Furry Golden Horde

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We are hosting my sister-in-law’s dogs, Lily and Lightning, this weekend. They earned the name “The Furry Golden Horde” when they first visited years ago, and actually did constitute a two dog invasion. (After the first visit, I went around muttering for weeks, “She ate my hat. I can’t believe she ate my hat.”) Lily (yes, she has the same name as my mare, but we can usually tell whether we are referring to the horse or the Golden Retriever) no longer destroys things, though she does like to carry soft objects around in her mouth. Lightning likes to bark at the horses, but is otherwise an exemplary Sheltie. The two are getting along with Lody and Mia quite well, and it is very entertaining to watch them try to figure out the hierarchy thing without doing anything so uncivilized as growling.

The Eternal Value of Privacy

Bruce Schneier: in Wired News: The Eternal Value of Privacy
Too many wrongly characterize the debate as “security versus privacy.” The real choice is liberty versus control. Tyranny, whether it arises under threat of foreign physical attack or under constant domestic authoritative scrutiny, is still tyranny. Liberty requires security without intrusion, security plus privacy. Widespread police surveillance is the very definition of a police state. And that’s why we should champion privacy even when we have nothing to hide.

Cloudscape

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In spring, the sunrises become less extravagant, but the afternoon cloudscapes pick up the slack.

I had to take Mia and Lody for a walk this afternoon. I let Mia see me pick up a leash to put away that I had bought earlier in the day, and I find it almost impossible to resist a Dalmatian doing her “oh my gosh we’re going for a walk” happy dance.

Plant Project

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Jack rescued four plants at work that were due to be discarded, in blithe disregard that we have a limited number of windows that get any sunlight, since our house was built with deep eaves so it would stay cool in the summer. Two of them required immediate repotting because they were falling out of their pots, and two will require bigger pots when I can get some. After wandering around the house for a bit, I decided to use the south facing window seat for the newcomers.