The sun comes up on another day during the pandemic. It's peaceful and calm and the gang is all here, if only in spirit (that's Smooch's resting place under the rocks in the bac...
http://www.the7msnranch.com/2020/06/a-little-bit-of-peace-on-earth.html
When I resurrected this blog early on in the pandemic, I had every intention of posting regularly. You can see how well that's gone. I can't focus. My thoughts are too scattered, worrying a...
http://www.the7msnranch.com/2020/05/resting-worried-face.html
I know people are struggling with the boredom and monotony that comes from staying at home. I am not one of those people. As long as I can be around my animals, I will never be bo...
http://www.the7msnranch.com/2020/04/its-all-same-day-in-and-day-out.html
Alex likes the new couch. She has more room to stretch out, as do I, which was the whole point of buying a new one. The challenge now is to keep her dirt and dog hair on the cov...
http://www.the7msnranch.com/2020/04/indoor-and-outdoor-grievances.html
I have been shopping for a new couch for three years. I went into one real store and left feeling totally overwhelmed by the experience and underwhelmed by the pushy salespeople. My onl...
George and Alan have not grasped the concept of social distancing. George thinks it means Alan has to keep his distance from me. Alan thinks that's bullshit... ...and is not...
http://www.the7msnranch.com/2020/04/when-social-distancing-does-not-apply.html
Today's music is "Lizards Dancing on the Fence" by Gary Bowman.
http://www.the7msnranch.com/2020/04/a-few-minutes-with-alan-and-lizard.html
My chickens never turn down leftovers, in this case raw carrots, which I hate but were included in a bag of packaged salad, which I rarely buy but was in stock when I ordered groceries last...
http://www.the7msnranch.com/2020/03/improvisational-cooking.html
Alex has gotten short shrift during my blogging hiatus. No blogging = not many reasons to take pictures = not many photos of the cutest ears in caninedom. Hence, I'm trying to make up for ...
http://www.the7msnranch.com/2020/03/making-up-for-lost-time.html
There comes a point when I have to stop screaming into the void and do it here instead, because these daily press conferences? The excerpts I'm seeing leave me speechless. Why can't anybody stop...
http://www.the7msnranch.com/2020/03/some-things-never-change_23.html
Everything here at the 7MSN is fine. I'm fine, the animals are fine, and life in general has been fine since my last post six months ago. I can't tell you why I stopped blogging because I do...
http://www.the7msnranch.com/2020/03/it-took-pandemic-to-resurrect-this-blog.html
I said goodbye to Smooch on Saturday. She had a seizure, and the poor prognosis convinced me it was time to let her go. I buried her at the ranch, in a spot where she will still be able to...
Spoiler alert: This story has a happy ending. It was a dark and steamy night and we were getting ready for bed. I turned on the porch light and opened the sunroom door to let Smooch and Alex ...
http://www.the7msnranch.com/2019/07/the-one-where-smooch-gets-bitten-by.html
We had a visitor at the ranch yesterday. I wasn't wearing my glasses when I saw him and assumed I was taking a picture of a bat. Turns out it was just a very impressive moth. I texted ...
I took Alex hiking in the mountains on Sunday. We were looking for adventure. Alex found some before we even got out of the truck. Four mule deer hardly constitute a grand adv...
http://www.the7msnranch.com/2019/06/be-careful-what-you-wish-for.html
When I hung a few pieces of art on the back porch, I figured I might have to straighten them occasionally or dust them off. No big deal under ordinary circumstances. This was not going ...
http://www.the7msnranch.com/2019/05/the-problem-with-hanging-indoor-art.html
I never intended to stop blogging. It just happened – no particular reason other than I haven't felt like talking. This malaise began in early November 2016 and I don't expect it will en...
http://www.the7msnranch.com/2019/04/its-been-so-long-i-may-have-forgotten.html
Except for the occasional morning rainbow, not too much is happening at the ranch, which is just fine by me. Smooch is almost back to normal after her bout of old dog vestibular d...
Smooch is going to be fine. Let us all remember that as I recap the last few days. Monday morning started out no differently than any other morning around here: feed the dogs, do barn ...
http://www.the7msnranch.com/2019/02/old-dog-vestibular-disease-its-thing.html
You're probably thinking I dropped the damned door on myself and have been trapped under it since my last blog post. Not so. The sliding door installation project (click here if you mi...
http://www.the7msnranch.com/2019/02/how-to-install-sliding-door-by-yourself.html
The last time I used "The next big project" as the title of a post, I got a puppy. Spoiler alert: This big project is not another puppy. For those of you who may not have understood my rambli...
http://www.the7msnranch.com/2019/01/the-next-big-project.html
Keeping Alex entertained during a prolonged bout of bad weather is a challenge. She has destroyed every single one of the delightful toys sent to her by friends far and wide. ...
I've lived here for 14 winters. I know how to deal with inclement weather. There's plenty of food, firewood, hay, wine. I've got this. I keep repeating these thoughts to mysel...
http://www.the7msnranch.com/2018/12/a-pep-talk-to-myself.html