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If America since Jan 2025 hasn’t broken your heart, you haven’t loved her enough.

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

Many life forms that would benefit from greater intelligence, sadly, do not have it.

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. keep building.

She burned that motherfucker down, and I am so here for it. Thank you, Caroline Kennedy.

“Perhaps I should have considered other options.” (head-desk)

If rights aren’t universal, they are privilege, not rights.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

So many bastards, so little time.

Someone should tell Republicans that violence is the last refuge of the incompetent, or possibly the first.

Roe is not about choice. It is about freedom.

We still have time to mess this up!

Let there be snark.

Rupert, come get your orange boy, you petrified old dinosaur turd.

Anne Laurie is a fucking hero in so many ways. ~ Betty Cracker

Boeing: repeatedly making the case for high speed rail.

They want us to be overwhelmed and exhausted. Focus. Resist. Oppose.

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

Radicalized white males who support Trump are pitching a tent in the abyss.

Their boy Ron is an empty plastic cup that will never know pudding.

Not loving this new fraud based economy.

Giving in to doom is how authoritarians win.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Good Old Girls

Good Old Girls

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Here’s a rare beast sighting: our Daisy lolling in the garden, enjoying the evening breeze:

It’s not a rare sight at all if you live with Daisy; she is an old dog and fond of her ease.* But it can be difficult to get a photo because if she sees you looking at her, she’ll lumber over to find out WHY. Maybe you have bacon?

My husband took that picture because I’ve been away from home for a few days, so he’s sending proof that the hounds are well. I’m away from home serving as caregiver; my mother-in-law had minor surgery, but at her age, nothing is really minor, so I’m hanging out to keep an eye on her.

Unlike me, she is extremely social and has had a steady stream of visitors. It struck me yesterday, as I hovered on the fringe of a group of her friends, how consistent the energy is in a gathering of women, regardless of age. I choose to find that comforting.

Open thread!

*Bonus points for anyone who can name that obscure literary reference without Google.

Reader Interactions

54Comments

  5. 5.

    RAVEN

    It’s really hot but, every now and then, old Bohdi makes his way out his doggie door and basks in the sun for a bit.

  6. 6.

    Yarrow

    Nice garden! What wood did you use to make your raised beds? Love the picture of Daisy. She deserves all the bacon.

  7. 7.

    Humdog

    Those look like brand new garden beds, nice!

    Look at how white Daisy’s sweet face has gotten. I love the boxer smile.

  8. 8.

    MelissaM

    Our Annie is also hard to photograph, as she has to come and sniff the camera. Could be food, you know. How does Daisy ease while Badger badgers?

  9. 9.

    JPL

    @RAVEN: When Finch goes out, I’ve been setting a timer. It’s so hot that I worry about her. We’re going to have lows in the fifties Thursday night. Wahoo. I don’t want to see my electric bill though. ugh

  12. 12.

    realbtl

    I knew my old girl Sioux was going when she only went out to bask in the sun once this summer, preferring the heated dog bed in my office.

  14. 14.

    trollhattan

    A fun bird story from down under, posted on a photo forum.

    Thanks… now a true story… a few years ago, one of those Rainbow Lorikeets flew into our pergola on a 40° + day and landed on the dog’s water bowl. I am good with birds, having owned and handled them, and he jumped straight onto my hand (obviously an escaped tame bird). I took him (her?) into the house to protect and call a friend who rehabilitates native birds. One of our cats saw the Lorikeet and came running, jumping onto a nearby chair. The Lorikeet flew off and down the passage with us and the cat in tow. He flew into the bathroom and landed on the shower frame and as we came around the corner, he looked down at the cat and screamed “F*** off” at the cat… so definitely someones lost pet!

    Our friend placed ads for a lost bird but to no avail. After a few months, he went to live at a sanctuary with lots of tourists regularly visiting. I shudder to think what they though if he ever got angry again lol!

  16. 16.

    Ohio Mom

    That quote was completely unfamiliar to me so I goggled it. Not going to give any spoilers, just want to share my continued amazement that you can type in ten words and of all the words in all the sequences that exist, in mere moments Google recognizes the sentence fragment and tells you where it is from.

    Yes, not a particularly deep thought. It’s like saying, “What a beautiful sunset.” The awe does not translate.

    Now off to start supper.

  18. 18.

    Miss Bianca

    Every time I swat a goddamn fly in this office, two more pop up. On top of my swatting magazine. WTF.

  22. 22.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    I feel for you Betty. My Mother had her (checks notes) 7th heart attack last week, she has been in hospital since. On top of that her partner (Norman) had a suspected mini stroke on August 30 and has been ordered not to drive for 28 days. That means every day I have to drive up to his house at 1:45pm, take him to the hospital, find a parking spot (a nightmare) and then walk the entire length of the hospital to get to the ward that Mum is on. Visit for two hours then take him home. Then he gets the bus in the evening to the hospital and I have to drive to the hospital at 8pm to pick him up and take him home. This has been going on for a week and to be honest I am knackered.

  23. 23.

    Miss Bianca

    @Ohio Mom: Without looking it up, I want to say it’s a reference to a Browning poem, but I could so totally be wrong I’d be unwilling to bet on it.

  30. 30.

    bemused

    @Raven:

    Wow. Inheriting good genes isn’t everything. He’s also been blessed with all your love and care.
    Our 11 year old Sammy has arthritis which causes pain when getting up, one TPLO didn’t go as well as the first one, blind from glaucoma and is happy to nap most of the day which annoys the younger dog. But when it’s time for a walk she acts like a puppy. On the familiar straight, wider part of the trail, she takes off running and passes up her humans and the younger dog. Still a happy girl.

  31. 31.

    Brachiator

    A very sweet post. I hope that all goes well with your mother-in-law.

    I also send good wishes to others caring for relatives and friends.

    Old dogs are not the only ones who should be fond of their ease. Lovely image.

    ETA. Google is amazing, at its best.

  33. 33.

    Raven

    @bemused: Mobility is an issue for the boy. We walk him to the corner, put him in the cart with Lil Bit and push them up the hill. We then get to a field and I hoist him out and the boss walks him on the flat ground. Back into the cart (he growls at me every time) and then the mile hike to the bakery. He is unleashed there and the women at the counter give in to his big sad eyes and give him treats! Back in the cart for the ride home.

    eta he gets a rimadyl every morning

  36. 36.

    donnah

    Betty, I love this: “…how consistent the energy is in a gathering of women, regardless of age. I choose to find that comforting.”

    I do, as well. From family events where all of the women gather in the kitchen, to craft gatherings where we “stitch and bitch”. From birthday parties to funerals, women take things in hand and they provide the sustenance for everyone, both physical to emotional. And from a socio-political framework, look how women organize and move forward with causes like drunk driving, womens’ rights, gun control and feminism.

    So very true that we evoke a special strength and power when we congregate.

  37. 37.

    ola azul

    @Raven:

    Older they get, more precious they become.

    Lost the old cock at 16 here awhile back, but hanging above my galley is the BJ calendar in which Huck is prominently displayed in July as a saucy firebrand n in Dec. endcap as his grizzled irrepressible goofball self.

    Miss him enormously. Glad your Bohdi still living his best life.

    (Can’t wait to get the Red Barber on your rig trip.) ‘Member one time fishing in the Keys and catching lil tunnies (bonito) and blackfins, and tryn’ta get ’em in before the gar-fucking-gantuan ‘cudas (literally) sawed ’em in half.

    It’s a tough world down there. ‘Minds me of this year when the sea lions weren’t so bad as the sharks was. Got sharked a lot this year. Blues n salmon sharks, mostly.

    Usually you just see prima facie evidence of sharks, but at least three times this year had sharks right on surface, shredding salmon. (Accidentally) caught one, ’bout 7 feet, blue. Tried to get my lure (spread) back, cuz I’ma idiot, and was — surprise! — unable.

  38. 38.

    CarolPW

    @Raven: When Puck was 14 I got a ramp for her to get into the car, and when she was 15 I had to start giving her butt a boost to get to the seat, and she snarled at me each time for months. She came to accept the help without growling, but I’m sure she continued to think it was beneath her dignity, I can’t imagine how she would have reacted if I had tried to pick her up (snarling would have been the least of it) but she was too heavy for me to even try. She was a happy dog to the end, and preferred (even with the butt boost) to go with me everywhere rather than staying home home alone.

    Old dogs are a gift to be cherished. They see us clearly and love us anyway.

  39. 39.

    RAVEN

    @ola azul: I’ve been all over the Hull Truth reading people bitching about the charters and how tuna fishing has sucked for a couple of years. The Venice Marina has a live web cam and I tune in all the time and see quite a few yellowfin as well as black, mahi and AJ’s. I don’t know if the size is not what they want but I’m encouraged.

    eta Is Huck in July 2019? I’m looking and don’t see him.

    Both of ours are getting really old but they are going to have the best as long as they last.

  41. 41.

    ola azul

    @RAVEN:

    Ya, he’s there. July ’19: the old cock is centered next to Lil Edward, but is give his full patronymic, Huckleberry, n wearing a shit-eating grin (which is/was, alas, sometimes annoyably accurate; lovem, but dogs is weird) and sporting a ‘Murican flag bandana. Huck had differently-colored eyes (one brown, one blue), but, to the delight of children (twere like a magic trick for ’em!), with Huck’s forbearing indulgence, I’d peel back n point out how his eyes was marbled (i.e. the brown one was cut blue on top and the blue one was cut brown on top).

    Kidz fucking loved that, and so did I.

  42. 42.

    Avalune

    Bella tends to shun the camera – but not in a hey you are looking at me, do you have bacon way but rather a you shall not trap my soul in your white brick, kind of way. That said, i was going through my phone and realized I have a heck of a lot of pictures of that dog. They come in one of three varieties: 1. Her looking away, because of the aforementioned concern for her soul, 2. Her sleeping, because she cannot look away, 3. Her begging to go out by putting her head in my lap and staring at me plaintively – which incidentally, she sees a fit time to stare into the camera – for evidence I assume.

  43. 43.

    Yutsano

    @CarolPW:

    Old dogs are a gift to be cherished

    My parents have a 12 year old border collie. It’s amazing how he still wants to try and run and play. Honestly the big thing slowing him down is an old hip injury that never really did get treated properly but it only gives him a bit of a limp. I keep bugging my mom to get him a puppy or two to teach since he won’t be here too much longer. I think Mom is just denying reality at this point.

  45. 45.

    satby

    I honestly expected my almost 15 year old Rosie to have pined away for her late soulmate Hershey by now, bonded pairs often go one right after the other. But she’s still plugging along, sleeping more often and for longer but excited to get up and go outside with the “younger” two dogs (ages 9 and 10). Getting deaf, and cataracts make it hard for her to see, but she’s still a happy girl in spite of the limitations of age. And she’s loving that I spoil her with extra treats, as we should with old dogs.

  46. 46.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    Kitten update:

    We’ve expanded their range a bit. They just spent time with us in the master bedroom, helping with the laundry. Attempts to get video of their assistance failed miserably, as they would only stay within camera range for about 5 seconds at a time. I can testify that the socks have been well and thoroughly killed.

  47. 47.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    There have been encounters with two of the three established cats. Hisses on all sides, but no aggression so far.

  50. 50.

    Michael Cain

    It struck me yesterday, as I hovered on the fringe of a group of her friends, how consistent the energy is in a gathering of women, regardless of age.

    At least once per year, until recently, I make the drive across the Great Plains from Denver to somewhere on the east side. When I stop for lunch, almost always near local lunchtime, there is an animated group of gray-haired ladies at one of the tables. They are members of the unofficial “Old Widows Club”. They are largely former farm wives whose husband died fairly young — farming is that sort of profession. The kids moved away because they didn’t want to be farmers and there are no jobs. They’ve never lived outside the county. As a group they take care of each other, from little things up to big ones. One of the great tragedies is when one of their members requires more care per day than they can provide, and the member’s kids take their mom away to Wichita or Lincoln or Sioux Falls to a home.

    Great Plains population peaked around 1930 and has been declining for almost 90 years now. The women my age may be the last generation of the Old Widows Club, with no one to care for them when they get to where they need help instead of providing it.

  52. 52.

    steppy

    I know I’m not the first to say so, but Betty, you are a tremendous writer. Eight sentences, not a word out of place, and an obscure yet beautiful reference (I cheated and looked it up).

  54. 54.

    bruce.desertrat

    That is why most pictures of my dogs are either a weird blur or extreme closeups of a nose…

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