Cranks My Tractor

Look into my eyes...

Researchers say that dogs are the only non-primate animals that will look people in the eyes. Think about that and then think about the fact that dogs seek out this eye contact with people, but not their biological dog parents. These are not just teenaged dogs that won’t look their parents in the eyes.

Sometimes my dogs look at me like I’m crazy, but they never say it. I appreciate that. Dogs seem to have this built in ability to sense your emotions – they seem to know when you are up, down, happy and sad.

After reading more about this, it seems that dogs actually have what it takes to do this. One writer noted dogs are “physically wired” to pick up on our mood changes. Scientists have found that dogs interact with their caregivers the same way that babies interact with their parents.

When the Snow Melts

The past two weeks have made me appreciate living in the true South where an inch of snow causes a rush on bread and milk at the grocery store and all the schools to close. We have gotten an exceptional amount of snow in my part of Virginia over the past two weeks – somewhere around a foot.

And it kept piling up…

The temperature wasn’t warming up enough to melt the snow on the grass, bushes and everything else in the yard.

However, this morning I got up and found that I do have a yard and lots of bushes and various other things. The temperature had warmed up enough to start melting the snow in and around my yard.

I do not like the Cone of Shame...

If you haven’t seen the animated movie, Up from 2009, you need to see it. It is a bit silly, but it is a good tale of life and dreams. The hero is a senior citizen named Carl, who is off on the once-in-a-lifetime journey he has always dreamed of taking.

Carl is traveling with an eight year-old wilderness explorer/Boy Scout named Russell and a dog named “Dug.”

Dug, the dog is originally part of a bad pack of dogs. However, Dug ends up not being bad. He is a bit goofy and has a talking collar (where he gets his orders from the bad dog leader).

Looking Down From the Top

How did I get myself in this predicament? We’ve all asked ourselves that question before; I’m pretty sure.

You know we often think things are a good idea and they turn out to be really bad.

The other night, I heard my big dog crying. He is not a crier; he is just a “pile up on the sofa, bring me some food and scratch my back kind of dog.” So if he’s crying, something is wrong.

It was.

Being a Dog Person

If you are a “dog person,” chances are you understand dogs and their desire to get to ride in cars and hang their heads out of windows or up through the sun roof. My dogs have always loved getting to ride in the car.

They seem to enjoy the riding part, and when I come to a stop or slow down; they seem to get a little excited. The dogs are hoping for a new adventure, a new smell or a new patch of uncharted grass I suppose.

There are dog experts who like to discuss the various reasons they think dogs enjoy car rides so much. Some of these experts think that it is the “hunter” aspect and dogs associate the ride in the car with going on a hunt.

Time

When your 16 year-old son has an opportunity to get paid to work (and hopefully not cause any damage), you encourage him. You tell him to say “Yes Ma’am,” “Yes Sir,” “No Ma’am” and “No Sir.”

You tell him to do twice as much as anyone else and not to stop until either the job is finished or the person paying you tells you to stop.

At least that is what I said and what my Daddy said to me.

Roll Up a Southern Living and Whack Him in the Head

If you’ve never heard of Southern Living, I would first say that I don’t believe you, and then I would say, “Bless your heart.” That pretty much means, “You are so stupid, I feel sorry for you.”

Let’s pretend you really don’t know about the Southern Living magazine. It was started back in the 1960’s by The Progressive Farmer Company which changed its name to Southern Progress Corporation.

The Southern Living magazine made it really big telling folks about Southern cooking, nice homes in the South and gardening. In the mid 1980’s Time Inc. paid about a gazillion dollars for the company and Southern Living.

The Colonel, The Coon & Jerry Clower

The father of one of my son’s friends recently called and suggested that we take the boys camping at one of Virginia’s state parks. I thought this was a wonderful idea and a good opportunity to spend time with my son, a couple of his friends and their fathers.

It had been a while since I had been camping, so I volunteered to drive if the other two dads would bring the camping equipment and drinks. They agreed. It is sometimes good to have a gas guzzler that will carry a lot of folks and stuff.

My son and I picked up his friends and their dads early Saturday morning and we set out for Westmoreland State Park on the Potomac River’s Northern Neck. It was only about a two hour drive. Westmoreland is known for its beautiful scenery, fishing, fossil hunting and wildlife that includes a significant number of American bald eagles.

A June Bug on a String

It’s late July, it’s hot in the morning, it’s hot in the evening; I’m in the South. After parking my car in the lot to go into my office building, I noticed a June Bug on the car next to me. Picking him up, I felt the familiar sensation of a cocklebur crawling around in my hand.

He was green – the type of June Beetle I am accustomed to in the Deep South – the kind I would tie a string carefully around his leg and fly. Batteries, Bluetooth or a wireless connection were not required.

I’ve never really thought of June Bugs as pests, but a lot of folks do. These fellows spend the winter as larvae, deep in the dirt and then start popping out from June to August.

An Owl in the Valley

Recently, I saw an owl flying beautifully toward a valley. The owl was in a very odd place, or should I say in a place I wasn’t expecting it. Also, it was in the late afternoon when I got to experience this “majestic” creature.

The sighting caused me to think about many things that are associated with owls. The whole experience kind of caught me by surprise.

There is an episode of “The Andy Griffith Show” where Briscoe Darling brings his four sons down from the hills to find brides for them all. Briscoe had just sold a plot of land for $300 and figured he could use the windfall to get his sons married off.