My writing friend L.B. Johnson, author of The Book of Barkley, was so kind to read an early manuscript for my forthcoming memoir, Walks with Sam. Her comments became a blurb for the book due out in late summer of 2020 from John Hunt Publishing, UK. During that process, she also turned me on to … Continue reading Here’s a Treat: The Best Dog Blogs →

Sam went to a sleepover the other night. It was far more nerve-wracking for her owners. My wife and I were heading out to the Galena, Illinois area—a three-hour drive from our home in suburban Chicago—for a friend's hog roast. We had plans to stay over one night. It would have been too much to … Continue reading Sam’s Sleepover →

I'm in a doctor's office waiting room. Across from me is an older man reading The Gift of Peace. Not being able to see the entire front cover of the book, I mistakenly think it is one of the Dalai Lama's books. He had written The Book of Joy and The Art of Happiness, he … Continue reading The Risk of the Dog Walker →

Have you ever spent an entire day with your dog? Just the two of you. No one else. Eight hours of dog and man. Side by side. All day. Recently, I did just that. An entire Sunday from 10am until about 6pm was all Sam and me. We had errands to run, a car ride … Continue reading Conversations with the Dog →

Sam truly is a mellow dog. She is sweet and quiet most of the time. Easygoing. Rarely hyper or overly excited. (Except, of course, when we come home from being gone five minutes or eight hours. It doesn't matter. Regardless of the time passed, she runs around for several minutes, bringing toys and socks and … Continue reading Why Sam Gets All Riled Up →

The publisher of the forthcoming Walks With Sam—John Hunt Publishing, UK—(which was also my publisher for October Song)—has asked me for ideas to pass on to the graphic designers who will work on the cover. It's a long way to publication, but it's fun to think about this. JHP will make the final decision based … Continue reading Book Cover: What Would You Choose? →

Short walk today. About an hour or so. Park and back. And what do we see? These hands. I love when kids do this. I can just hear someone saying, "Who put that there?" People upset that children defaced the new sidewalk. But I hope that's not the case. I hope those who see this … Continue reading Who Put That There? →

Sam and I took a long break from this space to pull together the former entries of this once weekly blog, rework them, shape them, so that Walks With Sam could become a book. And I am proud to say that will happen in late 2020. More from my publisher in coming posts. There are … Continue reading Sam and I Have Returned →