So another inspection of dog pee, now that Ruby has been off the antibiotic for some days, revealed NO crystals(!), no white blood cells, and no bacteria. Dr. Bracken said he did see a few red blood cells, but he thinks that could be an aftermath that should dissipate in the near future. He doesn't want to prescribe another round of antibiotics, because he's pretty sure the thing is…

LOL! Okay, this is all my fault. And it's not funny, but what the heck...it struck me as hilarious.

We're in the office watching reruns of Desperate Housewives on the giant iMac and cackling away at a particularly funny episode. Time to knock it off, though, and go to bed, so it's "Back to Browse" for Netflix and "Sleep" for the computer and soon, I imagine, "sleep" for the human and the dawgs. We trot out to the kitchen to let the pooches out for a final policing of…

As dawn cracked, it was OUT THE DOOR with Cassie and Ruby lashed up at the ends of our weird new double-doggy leash. Although we've been doing short doggy walks around the block, this was Ruby's first mile-long expedition.

Actually, it's more like a mile and a half: the house is a quarter-mile from the park, and the park is exactly one mile around, as measured…

So I'm sitting outside on the back porch working on some stuff for one of the graphic designers, a little project that goes on and on and on and.... The house's doors are closed, because it's warm and the AC is on. I hear a beeping noise. An insistent beeping noise.

The neighbor has a truck that beeps like that. Beep beep beep freaking BEEP. It takes awhile before I realize whatever the racket is, it's not the dude's accursed truck. So I get up to investigate and lo! The house…

Well, we've about finished the first full week of the second ten-day round of antibiotics for Ruby the Corgi Pup's UTI. Whether she's "cured" (or about to be) remains to be seen; I'm supposed to take another urine sample in to Dr. Bracken next Friday.

She's peeing on the floor much less frequently. And the gross odor is almost gone. Not so much syrupy urine is getting stuck on the fur between her cute little hind legs, and so she doesn't stink all the time, nor does…

Okay! This afternoon it was off to Dr. Bracken, the wonderful vet who used to care for Walt the Greyhound and Anna the GerShep, whom I abandoned only because his practice is a long drive from home.

He examined Ruby the Ailing Corgi Pup and pronounced her fundamentally very strong and healthy. Said she's on target for her weight, her fur and eyes and ears and all that are excellent. He examined the urine I extracted from her about an hour before he arrived and reported that…

So...who ate the ant bait? That's the question.

Every now and again, The Ondt Queen lays siege to the Funny Farm. She sends her Myrmidons into the breach, swarms the kitchen floor, and attacks her favorite target, the dishwasher. The only way to beat back these hordes is with ant bait. To protect the dogs, I cover the baits with old electric-fan cages. You can take a cheap fan apart, providing two conveniently basket-sized cages that are perfect for keeping critters out of…

Ruby the Corgi Pup still has a puppy voice, but she believes herself to be fierce. Very fierce. So this morning when the religious pests showed up at the door, it was not WOOF WOOF WOOF! or ARF ARF ARF! or even the stately WARF! emitted by the Queen of the Universe or (thank heavens) Her Elevated Majesty's most enraged AAAARGHFFFF ROAR SNORT GARRRRGGGGGGHHHFFFFF!!!!!!, but RAH! RAH! RAH! RAH! RAH! RAH!

Like an especially shrill…