Happiness is a warm puppy. (Charles Schulz)

It’s a whole lot easier to take pictures with batteries in the camera. Jeeze. Can’t even find the damn batteries in the state of flux I like to live in.

Aside from that, Maxine in proving fierce indeed. Yesterday she stole Zip’s beloved Frisbee, which he had to steal back from her, attacked some grass, and proceeded to drag the rug and dog bed around the mudroom. Keep in mind, she’s only about five or ten pounds. She also got annoyed with my cell phone and started growling at it, attacked my hair, and loves Dad to no end. Yep, she’s a heeler.

I’m still sick today. This is getting old. I’m gonna try to get something, anything, done today if it kills me. I haven’t even seen the calves in a few days.

I’m rereading Wilkie Collins’ The Moonstone currently. Been big into murder mysteries lately for some reason. Sure as hell can’t write them. I never know who done it until the last pages. Elizabeth George’s Payment in Blood was a good read, just like A Great Deliverance. Her work is so rich in detail and characters fly off the page. I’m wading through another Le Guin novel, the third in the Earthsea cycle. I shouldn’t say wade, but it’s not a quick read for all its not that long. I’m not that far in, but it’s good to see Ged finally has a sense of humor.

We watched the best movie the other night, "Breaking and Entering" with Jude Law, Robin Wright Penn, Juliette Binoche, and Ray Winstone. I hardly ever praise films, but this one was really understated. By that I mean nothing exploded, no special effects, or really even much action. But the tension was palpable among all these people and it really made you think. I love movies like that. Watch it. Love it. Watch it again. It’s one of those. I still think they should have given the kid a job with the company at the end, but if I say much more it’ll be a spoiler. Watch it.