Category Archives: The Boys

Five Photos, Five Stories #1

Posted on May 19, 2015 by Silver in the Barn

A fellow Virginia blogger, Suzi, has invited me to participate in the Five Photos, Five Stories challenge described thusly: I am to post a photo each day for five consecutive days and attach a story to the photo. It can be fiction … Continue reading →

Posted in Challenges, The Boys | Tagged animal rescue, beggar's lice, virginia stickseed, west highland white terrier, westies | 108 Comments

Life’s Little Luxuries

Posted on February 3, 2015 by Silver in the Barn

Little sister and I were hiking on Sunday when conversation, in between huffing and puffing, turned as it sometimes does to things apropos of nothing at all. Mary brought up the subject of indulgences, the little luxuries that help make life … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Random Ruminations, The Boys | Tagged chinese foot massage, coffee, little sisters, luxuries, taiwan, west highland white terrier, westies | 138 Comments

Thank You

Posted on October 31, 2014 by Silver in the Barn

No metaphysician ever felt the deficiency of language so much as the grateful. Caleb C. Colton Many thanks to each and every one of you who has reached out to me since Berkley’s death. Please … Continue reading →

Posted in Garden, The Boys | Tagged aster, chrysanthemum, death of a pet, fall garden, Garden, mexican bush sage, pink sheffield, west highland white terrier, westies, will's wonderful | 55 Comments

My Fragile Circle

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Silver in the Barn

“We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own, live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached. Unable to accept its awful gaps, we would still live no other way.” Irving … Continue reading →

Posted in The Boys | Tagged death of a pet, irving townsend, west highland white terrier, westies | 46 Comments

Dogwood Days

Posted on October 17, 2014 by Silver in the Barn

When we bought our old house, it was called “Eveland” after the former owner. Somehow I didn’t think “Barbland” had quite the same ring to it, don’t you agree? And besides, I had a backup name I’d been carrying in my pocket … Continue reading →

Posted in Garden, The Barn, The Boys | Tagged dogwood, Rosedon, trees, west highland white terrier, westies | 81 Comments

Shady Ladies (and Max)

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Silver in the Barn

For some of us, surely, the serenity of shade gardening—as the counterpart of sun gardening, with its festive mood—is just what the inner doctor orders.” – George Schenk in The Complete Shade Gardener If anything ever happens to this … Continue reading →

Posted in Garden, The Boys | Tagged caladium, concrete menagerie, dicentra, fern, heuchera, hosta, Japanese Painted fern, lady's mantle, mahonia, polemonium, shade garden, tiarella, west highland white terrier, westies | 74 Comments

Weekly Photo Challenge: Nighttime

Posted on September 26, 2014 by Silver in the Barn

Nighttime is a subject better left to real photographers with real cameras. One of these days, I want to try my hand at working with an actual camera and lenses. In the meantime, and strictly in a sense of fun, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Challenges, The Boys | Tagged camping, postaday, sunset, weekly challenge, west highland white terrier, westies | 53 Comments

Flying First Class

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Silver in the Barn

Earlier this year, I posted about the first of my Personal Principles – Try Kindness First. I do mean to get to the other nine one of these days. And you may remember the Tennessee Seven. One of those seven rescued Westies got … Continue reading →

Posted in Random Ruminations, The Boys | Tagged animal rescue, Personal Principles, travel, west highland white terriers, westies | 43 Comments

I Wish Westies Were Ugly

Posted on July 1, 2014 by Silver in the Barn

Or at least not so darn cute. Maybe so many of them wouldn’t end up in rescue if they looked like this: And I wish ad agencies would stop choosing the Westie as their adorable pitch-pup for whatever brand … Continue reading →

Posted in The Boys | Tagged animal abuse, rescue groups, west highland white terrier, westies | 55 Comments

Weekly Photo Challenge: Between

Posted on June 20, 2014 by Silver in the Barn

Between. Capture something in the middle of two things. It can be a person or object, or simply the space in between. I was gardening on the opposite side of the house when I heard ferocious growling and excited barking. The … Continue reading →