Coyotes, Blue Snakes and Christina

Haven’t blogged for awhile, but that’s not because my life has slowed down. To the contrary, it’s sped up, what with trips almost every weekend to the country. Not to mention Mary’s granddaughter coming from kindergarten every afternoon.

We’ll start with the country. For the last month and a half, my master and mistress have gone to their place in Bandera County on weekends in conjunction with some renovation work. They have cleared out rooms and sorted through the 30 years’ worth of accumulation in closets, bookshelves, cabinets--you name it.

Luckily Mary made time to take me down to the creek every day, so I’m a happy camper. Except for when she takes me too close to sunset. Mary seems mystified when I suddenly race up the hill towards the house as dark approaches. Well, the reason can be seen in the photo she took just a couple of miles up the road: a trio of coyotes strung up by a rancher on a fence. On our place, I can smell the crafty devils and feel especially vulnerable at day’s end.

To make matters worse, a couple of weeks ago Maverick saw an indigo snake down by the creek early in the morning. These large (and I do mean large) constrictors also known as blue snakes are harmless to humans and are appreciated as rodent removers. But hey, I’m about the size of the cottontail rabbits that live up there, and the thought of those squeezing serpents give me the creeps.

As to the granddaughter’s after-school visits, at least I don’t need to worry that she wants to eat me for supper. Christina does, however demand all my mistresses’ attention. Young folks make me nervous so I’m just as happy to be ignored. So when Christina’s here I bed down and wait until her mother picks her up after work. Then I go back to claiming all my mistress' attention to myself.

Miracle on the Hondo

A couple of months ago I wrote about my mistress losing her prize Alain Mikli eyeglasses on Hondo Creek. It happened when I fell into a sinkhole and in trying to save me, Mary’s classy shades went into the drink.

Well, a miracle occurred this weekend at our country place, where the water level has now dropped: Mary’s son, William, probed with his foot and found the glasses resting on the bottom of the offending sinkhole. They were crusted over but Dr. Maury Diskin at Today's Eyes, the store where she bought them, was able to clean them up with of all things, rubbing alcohol.

Here’s another happy story. It’s about a beagle named Trooper, owned by a former mayor of San Antonio and his wife--Howard and Margie Peak. “I got Howard a beagle for our first Valentine’s together in 1970,” Margie recalls. “She lived to be 18.” Hooked on the breed, the Peaks adopted another beagle, who lived to be 14. Three days after she died, Margie took all her doggie toys to the Humane Society as a donation.

“While I was there,” Margie recalls, “a man brought a precious eight-month- old beagle. He was moving to an apartment that didn’t take pets. I called Howard and he raced over to the Humane Society to see him…He raced to Howard. Needless to say the rest is history.”

At first, Trooper was a “real rascal,” Margie recalls, “but he has turned out to be such a lovable, sweet little boy. We just celebrated his eighth birthday and he is a wonderful addition to our family.” I met Trooper at the Terrell Hills Fourth of July parade this summer as he stood on the sidelines. I, on the other hand, was front and center in the parade, princess that I am.

Mystery Solved

This just in: Mary's son, Maverick, just weighed in on the hyena. "I saw a scary looking dog outside Villasol during breakfast (last week)," he emailed, "that, come to think of it, had a hyena's coloration. Like a brindle German shepherd."

No Hyenas There

Today my mistress let me down: she didn’t take me on the weekly WWT outing. Of course she had an excuse. Well two, really.

First, the Wednesday Walkie Talkies were going to explore a neighborhood where Mary’s five-year-old granddaughter had spotted what she referred to as a hyena last week. She saw what surely must have been a spotted street dog in the parking lot of the little Mexican restaurant—Villasol-- where she had just eaten.

Thus Mary was afraid that when the WWTs walked the neighborhood adjoining Villasol, there might be stray canines who would consider me breakfast. Furthermore she figured dogs wouldn’t be welcome in the restaurant, where the WWTs planned to have their breakfast after the walk.

After my mistress got home I overheard her tell my master she saw several stray dogs wandering the streets, though none with spots. While I probably would have come out unscathed from the walk, I certainly would have been canis non grata at Villasol.

So I’m going to forgive Mary for leaving me behind, providing she takes me out for a walk this afternoon Now that (thanks to yesterday's rain) we've had a reprieve from the beastly heat, she has no excuse not to make it a long one.

See me Strut

I’ve walked with the ladies for the past two Wednesdays. Even though we started early it got plenty hot. I’m sooooo tired of this beastly August heat. To make it worse, my mistress’s son, Maverick, has dropped off his Lab, Chigurh (named for the asassain in “No Country for Old Men”), along with his part-rotweiler friend, Townes (named for singer Townes Van Zandt), for the week.

I had hoped the big dogs would hang out in the back yard and leave me alone. But they don’t like the heat any more than I do. So I’ve had to protect my turf in the house inch by inch. The only thing I really like about the situation is that when we take a walk, I don’t feel nervous about being attacked by larger dogs. I still shiver when I think about the close call I had with a big stray that tried to kill me in front of our house.

My favorite WWT is Ann McMullan, who I always greet enthusiastically. They say we admire those who admire us. Well, Ann is the one who loves the way I lift my entire back end whenever I’m leaving my scent. And she’s the one who is amazed to see how I can keep up with everyone for an hour on my short legs. (All I can say to that is that they may be short, but I’ve got twice as many.)

Now I’ve got another favorite: Mary Ann Franzke. Last week after we walked for nearly an hour in Olmos Park, Mary and I went to her house to see a video on Chataqua, where she and her husband spent a week this summer. I was on my Ps and Qs there, and I guess it paid off as this Wednesday she brought me four adorable seasonal outfits, handed down from a dog she used to have. Now I’m ready for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter (if I’m willing to wear a silly pair of rabbit ears) and the Fourth of July. See me strut!

Check out the Kindle Covers

Mary wasn’t able to walk with the WWTs on Wednesday because she and Lewis went to a breakfast club meeting where the speaker, former Bexar County District Attorney Sam Millsap, spoke about exonerated death row inmates he had met.

I heard my master and mistress talking about it afterward and learned that the speaker’s point was that death penalty prosecution is like air traffic control: there can be no margin for error. With humans there is always room for error. Hence he, like many others, has come to oppose the death penalty not on moral grounds but because mistakes can (and have been) made.

So instead of a fun walk with the WWTs on Wednesday I was subjected to a discussion of that heavy subject. To make matters worse, I had to go to the vet’s the next day for my shots. Thankfully Dr. John Kothmann is so skillful with the needle that I didn’t really feel a thing. Thus I’m pleased that he and his wife are coming over to our house for dinner soon. Dr. Kothmann is known for making a mean margarita, and he has agreed to fix some that night. I doubt they will offer me any despite the fact that the Chihuahua breed originated in Mexico, home of the margarita. Humans can be sooooo clueless.

Today one of the WWTs brought something over that made my mistress very happy. Lyn Belisle, who is an artist specializing in collages, has started making kindle covers. She created one for Mary using images my mistress caught on camera during a trip to Ethiopia in January. She combined fragments of them for a fascinating tapestry-like effect. Lyn has a website where people can see her designs. She also does custom jobs, like the one for Mary. The address is: http://www.etsy.com/shop/belisledesigns. The San Antonio Express-News interviewed Lyn this week about her designs. The feature hasn’t come out yet, so remember this: you read it here first.

Letters in the (e)Mail

In an earlier posting, I answered a letter from reader in Namibia, who had questions about a female puppy she was about to adopt. The doggie’s name was to be Bianca. Well there’s been a bit of a change as you will see from the following message, just received:

DEAR TRIXIE,

Well, I have not slept much for the past week, but the good news is that she is very confident, eats like a little piggy and has adjusted well. And of course, I think she is brilliant. Have decided to amend her name a bit, she is truly a diva (was the dominant female in her litter) and so now, rather than Bianca Lulu, her name is Diva Bianca!

Love, Diane

DEAR DIANE,

What I have to say to you can be summed up in two words: Viva Diva!

Love to you both, Trixie

Meanwhile I’ve received another letter from my public, this one on a more weighty matter. It was sent by Ann McMullan, a member of the Wednesday Walkie Talkies. Since I walk with Ann almost every week I’m aware of her concern with the drop out problem and of her involvement in an organization that is addressing the problem. I’m flattered that she would pose the question to me, despite the fact that I’ve never been to doggie school. (Of course I do have beaucoup street smarts.)

DEAR TRIXIE,

“Why in the world would a teenager drop out of high school? Isn’t that remembered as a carefree and happy time of life?”

Your walking buddy, Ann

DEAR ANN,

I’m guessing that in your day, high school was more a time of carefree fun. It’s a different story today with peer pressure on everything from drugs to gangs and with any number of other issues ranging from poverty to poor parenting to teen-age pregnancy.

Fortunately, the very organization you are involved with, Communities in Schools, is helping meet the challenge of keeping young people in school by connecting schools with needed community resources. And I know a way folks can help right now. They can Stuff the Bus with school supplies for at-risk students on August 6 at San Antonio HEB stores from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

Your friend, Trixie