Bebe inspects the new arrivals as Chiquita gives them their first meal.
This past Saturday, June 23, the new puppies finally arrived. Chiquita gave birth to two beautiful little ones, one male and one female. They are growing like weeds on Mama’s milk and a lot of attention on the part of Bebe. It wasn’t without some problems. There were three but we lost the first one in the process – he came feet first and got stuck in the birth canal. We were very sad to lose him, but we are happy with our new family.
We really didn’t know how Bebe would react to the puppies. We had never seen a male dog with a family. We kind of expected he would just ignore them. We kept him outside while the event was happening and he whined and scratched at the door the whole time. He was not pleased by his exclusion. When we finally opened the door and let him in, he immediately went to the box we used during the births, got up on the side and just looked with what I can only describe as amazement. When Chiquita got up for a few minutes to get a drink of water and take a break, he looked very intently at them, and then, slowly and carefully reached out his paw to touch them. Chiquita didn’t seem to mind, although she has made it clear to him he doesn’t belong in the basket with them.
Throughout the rest of the day, and all of Sunday, he didn’t want to leave them. He sits near the basket we use as their bed and comes over every time one of them whimpers to respond with some little noises of his own. He grabs a bite to eat on occasion, but mainly, he is there with his new family. It is a real change in his behavior. Last night, two days after the birth, he was still conflicted about leaving them. He wants to spend some time with us and do his usual routine, but when it came time to go to bed (which is a travel box inside the house) he wouldn’t settle down until he had another chance to see them. This morning, it was the same – he got up, went outside and immediately went to the garage to see the family. Much later he reappeared at the backdoor for his breakfast routine, but afterwards he was ready to go out and back to the family. I really don’t know how to describe it other than to say he is one extremely proud papa.
So, enjoy this little comic which says it all. There are some fotos in the gallery if you want to see some better shots and I am quite sure there will be more in the future.
—>
June 26th, 2007 by Mike
Tagged as comix | No Comments »
With their “Japanese lanterns” hung in the breezes, our tomatillos enjoy the summer sun.
Summer has arrived in Sacramento. The tomatillos on the sunny side of the house are blooming and setting their first fruit. I don’t think we have ever seen them so lush and filled with blossoms. It will be a good year for salsa.
Regardless of what you came to this fotoblog to see, the largest proportion of people who visit come to see the pictures of Cueramaro, Mexico – by far. So many that it outranks some of the municipal sites for the city. So, recently, when the city made use of the popularity to post a link to a promotional video on YouTube in a comment here, I was honored to play whatever part I could in advancing the cause. If you are interested in seeing a little bit of Cueramaro, do check the video for yourself. I know many of my friends miss my regular fotos of the town, and I won’t be able to post new ones until sometime in December most likely – so I hope it will help to tide you over. And to my friend Armando who posted the link – Saludos!
And since I am updating some of my links, I am including a few more authors who keep me entertained at odd moments with their podcasts. I will say it again – if you have not tried some of the new crop of literary podcasts that are available now on the Internet, you are missing some great works. The level of writing and reading has gone many notches above what was available just a couple of years ago. It is a field that is growing relentlessly as both new and noted authors begin to realize the value of finding a public without the media machines of publishers. I know that many musicians are also using the Internet in much the same way to find an audience. With YouTube and a host of other sites available, I don’t really think it is necessary or useful to get into the debate about piracy of copyrighted material anymore. There is far more available from artists who want to find their share of the “Long Tail” (which this fotoblog is very much a part of) than I have time to enjoy.
So here are some more links for you to try – with my recommendation:
Steven J. McDermott – With his Winter of Different Directions podcast, Steve explores characters and situations in a group of very tight short stories. His visualizations are strong, sometimes too strong for weak stomachs, but that is the stuff of good writing. He is a man of many different directions of his own. He is also the editor of Storyglossia, the writer of his own litblog, and is found in short story collections all over the Internet. If you haven’t listened to his work and you love good fiction, shame on you.
Tee Morris – Tee’s current podcast fiction, Billibub Baddings, is a mixture of fantasy and crime noir that is as inventive as it is engaging. He is involved in a lot of things, including the Podcasting for Dummies book(s) so his reading is strong and like Scott Sigler, he is always “pushing the envelope.” I hate waiting for the next episode of his stories, so yes Tee, I am one of your “Snitches.”
Phil Rossi – Crescent Station is a science fiction tale about a space station and a fellow with a rocket who is contracted to collect salvage from space. Doesn’t sound promising? Of course it quickly becomes more than a collection of space junk as it explores the lives and odd happenings on Crescent. As I write this, the story is still unfolding so you have a chance to experience it in all its “once a week” glory. Jump on for the ride.
There are more I have just started to listen to, but I haven’t heard enough to recommend them. The options are expanding faster than I can keep up. If you want to get into it – check iTunes and Podiobooks.
—>
June 25th, 2007 by Mike
Tagged as No Tags | 1 Comment »
Bebe sends warm thoughts to fathers everywhere on Father’s Day!
Chiquita is getting close – We have never seen her get so big before! It could be on Sunday, but it really doesn’t matter. We will be happy whatever comes as long as everything comes out safely. In case you are wondering, I am using Comic Life to produce these comics. It is only available for Mac right now, but they are working on a Windows version too.
I have some more fotos so I will look for an opportunity to post some more soon..
—>
June 14th, 2007 by Mike
Tagged as comix | No Comments »
Swan in the Canal - Morelia Zoo
