At the back of our yard grows a great thorny hedge, as dense as the thicket that grew up around Sleeping Beauty’s castle those hundred years she slept. In the winter and early spring, when the branches are bare, you…
Pepper
When Pepper and I stepped outside one recent morning, we were greeted by a strong, unmistakable odor. l considered a hasty retreat, but Pep likes company when she is accomplishing morning tasks. She tried to track the intriguing scent for…
With the New Year approaching, I took the opportunity to have a serious conversation with Pepper. She was settled in comfortably on the loveseat in the kitchen – napping, actually – and I sat down next to her. She perked right up….
Last week, Pepper snagged the remainder of my my turkey sandwich from Jersey Mike’s off the kitchen counter while I was working at the computer. She was well into it when I discovered the crime. “Pepper!” I cried. “You know…
Last weekend, my husband and I slipped into the back row of a Thanksgiving chapel service at the boarding school our daughters attend. Hundreds of students loudly filled the underground stone chapel, the boys in their coats and ties and the…
Early yesterday morning, we were surprised by a vision of golden beauty at our front door. Pepper didn’t see it that way. She flung herself at the storm door with ferocious barks, woofs, and yips. The golden retriever smiled and panted,…
A hard rain came tearing through this afternoon, whipping everything outside into a hot frenzy of wet green. Pepper went crazy, and not with fear. She ran around the sunroom, herself a hot frenzy of black fur, barking at every…
Dear Pepper is growing up, which hurts my heart and makes me glad at the same time. She doesn’t need me quite as much as she used to. She’ll sniff around the yard now without her favorite friend right by her…
Pepper and I had a heart-to-heart following her “graduation” from puppy training. We went with our trainer to PetSmart, where Pepper was supposed to demonstrate all she had learned in the last three months, including sit, stay, leave it, drop it,…