It must be fall

The morning chill was enough for John to dig out a turtleneck and for Callie to snuggle up in his lap for a little snooze. Fall is definitely in the air. It's time to attack the unsplit wood and start stacking! I've got 3 lbs. of green beans to put up, tomatoes to deal with, and a lawn that needs mowing. But first, since we're both on vacation, we need to go for a trail ride!

Who stole the apples? A big dog with a big appetite

A pile of peeled and chunked apples sat on the kitchen table while I stood at the counter mixing up the rest of the ingredients for an apple crisp. I turned around to get the butter and--BUSTED--there was Callie, caught with an apple chunk in her mouth! "Callie", I yelled, "bad girl. 'Raus, 'raus!" She scooted out of the kitchen, straight to her bed, knowing I was mad at her.

Yet, I can't stay mad for long. She's been on a diet since we got her, and dutifully dropped 21 pounds (wish I could do the same). I think she misses the easy snacks she received at the day care--carrot sticks, goldfish crackers, cheerios, apple chunks. Unlike her high-strung smaller canine cousins, she's prone to laying about rather than jumping around, so watching her weight is just part of owner a larger breed.

As winter approaches, we've let her put a few pounds back on for warmth. She's much sounder at 90 lbs. than she was at 110! I'll just need to make sure temptations don't lurk at the table edge!