Monthly Archives: January 2010

The dog trouble that made Joe Moore flee Ireland

This is from chapter 1 of The Wayfaring Stranger.  It tells of how my great-great-great grandfather Joseph Moore had to leave his home in Westport, Ireland as a teenager in 1849. Along with the garden, these sheep were the livelihood of his sister and himself. They were so precious that he brought them nightly into the dirt-floored cottage. That was …

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Two dogs named Sugar and Ivory

Sugar and Ivory It’s odd but I will always think of two dogs when I think of the long night that Hurricane Rita struck Dry Creek Camp. We had 350 people on our grounds. They had been moved and bedded down in our most solid dorms and everyone took enough food and water for the next thirty hours when we …

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On Homesickness and Dogs

I’m continuing blogging about dog stories this week.  It’s in honor and memory of my best friend, Ivory.  This yellow lab died last week after a rich life of 14 years. I’ve repeated the “punch line” in this story thousands of times since it occurred twenty years ago.  My son Clint still cringes when I tell it. Picture this scene: …

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A Friendship Fire…

A Friendship Fire From The Old House by Curt Iles It’s a beautiful March night.  During this third month of the year, the nights are cool and the days are normally mild.  The blossoms of spring begin to show off- the azaleas, dogwoods, and honeysuckle.  Most of the days are full of blue skies and moderate temperatures.  Best of all, …

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"Lock the doors and put up the dishes, ’cause we’re coming to your house."

June-  Baby Birds and Labrador Retrivers… A dog story… excerpted from “A Lesson from the Birds”    The Old House by Curt Iles It’s time for all of  the rites of summer- It’s now warm enough for swimming in the creek, and ripening blackberries are ready to be found in the thickets.  In gardens, purple-hull peas are ready, and watermelon vines …

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