[Canon 5D Mk III, 35mm f/2 IS]
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2015/02/let-sleeping-dogs-lie.html
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2015/02/let-sleeping-dogs-lie.html
Showing posts with label pets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pets. Show all posts
Monday, February 9, 2015
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
I try to let this sleeping dog lie, because she's so cute and it's a pleasure to watch her. There's no risk following an accidental awakening, though. Ziva can snap to alertness in a second, and is well tempered even then.
Even more impressive to me is how dogs and cats can fall asleep in a few seconds when the opportunity is given them. I sometimes wish I could do that in the middle of the day, then return immediately to wakefulness and be refreshed and fully functional. There's no app for that!
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Please Follow Me!
"Please feed me a treat!" says Ziva, but I will use her image to say "please follow my blog!" Because you can, and why not!
[Exif: 35 mm, f/2, 1/200 sec., ISO 16,000 < YES!, Canon 5D Mk III]
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2015/01/please-follow-me.html
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Cheese Ring - How To Make One
Have you ever wanted to create a properly shaped cheese ring? First, to introduce our instructor to any new readers of this blog, here is Ziva, happily sharing dreamland with her snowman.
If you thought the series of "got milk?" mustaches were impressive, look at the almost perfectly arced, delicately drawn muzzle ring of cottage cheese that Ziva displays (no touch-up, no enhancement). Nasal accent optional.
And here is how it is done. One picture, worth at least a few dozen words of explanation (which I have already squandered), yes?
If you thought the series of "got milk?" mustaches were impressive, look at the almost perfectly arced, delicately drawn muzzle ring of cottage cheese that Ziva displays (no touch-up, no enhancement). Nasal accent optional.
And here is how it is done. One picture, worth at least a few dozen words of explanation (which I have already squandered), yes?
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2015/01/cheese-ring-how-to-make-one.html
Monday, January 26, 2015
Hiding
You can infer the story from these two photos, I'm confident. Or invent whatever you like. Note the mud-stained nose.
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2015/01/hiding.html
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Can Cute Be Terminal?
Can a creature be so constantly cute as to be boring?
No...I don't think so...
No...I don't think so...
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2015/01/can-cute-be-terminal.html
Doggie Hypnotism
Look into my eyes...you will obey...me...
Wait, who is supposed to obey whom?
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2015/01/doggie-hypnotism.html
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Z is for Ziva
Perhaps novelist Sue Grafton should consider using Ziva as the eponymous inspiration for the final installment of her ongoing "alphabet" murder mysteries. I suspect Kinsey Millhone would approve, though I can't think of any connection the lovely and charming Ziva Dog Diva could have to nefarious activities.
Last night I was reading a different author's work (I've long since caught up with Grafton's output, and eagerly await "X is for..."), and parked on a sofa for comfort. Ziva parked by my feet, only slightly overlapping one slipper (she often puts herself squarely on whatever part of me is available). So as I absorbed The Racketeer, by John Grisham, Ziva emitted z's...zzzzzzz.
One quick glance to be sure she had my permission:
She didn't budge when I reached one arm to the side to get this perspective (a camera phone is much more practical than a DSLR for this sort of shooting):
Today, when I got home from rehearsal, after we went for a hike, Ziva made it clear that she wanted to play with a "snowman" that she was recently given by a neighborhood friend. Our dear friend has an older dog named Alexa, who was best friends with our late, beloved Photon. Alexa had grown tired of some of her things, gets along well with Ziva, and Ziva seems really excited about getting to play with them herself. She wanted an audience, too, so I obliged with a camera.
After the exercise (there was a lot of running and fetching), Ziva calmed down, looked around and sniffed...what dogs do to explore their surroundings, after all...so I caught some tight portraits.
"Why don't you put down that Grisham novel and get back to The Calculus Diaries (Jennifer Ouellette)?" Okay Ziva, you don't have to monitor my reading habits, even though I do monitor your eating habits.
Last night I was reading a different author's work (I've long since caught up with Grafton's output, and eagerly await "X is for..."), and parked on a sofa for comfort. Ziva parked by my feet, only slightly overlapping one slipper (she often puts herself squarely on whatever part of me is available). So as I absorbed The Racketeer, by John Grisham, Ziva emitted z's...zzzzzzz.
One quick glance to be sure she had my permission:
She didn't budge when I reached one arm to the side to get this perspective (a camera phone is much more practical than a DSLR for this sort of shooting):
Today, when I got home from rehearsal, after we went for a hike, Ziva made it clear that she wanted to play with a "snowman" that she was recently given by a neighborhood friend. Our dear friend has an older dog named Alexa, who was best friends with our late, beloved Photon. Alexa had grown tired of some of her things, gets along well with Ziva, and Ziva seems really excited about getting to play with them herself. She wanted an audience, too, so I obliged with a camera.
After the exercise (there was a lot of running and fetching), Ziva calmed down, looked around and sniffed...what dogs do to explore their surroundings, after all...so I caught some tight portraits.
"Why don't you put down that Grisham novel and get back to The Calculus Diaries (Jennifer Ouellette)?" Okay Ziva, you don't have to monitor my reading habits, even though I do monitor your eating habits.
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2015/01/z-is-for-ziva.html
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Quadruped-icecapade
Tweet
Here are two versions of a video of Ziva teaching herself to skate on a frozen puddle. The sound of the cracking ice excited her to the point that she barked loudly, and it echoed across the landscape!
Here are two versions of a video of Ziva teaching herself to skate on a frozen puddle. The sound of the cracking ice excited her to the point that she barked loudly, and it echoed across the landscape!
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2015/01/quadruped-icecapade.html
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Squirrel Wants To Eat My Fiddle!
Tweet
Oh, fiddle fuddle! Help, Ziva! Some squirrel wants to devour my violin!
These are canine cookies, intended for Ziva's consumption. If you've ever shopped for pet food, no doubt you've noticed how treats (and even main courses) are designed to please human aesthetic sensibilities. This is hardly surprising, as we do the buying, but it can sometimes make things amusing for us, and in the case of commercial items, more expensive, because the manufacturers can get away with it, having hooked us.
These two delicacies were home-made gifts from friends. One is a violinist colleague of mine, and the other has a dear old dog, Alexa, who when young was as interested in chasing squirrels as our Ziva now is.
Oh, fiddle fuddle! Help, Ziva! Some squirrel wants to devour my violin!
These are canine cookies, intended for Ziva's consumption. If you've ever shopped for pet food, no doubt you've noticed how treats (and even main courses) are designed to please human aesthetic sensibilities. This is hardly surprising, as we do the buying, but it can sometimes make things amusing for us, and in the case of commercial items, more expensive, because the manufacturers can get away with it, having hooked us.
These two delicacies were home-made gifts from friends. One is a violinist colleague of mine, and the other has a dear old dog, Alexa, who when young was as interested in chasing squirrels as our Ziva now is.
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2015/01/squirrel-wants-to-eat-my-fiddle.html
Sunday, January 4, 2015
A Shoe-In for Top Dog
[Shoo-in/Shoe-in, yes, I know the most likely etymology, and proper spelling, but how could I resist the pun?]
Considering the way that Ziva can gnaw a very large bone into shreds (and eat them), and that she has been known to chew various objects not intended for her consumption (e.g., she removed an elastic strap from one of my concert shoes), you might think that I would be concerned about the fact that shoes are regularly found on any of four of her "parking rugs". These shoes are normally kept in a large bucket by the front door.
However, after two such chewing incidents, things have settled into a groove where it is apparent that our cunning quadruped simply likes to have footwear near her as a comfort, particularly when she is alone for awhile. We have already heard some of your comments to the effect that dogs like strong smells... Be that as it may, Ziva is a comely foot-fetishista. Although I love Greek cheese, please, let's not have any puns involving feta, okay? But then, this blog post is enough off-the-wall that I really should allow open season in the comments section, as usual.
By the way, the shoe is completely intact, no missing sole, it just happens to have an insole that is a pretty good color match for the rug. Maybe Ziva has a genetic mutation that gives her trichromatic vision (like humans) unlike other canines and most mammals (which have only two types of color receptors, somewhat like humans with red-green color blindness). Of course I'm engaging in fantasy; I think Ziva was just lucky about the color. On the other hand, I could not identify hundreds of people by traces of their odor, hours after they passed through an area.
Considering the way that Ziva can gnaw a very large bone into shreds (and eat them), and that she has been known to chew various objects not intended for her consumption (e.g., she removed an elastic strap from one of my concert shoes), you might think that I would be concerned about the fact that shoes are regularly found on any of four of her "parking rugs". These shoes are normally kept in a large bucket by the front door.
However, after two such chewing incidents, things have settled into a groove where it is apparent that our cunning quadruped simply likes to have footwear near her as a comfort, particularly when she is alone for awhile. We have already heard some of your comments to the effect that dogs like strong smells... Be that as it may, Ziva is a comely foot-fetishista. Although I love Greek cheese, please, let's not have any puns involving feta, okay? But then, this blog post is enough off-the-wall that I really should allow open season in the comments section, as usual.
By the way, the shoe is completely intact, no missing sole, it just happens to have an insole that is a pretty good color match for the rug. Maybe Ziva has a genetic mutation that gives her trichromatic vision (like humans) unlike other canines and most mammals (which have only two types of color receptors, somewhat like humans with red-green color blindness). Of course I'm engaging in fantasy; I think Ziva was just lucky about the color. On the other hand, I could not identify hundreds of people by traces of their odor, hours after they passed through an area.
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2015/01/a-shoe-in-for-top-dog.html
Ziva begins a new year
As this photo suggests, Ziva still enjoys relaxing in favorite places, when she's not racing around with limitless energy. (We think she may be a mix of Terrier and German Shepherd. There's a lot of intelligence, some stubbornness, and an incredible capacity and desire for play.)
This look makes me think of the human phrase "guilty pleasure". She sure derives a lot of fun from getting a bone and exercising her jaw. I doubt that Ziva feels any guilt over eating or other enjoyment (Why should she? Why should we!), but there's something about the look at this moment, as if she's acknowledging that I caught her in the act.
The stripes on Ziva's back seem to have become more prominent as winter progresses. This may have a cause related to the weather, or may simply be part of her maturing. We'll have a better idea when spring rolls around.
This look makes me think of the human phrase "guilty pleasure". She sure derives a lot of fun from getting a bone and exercising her jaw. I doubt that Ziva feels any guilt over eating or other enjoyment (Why should she? Why should we!), but there's something about the look at this moment, as if she's acknowledging that I caught her in the act.
The stripes on Ziva's back seem to have become more prominent as winter progresses. This may have a cause related to the weather, or may simply be part of her maturing. We'll have a better idea when spring rolls around.
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2015/01/ziva-begins-new-year.html
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Wild Berries of Winter
Here we are in the midst of winter weather (well, at least the nights are cool/cold, and many of the trees are actually bare), and what should I find but a lot of ripe wild berries. Well, the birds should be very happy, and I'm happy that I spotted these before they (apparently) did. Having just returned from a hike with Ziva, I grabbed a camera and macro lens, and dashed outside again, leaving Ziva inside to stew.
She was behind the glass door watching me when I returned to the house. I'm easily amused, and am still intrigued by reflections superimposed on direct sight. I'll probably do photos along these lines until someday I get really lucky with the light and have something that can fool the eye and be beautiful. Trompe l'oeil is not one of my usual genres, but I enjoy seeing paintings in that style, and I think it could be a good influence on my photography. At least, it keeps me thinking and imagining.
[All of that was before the first Nutcracker performance of today. Now back to do the second one...]
She was behind the glass door watching me when I returned to the house. I'm easily amused, and am still intrigued by reflections superimposed on direct sight. I'll probably do photos along these lines until someday I get really lucky with the light and have something that can fool the eye and be beautiful. Trompe l'oeil is not one of my usual genres, but I enjoy seeing paintings in that style, and I think it could be a good influence on my photography. At least, it keeps me thinking and imagining.
[All of that was before the first Nutcracker performance of today. Now back to do the second one...]
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2014/12/wild-berries-of-winter.html
Holiday iPhonography
The evening of the 25th, we shared a celebratory dinner with friends. The host created a very simple dessert that was a visual treat in the making, so here is some iPhonography of the occasion. Cherries Jubilee, like any flambé, involves burning off the alcohol from a liqueur. The "sauce" was preheated over an open flame.
After being poured over the cherries, it was lit within the pan.
Then the concoction was enjoyed over ice cream.
No doubt Escoffier did a fancier job for Queen Victoria, but Rick LaBach's dessert was enjoyed by all!
A cat may look upon a king. Presumably a cat may look upon a queen as well. Rick's cat Sparkle looked upon whomever she chose, and stayed in the shadows for this mysterious portrait.
I can't leave Ziva out of the picture for long. Friday morning, she ran through rows of puddles along the Greenway, and waded more slowly through this mini-pond. I've named the photo "Ziva, Center of a Tension".
After being poured over the cherries, it was lit within the pan.
Then the concoction was enjoyed over ice cream.
No doubt Escoffier did a fancier job for Queen Victoria, but Rick LaBach's dessert was enjoyed by all!
A cat may look upon a king. Presumably a cat may look upon a queen as well. Rick's cat Sparkle looked upon whomever she chose, and stayed in the shadows for this mysterious portrait.
I can't leave Ziva out of the picture for long. Friday morning, she ran through rows of puddles along the Greenway, and waded more slowly through this mini-pond. I've named the photo "Ziva, Center of a Tension".
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2014/12/holiday-iphonography.html
Thursday, December 25, 2014
A Tug of War
Yes, it's time again for tug-o-war, a game that Ziva always wins. Today, we saw the new cinema version of Sondheim's "Into the Woods" - wonderful! - then shared a festive meal with friends, so I'm in a good mood to show my somewhat dangerous activity of this morning. Ziva is not a mean dog, but she's a playful animal, and doesn't have as much control over her teeth and jaw strength as our late Photon did. The hazard arises when an object that she is intending to grab gets too close to our hands or arms. I'm still Pretty Damned Quick, so I've not suffered anything worse than slight skin abrasions or inconsequential bruises, but some training is going to be needed, because Ziva absolutely loves to play with interlocking rubber rings, cotton sock rags, etc.
See how sedately she is surveying the area, just moments before erupting into action.
Yes, that is my violinistically crucial left hand holding the ring, ready to release when necessary, while my right hand is operating a camera that usually requires two hands.
Take a look at Ziva's determination! I always let her "win" before too long, for both our sakes.
The last shot in this sequence maybe gives some idea of the movement and effort that is going on.
Later in the day, Ziva will be as loving as any creature, and even purrs somewhat like a cat.
See how sedately she is surveying the area, just moments before erupting into action.
Yes, that is my violinistically crucial left hand holding the ring, ready to release when necessary, while my right hand is operating a camera that usually requires two hands.
Take a look at Ziva's determination! I always let her "win" before too long, for both our sakes.
The last shot in this sequence maybe gives some idea of the movement and effort that is going on.
Later in the day, Ziva will be as loving as any creature, and even purrs somewhat like a cat.
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2014/12/a-tug-of-war.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)