Sunday afternoon, reading and snoozing dogs

I'm house-sitting for my parents while they're off in hazy, smoky southern California. Their neighbors recently adopted a dog, a 2-yr-old black lab named Riley. Mina and Celeste have taken it upon themselves to teach boundaries to Riley through what they call "better living through barking at the fence". Riley takes them up on the challenge and barks right back, which offends Mina immensely and leaves Celeste wondering why she was barking in the first place.

Anyway, their antics resulted in this picture. I needed a bookmark and I needed it fast. Thus, one of my mother's tomatoes made its debut as the first ever vine-grown bookmark. I would not suggest shutting the book, but it served its purpose. Of course, I took this photo AFTER telling the dogs they were scourges upon this great earth and they should just shut up. To which they responded with glares and huffs, Riley included.

Mina's response after any tiring encounter with another dog through the fence is to sleep. Because it is hard work defending the world from labrador retrievers and maltipoos, especially maltipoos who speak French. Unacceptable! I keep hoping that, at age 11, Mina will slow down a bit. She has, in some ways, but mostly she's the same spunky dog she was at age three. SLOW DOWN OLD LADY DOG! *snore* Which would appear like she's slowing down, except she has always slept 20 hours a day and played hard for the remaining four.

Celeste, as usual, is ready for ANYTHING (she turned an amazing TWO in May):


It's an improvement from yesterday.