Drizzly, Blustery Days

It is blustery and very chilly here. It has been raining and/or drizzling for a few days now and autumn is in full swing it seems.
 I developed a cold Friday evening. At first I thought it was allergies but its a head cold and I hope it doesn't go any further. My ears are stuffed and as I have positional vertigo anyway, this doesn't help. I can only sleep on one side now and have to be careful bending etc.
Here I sit with'Vicks', my' Ocean' nose spray and hankies watching the drizzly weather outside and hearing the geese and swans honk themselves silly as they do their fly overs.
My dear dog Brandy is gone 2 years this fall. She used to love to swim out into the bay to try and retrieve swans . Some of them as big or bigger than she was. Brandy was a Flat Coat Retriever. How I miss her company and friendship.

Flat Coated Retriever fans are very proud of how few people actually know about their breed! They have taken pains to preserve the both the breed's looks and its purpose. Unlike most other retriever breeds, having flat coats with titles in both field events and conformation (looks) is not unusual. These dogs are supposed to be able to go directly from the field to the show ring to the family room without faltering. Despite how versatile this breed is, they are a well-kept secret and the breed fanciers want to keep it this way.

This is an active breed. Individuals who think they should look into getting a flat coat because of its extraordinary good looks quickly find that breeders expect their puppies to go to people who will commit to a few hours of strenuous exercise a day, plus lessons in obedience, field work, and perhaps agility or other dog sports to kept the dogs healthy and mentally stimulated. Flat coats are cheerful and lighthearted, despite being exceptionally committed hunting dogs.

Last year at this time I also said goodbye to Sandy, my cat. His brother is still with me and I hope that lasts for a good long time. We grow to think of them as family.
Here is Sandy asleep inside a broken dresser drawer. That dresser is the one they were born in and it now serves as my computer desk.







Brandy's photo is to the left on the side bar.This large one is from the net, just to show what Flat coats look like.


I hope your weather is a bit nicer, warmer and your health bright and sunny.