Yep. He's baa-aaaack . . . William is staying with us for a week while Louise and her mom are off to New York to visit Elliott. I must say, I was skeptical about having him. Not that he isn't a perfect gentleman (yes, I am talking about the dog), but I was unsure about how Wally would react, and . . . well, William is a giant, barking Hair Machine with Gigantic, Mud-sucking Paws.

So far the weather has been dry, so the paws have not been a problem. And, too, Louise has trained him not to bark so much. (I called her the first night he was here and told her that I noticed that he barks less, but begs for food more. She laughed.) Wally is over the initial shock ("What??? I thought I had that guy taken care of!!"), and they've been playing, actually. And William loves the back yard; he loves to look outside, and he loves to go outside.

The squirrels are certainly happy to see him. They can't get much action out of Wally.

Overall, he's being great fun to have around. He's certainly a big, gentle, affectionate sweetie, and he seems to have settled right in again, as have we. Louise better hurry back, or she's likely not to get him returned to her . . .