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Strategies to Approach Multiple-Choice Questions[1]

On the Road

Some dogs enjoy travelling in a large spacious (and ultimately safer) crate or the larger areas provided in many hatchbacks or station wagons. Gracie, on the other had, would rather lay down in some one's lap while driving to and from campsites!

WOOF-WOOF!

Even Gracie Is Ashamed!

Last week, Gracie and I had quite a few chores to run and tasks to complete... so we spent the afternoon playing X-Men Legends II on the X-BOX instead!

WOOF-WOOF!

A Grooming for Gracie

Gracie had a nice bath last weekend in advance of her visit to the doctor's this past Thursday for her annual shots and check-up. Now, it's time for a nice haircut... which in the doggie world is called "getting groomed!"

At our home, Anne does all the serious dog grooming stuff mostly because she used to show Irish Setters, and therefore knows what she's doing. Gregory is always happy to act as the cookie wrangler and grooming-assistant. I usually do the set-up, sweeping, offer moral support to Gracie and, generally, sit around.

To the right is a picture of Gracie just before the grooming begins. You'll notice that I've set the grooming table up on our front porch... there's going to be ALOT of hair flying around out there in no time flat!

After shaving her neck with the cippers, Anne moves on using the clippers to trim the hair on the first third of the outside of Gracie's ears... this part Gracie does not mind too much.



While Anne is working on Gracie's head, Greg uses a "stripping knife" to, in effect, thin out the under coat on her back and thighs.



After about an hours effort, Gracie is looking and feeling much better... wait till the neighborhood gets a load of her during our walk this evening!


WOOF-WOOF!

The World Outside Her Window

This is just one of the window sills Gracie climbs onto with her front legs for hours each day as she keeps an eye out for those pesky grey squirrels and cats that like to congregate outside our home. This particular window not only looks out into the small path beside our house, but also makes visible to Gracie two of our neighbors backyards--plenty to keep close watch of!

Lots of tail wagging and tapping of paws on the hardwood floors is a sure sign that something is amiss outside!

WOOF-WOOF!

We're Back!

NOTE: This post originally appeared on my other blog... but after writing it, I thought it was time to revisit this blog, which hasn't been posted to in quite a few months!

"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole."~Roger Caras

Being on a somewhat constricted timeline this morning, I could not decide what i wanted to do (exercise-wise) with the roughly hour-and-a-half I had to play with before taking my dog, Gracie, to the veterinarian's for her annual check-up. I have little desire to rush through an ill-planned for run, or get twenty miles out of town on my bicycle with the need to hurry back, so by default, I go with my secret third alternative... Although I have not posted about it here recently, I have tried to make a practice of taking her for a walk every day, either in the morning before going running or in the evening with my wife.

Gracie brings me great joy, and I can sit and watch her interact with her surroundings, be it in the backyard or while on a walk around the neighborhood, and never tire of observing how she engages the animals, birds and people she encounters. (I used to post pics and anecdotes on her blog, Gracie's Crate.) As an English Springer Spaniel, Gracie loves to "play" with the birds and squirrels that frequent our nieghborhood, and being a "city-slicker" like moi, Gracie has plenty of friends to select from when she's looking for a game--although she does heel and stay when directed to (a necessity for walking the streets)!

With these thougths capture Grace and I set out for a brief morning walk (three plastic bas firmly entrenched in my pocket in case of an potential clean-ups) together... and then maybe we'll come home after the doc's and freshen-up her Crate.

WOOF-WOOF!

Don't Fence Me In... Pleeeeease!

Gracie went outside to play this afternoon following our fresh early morning snowfall. She was very dissappointed to be in the backyard, while I was in the front shoveling the cars out!



Woof-woof!