Blue Died

 

Blue died this morning. I'd let him out on the front porch with food and water and he didn't want to eat, very unusual, he just sat there panting. So I stroked his head a few times, walked over to the Pick 'n Steal for coffee and when I returned he was lying down by the front door, very still.

What a good boy! He came to the Compound in the Fall of 2014, a stray, and set up on the front porch until I fed him, doctored him up and took the furry little fella in. 

Of course he was young then and full of high spirits. Woe betide the unwary guest who dared leave a fried cherry pie untended on the dining room table, or a juicy steak, or Eduardo's chickens, or errant Fedex men. 

But that was then. Over the last year he became increasingly deaf and blind, not that he seemed miserable for it, but he certainly slowed right down and spent most of his time sleeping. 

I won't bang on; it's a mercy he went out as he did, quick and at home. I buried him today beside the house.

Blue Brigand, you will be very missed,

LSP

Happy New Year!

Here we are on the dawn of a whole new year and I can't complain about the closing days of the last. A pub lunch and darts at the Swan with the boys, an uplifting Solemn High Mass on Sunday, Ordinariate style, and I have to say it was good to see the old place so full of young families and children.

And what trip to Calgary and Inglewood would be complete without visiting Crown Surplus and the militaria shop? The Crown's changed things up a bit and now devotes most of its space to tactical gear, which is great if you're an operator or looking for neat backpacks, knives and tactical accessories for your Glock/Sig. I like the other side of the store more, genuine surplus at OK prices.

The militaria place is alright too, though not as good as it once was before it moved down the street 5 years ago. Still, if you're desperate for a Grenadier Guards tunic or a bust of Hitler it's your shop. I took a couple of pictures and got in trouble, they're afraid of memorabila thieves.

Walking Holly was fun too, she's a rescue dog from the rez, not sure which one, and we get on well. She's vastly excited to go on trips through the frozen wastes and alleyways of this part of Alberta's onetime cow town. And there it is for now, more reflections on the Great White North as they come to mind.

In the meanwhile,

Happy New Year!

LSP

I Name This Dog

It's not every day that a Blue Heeler tips up on your porch and makes it his home for a couple of days. What can you do? You can ignore him and/or send him to animal jail or you can reward his loyalty by taking him in. That's what I did, and he's gnawing on a pig's ear this very moment.

Good Dog

But that's all very well. What should I call this beast? I wasn't sure, so I appealed to the readership and got a lot of help and some great names.

Bad Dog

In the end I went for Blue. Thanks LL, but that's just a first name; I have a good mind to cycle through the other names as the mood suits. Blue Banjo one day, Blue Rustler the next and so on. When he's been bad? Blue Welby springs to mind, or simply "Justin."

In other news, a church person just donated some tamales to the cause. I'm all for that.

Cheers,

LSP

This Dog Hunts Democrats

The thing about Blue Heelers is that they're a Collie/Dingo cross. Mine hates libs. A lot. Smart dog.

His first name is Blue.

That much is decided.

LSP