Hello everyone; once again it is I, Chess the purebred border collie, here to bring you the latest news from our garden. You may remember me from such excellent and informative posts as “A Post Featuring Me” (obviously a good one) and “Before Dawn”, among so many others.
Here I am in a characteristic pose. 
Since you can see how blindingly bright the sun is behind me, streaming through the living room window, you may be able to guess what the weather is like today. You would probably be right.
The guy I live with says this is extremely boring, though he does realize that plants need the rest. And, no, they don’t get any moisture from the snow like some people think. Snow is frozen water, according to the guy I live with, who knows everything. That’s what he told my mommy all the time. Anyway, it does make for excellent walking weather, though I did get ice in my paws four times, and had to stop so he could make my paws all better.
You may indeed wonder what it is we do on days like this. The guy I live with has gotten into the hot sauce, and that’s one thing that’s going on.
He says, by the way, that if you have to ask how hot this is, it’s not for you. My grandpa Flurry liked stuff like this, but not me.
Sometimes he reads books. With the really good ones, he used to read passages out loud to my mommy, who sometimes paid attention, which I never do. He says this one is really good, and he’s read it all the way through three times. It’s out of print now, which is sad.
The search for Maihuenia poeppigii includes going through forests of monkey-puzzle trees, Araucaria araucana, and the guy I live with says this is cool and to quote it. “Plants evolved from the oceans about 420 million years ago, and araucarias have been around for more than half that period, about 300 million years. Is there a way to comprehend the length of Araucaria‘s existence? Our galaxy, the Milky Way, is a large spiral galaxy with huge arms that consist of billions of stars all rotating around the center of the galaxy. It takes the Milky Way 250 million years to complete a single rotation. Araucarias have been in existence since before our galaxy made its most recent turn. No individual tree lives longer than a few hundred years, of course, but each tree we see here is heir to an awe-inspiring, long-lived, and successful legacy.”
Here are a couple of other books he likes, too. 
And the bird book. The guy I live with mostly just feeds birds, but this is a special bird book, also well written, and, he thinks, out of print, too.
There’s another reason that makes this book special, even to me. 
Oh, what else? You know how extra pathetic I can look, when it seems necessary; well, it was especially annoying to see someone else pouring it on in the pathetic department. I admit this is pretty pathetic looking.
The guy I live with put out a whole bunch of shelled peanuts for the squirrels, and dried ears of corn, so they wouldn’t be completely miserable.
I guess that really is it for today. Some books to read while it snows outside. I guess I’ll go now. There’s stuff I need to do. 
Until next time, then.
the miserable gardener 
What fine writing about a fascinating subject.
The above-sentence? Killing two birds with one stone (oh, not literally). I refer to More Winter and A Cactus Odyssey, you and Mauseth, Kiesling, Ostolaza. I wonder if that reference rises to what is termed meta. Hmm.
A Pinon Pine had me at pine-nut cookery. Yum. Looks as though that little rodent could do with a taste.
Your mommy’s art is beautiful, penstemon and broad-tailed hummingbird wonderfully captured. She makes the hummingbird look like one with which I’d like to have a conversation. His red breast seems to mirror the gorgeous cushion on your sleeping couch.
I go now to my own couch to read. Happy napping, Chess. Avoid frozen paws. Tomorrow the Chargers play in icy Ohio. Last time that happened, Dan Fouts’ throwing hand was frostbitten. He says he still can’t feel parts of that hand. Even though they’re raging pink, consider going back to the booties. Oh, that shot of the snowy garden is wondrous. The guy you live with is an artist too.
Well, thanks. The cactus book, which takes you to places you don’t think of when you think of cactus, is quite delightful. As are the books by Lanner. He also wrote Trees of the Great Basin, or Great Basin Trees, or, um, anyway, a book about trees in the Great Basin. The guy I live with is an expert at paw de-icing. I stop, sometimes look back at him, and he knows it’s time to de-ice.
You look so comfy, warm and cuddly in that last photo, I just want to snuggle up to you, mmm. I am wondering why your guy hasn’t been putting your boottees on to stop you icing up, I know you don’t like them but if they help isn’t it better. I know what you’re going to say, too big and tough to wear boots, right. The photos today are great, your mummy’s painting is beautiful and I love the snow covered garden but the poor little freezing squirrel, you’re guy is a softie giving them something to eat, now they just want to snuggle up to you too in a warm bed. Carry on with what you do best, look gorgeous.
It’s my “funny right hind foot”, which sort of points outward, and makes wearing snowproof paws difficult. He’s really good at de-icing so it works out okay. He also feeds mice in the garage, in theory to keep them out of the house. We do notice that if there’s nothing in the garage, peanut butter or stale bread, then we get mice caught in the Tin Cat in the kitchen. It’s a mystery.
Loved the beginning & ending shots of you, Chess. And your mommy’s painting is beautiful. The red is so intense. Much like the red of your comfy blanket. Someone sent me this article about studying what dogs think http://news.yahoo.com/speak-fido-device-promises-dog-translations-230621658.html — someone should tell them just to read your blog.
That would be perfect. How a purebred border collie thinks. My mommy spent a lot of time on the drawings. It kind of drove the guy I live with crazy, since he wanted zillions of drawings, but he also knew she was happy making all those little dots and stuff on feathers.
Another gem, Chess, another gem!
Thanks. More snow today. Lots of snow.
Your mommy was one talented artist! Her birds are needed color in the drab winter landscape. It is drab and cold here in NYC – not even a robin out to brighten the landscape. My pure-bred rescue Siamese has spent the day curled up on his Sherpa fleece cat bed.
I’m sure seeing that seeing that pathetic squirrel is making your appreciate the comfort of your couch, blanket, and pillows. I’m glad that the guy you live with is feeding the squirrels. They might appreciate some of the pine-nut cookery. My family here in NYC was horrified that your local squirrels could not figure out how to use the feeder; the general consensus was that they could not cut in it NYC. I’m rereading “The Morville Hours” and it is inspiring me to bake scones.
She was entirely self-taught, too. The squirrels here are mostly pretty dumb. A couple can figure things out, though. He filled the squirrel feeder with peanuts yesterday; it’ll be interesting to see if anyone has noticed it yet. It’s so bright outside the guy I live with doesn’t want to look out there, but he might have to go fill the bird feeders later.
Beautiful drawings. One of the more darling hummingbirds ever.
Yes, she spent a lot of time on it.
Have been down with flu. Looking forward to reading another month of the archives when feel better.
Oh, the flu, ick. Hope you feel better.
Thanks. It’s tiresome. Fortunately, a good long rain has set in so I am no longer missing garden time.
We almost never have good long rains here. But check out this cartoon, by the guy I live with’s favorite cartoonist. http://www.condenaststore.com/-sp/The-Sweet-Spot-of-Flu-New-Yorker-Cartoon-Prints_i8541163_.htm