I'll tell you a secret—I've always wanted to be an advice columnist. If you need advice, send me your questions. The advice column dream notwithstanding, I do have four goals in mind for this blog: 1) Share a little of the joy and hu…
Russell the Muscle
Posted on September 20, 2018
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Someone hurt Russell's feelings once and he has never forgotten it. He is a very soft dog—a fast movement makes him cringe and a harsh word curls him up like a pillbug. Nonetheless, he also has a tremendous, oversized capacity for joie…
Hearing voices
Posted on September 19, 2018
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Monday, a friend and I were talking about what made Brays of Our Lives work. Brays was my former blog, written from the point of view of my late mule, Fenway. He had a clear voice—earnest, baleful, wise, and wry. Writing for Fenway felt mo…
F . . . or was it Q?
Posted on September 18, 2018
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F said he doesn't mind being blogged about as long as I refer to him with a different capital letter each time. He doesn't want anyone getting the idea his first name is Frank (it isn't) or even begins with F (it doesn't). …
Dahlia
Posted on September 15, 2018
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Longtime readers may remember Dahlia, my Jersey cow. Some of you may even remember her as our Jersey cow—saved by 22 people, (the "Dahlia Syndicate") who contributed to her purchase so that she could join my family. She's had…
Imaginarium
Posted on September 13, 2018
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“To bring anything into your life, imagine that it’s already there.” Richard Bach I think one of the major contributors to my general happiness is my ability to get tremendous satisfaction out of my imagination, or perhaps I should say my i…
Four senses will do
Posted on September 12, 2018
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Living with sensory-impaired animals is interesting—there's so much to notice in how capable they are, and how much they achieve with the senses they do have. Paisley, our deaf Aussie (2002-2013), used to go into the master bedroom of o…
A new story
Posted on September 11, 2018
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The other night I dreamed that I was writing again, and I knew exactly how to begin. It was a simple thing—maybe one sentence, maybe two. In my dream it started with just that, and then the words flowed out of me and by dinner time it was …
Tales and tails
Posted on September 10, 2018
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My mule Fenway died on June 1, 2018—the day before my 39th birthday. It was terrible, and unexpected, yet apparently painless and instant. I loved him so. I can't continue blogging without mentioning him, as he was the mule behind Brays…
Mani-Pedi
Posted on February 06, 2015
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I, Fenway Bartholomule, had the esteemed privilege of receiving a professional mani-pedi from none other than Northwest Hoofcare's Ali McMahon yesterday! During the procedure, I was accused of looking baleful, forlorn, woeful, and even…
Fenway Bartholomule's 2015 State of the Farmlet Address
Posted on January 25, 2015
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Friends, humans, and fellow hoofpeople,
It is my pleasure to greet you this afternoon from the sunlit slope of my own dear paddock, which measures 21 feet by 400 feet and sits in one corner of four wooded acres of particular beauty. I gaze…







