i decided to update this blog just in case anyone is looking. it's been 4 years since the last post. while it's hard to top anything with Penny in it, the sad news is that she became quite old (for a deerie) and passed on last October, just 5 weeks short of lucky 13 years old.

i thought i could not have another deerhound, her loss being especially painful, yet somehow it came to pass that i now have the magnificent (and goofy) Leo, aka Leonardo, Leopold, and, officially, Wildflower Ned of the Hill (aka wild Ned). he was born in the first Wildflower litter to Cari Bowe's Annice and Laura Studer's Ben, one of 8 wonderful puppies, and this happened three weeks before Penny passed on.

so, as of January, I now have DH number 6, Leo. he is rambunctious, huge (well, tall, not so wide), very sweet, and now 1/3 of a champion, having earned 5 points including a 3 point major. not bad for this first time handler and especially for Leo... he is joined in Berkeley by my friends Sally and Alan's Jasper, his littermate. first time there's been another DH in town in many, many moons.

hi, my friends and relatives and random readers. it's been awhile since my last post, and that's probably because there was nothing of excitement to write about. but i feel the urge, because i just read the very literate and heart rending blog of my daughter's close college friend. she is dealing with cancer and chemo, and i truly feel for her. yet through it all she remains upbeat and amazingly entertaining. so i will make an attempt to be entertaining, even while feeling that the universe can be so unfair. weather here varies between grey and almost raining, and clear and gorgeously post-rain, even with amazing sunsets. so here's to a beautiful (sometimes) world.

in dog news, i have discovered that she has a penchant for brussels sprouts, broccoli, zuccini, and edamame. along with a sweet tooth for trader joe's maple yogurt and cinnamon cookies. maybe she possesses some obtuse dietary knowledge.

vegan or foodie? as in "hip or dangerous?" on theburg.tv

tonight i was out of the room for a minute, and i came back to find a very guilty looking dog hovering over my salad bowl: baked tofu, grilled eggplant and portabello mushroom, toasted pumpkin seeds, lovely small tomatoes and what we refer to as "yuppie salad" (mesclun). foodie or troublemaker? we might find out tomorrow... perhaps i was fooled by her penchant for cat poop, and what she really has is a very sophisticated palate after all.

isn't the whole point of these things to keep people entertained? i am sorry if i have let anyone down, but no thanks to blogger, posting to this thing is less than perfect. ok, now that i have ranted, let me share some recent photos of my favorite four-legged roommate.

well, now i am back in the you ess of a after 2 fab weeks in italy. apparently it rained here the entire time and has yet to stop. ah well. about italy...will i ever be able to speak the lingua (unaided by wine)? how many meals can you squeeze into a day? never enough, that's for sure. starting to plot the next visit, maybe this time around regional foods as well as landscapes and architectural masterpieces.

ha, just when you thought this blog would be deadly boring and a one-shot deal, here is exciting news! sam and i are off to la bella italia in just 3 weeks for her spring break. talk about impulse traveling. though i will miss my houndgirl, i will have company in the form of ancient art dogs. more news to follow...

This is a somewhat auspicious first post for the Year of the Dog, which starts today. Ah, the joys of being the guardian of a large grey dog: avid eating, then puking. Nice start to a normally carefree Saturday. Who, Me???