Old Pickle Barrel

Since I never found enough of my old blog (at blogger.com) to update, and I’m not inspired to narrate the current family events (although retirement has brought some amusing anecdotes), I have decided to go another direction. I guess the departing of Rusty’s older dog, Zeke, had something to do with it. At least for the time being, I’m going to feature the Benton Dill Dogs past and present. As Pacha (John) once said in a sermon illustration: Every Dill has his dog, and every dog has his Dill.

These are the three amigos currently at the Benton House. The one in the middle was the first to arrive with James’s migration back home. For a couple of years, Pacha called her Divorce Dog. Scout arrived when Abe and Rosie, the Britts, were still around. The Dynamic Duo gave her the side-eye. However, she gradually settled in and was accepted by all–even John. This is the dog that was presented to James after the demise of Bo. James did not want a dog at that point, and the dog he thought they were searching for was going to be a standard Poodle for the kids. I believe Scout to be several breeds, but I don’t think Poodle is one of them. Her favorite word is “camp.” She is also our thunder alert dog. Her tail is a barometer.

You may notice that Scout does have a collar. The one in the photo and several others are all buried somewhere in the backyard. Blanche inadvertently pulls them off when she is leading Scout around by the collar. Now Scout just wears one for trips to C-A-M-P. Spelling does no good. The dog is at the door the minute James puts on camo.

And now to Blanche.

Blanche is so named because she is to be around as I am a “golden girl.” I got her during Covid, when my dog Rosie was gone, and Abe was not going to be very many years behind her. Notice the wirey terrier hair. I picked her from the Bryant Shelter thinking that she would not shed as much as the spaniels had. In this I was deceived. No dog had been allowed on the couch since Mocha the cocker spaniel. However, one weekend when the boys were gone, Blanche kept crying. She convinced me that she was scared and hurt. I did not know what I’d find by the time the vet opened the following Monday. (Actually, I found out about anal glands that need expressing.) While Blanche was milking her discomfort for all she could, she became a couch dog. What’s done is very hard to undo. Blanche has a different personality from that of most of our dogs. Unfortunately, she can be another “B” word. Blanche’s favorite word is any word associated with food or treat.

Third dog looking adoringly at the food in John’s hand is Buster. He is actually the first and oldest. He was a puppy when James got him. However, James was “convinced” to give him away because it was felt that he was unreliable since he is a pit mix. After ten years, his other owner moved to an apartment; and James got his pet back. James is sure that Buster remembers those early days. Perhaps he does. His favorite word is still BALL. If you look closely at the first photo, you can tell that Buster’s old hind legs won’t quite let him go to a full sit any more. However, he is still quite willing to run full tilt for the B-A-L-L (don’t say it unless you want to play fetch for a while).

OK. It is now two years later. My old blog has not reappeared. Lots of stuff has happened,. but most of it is not amusing. I do need to figure out how to post entries to a blog.  My tech skills were never great, but they have taken a dive. The youngest set of grandkids are now in the Fayetteville/Siloam Springs area. John and I are due to become great-grands in February.

I am no longer President of Royal Players. I’m Past President. I was ready for that, but I still would like to find a donor with a million or so to give to the Royal. Our rehabilitation plans have not born much fruit although we do have a lot of younger people now who are active and are carrying most of the load.