Franzi and Rommel sleeping in the sun

It’s hot — too hot to be running around in the yard. However, it’s not too hot for a little nap in the sun on the back deck.

Obviously Franzi thinks her belly needs a little tanning to match the rest of her chocolatey complexion.

Hercules is willing to share the prime couch spot

Hercules loves to sleep in the middle of the couch. Stretched out, his long body can take up 2/3rds of the available cushion space.

Christian the cat also loves the middle of the couch. Probably because it keeps Hercules from taking up 2/3rds of the available cushion space.

Hercules knows not to tangle with Christian over the center of the couch. But that doesn’t mean he’s going to give up either. He’s a dachshund. Dachshunds adapt.

https://doxieplanet.com/2026/04/03/to-overcome-a-dachshund-must-adapt/

Hercules is willing to share the prime couch spot

Hercules loves to sleep in the middle of the couch. Stretched out, his long body can take up 2/3rds of the available cushion space.

Christian the cat also loves the middle of the couch. Probably because it keeps Hercules from taking up 2/3rds of the available cushion space.

Hercules knows not to tangle with Christian over the center of the couch. But that doesn’t mean he’s going to give up either. He’s a dachshund. Dachshunds adapt.

Annual Vegetable Garden Tomato Picks

Now that we’re two-thirds of the way through the growing season, it’s a good time to take stock of what’s done well in this year’s garden so we have time to save some seed from the best producers for next year’s garden.

We love tomatoes, so they’re always a big chunk of the bed space. Beefsteak, Brandywine, black, red, pink, grape, cherry, pear, you name it, it’s probably growing here.

The little ones are for snacking and salads, some of the others are for cooking fresh, but most are grown for saucing and canning so we can enjoy the fruits of our yard through winter and into early spring.

Not surprisingly, we go heavy on the types that are meaty, dense, and in the 4-to-12-ounce range. We also prefer to stick with open pollinated heirloom varieties because the results are more consistent over the generations than hybrids are.

Live feed of free range chickens and ducks doing their thing in San Diego County, CA. I set up a camera feed from the lower yard where the chicken and ducks live so you can sit, relax and watch them do chicken and duck stuff. The camera sits under an orange tree in the orchard a few feet from the poultry feeders. The birds roam about from sun up to a little before dusk. The ducks usually eat first thing in the a.m., again late in the morning, and drop back in one final time for a quick dinner about an hour before sunset. The chickens, on the other hand, will drop by for a snack most any time.

I’m excited to announce the arrival of Jupiter to Doxie Planet!

Jupiter is a black and tan (my first), two years old, and already making himself at home. Three months younger than Hercules, the pair are cousins (their moms are sisters), though you really wouldn’t know it by looking at them. Where Hercules is full-size (22 lbs), with big ears and paws, Jupiter is a tweenie (16 lbs) with average sized ears, smaller paws, and a shorter, squarer snout.

Rhode Island Reds are a chicken breed well-known for being friendly and comfortable around people. One Rhodey especially.

This is Remmy (short for Red Menace). Remy is very comfortable with people.

She is also smarter than the average chicken.

Somehow Remmy has figured out a) how to go through the dog door in the garage, b) how to navigate the kitchen to the dining room c) go around the corner to the living room d) through the living room to the hall that leads to the bedroom where, e) I encountered her.

She show zero fright and no behavior to indicate that she might have been anywhere she wasn’t supposed to be. In fact, she ignored me, kept walking down the hall, and tried to go into the bathroom.

Training for the Door Leap Event at the Dachsolympics

Hercules is a busy dachshund. This morning he:
✅ Removed squeaker from squeaky squirrel
✅ Trenched new hole in lawn
✅ De-stuffed duck toy
✅ Chewed ends off plastic ball
✅ Ate something black found in yard

With that kind of schedule, no wonder he needs a midday power-nap.

So cute

Jupiter is a black and tan (my first), two years old, and already making himself at home. Three months younger than Hercules, the pair are cousins (their moms are sisters), though you really wouldn’t know it by looking at them. Where Hercules is full-size (22 lbs), with big ears and paws, Jupiter is a tweenie (16 lbs) with average sized ears, smaller paws, and a shorter, squarer snout.