2 humans, 2 dogs, 2 states

I didn't realize until I went looking for photos from last year on July 19, that The Hub and I were separated (geographically, not maritally). He had already left his job and moved to Lester's Flat with Sophie. I was back in NJ trying to get packed up with the Lester as my helper.

Photo of the big black dog is submitted as evidence of his penchant for tomatoes—green or red doesn't matter. I think this time last year is also when I was fighting the battle with the army of squirrels, who also didn't seem to care if the tomatoes were ripe or not. Squirrels won. Not one single ripe tomato from my last NJ crop.

Age is finally catching up to the big Lester. He is 13. He had one really bad day last Thursday, where he barely reacted to the chimney sweep coming in. He just hunkered down and hid most of the day. I thought I was going to have to get Steve the Sweep to help me carry the 75 lb. old guy to the car, but Lester rallied and made it to the vet without incident. Blood test showed that his liver numbers were slightly higher than the last check a few weeks ago, but the vet couldn't find anything to explain his sudden lethargy. Lester was magically improved the following day, so we stopped looking for answers.

Photo #2 is of a happy Sophie, always content to sit outside and watch the world go by in NY. Sometimes she'll wander a bit, but for the most part she stays (unlike the big black dog).

Headed out with the 2 of them right now for a good swim in the creek. Nothing like a swim on a hot day to cheer up an old Lester. Sophie...she'll stick to the shallow water, thank you very much.