"C" is NOT for Cat -- Authors Whose Last Names Begin with C

I let my dog pick out books. Polo can’t actually read them, so I limit his search options to things we can download and listen to together. We're working our way slowly through the alphabet of authors, one letter at a time. Sometimes we listen to mysteries or realistic fiction, sometimes history or psychology or biography. We listen when we're relaxing, while we're cooking, when we're sewing or doing housework. Okay, actually, Polo doesn't cook or sew or do housework, but he's a pro at relaxing and listening to books with me. And then we do this little report to share our thoughts, one author-letter at a time. 

Monsters

I love football, although my one-word summary of this story is "profane" -- both in the sense of the language quoted in interviews and as a description of the game itself. Football is just now (maybe) beginning to get a little cleaner, a little less punishing in terms of players' lifetime health. This book replays the long history of football, from company and town teams to the NFL as we know it today. George Halas, longtime owner of the Chicago Bears, was the first coach to use an "eye in the sky" by having an assistant way up in the stands who could observe formations and send notes down to the field. In the 1980s, animosity between head coach Mike Ditka and defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan was legendary, yet together they led the team to win the 1986 Super Bowl. It was fun to hear about many players that I watched back then. They were hard-working athletes, if not the best role models. (Also available as a book.)

Polo's response: I like it when my humans watch football, because it keeps them at home with me. But it's bad when the Seahawks score, because there are very loud fireworks.

The Crow Trap

Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope is a British version of Columbo, all messy and scattered and sly as a fox. It wasn't until we were halfway through this book that I realized that the BBC's Vera television series originated here. This particular novel involves three women taking an environmental inventory of a large plot of land slated for industrial development. Before they even arrive, there is a suicide. Then, as they're busily counting plants and mammals and birds, and maybe having a secret affair with a man from town, there's a murder -- and then another murder. Complex characters, tangled lives, scenic countryside, and a gripping story!  (Also available as an eBook, audiobook CD, or book.)

Polo gives this one two paws up. He dreams of running over hill and dale, looking for birds and otters.

The Orchardist

Wenatchee's apple country provides a beautiful, inspiring setting for this piece of historical fiction and the reader does a masterful job of taking you right into the orchard, the barn, the simple farmhouse. Life there has sharp edges, rocky ground, difficult relationships. From the mother who vanished, to young mothers-to-be who appear from out of nowhere, Talmadge is the lone constant with the fruit and the garden and the house. A hard story and beautiful at the same time, like the time and land in which it's set. (Other formats include eBook, audiobook CD, book, or pre-loaded audiobook.)

Polo's pause: Good men -- both the reader and the main character. This was a story I could really sink my teeth into.

The Invisible Gorilla

So, you think you're pretty smart? Especially observant? With an above-average memory? Then don't read this book. The authors devised a social experiment in the form of a video, instructing viewers to count the number of times a basketball was passed from one person to another. There was just enough distracting action in the scene that counting those passes took effort. But in the middle of the basketball activity, an actor in a gorilla suit walked in, pounded its chest, and walked off. Most people did not notice the gorilla. At all. Even though they were working hard to give full attention to the video, they missed seeing something big and unexpected -- because it was totally unexpected. This is just one example of a typical illusion of our abilities, and the whole book gives very interesting insight on basic human nature. (You may choose to read the book or eBook.)

Polo, being a dog, admits no "blind spots" of inattention or perception. [Note from Katharine: I won't mention the times I've seen rabbits along the trail, and he was busy looking up at squirrels in the tree. Please don't tell him I told you.]

Hello? Hi? Is Anybody There?

Golly, when did the wallpaper get changed to this very innocuous light blue fluff? At least I fixed the text so it's black on white. More readable and all that, you know. I've learned a little about writing with accessibility on the Web.

So I've been paying a lot of attention to that daily time-stealing, friend-conversing, mainly-used-by-my-generation face thing. A lot of attention, as in, several years' worth of attention. One lonely blog post here last year. Yikes. I'm sorry! I think often about blogging, but it takes so much time and energy to write up and edit (and edit, and re-edit) multiple paragraphs here. Meanwhile, on that other platform, there are pretty pictures and greetings from friends and more pictures, and I can scroll through a hundred short pieces in an hour and feel as though I've caught up with my people.

But this blog thing has value. Sure, the posts really are short, and they're not deeply personal, but I can pretend that hundreds of kind strangers (or no one at all) will read and nod in understanding. Is there still a place for blogs any more? My, how quickly things change.

I'm blogging for work, though only occasionally. I'm supposed to be able to post book suggestions -- not reviews, exactly, because I don't think I should say that something is so awful that no one should pick it up. I wanted to do this because it's writing, and I'm a writer. (Being a writer, in this case, does not necessarily mean that anyone will choose to read my writings. But I like to write.) Once I got all trained and instructed in the professional aspects of writing for work, I did a few posts... and lost my motivation. Crickets.

Recently, however, I re-discovered my muse and became re-energized to blog again. My alter ego, my writer-side, was right there in front of me all the time. I just hadn't been looking to him for help, because this was supposed to be professional, you know, for my career, writing. This muse of mine, you see, has a sweet face, a black and pink mottled nose, and a long wagging tail. It's Polo. It's so much easier to imagine my dog's responses to things than to write my own highly edited thoughts. Polo is straightforward, honest, and only a little bit cynical about human nature. He's kind and witty. And he uses a simpler vocabulary than I can muster. (Another rule about writing for the work blog is to keep it very readable for English language learners. I don't mean to sound high-falutin' -- it just happens to be how the words fly off my fingers.)

So, I'm taking my dog to work these days, hoping he can get away with writing book stuff for me. We'll see how it goes. At least 30% of the blog posts on our website are read by fellow staff members, and everything is carefully reviewed as soon as it's published. If Polo isn't allowed on that blog, at least he can come back here to lend a paw regularly.

Thanks for checking in. I'll try to get back here more often. Mostly, I'll try to write. Somewhere. Like this guy on the side of a building at the University of Washington. Because he's been at it a long time, and he isn't finished yet.

I Miss Blogging

Hi! Welcome back -- and I'm not sure if I mean that for you or for myself. I think about this blog often, but there are other things grabbing my attention and time these days. Blogging just kind of drops off the list, you know? Some amazing things have been happening, especially in my family. This has never been too precise of a blog-o-log, though, as I didn't want it to be all about me. So much easier (and less personal) to have the dogs write it.

So, you ask, what about the dog? Polo is well and happy. He has a bum knee that will not allow him to go on walks unless he has surgery. There's plenty to do at home, thankfully -- and staying home means no car entrapment! Polo specializes in home protection. Squirrels, cats, pugs, and children on bicycles are all kept at bay by the sheer power of his bark. Oh, and also neighborhood ducks, raccoons, possums, coyotes, motorcycles, and trucks. And some of my friends.

When he's not barking at all passers-by, he may be found sunning himself on the back deck or lounging inside on the couch. We're all about his comfort.

Why is it I don't have much to write about? Oh, well. Polo might end up writing the same thing every day. Maybe that's not a bad thing.

Exploring a Reference Source

Polo is quite interested in the five-volume Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life. I explained to him that it contains articles that its articles focus on "the traditions, living conditions, and personalities of many of the world's people groups. Further, this resource provides information in twenty different headings -- everything from language and location of origin to folklore, religion, sports, interpersonal relations, foods, and living conditions. Not that Polo pup intends to travel, but if he did, he'd certainly want to know what to expect. For example, does a particular people group eat anything really interesting? Does their style of communication involve lots of wild gestures? How many people live in one house, and do they sleep on soft beds that he could share?

Poor Polo would really like for me to bring these books home so he could learn more, but they are intended for use in the library only. He'll have to come to them, and prepare to settle in for a long session of discovery.

Exponential Information

Polo has three basic means of gathering information: what he sees, what he hears, and (most importantly) what he smells. In normal daily life, these methods are totally adequate for accumulating the news he needs to know. Occasionally, however, he encounters different surroundings and is bombarded by a Pandora's box-full of new sights/sounds/smells. The poor guy's brain goes into overdrive to process all this stuff!

Many people are likewise pretty comfortable most of the time with their usual means of accumulating information. Television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and Facebook are easily accessed and familiar sources of lots of news.

Sometimes, though, a person might find himself/herself in a unique situation that offers a boatload of information or a cascade of unanswered questions. Help is needed! There's way too much info available, and I can't sort it out on my own!

That's where a library might come in handy. Not only are there print sources for bits of knowledge on everything from soup to nuts, but also online sources leading either to more thorough Internet-available data or back to print.

If young Polo could thumb through a book on his own, or if he could type words into a search engine, he'd be way ahead of the pack in information-gathering. Alas, he can neither manipulate paper pages nor utilize Google. He'll have to listen to Mom and keep his nose to the ground... or, in this case, wherever there's something he needs to investigate.

checking out cheap-o homemade bird feeder project

Changing Gears

Way, way back in '07, the dogs and I started this blog as part of a class at work. This was a great way to process my (our) responses to various Web tools and activities. From there, we just kept writing and taking photos because it was a good thing to do.

Enter 2013 and a new class at work. I'm studying to become a Public Service Assistant (PSA), and have decided that it would be beneficial  to enlist the help of one Polo pup to help me ponder this new material. In a nutshell, I'll be learning how to answer library patrons' questions and meet their needs for information. I feel a little overwhelmed, so it'll be a great comfort to have my dog along for the ride.

Wise dog in the library, indeed. Polo has not set paw in a library or any other public building in more than two years. His contact with people outside of our family is severely limited especially since Jon fixed all the loose places in the fence. He does perform a core set of services with excellence: our yard will have NO crows in it, we will always know if anyone is walking down the street, no coyote will howl unanswered, and there is never a crumb left on the kitchen floor.

So, with this post begins a new series in the Wise Dogs' blog. PSA reflections and ramblings. Here we go, Polo! What do you think, boy?

Doggyoga (or, why Polo isn't writing)

Polo just isn't as much of a writer as Blackie. He's not even as motivated to blog as Rufus was. In case you've wondered why this is, I offer this explanation. It's worth a thousand words, if not more.

This is Polo's main indoor pursuit. Yes, he is a pro. You might say that he's "prone" to practice this fine art.