One (or two or three) liners

I spent more time than I otherwise might have today learning a bit about Warren G. Harding, the 29th American President. Lest you think that's all there was to my day, I present a few lines about a few other things that would have been post-worthy, had I not been learning about President Harding. 

I saw a pair of birds on the side of the road yesterday. I am not an ornithologist-- heck, I'm not even a serious birder-- but I once spent a year learning how to look at birds. The birds I saw were remarkable. I described them to Mr. Big Food as having feathers with a herringbone pattern, and a red spot near their heads. This description matched perfectly the photograph and size & coloration description of Spruced Grouse in my National Audubon Society Field Guide to Birds (Eastern Edition). There's only one problem with this identification. 

Mississippi is miles and miles and miles south of their range. 

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Today I saw an adult Japanese beetle. City folk often ask if I'm an "organic" farmer, to which I reply that I am "practically organic." When it's not practical to be organic-- as in I'd rather have vegetables than be nice to Japanese beetle-- I'll do what I have to do. Keep in mind though, that I know what I've done to my veggies.

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The puppies continue to do well. One day of the rolled up magazine in my hip pocket cured them of "play" fighting in the house. Missy still has some work to do with respect to kitchen-counter-with-tasty-meat behavior, but we are making progress. They are very respectful of Suzy now. This is good because Suzy had a few bad moments today.

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Suzy is fine, for a dog her age-- 17 1/2.  But we are not sure how much longer we will able to assert this in all honesty & good conscience. She eats better than many people do-- she's currently feasting on leftover burgers. She still manages, for the most part, to conduct other doggy business in more or less appropriate places. (I don't mind scooping up Suzy poop from the patio occasionally.) The problem is our hardwood floors. Her back legs are weak and after she wakes from an extended nap, she's stiff and just not strong enough to get traction on the floor. Once up, she's fine! It's the getting up that pains Mr. Big Food and I. After today's few bad moments, I quadrupled the size of her old bedspread on the floor pallet to give her greater opportunity to stand before she has to hit the hardwood.

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"New & Improved." That's what the lady at the vet's office told us about the flea and tick treatment we purchased yesterday-- a full month ahead of schedule. How can you Improve upon something New? 

Related: We think our vet has sold out. I'll have to get more detail.