bees are pets too

So: dogs are a lot of work. Cats are easier but they do require feeding. Bees, on the other hand, pretty much take care of themselves once you've got the basic set up. For a $600 investment, you're set. And if everything goes well, at the end of the summer you could have 30-60 lbs of honey. That means: no more shopping for gifts at Christmas. Everyone appreciates a bottle of local honey.

The go-to person re: bees in Greenwich has got to be Ellen Zampino. She's hard to catch, but she does give one session classes each semester for The Greenwich Continuing Education program.

Anyway, one of the grand treats of summer is to pull in the drive and see all those bees in the sunlight, flying into and out of the hives. You can check out the hives at Greenwich Audubon Center, too, just above the apple orchard.

a good shampoo and haircut

There comes a time when a dog needs to see a groomer. Not because she's a total mess, but little things are beyond an owner's control: Hair in the eyes. Long nails. Mats behind the ears. It's just too much for someone who is challenged by her own head of hair.

Where to turn? There are at least 6 grooming shops in Greenwich. There are the Mobile groomers. Groomers who pick up. Groomers who come INTO your home And there is PetsMart, in Norwalk or Port Chester.
Several less than happy experiences in Byram and Port Chester left me wondering what to do. Then I read the front page article in The Greenwich Time about Vanity Fur, on North Water Street in Byram, whose owner was employing high school kids from the Byram Archibold program. Now there's a lady with a heart, thought I, who knows the secret of hidden treasures.
I called, and she actually answered the phone with a smile in her voice. Many times, when you call a groomer, you get an answering machine, presumably because everyone in the shop's hands are full and they are too harrassed to talk.

She had openings within a week (a grooming shop around the corner had NO openings until August, and someone in the shop made an unnecessary comment that she would HATE to see MY dog if she hadn't had a professional bath since last fall. Did I really want to hear that? Chessie might be a little fluffy, but she certainly looked and smelled clean.)

So we signed up: puppy cut for Mega(bitz) the 6 year old female Norwich terrier (lets admit it, her hair WAS pretty long and shaggy; her hair was hanging in her eyes) and a shampoo and comb out for Chessie the 3 year old female blue merle collie.

They were dropped off at around 8:30 a.m., opening time. Not home, no calls by 3:30. Worried? you bet. Called in. Said they would be done "later in the afternoon". No calls by 5. Called back at 5:10, said "I"m coming". She said, "Okay, come on down."

What a surprise! Mega was a New Lady! Chipper and cute, I would NOT have recognized her. Last visit to a groomer was SUPPOSED to have been a hand striping, which is what you're supposed to do to a Norwich but it's tedious and very labor intensive. I paid $130 and she looked like someone had taken kitchen scissors to her hair and cut it straight around like Moe's from the Three Stooges. I could have done the same in 10 minutes.

Chessie glowed! The assistant groomer showed me the barrel full of hair she had combed out because she was "blowing her coat". You bet she was! I had no idea you could get that much hair off my dog.

The total price for both dogs was a very very reasonable $165. The girls looked good and looked happy. I was happy. We'll be back.

Contact Vanity Fur at:
203 531-4306
18 North Water Street (across from Wachovia Bank)
owner: Kathy Valentino