My buddy Chess died about 11 p.m. last night. He died at home, as I was holding him.
This was not unexpected.
I’m going to need to take some time before I make any decisions. I can’t see myself living without a border collie, and if I do get another one, the blog will continue.
Thanks for all your comments in the past.
Bob
Chess
Greetings and salutations, everyone; yes, once again it is I, Chess the purebred border collie, filling in for the guy I live with, and here today to bring you some news about the weather. Like we hardly ever talk about that. You may remember me from such weather-related posts as “Weather And Other Complaints” and “Change In The Weather”, among so many, many others.
Here I am in a characteristic pose. Looking rather pathetic and sad, don’t you think? 
I’ve been feeling kind of crummy lately, and so I thought looking extremely sad would add to things. I did have quite a bit of steak this morning, and it was really good. One reason why it was so good is that the guy I live with finally realized how to cook steak the right way. He fries it in butter, until it’s just cooked, and then boils it. It comes out soft and tender. I ate more steak this morning than most times I’ve had it.
And then, when I started looking so totally sad that it redefined sadness, I got some of this, and let me tell you, this is really, really good. Even the cow is smiling. 
Ordinarily, of course, I wouldn’t get things like this, just regular low-fat cheese, but I was feeling icky, and so the guy I live with took pity on me, and gave me some. Not enough, but some.
He got himself something in the mail, too. Friday, I think. 
“Illustrated, that’s the best way”, he said, and that’s probably true. My mommy loved books like this and so the guy I live with is carrying on the tradition of getting big, heavy illustrated books, though he doesn’t take them outside and read them while drinking coffee and generally hanging out with me and my buddy Slipper. Instead he just leafs through the books and gasps, now and then.
To my considerable relief I learned that there are no plans to travel the Silk Road, which is just as well, because there probably aren’t that many places to get steak boiled just the right way. And fancy French cheese. Above all, though, my bed is here at my house.
Oh, right, the weather. It’s snowing here.
The guy I live with tells me we’re supposed to get a foot of snow. (30 cm.) That’s a lot of snow for February, and maybe if the weather people didn’t say what was supposed to happen it wouldn’t, but everything is completely out of our control. Which is okay.
I know saying “back to winter” is kind of silly, since winter also means nice weather here, but I think you get the idea. The guy I live with says if our weather were a person, they would be in the loony bin. He’s so funny.
It isn’t going to be very cold, in any case.
Cyclamen coum
I think I could say a lot more, but I’m not sure about what, exactly, so I’m going to sign off now, and do the sort of thing you do on a gloomy, snowy day.
Until next time, then.
the miserable gardener 