Joe The Blog

We used to live in a great neighborhood for Halloween. A series of winding, wooded streets - comprised of circles and cul-de-sacs, perfectly fit for a "Florida Fall". The neighborhood itself gave a nod to a typical mid-western or mountain-y fall. Even though it may have been 75 degrees. The neighborhood, replete with its trails and cut-throughs, was perfect for golf carts, caravans and make-shift hayrides. My job was to cook the chili, play the Headless Horseman DVD and man the front door with Joe the Dog. My husband and son and all measure of cousins and neighborhood friends would venture out into the pitch dark night.  I've mentioned before that Joe was incredibly tame and minded really well. Therefore, whenever the doorbell rang - while he would serve as [pseudo] protector at first, once he sniffed out that all was well, he - as well as most folks - were at ease. So, on Halloween, as parents stood a few feet behind their miniature mummies, princesses and Ni...

One of our (well, my) daily rituals is yoga. This was something, as most pet owners know, that is oftentimes a team activity. There are definitely cats and dogs - and goats - that love to just pile on their people as soon as the mat hits the ground. Joe the Dog was no exception. When he was a puppy, he would inevitably get right up under me or just stretch out on the mat. As soon as the mat was barely in place on the floor, he thought it was placed there just for him. I have to admit, yoga, as is everything, is much more fun with a dog. He and I referred to this as "Joga". In his later years, he would remain mostly stationary, as I incorporated him into the routines. Once we moved to the house with a dock, I thought "dock yoga" would be more peaceful and quite obviously more "zen-y". The best part was that no matter how old and tired Joe was, or how long it took (I would try to get my chaturangas / flow done by the time Joe made it to the end...