Notes from Mosquito Hill » pets

Save the puppies!

mack505 — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:03:47 +0000

Got your attention?

On Saturday, 2/11 I will be spinning with a team from my gym in the MSPCA’s 9th Annual Tour de Pooch. All money raised will go to support the operation of MSPCA’s Nevins Farm in Methuen, MA. Nevins is a major local animal shelter and the only one in Massachusetts capable of handling large animals. When you say ‘animal shelter’ everyone thinks of dogs and cats. Nevins handles everything from hamsters to horses. (The economy has been especially hard on horses – they’re not exactly inexpensive to keep properly.)

Please click this link and donate to support our team. If each of my Facebook friends, Twitter followers, and blog readers donated just $1 we would be pushing the $500 mark. Please send them a buck or two.

And by the way, these guys are just cool.

———

Moving on to usual business:

2/6 – Good morning, Witch City! Heading home after a long night.

2/7 – Good morning, Newburyport. Merrimac River on the way to the gym this morning.

New pets (P366: 2/1-2/2)

mack505 — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:05:12 +0000

2/1 – Piggies. Most of these guys are fosters available for adoption.

2/2 – Klaatu barada nikto.

Project 366 – 1/30

mack505 — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 01:47:00 +0000

January 30 – unhappy dog

Fire and ice, and a dog. (Project 366)

mack505 — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:36:47 +0000

January 21 – Home alone for the evening, lounging in front of the pellet stove.

January 22 – Cold day at work. This grew throughout the day. I kept waiting for the rig to hit it on the way out the door.

January 23 – My family says the dog is a good luck charm and she has to wear the shirt through the Superbowl. Cricket is not impressed.

January 24 – The Howe is finally safe at home. The trip was much longer and more expensive than planned. Details to follow.

That’s her older sister, Engine 2, in the background.

I sure wish I had those ladders.

Zen

mack505 — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 02:33:51 +0000

Silence
The low hum of fluorescent workshop lights
No TV; no family
The gentle rasp of an old abused paintbrush
A project draws to completion
I can hear my breathing; feel the blood in my veins

Heating pumps click and whir
The boiler whooshes to life

Oh, hello Hal

Week in Review

mack505 — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 00:59:20 +0000

October 1 – Fenway stop on the Green Line

October 2 – I wish I’d had a video camera handy for this one. It was certainly interesting.

October 3 – Deerfield Fair

October 4 – I’ve been working on some renovations for my parents. This is just scary.

October 5 – Sorry these are out of focus. The cat just keeps getting darker.

October 6 – Cold and wet, and a very high tide.

October 7 – In the dog house.

P365: 9/15-9/19, and JDRF

mack505 — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 23:10:56 +0000

I will put up a more detailed post later, but this year I’m walking to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. My fundraising page can be easily found here. If I could get just $1 from each of my readers, Tweeps, and FB friends I’d be ecstatic.

9/15 – Kites at the beach. Juggling kite, kid, dog, and camera was a YouTube-worthy performance.

9/17 – Meet the newest member of the extended family, my puppy-niece Ava. She’s just 8 weeks old this weekend.

9/18 – Wildflowers

9/19 – Early morning on the farm.

P365: September 9-10

mack505 — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 01:16:49 +0000

9/9 – “If I stay still, maybe they won’t see me.”

9/10 – Bridges on the bike path.

A week without photos (P365: August 16-21)

mack505 — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 23:10:58 +0000

Photoblogging was light this week. In fact, it was nonexistent. We were out of town at the Big E in Springfield for the Mass Morgan Horse Show. Internet was limited to what I could access via the iPhone, although I did achieve one text-only post. The fairgrounds did have WiFi, but for $$$. I tried the free service at the local McDonalds, but we won’t discuss that any further. As I couldn’t find an access point which was both pleasant and affordable, you’ve had to wait. So without further ado:

August 16: I’ve never had a campsite with its own fire hydrant before.

August 17: Breakfast

August 18: Sunset

August 19: Terriers around Town. Beth loved the psychedelic one the most.

August 20: How could you not love this face?

August 21: Mrs Mack505, Scotty, and trainer Shawn Amazeen in the winner’s circle.

Six Million Dollar Doghouse

mack505 — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 16:07:14 +0000

Long, long ago in a garage not so far from here. . .

. . .my grandfather built a doghouse for my childhood dog. Like most of Gramp’s carpentry, it was built from available materials and it was built to last. Mitzi the miniature beagle spent many sunny afternoons in it. It was painted red to match our house and barn.

Later, when I was in high school, the doghouse had a new tenant. Tigger the wire-haired dachshund spent many sunny afternoons in its shade. We repainted it blue and white to match our then-current home.

After Tigger passed on it sat alone, forgotten and rotting in the back yard until Cricket joined our family. My parents offered it to us for her. Time had not been kind to our doggie heirloom. The sills were rotten, the door was falling off, and the roof was more concept than reality. We brought it home and went to work.

“We have the technology. We can rebuild it.”

Out came the Sawzall. The entire structure was shortened by about 2 inches. It had been ridiculously tall for a dachshund anyway. We installed new sills and a new floor. The roof was reshingled. The front door was replaced. In finest ‘Gramp’ fashion, it was all reconstructed from available, salvaged materials.

I slapped a coat of primer on it and gave it to the dog. She loves it.

Tuesday Beth helped with the final coat of color, and today I finished the trim. The Six Million Dollar Doghouse lives!