Nature: Best Science Images of 2024
Take a minute to check out those images, they are quite splendid. Well, a couple weren’t great, but the rest are amazing.
Sparky and I are relaxing with coffee, and he wanted me to post this photo of an ermine chimneying up a crack. Sparky told me that if he didn’t have to be my spirit animal, he’d quite like to be a dog weasel.
Sparky and I are watching Isle of Dogs from 2018. We are enjoying it, but it may not be for everyone. Being directed by Wes Anderson would be quirky enough, but it’s filmed in stop motion animation. It looks like an indie film, but has loads of voice talent. The dogs are voiced by Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray , Yoko Ono, and others.
If Sparky was a SAG member, he’d be the Billy Bob Thornton of dog actors.
Billy Bob Thornton has a great range.
Sparky can do that.
On our walk yesterday, I tricked Sparky into taking the path through the woods. Instead of going over the land bridge and through the orchard, we did a parking lot walk, then into the woods. We didn’t get far before we came upon what looks like coyote scat on the path. Sparky checked it out, and noped out of there. It looked pretty fresh.
Sparky likes to say that old dogs don’t need new tricks, because they’ve got plenty of tricks up their sleeves.
Sparky is in favor of naps, so likes to hop up and flop over. I have to hold him up and rub his belly. If I stop for too long, he gets antsy.
You’d think a guy would be self-conscious if his breath smelled like his poop, but Sparky thinks it’s funny. I had a colleague at NoRo who thought it was funny to cut a silent, but deadly fart, then call a student up to his desk for a chat. It’s fine, he was a coach and the student was one of his players.
With the snow coming down all day, we’ve been hunkering down. Sparky didn’t even notice when I went down to the garage for an hour to put the snow tires on. He was happy to lay by the fire, screw around with Mr. Moose, and help me watch Youtube.
When the wind let up, Sparky would surely be eager to bound through the snow, run off some energy and check on all the outside stuff he has to check on. When we went out for our walk, Sparky put up a good front, but when I started for the bridge, he ran for the house.
Sparky wants us to revisit the policy about never pooping in the house. Even with a Carhartt jacket, going outside to poop in the snow doesn’t seem reasonable.
To be fair, Sparky is cooperating with the policy, but he isn’t convinced.
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