Friday, August 05, 2016

This blog is going to the dogs, Day 5




This is Max.
She lives on the ranch with Kari Dell and Kari's family.
Max doesn't read much but if she did, she'd love Kari's new book Reckless in Texas.




59 comments:

Lisa Bodenheim said...

What a grand view for a great dog. An Australian Shepard? I almost thought this was in northern England until I read it was Kari Lynn.

Lucie Witt said...

I'll take the dog, the book, and read it somewhere on that gorgeous ranch, please. How stunning!

Also, congrats on the story news yesterday, Mark!

CynthiaMc said...

Gorgeous shot and gorgeous dog. My first pup was a Border Collie. Still my favorite event to watch at the Highland Games.

Donnaeve said...

Is it possible to be jealous of a dog? Max sure is lucky and this is the perfect place for a dog like her! Beautiful country, the sort of picture I can get lost in. I've spent time in the past on Kari Lynn Dell's blog - just to look at her photos. A true working ranch, and I'm always impressed (and envious!) of those with that lifestyle. My husband and I want land. We love our house, but we want to have something to look at vs the neighbor's fence of the street beyond our yard.

I will come back to this many times today and just drink it in.

Donnaeve said...

I mean..."or" the street beyond our yard. More coffee!

DeadSpiderEye said...

Well well, whadykno gay cowboy porn, I'm feeling misled.

Jennifer R. Donohue said...

I love Max's face! That white stripe gets me on a dog every time (a horse, too, if they have a blaze or a star. Or maybe I'm just a sucker for animals and I don't need qualifiers...).

Colin Smith said...

Wow--that's quite a view! And what a wily Shark, incorporating the "dog" theme with a book plug. :)

Donna: I don't know that I want that much land. Our current abode is an old farmhouse, so we get plenty of countryside. However, while there are working farms around us, our house is not on that farmland, so we are not responsible for its maintenance. We can enjoy the view without the work. My wife would love to find a home that's still relatively rural but not so far outside the city that it's an ordeal to go anywhere. I can live with that, as long as I don't have too much grass to mow. :)

Cindy C said...

What a view! And Max looks good, too, as he keeps an eye on his ranch. I'd love to be sitting next to him, reading or writing. Not working alongside him--I know how hard ranchers work and I'd just as soon avoid that much physical labor! (Yes, I'm getting old and lazy and cranky.)

Scott G said...

What's with all the pictures of dogs? I sent a picture of my pet rhino to Janet, but she must have thought "This blog is going to the dogs" sounded better than "This blog is going to the rhinos."

All kidding aside, the pictures this week have been adorable.

We've always been a Schnauzer family. Sadly, a little over a year ago we had to put our last one down. I posted a picture of him this morning on Twitter in remembrance.

We've been empty nest for a couple of years now, but last night my wife says, "I miss Spenser. We should get another one."

Gulp.

Goodbye empty nest!

Scott G said...

At least I think she was talking about a dog.

?

Manda Zim said...

Amazing photo. Makes me sad to be sitting in an office right now.

E.M. Goldsmith said...

Love the dog. Love the prairie. Love the cowboy. Love it all.

AJ Blythe said...

I think I'd set up camp there and never leave, especially with that gorgeous boy to keep me company. He does kinda look like he's saying, "go away and leave me to enjoy the view".

9 days until I leave for writing retreat and conference.

Steve Forti said...

Wow, quite a view! Of course, there's a part of me that looks at that much land and thinks "crap, would I have to mow all of that?"

Scott, I'm up for seeing a pet rhino! I'm waiting for the pet birds (should've sent my own pic for that).

Also, who is buying Janet this shirt? http://i.imgur.com/p4MnJ98.jpg

E.M. Goldsmith said...

Steve As soon as I find that shirt for sail, it's on it's way to our sharkly Queen.

Colin Smith said...

Steve's shirt link: http://i.imgur.com/p4MnJ98.jpg

And I'm totally with you on the mowing, Steve! :)

Catherine Vignolini said...

Max is living the life!
Stunning shot, full of story.
Kari Dell, stellar reviews for your novel! I read an excerpt online and now I'm intrigued. Lucky for me, I see it's just now available. Congratulations!

Dena Pawling said...


Great pic of Max.

Before my father-in-law passed away, he ran a 385 acre working ranch in Calaveras County [home of the Jumping Frog contest] in CA gold country, raising burros. Last year it almost burned in a massive wildfire. A few acres did burn, but the main ranch, all the animals, and the structures came out okay.

I miss that ranch!

RachelErin said...

On Topic: I love this picture. I want a print of it. One of my dad's buddies raises and trains sheep dogs, and I always enjoy the trials for the landscape.

Off-Topic PSA: Guys! If you don't like mowing, look into permaculture with native plants. A lot of regions have small non-profits that offer advice, and there are some great books out there. You can do a couple days of work each spring, and after a few years have a varied, low-maintenance ecosystem instead of grass. If you set up the permaculture around the edges, you can maintain however much grass you need/want (if any) in the middle. If it's a small enough amount, you can switch to a push mower!

(Okay, environmentalist PSA over. But I have a thing about suburban lawns -so often no one uses them - you don't have to be stuck! And I've been a tree-hugger since I read 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do To Save the Earth when I was four. Funny how a book can stick with you)

Steve Forti said...

Rachel: Interesting idea about the permaculture. Alas, my yard is so small, and toddlers play in it, that grass makes the most sense. Or would, if I could get it to reliably grow and be green. My front yard is just brown burned out remnants of weeds and dirt. The backyard is scorched, riddled with weeds, a dozen varieties of grass fighting with each other, and invaded by an unholy army of earwigs. So maybe I can say I actually do have a "native plant" set up, since the natives clearly don't want my grass (or my strawberries) to look nice?

Sherry Howard said...

The dog, the view, the cowboy! When's the next train west?

Seriously, the book looks wonderful, Kari, and congratulations on the reviews!

Melanie Sue Bowles said...

Wow...! What a view. And what a beautiful pup. Big, boundless congratulations to Kari. Well deserved praise for all your hard work, perseverance, and fabulous writing/storytelling.

BunnyBear said...

It looks like Max is saying "This is my kingdom."

Unknown said...

I haven't been back here since early last week, so I thought I'd catch up on all the posts this morning. But then I scrolled through and saw all the pictures of dogs...

My first thought was one of pure delight--because puppies! Then I got confused--because puppies? Then I read Janet's post about her hiatus and now I'm back to joy. Because you can never have enough animal pictures/stories, especially when it's coupled with this community (and especially when it feels like the world is out of control). Somehow, animals always bring us back to ourselves.

This will be a happy month. Thank you, Janet, for opening up your blog home, and thank you, everyone, for sharing your furry family with us!

Karen McCoy said...

What a great dog! I love her name, too.

And that view! Insert Tina Fey: "I want to go to there."

Colin Smith said...

[PSA]
Don't forget the List of Blog Readers and Their Blogs. Over the past week I've had some requests from people who want to be added, or have their entry updated. The list should be up-to-date, so go visiting! If you want to be added, or you need to make changes to your entry, please email me (my address is linked in my Blogger profile). Thanks!
[/PSA]

DeadSpiderEye said...

Colin Smith: You need to edit Violet Ingram's link, it directs to a dead end.

Claire Bobrow said...

I love Max! What a cool dog and what a great view. This is just how I pictured ranch life in Texas - where the deer and the antelope play-eeeee!

french sojourn said...


Gotta love those Border Collies, wicked clever and smart, and it's not mutually inclusive. It surely surly makes me miss my Aussie.

Colin, you are so right above not needing lawn to mow. We have 50 acres here and it's none stop work. The photo looks mildly similar to our farm, except vines in lieu of some of the prairies.

SteveForti; I sent in a photo of our newly adopted Magpie fledgling, now two weeks later and he's doing quite well. But I may have sent it in too late.

RachelErin; We're trying to utilize permaculture over here where possible.



french sojourn said...


and for those of you playing at home...I meant "non-stop work".

merde'

french sojourn said...



"This blog is going to the dogs.....send in the Cats!"

Joseph S. said...

Beautiful photo.

I was feeling guilty this morning because I don't entertain my cat Brigada enough. I opened this picture and now I really feel guilty. Poor Brigada's life is so much more boring than Max's. For that matter, my life is so much more boring than Max's.

Joseph S. said...

P.S. Someone here (Yes I know who) a month or so ago recommended "Reckless in Texas" to me.

Cheryl said...

There is no doggier dog than a dog on a farm. That is such a perfect photo.

Lennon Faris said...

This is the kind of picture where you look and immediately feel your stress just melting away.

'Max' is an unusual name for a girl. Is it 'Maxine' or is there a story behind that?

I wouldn't be adverse to hippos, either!

BJ Muntain said...

Beautiful country - and not that far from here! And Max, of course, is just as beautiful.

Mowing? That's what cows are for. Although I'm not allowed to have cows in the city, which is just as well because I doubt I could care for one properly. My yard wouldn't even be a full meal. I need to rent a cow. Or a goat.

Scott: A house is too empty without a dog. I do think it's time for another.

angie Brooksby-Arcangioli said...

Gorgeous photo. I love border collies. They are smart dogs. Tomorrow I present the project I've been working on for a year and finally can breath a little. And read everyone's blogs.

Barbara Etlin said...

A dog expert tested over 100 breeds of dogs for his definition of intelligence, and the border collie was #1. (Shelties were #6).

Lovely photo, so calm and relaxing. And gorgeous dog, of course. Thanks!

Craig F said...

It is nice to see a dog as Lord and Master of all she surveys. Can't tell if the look is one of disdain for the whistle that turned her head or the invitation to race. Whatever it is she looks healthily comfortable.

Too often you don't see that. You see too many big dogs in small places and small dogs in big places. I once knew a girl who showed up with a Great Dane puppy. She had an old round topped VW bug and lived in a studio apartment. She also didn't spend much time at that apartment.

When I asked her about she replied that it was just a puppy. It would be fine. Six months later they were both borderline psychotic.


At least that land isn't in Florida. During the rainy season here you sometimes have to mow three times a week.

Speaking of rainy seasons. I need to get back to battening down the hatches. Weather pukes say we have a strong possibility of rain in double digits of inches by next Wednesday round here. I was busy doing a search of Terra Ceia yesterday and have to catch up today.

Barbara Etlin said...

The book I mentioned above is The Intelligence of Dogs by Stanley Coren.

Unknown said...

Wow -- beautiful dog and setting. Lucky dog -- and person -- getting to live in such a gorgeous place!

Anonymous said...

Now that is a vista. Magnificent.

And Kari Lynn has a new book out? Thanks for letting us know, Janet. *oneclick*

AJ Blythe said...

Saturday morning here and in-between house chores I'm hoping to blog hop. Thanks for keeping the blog list up-to-date, Colin.

Beth Carpenter said...

Great picture. I think Max is surveying her kingdom, and all is well. The good sounds terrific, too. Thanks for sharing.

Beth Carpenter said...

Book. The book sounds terrific. Freudian slip?

Colin Smith said...

Thanks for letting me know about changes and broken links on the Blog Readers list. It should be up-to-date with fixes. Please don't hesitate to inform me of any other issues or changes I need to address. I'll get to them ASAP. And please let me know via email so we don't clutter the comment box. :)

Julie Weathers said...

Lawsy, what a beautiful shot. I would have recognized Max from the video and shots in Kari's blog and facebook posts. Gorgeous dog. Gorgeous country. Gorgeous writing. Kari Lynn Dell is the real deal and such a joy.

I haven't been ignoring the gone to the dogs. Between illness and other crap going on, I am not fit for human company. I laid down to take a short nap this afternoon because I kept falling asleep while trying to write a blog post and slept until 10:00 pm.

The only thing I seem to have accomplished today was taking Gage the Wonder Dog to get a bath and haircut. It always amazes me that a deaf rescue dog just assumes everyone loves him. He's never met a human he doesn't like.

Anyway, I'm really enjoying the dogs even if I haven't commented on all of them.

Beth Carpenter said...

Julie, why wouldn't he assume everyone loves him? Don't they?

CynthiaMc said...

Barbara - I used to email back and forth with Dr. Coren years ago. Such a nice guy. Thank you for the reminder. I am delighted to see he is still around and I am now following him on Twitter.

I had read one of his books about which dog to pick after our beloved golden retriever passed away, we were dogless, and not agreeing on which dog to pick. This particular book had quizzes which ended up telling you which dogs were compatible. It was spot on with me, while also suggesting other breeds I hadn't thought of. My family indulged me and took the quiz and it was accurate with them too. That golden retriever that we received as a gift was indeed the perfect dog for us as a family (unbeknownst to us).

If you're between dogs, I highly recommend his books (or if you just want to know more about the dog you already have).

Julie Weathers said...

Beth,

He must have been lost from a very loving home because he very much thinks everyone is his friend. This has always made me nervous about him getting loose. When we lived in the country, I'd turn him loose to go wreak havoc on gophers, not that he ever caught any, but he could tunnel with the best of them. I'd look out the window and see dirt flying with only a white butt sticking up.

In town, he loves to get out and go exploring so I've had to get on to him about digging out. Deaf dogs and traffic don't mix well and everyone is not his friend.

Most people have to pet him when I have him out because he is so friendly, though, because he is so friendly and he has those pretty blue eyes.

CynthiaMc said...

The name of the book is Why We love the Dogs We Do by Stanley Coren.

Kari Lynn Dell said...

Thank you. I've been thrilled by the reviews. Especially howuch readers are enjoying being immersed in the rodeo aspect, after years of being told that people who didn't know the life style wouldn't notice the difference.

Kari Lynn Dell said...

:)

Kari Lynn Dell said...

That is not an illusion.

Kari Lynn Dell said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kari Lynn Dell said...

This shot is actually in Montana, looking west straight down the Alberta border. Those mountains in the background are Glacier National Park.

Don't even ask how I ended up writing books set in Texas instead. SMH

Kari Lynn Dell said...

My son named Max and my mother's dog Sammi at an age when he didn't grasp gender specific names. We also had a cow named Frank.

BJ Muntain said...

Hi Kari! So nice to see you!