Luna is Short for Lunatic

Tilley's space-occupying tumour left a space in need of occupation at Farcical Farm. I thought it would be months before I could consider the addition of another dog, but it turned out that I was wrong. Sometime at the beginning of August That'll Do Border Collie Rescue (an organization for which David and I have done a lot of volunteering) helped an Australian Shepherd / Jack Russell Terrier mix out of an unhappy situation. Not a border collie, to be sure, but just the dog for me. Reserved around strangers? Check.* Good with cats? Check. Protective of her place and people? Check. High toy drive? Check. Merley girlie? Check.

On top of all that Luna turns out to be incredibly smart and surprisingly eager-to-please, given that both Aussies and JRTs are known for their independent personalities. She has slipped into the routine of Farcical Farm with minimal difficulty, and she's totally captivated us with big personality. Welcome home, little one.

* I know it’s weird, but I prefer dogs who are reserved with strangers to those who are friendly with everyone.  I think it’s probably because I relate to them, being quite reserved with strangers myself.

Space-Occupying Tumour

That’s what the vet called it, which struck me as triumph of technical communications.  Even through the sadness I could appreciate how those three words evoked a powerfully descriptive and explanatory image. No further words needed, which was good because there was no time to lose.

“She is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog.  You are her life, her love, her leader.  She will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of her heart.  You owe it to her to be worthy of such devotion.”    

I like to think that I was, Tilley Bear. 

Under Pressure

We live about 300 kilometers to the north of the swamplands so fondly described by AareneX…it is even wetter here, with fewer annual hours of sunshine.  It is a simple fact of life that outdoor surfaces get covered in moss…houses, fences, trees, sidewalks, decks…anything left to its own devices will eventually succumb to the stuff,.  When we got home from Australia I took one look at the deck and decided to buy a pressure washer.  A really good one.  Take that, moss!

Just after we got the thing I bet David that someone, somewhere had tried pressure washing his/her horse and had posted about it on the intertoobs.