We, the Shop Dogs of Parnassus, approach the New Year holding two seemingly contradictory beliefs in our paws:1) We are perfect.2) We wish to improve.It’s like a Zen Koan, right? How can we acknowledge our perfection while still seeking betterment? Because we are dogs, and dogs contain the mysteries of the universe. Because we are Parnassus Shop Dogs, we not only came up with a list of goals, we identified the books that can help us reach those goals. We share this booklist with our human friends in hopes that they, too, will take the opportunity to gaze inward and seek improvement.
A good place for humans to start in the quest for improvement might be a copy of Mat Ward’s excellent book What Dogs Want: An Illustrated Guide for HAPPY Dog Care and Training. We’ve removed the chapters about training for our convenience.OPIE
My main resolution for the New Year is to get my favorite book Bacon Nation by Peter Kaminsky back into print where it belongs. What sort of world are we living in when “Romeo and Juliet” is still in print and a dog can’t find a copy of Bacon?Next, I plan to deepen my relationship with my shop person, Andy, by asking him to read The Boys: A Memoir of Hollywood and Family by Ron and Clint Howard aloud to me at bedtime. I’m hoping we can learn how to be more loving and respectful by studying this other Andy and Opie team.I also like the idea of Beginners: The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning by Tom Vanderbilt. Apparently old dogs can learn new tricks, which is not to say you’re going to see me jumping through hula hoops. Marlee can keep her own hula hoops.
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LAVINIA
I am hoping to improve my cooking skills in 2022, and am waiting for spring to try out more recipes from Rodney Scott’s World of Barbecue. He’s right, you know, every day is a good day. A good day to cook on the grill. Outside. In the sunshine. With smells. And squirrels. And rabbits.Smokers are something I think I’d like, too. They smell really good and the meat turns out really, really tender. For instruction, I am checking out Adrian Miller’s Black Smoke. I would really like a big plate of brisket for supper….Hot chicken is a big deal around here, and though I do not understand why on earth you would want to cover up the taste of juicy chicken with hot sauce, to each his own. I am going to see what all this fuss is about and so have picked up The Hot Chicken Project and The Hot Chicken Cookbook. But now, I am going to take a nap and dream about that brisket…
MARLEE
I am going to do so much in the new year! And I can’t wait! I love New Years! All of them!
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BARNABUS
I spent the year 2021 being the engine of energy at the bookstore. I chased my tail, flipped my ears, wrestled with Sparky, leapt onto perilous towers of boxes. I have run and gamboled and woofed every day because I am the life of the party, and while it’s been a good job for me, now is the time to add a soupcon of reflection. I have identified some excellent books to help me along the noble path inward.I will start with How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell. The subtitle of this book is “Resisting the Attention Economy” which is intriguing because I get so much attention and am irresistible.Then I will read How to Sit, by Thich Nhat Hanh. I already know how to sit but I’m going to read it anyway. I would like to read it while sitting in your lap.The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron, is an oldy but a goody. It teaches people to be more creative. One way to be creative is to spend more time throwing a ball to your dog.Upstream is a book of essays by Mary Oliver in which she writes, “Attention is the beginning of devotion.” Hear that, Lindsay? Pay attention to me.When all of that is done, I’ll take a look at Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, by Annie Dillard, because detailed observation is never a bad thing.
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SPARKY
Sometimes what a dog wants in the future is what a dog had in the past. We used to go on endless hikes in the Warner Parks, but over the years my people have gotten lazy. I’m getting a copy of F. Lynne Bachleda’s terrific book A History of Nashville’s Warner Parks to inspire us to get off the couch and back on the trails as a family.
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Happy New Year, dog friends! Happy New Year, people! We love you just the way you are while completely supporting your quest to change.
Musing 