One cannot fly into flying

He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying.

- Friedrich Nietzsche

Photos from 2023 Soulard Pet Parade Photos from 2022 Soulard Pet Parade (selections)

A poem by Ogden Nash

Dogs display reluctance and wrath
If you try to give them a bath.
They bury bones in hideaways
And half the time they trot sideaways.

- Ogden Nash

Touille says: I must admit to the reluctance and not-quite-wrath (more of a mildly annoyed feeling) when MB used to give me a bath in the kitchen sink. She usually chose to do the bathing shortly after I had rolled in some delightfully smelly substance found on one of our outdoor walks when we had ventured off the paved streets and sidewalks. Occasionally I would discover some highly scented mud or some partially decayed animal or bird to squirm around in, coating my fur with the heavy scent. I would just be getting my fur to smell the way I wanted it to smell, when MB would scoop me up, place me in the sink,  douse me with water, and scrub me with odd-smelling shampoo, totally ruining the scent effect that I was trying to achieve. Why do humans and dogs have such different ideas of how one ought to smell?

- Touille, who has heard that a dog's sense of smell is more highly developed than a human's, and therefore wonders why humans think that they know better about all things smelly

Bonus link: How often should you bathe your dog?

MB typed it for Touille on June 5, 2019

We all need to stay hydrated and cool

Dogs by Ted Colegrove on Flickr

It's getting warmer in the northern hemisphere. Don't forget to stay hydrated and cool.

If you are in a flooded area, remember that the water may be contaminated with chemicals, sewage, and other pollutants.

Touille's advice: Drink clean, fresh water.


Quotation for today:

Conscience is the inner voice which warns you that someone may be looking.  

- H. L. Mencken 

Happy St Patrick's Day

[The original photo is no longer available, but the photographer is still on Flickr. Here's a link to another photo of hers: Doggie Soul ]
green, originally uploaded by peggy..

"St. Patrick's Day is an enchanted time - a day to begin transforming winter's dreams into summer's magic."
~ Attributed to Adrienne Cook

Old Dog

Old Dog
Originally uploaded by Lynn Morag.

"Even the dog enjoyed the party - though he was surprised that his garden was full of people!"

from the Scotland photo set. The photographer, Lynn Morag, includes this quotation on the photo set page:

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn."

- John Muir (1838 - 1914)

MB is enjoying the day scouring the Flickr website for photos related to Scotland and Scottish things, to be added to our blogs for Tartan Day. MB seems to be concentrating on the Highland Games photos this year, but she has found this bucolic scene to place on my blog.

- Touille, who also enjoys sitting in a sunny spot

If Dogs wrote letters to God

Dear God,
Why do humans smell the flowers, but seldom, if ever, smell one another?

Dear God,
When we get to heaven, can we sit on your couch? Or is it the same old story?

Dear God,
If a dog barks his head off in the forest and no human hears him, is he still a bad dog?

There are more like these at Lady Mac's Musings.
(2019 UPDATE: I can't find Lady Mac on the internet anymore, but there's a recent humor website that has these and more.  I am not sure yet who to credit for these bits of humor.)

- Touille, a little dog who hasn't had time lately to actually write to God (much time spent in slumber)

MB typed it for Touille

Quotations about dogs

Scratch a dog and you'll find a permanent job.
- Franklin P. Jones

Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful.
- Ann Landers

If you are a dog and your owner suggests that you wear a sweater, suggest that he wear a tail.
- Fran Lebowitz

A bone to the dog is not charity. Charity is the bone shared with the dog, when you are just as hungry as the dog.
- Jack London

It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.
- Mark Twain

My husband and I are either going to buy a dog or have a child. We can't decide whether to ruin our carpet or ruin our lives.
- Rita Rudner

I kind of like the one by Rita Rudner. Even though I am not sure that I'm responsible for the ruination of MB's carpet. I think that she bears some responsibility!

- Touille (a very small dog)