Boys & Dogs who LOVE Baseball.

Having to wrest your beloved baseball out of the
mouth of large dog, REPEATEDLY, teaches
you something. Throwing down with an animal
twice your body weight...you learn how to handle
yourself a little bit.

The lecture on the mound...THIS is MY ball.

The catcher deals with interference.

And again...pick up, throw, catch plus
lots of interesting faces and some spit.


You MUST spit. There IS spitting in baseball.


He LOOKS ready. He's ready, RIGHT?

He looks innocent enough BUT don't be fooled.
He's STALKING.


AND he steals it AGAIN.


Are you ready to rumble?


GIMME the ball. DROP IT!


Robey feigns repentance, the boys get that ball and are back at it.


Shaking off his catcher's call and throwing his own stuff.

Catcher's not happy. Pitcher is going it alone.
What will he throw?


And the pitcher brings the blazing HEAT!
YOU'RE OUTTA THERE BATTER! OUCH!


*nOTe* Dear God, when my baby boy is a baseball ROCKSTAR,
please don't let him date Madonna or use steroids. Thanks & Amen.

The DAWGINATOR...He'll be BACH.

This has not been photoshopped.
I don't even want to know how the owner
managed to get the dog in this condition.

Josh? Is this your dog?

Cats & Dogs

Photography MOVES me lately much like music
sometimes does or used to do a lot more often.
I found these images today here & enjoyed them
so much that I had to share. I LOVE the light.
I LOVE the asymmetry in "Ginger's Chair".
Why do we notice so much more through a photograph
than we ever do with our very own eyes?
I HAD to go love on my dog after finding these.

Howdy, Welcome to my new blog segment,
"Backporch Babbling".
I plan to make use of my backporch a lot this summer.
It's a good place to enjoy some quiet. It's peaceful out here.
Today, there was a warm, soft rain. The Good Lord took care of
my little garden for me and I'm thankful.
I JUST wish my dog would really lie by me as I escape
out into the calm to pour out some thoughts
and quiet my mind. Robey most certainly does not lie quietly.
He really didn't even lie AT ALL. I kept commanding/demanding
that he LIE DOWN but he would only comply for mere seconds before
popping up AGAIN to begin wet, sniffy-nosing my busy hands,
bare toes, and the computer screen. SO, I tried to placate
him by resting one foot on his hairy-dog back, but that just
started multiple contortionist-type attempts to rearrange
my foot placement onto his hairy-dog belly. He FINALLY
settled only to have me ignore
him periodically as I typed, which prompted little doggie
nibbles on my toes from him when I quit giving tummy rubs.
He got sent in shortly after that.
Ah, me...I'm covered in dog hair and dog spit
but it's dark and quiet except for the sounds
of a new summer starting to bloom...
a personal symphony of crickets and bullfrogs, even.

(uh...don't blame me...the title forewarns babbling...)

ANYWAYS...

I was wondering...why do we always bow our heads to pray?
We even teach children to do it...to fold their hands and
bow their heads. I mean, I know the answer is to be reverent
and show respect to Holy God. It must symbolize how
HE is too pure and we are
too...not...and who can really look upon such Holiness.
I get it, I really do. So, I guess I ask mostly to provoke
your thoughts on the matter. So?

(Ah, and you knew it was coming...)
Here's mine...I pray lots of ways. I bow my head,
fold my hands, hit my knees BUT lots of times
I'm also praying wide-eyed as I live and breathe.
Isn't that part of what it means to pray without ceasing?
I also pray curled up in my bed in the wee morning hours.
I pray when I wake up from a bad dream. I pray when I'm
distraught and there are no words and my head
collapses into my hands.
I'm sure we all do those types of prayers...

BUT...here's my favorite...
Have you prayed raising your face up to him like
you would lift it for your father to kiss?

Do you remember how that feels?
--To raise your face for your daddy to kiss
your head or your cheek KNOWING full
well that you are loved, even treasured.

Lately when I pray,
I lift my face to bask in HIS glory which
I am eager to tell HIM I joyously accept.
I DESIRE to shorten the distance between
HIM and me...for HIM to know that
I love HIM right back...for HIM
to see clearly all the gratitude pouring from my heart.
I lift my face to receive HIS holy kiss on my soul.

Praying that way is as close as face to face with HIM
as I can get right now...here. It adds intimacy
for me as I spend time with HIM. It's a way
to say, "Here I am!" It's a way to throw
myself open before HIM and give all I've got...
nothing distanced, hidden or removed.
It's good for me. I like it.

I thought maybe you'd like to try it.

My Dog

This dog LOVES ME...

He doesn't care about food
or going out or chasing rabbits or swimming.

Nope, this dog is crazy.
All this dog wants is ME rubbing his belly
or tossing a ball, Frisbee, stick, anything...
OR he wants me and he wants us to RUN...
OR he wants to JUMP on me and put
his big doggie paws on my shoulders so
that we are eye to eye trapped
in a hairy dance.

I have loved several dogs in my lifetime...
Duffer, Porky (aka Perky), Barney
Ladd, Slapshot, Paige, Ripley and
Robey but I'm pretty sure that
I've not been this loved by a dog before...

He thinks that I'm better than cheese
or bones or chicken.

Go figure...still, unadulterated adoration
is nice in whatever form. I'll take it.

Ro Ro Robey

My Boys...

It's been awhile since we featured our horse...oops, I mean dog.
This is Robey Blue Bear as he's affectionately called when he's good.
The nickname has nothing to do with his registered name
which is "Firewhiskey Robber"

He's wondering what the heck I'm doing,
is tuckered out, wants to go in and thinks it is hot.

Smarty Pants

Pretty Boy...

Robey

Robey
The Rabble Rouser
(We're considering the Registered Name of
FireWhiskey Robber but haven't decided.)

Okay so...everytime I go to buy dog food and
pick up the 40 POUND BAG that lasts a week or
so and it says on there "For Large Breed Puppies" I HAVE
to maniacally laugh at the SHEER irony as I lug it
all the way up to the checkout line (all the while hollering "COME ON!"
at Isaac who is intently busy trying to help all the rats escape.)
UGH! PetSmart!

Large breed puppy certainly describes him but
lacks the proper punch...

It should say... "For Large Breed, Dirt-Digging, Rock Eating,
Crotch Sniffing, Leg Humpin', Weiner Lickin', Worm Grubbin',
Mulch Messin', Barkin', Howlin', Whinin', Jumpin', Tacklin',
Flyin' Furballs that you must be INSANE to own
but LOVE that you do Puppies."