And it starts.

Last night it was pumpkin muffins. This morning it is pumpkin pancakes, cobbled together from a couple different recipes and my own second guessing.

1 cup white whole wheat flour*
1 cup flaxseed & multigrain flour* (a wonderful new thing from the bulk bins at Whole Foods)
2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
3 Tbsp light brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (or less; I love it so I use lots)
1/4 tsp ginger powder
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pie mix)
1 egg
2 cups buttermilk**

Charlie Brown definitely had it right. Somehow puppies make everything right with the world.

Here are some video clips of their first two magical days with us. "Happiness is", indeed.

Mickey and Joey - first two days

Also some pics here

A few puppy pics

The slide show is here - http://www.tonymindling.phanfare.com/5718149

As always, click on Start Slideshow and the full screen icon for the full experience, which in this case includes some nice jazz by Davit Benoit.

The video is here -
http://player.vimeo.com/video/48145897 with some nice acoustice guitar by Phil Keaggy

Looking forward to Seb's pics!

We had to let Tanner go early last week. It had become clear that he wasn't going to get better, he'd been going downhill for a couple of weeks, and had stopped eating. As Hilda and I looked at photos of Tanner over the years, we realized that he had been ill for at least a couple of years with Cushing's Disease. His weight gain, appearance, and loss of energy are all symptoms of the early part of the disease, which are easy to misinterpret, as we did, as aging signs. It wasn't until about April of this year that we knew something was really wrong, and the vet visits began. One of the first things we heard from the vet was that it could be Cushings, and that they don't usually recommend treatment because of the side effects. Not wanting to subject Tanner to that, we crossed our fingers and began a suggested treatment for another possible issue, an immune system disorder, which was treated with steroids. And for a while he really looked like he was improving, but it was not to be.

Oh boy. It blindsides one at the oddest times. Like while pressing the coffee this morning. Perhaps because that would be a time when he and I would be alone in the quiet for a while.

Martin Mindling has shared a couple more photos from the Mindling heartland in Ohio

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Hi Tony,

Here are a couple of pictures for the family website.

The house in Watertown is from 1892. My aunt, Lucy Weihl Wolcott (sister of Phoebe Mindling) lived in this house for many years. It was built by the local general store owner, James T. Dunbar.

We have painted it in six Victorian colors per an original palette. There is a lot of beadboard decoration on the house and also herringbone (angled) beadboard under the windows.

This, on the left, is taking up Ronan’s every spare second.

Before they knew her name by heart they called her “the pink girl.” They still do sometimes because it is so fitting. The sound of her plastic training wheels raking loudly down the street - - hhhhhhhhhhhckkkkkkkk - - is her siren song. It calls Ronan to the front of the house each afternoon, with Laird tagging along behind.

Ian and Eric used to get furious with me when I'd slow down hikes while leaning over flowers with my camera. At least this afternoon I restricted my vice to the garden as I took a break from my dayjob, compelled outdoors by bits of sun between clouds of a waning storm.