Hot Eric Balloons

Soon, we will be able to sing that Martha and the Van Halens tune that goes "Summer's here and the time is right for air balloons in heat," or words to that effect. A couple of pre-season hot air balloons flew over today, and Eric and Fin rose to the occasion. Upon close observation, it turns out that, while Fin really, really, really wants to catch the balloons and, we presume, roll them around the pasture with his nose, Eric is actually afraid of them.

We know this because after the balloons disappeared, Eric became as clingy as a dingy in Rawalpindi. He was so attached to us that he followed us up the steep stairs to the Guest Quarters, which he never does. Then, when it came time to come down the stairs, he bounced down like a basketball Slinky.

Hellhound On My Trail

Eric has become my best running buddy. I do four laps around the grounds, and Eric invariably runs with me on all four. The Invisible Fence keeps him from following the entire circuit, or so it would have you believe, but each lap is at least a quarter mile for little Eric. That's almost three kilometers in dog miles.

This morning, 6/6/06, in the middle of the woods, I heard Eric's breath on my heels and imagined I could hear 1930's bluesman Robert Johnson's song "Hellhound On My Trail". In my mind's eye, I saw a vision something like this:



Perhaps it's an Omen (apologies for the American movie reference).


Lyrics to Eric Clapton's take on Mr. Johnson's tune can be found at
http://www.lyrics007.com/ERIC%20CLAPTON%20Lyrics/Hellhound%20On%20My%20Trail%20Lyrics.html