Pollenatrix

Last one...

Ok, this'll wrap up the sheep and dog video theme....

I'm getting a kick out of those google videos!

Didn't need to see that

He was a bit sheepish about it afterward...

Mr. Indestructible

Jake is still with us. He must have sensed the decision we were struggling with, because for the last few days he's been making a heroic recovery. You can almost hear him: "No no, I'm fine, really!! I'm fine!".

He's definitely got a bit of a drunken tilt to his gait, but he's handling the stairs all by himself, eating like a horse, and getting his strength back day by day. He may not completely return to normal, but what's normal for a nearly 15 year old dog anyway?

My vet friend in Ontario told me that he probably has a variation of something called Canine Vestibular Syndrome, which is pretty common in geriatric pooches. She has a 17 year old border collie, and he gets it too.

So we have officially relaxed, and accepted the challenges of an old and wobbily dog. And I fell in love all over again with my husband, who nursed and tended and encouraged Jake all week, and was just as distressed as I was.

That's not me, honest

And now for something lighter in the dog department: video

9 lives?

My God. Jake reminds me of that Monty Python plague scene where the guy being dragged away by the body-collectors protests, "But I'm not dead yet!".

When I woke up, I had a very heavy heart. He was on his side, not moving. I walked into the kitchen, and when I came out he was on his feet, a big doggie grin on his face and wagging his tail. He ate with great enthusiasm, then walked smartly - if unsteadily - to the balcony for a wobbily pee. I even managed to get him down the stairs by myself for a *very* short walk. Hmmm. We'd pretty much decided yesterday that Saturday would be the day. Jake may have other ideas.

Borrowed time

My dog Jake had the canine equivalent of a stroke last night. Our neighbour helped us get him down the stairs, and we bundled him off to the vet in the bike cart. He's back home now, alert and wondering where his next snack is coming from, but keeling like a drunken sailor everytime he tries to move. The vet, a wonderful woman whom we trust 200%, suggested we give him until the end of the week to see if the cortisone shots do any good. She pointed out that he has more lives than a cat and has surprised us before, but was honest and said it doesn't look good. My gut tells me the same thing.

I'm trying to stay positive, because he's a smart pooch and super-sensitive to my moods and I don't want to distress him. But when I hug him and bury my face in his fur, there's no fooling him. He sniffs my eyes and then licks the unshed tears off my cheeks. I'm not sure who's comforting who.

Violet Crime

Wow, how'd I miss this one?

VIOLET CRIME

Prison thug escapes to give his wife flowers

Amy Stewart sums it up perfectly on her blog, Dirt,

Husbands everywhere, take note. You have no excuses. If a guy behind bars can figure out a way to bring flowers to his sweetheart, so can you.

On another note, I almost like this sentence in the article as much as the whole story:

He admitted perverting the course of justice by absconding from jail.

Wow. I mean, wow.

Bird Flu

Well, the bird flu has arrived here in Germany, but as a survivor of Toronto's SARS "epidemic" and the "West Nile Virus", I've developed a resistance to the excesses of the news media. The "Toronto - Plague City" headlines of 2003 were truly ridiculous, and the media hysteria that infected even those who really should have known better - ie. the World Health Organization - was exponentially more devastating to the city than the actual disease.

So while everyone else frets about the prospect of a viral genetic leap from avian sufferer to hominid, I'm more concerned about the birds. I've missed their chatter, the lovely noise of birds staking out territory and attracting mates that pierces closed windows and reminds me that there is a world outside my four walls at the strangest times of day. How many birds are going to die? Will this become a "Silent Spring"?

The flocks are just starting to arrive from their migration, and I wonder how much longer people are going to welcome them. Lately, I replenish the bird feeder and imagine a dozen pairs of eyes boring into my back from the apartment windows around me. No, we're not there yet, for Germans are a direct people and my neighbours would not hesitate to tell me that they resent the presence of the feeder. But it will come, I think. Media hype is an insidious thing, and I dread outbreaks of melodramatic headlines far more than I do the virus.

Sexy Science

Which headline would you rather read? "How to track S-RNase with glowing molecules and a protein called HT-B", or, "how plants avoid incest"?

"...In a new study, scientists have teased apart how this botanic chastity belt operates.

Winter scenes

Some pictures around Munich.