Monday, August 10, 2026

Thug Life


Another photo of a Kniphofia. But this is a special Kniphofia -- it's the one that I transplanted to a pot last year after watching it struggle in an increasingly shady area of the garden, where it was slowly being smothered by the surrounding plants. This is the first flower it has produced for years. I'm glad that experiment in transplantation worked out!

Yesterday was very low-key. I read more Len Deighton; I walked the dog around the neighborhood and back to the cemetery.



I came across these two characters on a rubbish bin on West End Lane. Google can't identify them. Any guesses? The hat on the guy above says "Thug Life" backwards, so I guess the photo is supposed to look like a selfie in a mirror.

Did I mention that I've arranged a trip to Florida at the end of September? I just bought the ticket the other day, and got a pretty good deal, I must say. I'm going primarily to spend some time with my friend Sue on Anna Maria Island, but also to see my stepsister and brother. I'm not quite sure what we're going to do with Bailey yet, since Dave will be working, but we'll figure something out. Maybe he'll come home to let her out at midday or maybe we'll hire a short-term dog walker.

Dave returns from his own trip to the states this morning, by the way. I also have a tree-trimmer coming by to give us estimates on yet another round of tree work. It's never-ending!


I gathered the rest of this week's footage from the wildlife cam for a more complete sense of what's going on in the garden since we got Bailey. I showed you a short video of some foxes several days ago; well, they're still around, as are a couple of cats -- Pale Cat and Mustache Cat -- and of course Bailey herself, bounding around like a maniac after squirrels in the trees. At 0:58 you'll see a fox carrying one of those mysterious dog treats that they occasionally find somewhere.

My impression is that many of the animals aren't lingering near the house now, but staying more in the back of the garden. I'm not seeing many small animals like birds or squirrels on the ground, but then, I often turned the camera off during the day so it wouldn't record excess footage of Bailey and me.


One of the videos ended on this frame, which made me laugh. That captures the energy of our insane dog about as well as anything.

22 comments:

  1. That last frame of Bailey is hilarious. Nice to see the cats and foxes haven’t been frightened off although they may be keeping their distance from the house.

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  2. Maybe you should embark on a new career - as a transplant surgeon.

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  3. I laughed at the sight of Bailey barking. She's determined to protect her territory.

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  4. One happy dog. Do you think the fox is finding a dog's buried treats? One upset dog still hunting.

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  5. It sounds as if the local wildlife has its measure of Bailey and is managing the situation. She's a nut!

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  6. Someone was definitely making a statement with those stickers. They must be an inside joke of some sort to whomever the rubbish bin belonged too.

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  7. Those two rubbish people look like mug shots! Maybe they're real people who don't dispose of their trash correctly??

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  8. Such charming-looking young men on the rubbish bin!
    The camera frame of Bailey made me laugh, too. She must be so loving her new life!

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  9. The screen cap of Bailey is terrific.

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  10. Classic Bailey - A Trip To The States - And A Low Key Day , You Scored

    Happy Monday ,
    Cheers

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  11. Bailey needs a Superman cape!

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  12. The Gulf coast in late September should be pretty, as long as it does not rain much.

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  13. Anna Maria Island- swoon. What a lovely thing to look forward to and the weather should be perfect.
    Bailey appears to me to be absolutely joyful. It hasn't taken her long to step into your lives, your yard, your hearts.

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  14. I bet Bailey loves checking out all those amazing scents from the garden visitors every morning. At least from having the little videos you know what she's sniffing at. :-)

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  15. Bailey seems right at home already.

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  16. I like seeing Bailey exploring your garden! When you firm up your travel plans, let me know and I can send those DVDs to your brothers or elsewhere!

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  17. Bailey hit the jackpot when you and Dave adopted her.

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  18. Here you go. Thug Life is a 2025 Indian Tamil-language gangster action drama film directed by Mani Ratnam, who co-wrote the script with Kamal Haasan.

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  19. The characters on the waste bin are very creepy. Not people you would want to run into in person. I loved seeing Bailey looking for squirrels to chase.

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  20. I love that photo of Bailey - it seems to capture her essence very well. As for Thug Life - I wonder if someone made stickers out of people they actually know? That would be hilarious.

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  21. I sure do enjoy seeing Bailey. I could make a squirrel dog out of her! 😉

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