New Tricks

It's nice to know this old dog (me) can still learn new tricks, albeit more slowly these days.  Another, thankfully brief, episode with tech support yesterday and I think I've got it.  It's unfortunate that the new TV system and remote didn't come with a manual.  I like manuals, and it would certainly save a lot of these phone calls.  How's a person to know that you have to push this button or that not just once, but two or even three times to get the desired effect?  There is certainly no indication on the equipment.  Oh well.

GB is learning new things, too, also without a manual.  I'd let him out in the morning to take care of business.  When he  didn't come right back to the porch, I went looking.  He'd evidently decided to go walk-about down the driveway.  That's a definite no-no here and we have to work on that.  We're also working on "come."  Bessie Anne and I knew each other so well and, given her deafness, we didn't need words.  GB is so bright, it's just going to take time for him to learn my ways.  I'm also taking him out for walks at least three times a day now.  He seems perfectly happy to be a couch potato, but he's still young and needs more exercise.  It doesn't hurt me, either.  Rather than get into another wrestling match, I discovered that the heartworm medication he'd brought with him was in a soft form and he chomped it right down.  Who knew?

On one of our outings, we saw one of the red-tail hawks that seem to come back every year.  Evidently these birds have a life span of ten to fifteen years, and they're definitely territorial.  I see and hear few quail anymore, probably because more and more people are moving into the area.  That's a shame.  Not one but two of the little birds were pestering the vulture yesterday.  Rather than getting bonked on the head, the vulture moved onto the wire and took the little birds' space.  Pretty clever.

Ralph is learning that GB means him no harm and is coming out of hiding more frequently.  That makes me happy.  I've missed him.  Celeste and GB both slept on the bed last night.  That's progress.  Some learning curves are just steeper than others.