Inca doves

Charming little things.

All scalloped.  Rufous under their wings and white on the sides of their tails.

It’s a southern bird, ranging from Louisiana to Southern California and down through most of Mexico and Central America.

Saw this cool thing

I don’t watch bugs, I watch birds.  Couldn’t help stopping to admire this though.

Something golden surrounded by floating black dots.

A closer look put it all together.

Best I can tell, it’s a female Widow Skimmer dragonfly.

Jesse

Jesse has been getting questions lately.   Questions like “Has anybody been eating dirt?”

And maybe “Does anyone think it’s time for a bath?”

Perhaps she’s been unfairly judged.  She got groomed today, and after the grooming she looks like this.

Brown muzzle.  Brown toes.  Her color is evolving!

Either that or Javi the groomer is in on it and covering for her.

How many Henry updates can I write?

In late April he was back to his old self.  We were calling him Henry the Wonderdog.  Then it all went downhill again.  Not eating, barely drinking, I literally had to carry him outside and put him down in the grass so he could pee.  We’ve been on death watch on and off for the last two weeks.  Having the conversations about what to do when it’s over, and when is enough enough.  Are we being kind to him by letting him live out these last few days at home or are we letting it go too far?  Will we know if it’s time to just take him in to the Vet and get that final shot?  There’s barely anything left of him.  He’s lost a full third of his bodyweight, he’s down to sixteen pounds.  (He’s a twenty-five pound dog.)  We say goodbye to him every night, but he wakes up again the next morning, wagging his tail even when he doesn’t lift his head.  We’re not rushing this, he can do it at his own pace.

Suddenly a couple days ago he was a little bit hungry and I got him to eat a few bites of the leftover chicken I had grilled the night before.  By the next day he was eating dog food again.  He’s had three meals today, is pooping and peeing normally, and hasn’t thrown anything up.  Our White Shadow is back, following us from room to room, making sure he’s always close to at least one of us.  He is alert, smiling, and enjoying getting petted and loved.  He wanted to play fetch in the house with the ball again tonight so we did.  He glides up and down the outside stairs with ease.  Now we’re calling him White Lightning.  The rollercoaster ride continues.