All of the pets around Islewood Farm have a purpose. I remember driving to another farmhouse about an hour north to pick out two barn cats after Figaro, the calico, went on walkabout over two years ago. Eartha Kitt’n and Ajax The Gray (the cat who stalks Gandalf to this day – “If Frodo Lives,…
Kipling is happy about many things this month of April but being six months old makes her the happiest. Happy 1/2 birthday, Kipling — may all your wishes be fulfilled. Zippy gave Kipling ten free battle rounds with no counterattacks, a stuffed squirrel toy, and the first of several swimming lessons. The dogs are adjusting…
The Brand New Spanking Kipling & Zippy Report: 1st Spring Goose Patrol Kipling turned six months this month of March and she’s almost half Zippy’s size and all sweet charm with a feisty side. Yes you can see Kipling here after she’s chased the two Canadian geese away from the pond . . . tongue…
Zippy is sittin’ on the dock of the bay . . . patrolling for Canadian Geese who fly into the pond every spring. And Spring has come early as the first squadron of geese have landed. They go about their business as couples, egging each other on, trying to find the right place in the…
Islewood Farm is magical in the winter, and the pond is home to many different types of ducks all year round. Zippy and his pupil, Kipling, patrol the grounds but remain gentle and social dogs with even temperaments. Still, if I didn’t know Zippy and came across him, I wouldn’t want to make him suspicious.…
Kipling turned the ripe old puppy age of 4 months. She’s now 31 pounds and gets her last shots this afternoon. She’s at that awkward stage . . . Kipling is very long and lean and eats a pound and a half of Common Sense raw food, beef or chicken, each day. Besides the chicken…
Zippy and Kipling made 2011 a year to remember. I used to play Freeze Tag with the neighborhood kids and all four of my siblings. Tag someone. Run fast. They have to freeze; remain motionless. The other variation, Statues, evolved from Freeze Tag, where you’d hold onto someone’s wrists and spin around and around and…
Today is the release of John Lescroart’s new novel The Hunter. Russell Blake shares his comprehensive and fun talk with Lescroart, one of the most revered suspense writers in the business. They speak about the craft, what the daily writing life is like, dealing with the business side of the profession, and enlighten any…
The young man has never been afraid of hats before. In fact, he’s recently found himself admiring them. The hats on the heads of the men in this town have actually seemed to him quite marvelous. So it is strange that he should now be so frightened–so incredibly frightened–of this one. — from Ben Loory’s The…
In the run-up to the annual chimney crawl, Kipling is in hyperactive Christmas mode. Zippy strives to keep the Santa belief going and distracts Kipling by teaching shepherding tricks! When shepherds come to your home, what do you do? They both stop to eat orchard apples fallen on the ground… It’s hard to call them…