without becoming them!

He wakes up lying, and he lies all day.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

Beware of advice from anyone for whom Democrats are “they” and not “we.”

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

America is going up in flames. The NYTimes fawns over MAGA celebrities. No longer a real newspaper.

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Dog Blogging / Easter Sunday Morning Open Thread

Easter Sunday Morning Open Thread

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This post is in: , ,

(Vinny & Patsy, thank you commentor Ruth)

… And, now that we’ve all had a quick larf, some more garden shots from dedicated commentor Raven:

***********
Here north of Boston, the earliest of our daffodils got blasted by late March storms, but the white narcissi are starting to bloom. The Siberian iris leaves are greening up, and it looks like we’ll have at least some lilac blossoms in a couple of weeks. And it’s supposed to be almost 80 degrees today — time to get out and start cleaning up the winter detritus…

What’s going on in your garden(s) planning this week?

Reader Interactions

105Comments

  1. 1.

    raven

    Oh, I forgot about those! We hit it most of the day in the garden yesterday. Her spectacular roses are starting to bloom and we’re going to be gone to the beach for 10 days starting Thursday, I hope we don’t miss them.

  2. 2.

    satby

    Thanks for the doggie cuteness Ruth! Vinny and Patsy look less than pleased, they’re obviously just humoring you.

    raven, you and the boss have a beautiful place! All that is already blooming? My clematis is barely showing signs of life.

  4. 4.

    Major Major Major Major

    Hey all,

    It’s early evening here in Cambodia. We flew into Siem Reap this afternoon and I guess we got a room at a very nice hotel. At a population of 250,000 it’s much smaller than Bangkok, and I haven’t explored much but, again, it’s small and by far the biggest draw is its history as it sits 5km from Angkor Wat. We’re going there tomorrow, but for now we’re chilling at the pool.

    Bangkok parting shot & view from Siem Reap hotel balcony – https://imgur.com/a/LIg9l

  6. 6.

    WereBear

    The garden centers are starting to open up around here. I usually chip in to expand the work building’s flower display; two baskets, but my contribution makes them bigger and more varied.

    I do have a shady patch I will explore: a swathe of pansies and violas if nothing else. It would be a good place to put the little pot of dwarf iris I rescued, too.

  12. 12.

    Baud

    Happy Easter. May you all rise.

    Pups don’t like being dressed up as Sean Spicer.

    Pretty pictures, raven.

  13. 13.

    satby

    Happy Easter to those who celebrate. I’m off, and my baby trees from arborday.org showed up yesterday, so more planting is scheduled for today. I was going to keep both lilacs, but since I already planted five others, I may share one of them too.

    For the serious gardeners: considering getting this to clone some of the pricey shrubs I had at my old place, and to propagate my other plants. Anyone have experience with similar?

  14. 14.

    bystander

    Tried posting this query yesterday but I think it was swallowed whole:

    Our 11 year old Frenchie has arthritis in his hips/ back legs. We are considering acupuncture and MLS laser therapy for him. Anyone with experience with treating your dog’s arthritis with either of,these treatments? Buster is on a pain killer but we don’t think it’s enough.

    Anyway, Happy Easter, all!

  15. 15.

    satby

    @bystander: haven’t tried either of those so I’m no help there, but glucosamine-chondroitin was really helpful to one of my dogs. I’d add that to whatever regime you have him on.

  18. 18.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @raven: Nice pics. Did you guys get all those columbines in the ground? I’d like to see the finished product.

  19. 19.

    Raven

    @bystander: lil bit is getting laser now and Bohdi had it in the winter. They both have some from leg lameness and it was prescribed along with rest. Bohdi seems to have fully recovered but I don’t seem much impact on Lil Bit.

  20. 20.

    Raven

    @OzarkHillbilly: Yea, that is actually our rental . Our sweet tenant has hooked up with a dude who is in a plant related business and he bought and planted all that stuff. I’ll get some shots when I get home.

  21. 21.

    Jeffro

    Flying back home from S.F. today…great whirlwind of a trup!

    Checked all the boxes and then some, with the exception of (and this is not
    really a San Francisco thing, but just ’cause we’re out west) a stop at In-N-Out Burger. Something to look forward to next time!

  22. 22.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Raven: That’d be nice to see. Is it full sun or partial? Id like to do a planting of columbines, but the how and where… As I’ve mentioned before, I have a hard time with the “seeing”.

  25. 25.

    satby

    @Jeffro: In-N-Out burger was one of the things exchange daughter Qunoot was most disappointed in not being able to get while here, we never went far enough west. She attempted a burger tour of America and fortunately got to have most of the ones in her list. And a few non-chain ones. But no In-N-Out.

  32. 32.

    bystander

    @satby: Buster has been on glucosamine and chondroitin for awhile. So was I until the knee replacement.

    @WereBear: I’ll keep that in mind. We are seeing the vet Monday.

    @Raven: Thanks. The laser treatment seems easier on the animal, but Buster is pretty tolerant of being poked and prodded. At least by the vet.

    Never having had a dog in my life, I appreciate the advice!

  33. 33.

    WereBear

    Sab: Calicos and Tortoiseshells are strong-willed female cats who inherit genetically distinct traits along with their multi-colored coats. Calicos are mellow compared to Tortoiseshells, who have their own word: Tortitude.

    Of course, any trait can be turned to good… or evil. Sounds like your poor cat was trapped in Cat Panic Syndrome.

  34. 34.

    WereBear

    @bystander: Buster has been on glucosamine and chondroitin for awhile. So was I until the knee replacement.

    I switched from glucosamine and chondroitin to MSM and gelatin for my own hand arthritis (especially my thumbs, just like my father.) The MSM and gelatin works better for me.

  35. 35.

    Immanentize

    Rabbit dogs, beautiful flowers, far flung locales and a sweet new kitteh. What a wonderful (Easter) Sunday post. Makes life seem positive and normal.

  36. 36.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Baud: I’ve risen, so thanks Baud.

    @Major Major Major Major: That’s a lovely, vibrant photo.

    Love the dogs and flowers in the original post. Looks like we in Maryland are experiencing an early Summer. It’s going to be in the 80s today. Very unusual for Spring.

  38. 38.

    bemused

    @WereBear:

    My hubby takes glucosamine and chondroitin but it didn’t seem to do anything for osteoarthritis in my hands. Any particular brand or strength of MSM that works for you?

  40. 40.

    WaterGirl

    @bystander: Adequan – I can’t recommend it highly enough! The course of treatment was 8 shots – 2 a week for 4 weeks. By shot number 5, I was pretty sure I could see a difference. By shot number 6, there was no doubt. He was so much better! In a year or so he seemed to be having trouble again, so he got a booster of 2 more shots and was good again.

    I tried it because the pain pills did not agree with my sweet Bailey; they upset his tummy so he was just miserable.

    edited so the reply went to the person who asked the question. hi satby.

  41. 41.

    Sab

    @WereBear: Wow. You nailed it. That was exactly how she acted. She loved me and I loved her, but she hated the rest of my family.

  42. 42.

    WaterGirl

    If I am guessing the names correctly, Vinnie seems okay with the bunny ears, but Patsy is pissed!

    Thanks for the sweet photo! And raven, your garden is gorgeous, as always.

    The spanish bluebells I planted last fall still haven’t come up – any idea of how far ahead of us you are, raven?

  43. 43.

    debit

    @CarolDuhart2: Congrats on the new kitty!!

    @bystander: I hadn’t tried those treatments, but my vet recommended both for Walter if Adequan wasn’t effective. It was, very much so, until it wasn’t, which led to the cancer diagnoses. FWIW, my older dogs are on a regime of Synovi chews and fish oil gel caps added to every meal.

  45. 45.

    WereBear

    @bemused: I currently use Doctor’s Best, 1500 mg daily, with a heaping teaspoon (or even more) of Great Lakes Gelatin Co.’s Collagen Hydrolysate, (Collagen Joint Care, Beef.) It dissolves in any beverage, hot or cold.

    In addition, I found I had inflammatory responses to certain foods, like sugar and Omega 3 seed oils. Changing my diet to cut way down on my exposure to those did wonders.

  48. 48.

    debit

    @WaterGirl: Yep! Walter’s course was a little different; we had 5 shots over 5 weeks. I assume it was more aggressive because of his weight and condition but it truly was amazing how much easier he moved.

  49. 49.

    japa21

    Good morning all and Happy Easter. Off to Mass with son, daughter-in-law and 1 3/4 grandsons (the 3/4 is showing up in June). For one day I am going to try to put ll the ugliness this administration represents aside.

  51. 51.

    CarolDuhart2

    No dog. Not enough room. Besides, Miss Kitty is her old name, Ceres the new. Her previous owner is now in assisted living, but her daughter was taking care of her (mother) and her mother’s cat. Came here on quite an adventure from Michigan. She’s twelve and will be a mellow cat.

  52. 52.

    charluckles

    Anyone with experience with nut bearing trees? My wife has been asking for years for an almond tree and I think we are going to pull the trigger this spring.

  54. 54.

    OzarkHillbilly

    ‘It goes into your psyche’: photographing gunshot survivors in the US Kathy Shorr’s Shot: 101 Survivors of Gun Violence in America (powerHouse Books)

    The day I was shot, it was Halloween. It was a pretty exciting day – I was going to be able to go trick or treating by myself. I came home and found my brother had been scratched by my cat. He was pretty angry and I put myself between him and the cat. It was hunting season and we had our guns just out in our front porch area. My brother went and got one of them. I think he was trying to scare me – isn’t it sad that I don’t know?

    He told me he was going to shoot me, then pointed the gun at me. It was a 30-30 rifle, common for hunting large game, elk. A very powerful rifle. I was sitting down, crouching in the corner of the room and the bullet went through my arm, then through my leg. I heard later that the bullet lodged in the wall. That single shot almost blew my leg off.

    Luckily for me, my sister was home. She took me to our family practice doctor, who bundled me up and put me in the back of his station wagon. His wife drove me 20 miles to the hospital in Bozeman, where the team of doctors saved my life.

    When I woke up after being unconscious for a week, there was a story established that my brother was playing with a gun and it accidentally went off and I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. No one knew about the fight with the cat.

    I didn’t tell anybody the truth about what happened. At the time, I was really afraid for my brother and felt protective of him. Maybe that’s a victim thing, I don’t know.

    I have never talked to him about it. People ask why all the time and I can’t say. Sometimes, I feel that if I start talking to him about it, it would rip too big a hole in our relationship. I don’t know what the aftermath of something like that is, living a lie for that long.

    When I was around 30, I had a bit of a breakdown and went into therapy. My therapist thought it would be a good idea for me to clear up the misunderstanding and tell my parents the truth. They said they’d felt that maybe it had not been an accident but didn’t push it. It is hard to have uncomfortable conversations.

    It was hard just reading the 4 stories in the article. Not sure I could handle a whole book (101) of them.

  55. 55.

    WaterGirl

    @CarolDuhart2: I am guessing that reply was to me?

    I think it would be really cool to have a dog/cat pair called Marshall Dillon and Miss Kitty, from the old show Gunsmoke. It would take just the right dog to pull of Marshall Dillon, though. Wouldn’t work with my little 12-pound guy, for instance.

  57. 57.

    WaterGirl

    @OzarkHillbilly: Wow. I am furious at the parents who thought one son might have shot the other son on purpose, but did or said nothing? I wish Cole was here to rant about that because I was raised Catholic and I can’t say what I want to say.

    edit: especially on easter!

  59. 59.

    WereBear

    @WaterGirl: I am furious at the parents who thought one son might have shot the other son on purpose, but did or said nothing?

    Denial and ignoring uncomfortable facts are endemic in many families.

  60. 60.

    WaterGirl

    @WereBear: Yeah, I know that is true. But thinking he had shot their other son? He could have killed all of them at some future date! Seems like that would make them push past the discomfort. On the other hand, all these families that suspect incest but deny it, that really isn’t any better.

    So okay, you’re right. But it’s completely fucked up.

    edit: as an antidote, I had to go up top to look at the sweet photo of Vinny and Patsy in their bunny ears.

  71. 71.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @debbie: I have a certain sympathy for the parents. They loved both their children and they wanted to believe it was just an accident, so they accepted the lie because it was easier than looking for the truth. People do that all the time for many reasons in many different situations.

    @WaterGirl: The victim was his sister.

  72. 72.

    debit

    @rikyrah: Good morning and Happy Easter.

    And happy almost end of tax season. I’m looking forward to going back to 40 hours (or so) a week and having full weekends again.

  74. 74.

    ThresherK

    @CarolDuhart2: Yaaaaay! Calico!

    @WereBear: Torties and Calicos are my favorites. I mentioned your blog’s comment on attitude to my Spousal ThresherK, and she said “Something about strong-willed females? I knew you had a type.”

  75. 75.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @debit: You should go read the rest of that one, about how she looked at her own daughter when she was 8 yrs old. About how it felt to years later hold the gun that she was shot with. And then read the other 3 too.

    Domestic violence is a too common thread in much of our gun violence.

  76. 76.

    bystander

    @WaterGirl:

    @debit:

    Thanks for the info. We will definitely ask the vet about Adequan.

    Our regular vet will just be back on Monday after being off on maternity for a few months. Buster is a favorite (or as favorite as a vet can have professionally) so I was dreading bringing him in in such sad shape. But he has perked up with his new painkiller and twice daily heating pad.

  77. 77.

    debit

    @OzarkHillbilly: I know that children can be taught gun safety, but I always wonder if parents take into consideration that most kids don’t really understand the consequences or permanence of their actions. My brother, despite going through all the gun safety classes and knowing that a gun is never truly unloaded, pointed his shotgun at me on a regular basis and mimed shooting me. He was 12, I was 10. Luckily, he never actually shot me, but to this day I have a visceral terror of guns. Kids just don’t understand.

  78. 78.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @debit:

    I know that children can be taught gun safety, but I always wonder if parents take into consideration that most kids don’t really understand the consequences or permanence of their actions.

    Hence the new found love of gun safes. The case above happened 45 years ago. Still no excuse for leaving loaded guns around where anyone could grab one, but attitudes have changed over the years. When I was in 8th grade the teenaged child of family friends blew his brains out playing Russian Roulette with the father’s revolver. I know the father bore the guilt with him to his grave. I know the friends who were playing it with him still bear the scars.

    It would kill me.

    ETA: also very sorry you were subjected to such stupidity on a recurring basis. Only happened to me once, and I told the idiot I was gonna kill him if he didn’t put it away, and I meant it. Left me shaking with adrenaline for a good 5 mins.

  82. 82.

    WaterGirl

    @rikyrah: I was just wondering about that! Has she talked about it? I was just assuming that after doing the awesome lamb butter two years in a row, they wouldn’t let her in the door without one!

  86. 86.

    WaterGirl

    @Barbara: I had assumed the victim was a boy. I am surprised that the little sister who was shot didn’t at least confide in her older sister who was home when the incident occurred. Either way, it’s awful.

  91. 91.

    WaterGirl

    I am totally shocked by how tall and green my clematis are already, and it’s just mid-April! That’s crazy.

    @OzarkHillbilly: Interesting. I confided everything to my older sister.

  92. 92.

    ThresherK

    @WereBear: Oh, yeah. Not a surprise that, among cats, torties and calico know even moreso exactly which party is in charge.

  93. 93.

    Gelfling 545

    My weeping cherry tree is blooming. I can’t remember thst it’s ever bloomed this early before. It’s generally pretty regularly May 1, give or take a day.

  94. 94.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @WaterGirl: My 2 older sisters were inseparable. They were fighting one time as teenagers and it got so bad my Mother finally stepped in. Peggy went to work and Sue went out with friends.

    When Peggy came home her first words were, “Where’s Suzy?”
    “Out with friends.”Ma replied.
    “But who am I going to talk to????” Peggy whined.

    I think it hit Sue even harder than it hit me when Peggy died.

  97. 97.

    bystander

    @Gelfling 545: Our weeping cherry is blooming, too. We are in NE Pa, and usually we don’t see blooms until May as well. All the daffs are in full bloom when we used to see them in late April. And the lilac looks about ready to pop when it was usually mid May in the past.

  101. 101.

    Comrade Colette Collaboratrice

    Last weekend Monsieur Colette dug up the big flower box and added new soil and compost, so yesterday I spent all day replanting it – divided the dahlias and added achillea, carnations, callibrachoa, tiny mice, and helianthemum, plus lots of old-fashioned annuals: sunflowers, marigolds, lobelia, violas. It’s going to be very colorful. Spring was late on account of all the rain here in San Francisco. My cherry trees are almost done flowering, the roses and lemon trees are starting to bloom, and there are huge buds on the peonies. AND it’s going to rain again today – not only is the drought over for the moment, we’re damn near drowning instead. Mother Nature, WTF?

  103. 103.

    Uncle Ebeneezer

    Made it to Texas!! Now I’m sitting around with the elderly in-laws who obsessively watch MSNBC. Fortunately they are liberal, but they also think Bernie is just the bee’s-knees so….ugh

    Looking forward to heading down to Austin tomorrow though apparently the wildflowers are pretty meh this year. Oh well, we lucked out with our New England foliage trip so 1-out-of-2 isn’t so bad. Wish I brought a big old Obama: Greatest President shirt or something for walking around rural N. Dallas. I guess my Black Lives Matter and Raise Better White People shirts will have to suffice.

  104. 104.

    Shell

    Vinny and Patsy look less than pleased, they’re obviously just humoring you.

    I hope they at least got some ham!

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