In the clearing stands a Boxer

One of the things I like about living where I do is the peace and quiet. You can go hours without hearing a sound. I swear as part of my Time Killing duties I've seen less than five cars go down our street in a day. When we talk about relocating (which we do) I hate to think about giving up this solitude. I fear things are changing..

I had heard through the grapevine that our elderly neighbor - who hasn't made a peep in 20 years - has taken in her daughter and her 2 children. I heard some evidence of this and wasn't too worried. There's a fair amount of space between our properties. I had met the daughter while checking my mailbox - a highlight in my daily routine. She was very friendly and pre-apologizing for any new noises. I said I hadn't heard anything (yet). Today that changed.

I had to hang around the house because I have the oil burner tech coming to do a pre-winter cleaning. Normally, I'd be out by 11 am doing something but today I am here with the windows open on a very nice day. And so the fun began at 9 am or so. How long can a dog bark before shredding its throat muscles? So far it's been 2.5 hours - NON STOP. The oil burner guy is actually quieter. The dog, a Boxer, is named Larry. Odd name for a dog I think. Then again our family dog was named Charlotte. This dog looks like a show dog....but he does have a head shape like a Pit Bull.. He did trot over to me the other day and I held my ground so I didn't seem like a pansy..(remember the deer story from last week?)..He stopped before he got to me and returned to his owner next door. I was relieved but thought "uh oh, is this going to be the new regime - avoiding Larry?"...So far he's still barking.

The oil burner guy finished and I walked out to his truck to sign stuff. He gave my boiler an A+ as we chatted in the driveway. He then asked "what's with all the barking?"...