The Harper Chronicles: Harper or Sassy

July 24, 2025July 23, 2025 / kellyfbarr / Leave a comment

Hi Everyone! It’s been a looong time, but I’m back! Since I’m older, Mom doesn’t always know what to write about me, and she doesn’t take quite as many photos of me as she used to.

For today’s post Mom wanted me to share about some of the waggish things I do since I’ve exhibited such behaviors twice this past Monday. 😀

There’s one lady in the neighborhood that Mom talks to more than any other, and this lady has a little dog. I always want to greet this dog when I see her out in her yard. She always comes to the gate, (her entire yard is fenced in), to greet me. She’s the dog “sitting” in the photo below. Her name is Daisy. The body in the photo is her mom. The other dog was in an earlier post here. Her name is also Daisy.

Anyway, I like to play — A LOT! But the Daisy, who is sitting in the yard above, does NOT, especially not with me. Mom encourages me to just run around by myself and let Daisy alone, but I really want a playmate, so I constantly get in Daisy’s face, trying to spark a playful mood in her. Unfortunately, all I accomplish is antagonizing her, and she nips at me. Then her mom scolds her. Well, this is what happened on Monday, and after I tried several times to get Daisy to play, Mom decided it was time to go home. I was very disappointed.

Later that same day, Mom sat on the loveseat and picked up her Bible to read, and I decided I wanted her to play with me. So, I nipped at her Bible. She told me, “No!” I did it again. Mom told me “No” again and tapped me on my nose with her fingertips. So, I tapped her on the arm with my right front paw! Mom couldn’t believe I did that. She said, “I am scolding you. I am in charge. You are not supposed to tap me back!”

That’s where the “Sassy” in the title of today’s post comes in. Because, as I’ve mentioned in previous posts I talk to Mom–interrupting her when she’s working and butting into conversations between her and Dad are two of the examples of “talking to her” that I’m not supposed to do. So, between this and the examples of my behaviors above, Mom said, “If I would’ve waited until now to name Harper, I may have chosen to name her “Sassy” instead of Harper!”

The people she tells this story to think that’s funny. I do not.

The Harper Chronicles: Enjoying Autumn Leaves

November 21, 2024 / kellyfbarr / Leave a comment

Hello Everyone! Yes, I know, I’m a day late. My posts are supposed to post on Wednesdays, but this is Thursday. All I can say is life is busy and sometimes messy, which doesn’t always allow us to adhere to a strict schedule. Add to that, that my mom was a homeschool mom for a little more than twenty years and always had a flexible schedule, and all I can say is “old habits die hard”.

So, anyway, many of the leaves have fallen in our area, and I love to walk through the crunchy leaves that pile on the ground. Also, as you can see in the photo above, I like to lie in the sun on top of crunchy leaves while mom talks to some of the neighbor ladies.

Here at our house, my family is looking forward to Thanksgiving day, when the family will gather together for a meal and time to catch up on each others’ lives. I, however, will not be part of the celebration with the family because it will not take place in our home. But I will enjoy getting to see my oldest boy for a short while, then having a relaxing evening with the family after all the festivities have ended.

In the meantime, Mom continues living the busy life of an independently published author working on her next book, trying to market the currently published book, and making bookish swag to send along with the books that have been directly ordered, from her, as Christmas gifts. In addition, she continues to take care of those who still live in our house, as well as the household itself, and her aging mother. Sometimes she gets overwhelmed and frustrated by it all. She relies on prayer — hers, and those of others, and some down time and snuggle time with me. She spends time reading a book for about two hours every evening before bed so that she can wind down and go to sleep, and during that time, I lie next to her to keep her company and let her know I love her.

How are you other dogs out there taking care of your humans?

Not sure when the next post will appear nor if it will be written by mom or me, but stay tuned because one of us will post, even if it is sporadically, because we enjoy keeping in touch with all our readers here.

The Harper Chronicles: Harper’s New Friend

September 25, 2024 / kellyfbarr / 1 Comment

I met a new friend this week. As you can probably tell from my posture in the photo above, I immediately wanted to play with her. To Mom’s surprise, she was not afraid of me and she wanted to play with me too. Mom laughed when she playfully growled at me.

My new friend’s name is Daisy. She is a Cavalier King Charles puppy. Mom was finally able to capture a shot of her cute little face in this photo. After we played for awhile, the lady who owns Daisy decided to walk with us, and Mom thought it was so cute how Daisy followed after me. I like my new friend!

The Harper Chronicles: A Special Gift (My Look-alike?)

June 19, 2024 / kellyfbarr / 2 Comments

Hello, it’s me, Harper. I come from a family with three boys. Well, I guess I should say men. Anyway, one of them no longer lives with the rest of us. He lives in an apartment building in another city, and he really misses having a dog. He hasn’t lived here, since I’ve been in this home. My family had two Labrador Retrievers before me, and he moved out while the second one was still living.

Mom and Dad have taken me to visit their oldest son a couple times, and I think they’re going to take me again sometime. This son had a birthday a little while ago. Mom felt bad that, based on certain circumstances, he decided not to get a dog yet. But, some days he misses having a dog more than others. Mom wanted to get him a stuffed Labrador Retriever. She thought it might help if he, at least, had a stuffed Labrador Retriever that looked like me. She thought he couldt hug it when he was really missing having a dog.

Mom searched three stores to no avail. However, she did find the Labrador Retriever in the picture below. She decided to settle for it, even though it wasn’t soft for hugging, because of the “Welcome” sign around its neck. She thought he could sit this dog inside the apartment near the entry door, so that he sees it anytime he comes home. She hoped seeing the dog “welcome” him, everytime he comes in, might help a little.

Well, he liked it, and he does have it sitting where he can see it when he comes home. Mom suggested he give it a name and talk to it, when he misses a dog too. After all, she talks to me all the time. I’m not sure a grown man would do this. I don’t even know if he gave it a name, but I do hope he gets some comfort from this little greeter.

The above picture is me, sitting on the arm of the loveseat. I can see out the window from there. There are also two other places I can go to look out the window. So, what do you think? Does the little “Welcome” Labrador Retriever look like me?

Misty and the Children by Kelly F. Barr

December 1, 2017November 25, 2017 / kellyfbarr / 1 Comment

Misty and the Children
by Kelly F. Barr

Lots of voices float through the air;
The laughter of children tickles my ears.
Multiple grades and ages; as Misty sits and stares.
Her tiny head and ears twitch at the sounds of the dears.

Misty’s little body usually trembles and she barks loudly
For she was a rescued dog and people cause her fear.
Right now she sits alone, upright, proudly
Until the chattering children draw near.

Then she rises, body shaking, as she moves away.
The younger children would like to touch her
But she runs to her owner where she stays
As she watches and in her throat rumbles a “grrr”!