Kate Stout's Profile | TypePad

This is Kate Stout's TypePad Profile.

Join TypePad and start following Kate Stout's activity

Join Now!

Already a member? Sign In

Kate Stout

Historic Concord, MA — where that proverbial shot was fired

Building a better mousetrap only fools the mouse

Interests: Downsizing; uprooting. Tearing down; building up from scratch. Moving across the driveway. Destruction is the wellspring of creation. But what will we do with all the furniture?

Recent Activity

Getting where you're going

Have you ever had the feeling where you've come is where you belong? Yesterday we visited a ramshackle house in Arlington, one in which the occupants are in constant lockdown. I had the feeling, as Cajun and I mounted the steps to the porch, that I was Scout, Atticus Finch's... Continue reading

Posted 4 days ago at TherapyDog

1

Ah the nation within the nation. Chet. Our hero! Kate Stout Sent from my iPhone

Commented Apr 16, 2013 on A 'real' dog story at TherapyDog

A 'real' dog story

We paid our first visit to a Hospice this afternoon. An old house converted into a nine-bed facility. By the time I left, I couldn't help thinking: lucky nine. This may seem counterintuitive but there's nothing any of us can do about death, so a warm send off isn't all... Continue reading

Posted Apr 13, 2013 at TherapyDog

3

Thanks for sharing that. We can not be reminded enough how much a simple visit means to the house/homebound. With or without a canine pal.

Commented Apr 4, 2013 on Only connect at TherapyDog

Gosh, its nice to be transported back to those memories. Especially the sheep . . . Thanks for sharing!

Commented Mar 5, 2013 on Pyramid House at Habitat for Insanity

Cajun is benched for the time being. On injured reserve. Yesterday morning Pete called up the stairs in that tone of voice that says 'I need you now.' "There's blood all over the place," he said with urgency. On the walls, rug, floor, his slacks and soon, my hands. It... Continue reading

Posted Feb 23, 2013 at TherapyDog

1

Thanks, pal. And thanks for reading.

Commented Feb 20, 2013 on Why we do this at TherapyDog

I was thinking not to write this blog anymore. Cajun and I seemed stuck. And waiting for something to happen bores everybody. But — today we graduated to in-room visits at the hospital. On the floor where children bed down when (and if) they land here at all. We visited... Continue reading

Posted Feb 19, 2013 at TherapyDog

2

I can't decide what isn't working about our therapy work. But it is more bore than boon, more handholding than touching. In both senses of the word. Cajun and I had our first EVC (extraordinary care visit) on Saturday, a combination of blind and mentally disabled people. In theory, this... Continue reading

Posted Jan 21, 2013 at TherapyDog

2

I just watched an old Nova documentary called Dogs Decoded. I was interested that Cajun did not watch it with me. Although she was there, sometimes stretched out on my length stretched out on the couch (she's not allowed on the furniture but on me does not count as on... Continue reading

Posted Jan 15, 2013 at TherapyDog

0

Happiness with a tail

We have been invited to join the Hug-A-Pet program! Since Cajun is okay with kids sitting on her, pulling her ears; and never misses an opportunity to roll shamelessly onto her back and provide a naked belly for ready rubs, I've always believed it is with the younger set that... Continue reading

Posted Jan 10, 2013 at TherapyDog

1

Speaking of weeding out...I tired to have a couple of people access this blog and they cant find it. Snuggle Time is all over the place. Should I rename this? To separate it from all (the multitude) of blogs about parents young children?

Commented Jan 4, 2013 on Ten, and counting at TherapyDog

Ten, and counting

Milestone: although we did not accomplish our goal of 10 visits with Caring Canines by the end of 2012, we only just missed. Three days into the New Year and the deed is done. This means we can begin the process of going forward into the more rigorous realms of... Continue reading

Posted Jan 3, 2013 at TherapyDog

3

Holly-daze time off

CAJUN SENDS LICKS AND WAGS FOR A PROSPEROUS & PEACEFUL HOLLY-DAZE. Her mom sends hope for gun control in 2013. Continue reading

Posted Dec 17, 2012 at TherapyDog

1

What she wears to the hospital... At the hospital, wearing her Christmas finery. C'sPOV: Tell me again? Why do humans wear clothes? Continue reading

Posted Dec 12, 2012 at TherapyDog

2

It's been a long time coming (since August) but Cajun made her hospital debut today. We are assigned the surgical waiting area. It's a pretty slow beat in the afternoons, as we discovered today, since most people going under the knife do so earlier in the day. There were five... Continue reading

Posted Dec 11, 2012 at TherapyDog

1

Conehead the Barbarian

They don't make humans wear a cone on their heads when they have a boo-boo. That's probably because our tongues aren't long enough to wreak such havoc. Cajun's first experience with just such a degrading subjugation occurred this evening. Over the years we have noticed that she is allergic to... Continue reading

Posted Dec 9, 2012 at TherapyDog

0

The very beginnings

While hunkered down on Nantucket for a quiet Thanksgiving, I embarked on an email exchange with my favorite correspondent. She shared the unhappy news that her mother-in-law, who suffers from mild dementia, had been moved out of her home and into a residential facility. These decisions are never easy, and... Continue reading

Posted Nov 23, 2012 at TherapyDog

1

...almost. There were only two of us at our assisted living visit today, so we got to share Team Leader status. That was fun. I felt (almost — again) as if I knew what I was doing. There were many things that made this outing worthwhile: 1) the seven or... Continue reading

Posted Nov 21, 2012 at TherapyDog

0

Shifting into passing gear

Where for awhile there, there was little activity, now there is a plethora. We have jumped through our respective hoops, Cajun and I, been vetted, bled, trained, background-checked, and interviewed, and now it's just a matter of schedules and calendars. Yesterday we visited, along with four other dogs, Spaulding Rehabilitation... Continue reading

Posted Nov 12, 2012 at TherapyDog

0

Cajun's offician mug shot as a Caring Canines therapy dog. Notice the color coordination between the azaleas in the background and the big tongue? C'sPOV: Heh, who's that cutie pie? Continue reading

Posted Oct 29, 2012 at TherapyDog

1

A landmark day in its own small way — Cajun graduated from therapy-dog-in-training to full initiant. This with the second of our two volunteer organizations, the one that assembles a cadre of canines to visit a group of eager folks. In theory. This afternoon was one of those experiences that... Continue reading

Posted Oct 26, 2012 at TherapyDog

1

No idea for the delay... Wondered why there wasnt a cavalcade of adoring responses. :-) Sent from my iPhone

Commented Oct 18, 2012 on SitStayCome at TherapyDog

For both therapy dog organizations for which we volunteer, there were screenings along with the application. Things Cajun had to do — and not do — to get to the training stage. Food, for instance, that ultimate dog temptation, factored in largely. In one vetting session, Cajun had to walk... Continue reading

Posted Oct 14, 2012 at TherapyDog

2

Welcome aboard!

Commented Oct 10, 2012 on Beginnings at TherapyDog

More...

Subscribe to Kate Stout’s Recent Activity