Wow - I didn't know they came that small!

One of the women in the Kim Fields class traveled from Washington state to take the class (and, her boyfriend lives here, too - nice deal, huh?) and she brought her little dog Bonzai. I was completely enchanted - that dog was SO TINY! All we have are monster-girls! I snapped this shot just because I thought it was so cute....Bonzai is a Chihuahua, and had a really great personality. Yes, of COURSE I held him!

The Bark

We subscribe to an absolutely charming magazine called The Bark – and they have a wonderful website as well. What I like about the magazine is that they have a terrific mix of the frivolous and the serious – just like life with dogs. The stories will make you laugh and make you weep. A recent issue was devoted to the effect of the economic crisis on dogs. Not what you might expect. Although shelters and organizations are definitely feeling the pinch due to decreased giving, there are increasing numbers of dogs being forfeited because their owners can no longer afford their care – especially true with aging dogs, as their care costs – just like ours – increase with age. I can’t even imagine….Check out Old Dog Haven, an organization that shelters and helps find homes for senior dogs.

If there's any doubt...

that I’m spinning a tale when I talk about doggie love for the bedroom air conditioner….

A pet's diary...

I borrowed today’s entry from one of the many dog/pet-related sites I subscribe to. They didn’t have an author acknowledgement, so if I’m stepping on anybody’s toes I’ll apologize now. If you do know the author, let me know and I’ll include credit. The entries are written from the perspective of pets with diaries. Probably pretty close to what the truth would be….

From a Dog's Daily Diary:

8:00 am
Oh Boy! Dog food! My favorite!

9:30 am
Oh Boy! A Car Ride! My Favorite!

9:40 am
Oh Boy! A Walk! My Favorite!

10:00am
Oh Boy! Getting petted! My favorite!

11:30 am
Oh Boy! Dog Food! My Favorite!

Noon
Oh Boy! The Kids! My Favorite!

1:00 pm
Oh Boy! The Yard! My Favorite!

4:00 pm
Oh Boy! To the Park! My Favorite!

5:00 pm
Oh Boy! Dog Food! My Favorite!

5:30 pm
Oh Boy! Pretty Mums! My Favorite!

6:00 pm
Oh Boy! Playing Ball! My Favorite!

6:30 pm
Oh Boy! Watching TV with my Master! My Favorite!

8:30 pm
Oh Boy! Sleeping in Master's bed! My Favorite!

From a Cat's Daily Diary:

Day 483 of my captivity. My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh food while I am forced to eat dry cereal.

The only thing that keeps me going is the hope of escape and the mild scolding I get from ruining the occasional piece of furniture. Tomorrow I may eat another houseplant.

Today my attempt to kill my captors by winding around their feet while they were walking almost succeeded; must try this at the top of the stairs.

In an attempt to disgust and repulse these vile oppressors, I once again induced myself to vomit on their favorite chair; must try this on their bed.

Decapitated a mouse and brought them the headless body in an attempt to make them aware of what I am capable of and to try to strike fear into their hearts. They only cooed and condescended about what a good little cat I was.

Hmmmm, not working according to plan.

There was some sort of gathering of their accomplices. I was placed in solitary confinement throughout the event. However, I could hear the noise and smell of food. More importantly, I overheard that my confinement was due to my power of "allergies". I must learn what this is and how to use it to my advantage.

I am convinced the other captives are flunkies and maybe snitches. The dog is routinely released and seems more than happy to return. He is obviously a half-wit.

The bird, on the other hand, has got to be an informant. He speaks with them regularly, and I am certain he reports my every move. Due to his current placement in the metal room, his safety is assured.

But I can wait; it is only a matter of time.

Backyard wildlife

We had a bird emergency last weekend. (No, sadly, Ike the parrot has not been seen since Thanksgiving Day 2008). We have a number of bird feeders hanging from a post in the backyard. They are always well-attended by all kinds of birds, and, of course, by squirrels. Occasionally the squirrels manage to knock the feeders to the ground – which happened last Saturday with the copper one – a long cylindrical shape. I know I should have gone out to pick it up, but laziness prevailed. On Sunday morning I glanced out the back window and saw flapping wings, but couldn’t really see a bird – and all the feeders were empty. I’m not sure why/how, but I knew immediately that a bird had crawled in the feeder on the ground and got stuck (no, don’t be afraid to read on, the story has a happy ending). I knew he could haven’t been there long as 1) the dogs would have raised hell, and 2) if it were too hot/too long, he (she?) would be dead. So, we headed on a rescue mission. It was a beautiful dove, and it was indeed in sad shape – didn’t seem really hurt, but exhausted and unable to fly. Tony had to take all the screws out of the feeder to get him out. We got a cage that we had constructed to protect the tomatoes from the deer (yeah, right, like THAT worked), and put the dove, along with some water and food, under the cage for some protection. I dripped water on his beak to get some moisture into him – I could tell it was working because he was swallowing. But still very weak – I was fairly certain he wouldn’t make it. We covered the top part of the cage with weighted cardboard to keep the heat down, and left him alone. After an hour, he didn’t really seem much better – acting drowsy (sorry, must resort to anthropomorphisms for description). We decided to give him another hour, then reevaluate. Well, at the end of the determined hour he was much more responsive. Tony put a thick branch in the “cage” so he could have a perch if he wanted. We decided at that point that he would recover, and that he could spend the night in the garage if need be. Next trip out, he was on the perch, and as Tony approached he squeezed through the bars of the cage and vigorously flew away.

Don’t you just love stories with happy endings? They’re so few and far between…

Rosalita's quandry

Hanging out with the girls always makes me feel better. Doesn’t matter how crappy my week has been, how low the bank account is, or how dirty my hair is – they still love me. But notice that I didn’t reference the pantry – if that wasn’t fully stocked, the love might not be there LOL. Rosalita has had a tough summer. She LOVES to be in my lap if I’m up, under the covers in bed. And, it’s just been too hot. If she can stand it, I can’t (a dog’s regular temperature is 102 degrees, so they’re warm little things). She will go under the covers and go to sleep, but she’ll bolt awake and then push out from under the covers as fast as she can, gasping for air. Really quite funny. I have no doubt that if she could talk she’d be saying, “OMG I’m so HOT!”

Loretta update

Loretta’s eye seems to be good. We went to steroid drops only one time a day this week, and so far so good. I think I’ll have to say what vets have said for a long time – mongrel dogs are healthier. Ruby and Rosalita have never had a health problem. Ever. Loretta’s kidney problems aren’t really her fault of course (nasty bout of Leptospirosis two summers ago), and it’s possible that the golden retriever uveitis was a result of that infection (which apparently always hangs around). But Emily has bum hips, and Daisy has cancer…does make you wonder.

Border collies rule

We’re all feeling the heat. Daisy and Ruby vie for the bedroom air conditioner. We’re filling up the 3 gallon automatic water dispenser every couple of days. None of the girls stay outside for more than a minute or two if we’re not out there, and not much longer if we are (and we venture out only to water or to fill up various feeders). Emily, of course, will stay out as long as one of us is out there. There is just nothing in the world like a border collie.

Oh, I just LOVE your.....

Of all the comments I get on my website, the one I get most often is, "Oh I just LOVE your beads!."

Well, okay, yes of course I'm lying. The number one top-rated comment is...(I feel a bit like David Letterman here...) is "Oh, I just love the pictures of your dogs!" I guess my feelings would be hurt if they weren't such beautiful babies:



This is, of course, the magnificent Ruby. An all-round good girl. Her claws only look scary - I've not once been scratched by her. Which I mention because would you believe her nails have NEVER been trimmed? And she just turned 11. She was probably 3 years old before I could even hold her paw in my hand - just a fear for her. I've always wondered if trimming the nails is necessary. Our other dogs, who've all had their nails trimmed, must now have them trimmed regularly or they get huge... I don't know if it's Ruby's breed (malamute/rottie) that has something to do with them staying the same length, or that they've never been trimmed.

Daisy - the rotten years....

Daisy is making me crazy. As I’ve mentioned, the house has been hot. HOT. I’m sure the AC needs to be upgraded; god only knows what condition the vents are in. And, of course, WHAT insulation. Anyway. So, we’ve been running a very small window unit AC in the bedroom. It’s right at the foot of the bed – my side – and Daisy just LOVES it. She starts begging for it to be turned on around 4 in the afternoon if we’re home, right after her supper if we aren’t. She just heads in there, climbs up on the bed (at 14 she’s too old to jump), and lays down RIGHT IN FRONT of the AC unit. Cute cute cute – but there’s no place for me when I come to bed. If it were only Daisy, I could probably cope. But Ruby also wants in front of the AC, Loretta wants up by our heads, and Rosalita wants under the covers because she’s freezing. I would give anything in the world for a second bedroom, with a second bed. The couch is pretty comfortable, though….

Loretta - our million $ baby

So, yes, Loretta had to go to the doggie ophthalmologist. I’m just SO thrilled to be able to put another veterinarian’s child though college. Or grandchild. Whatever, you get the idea. The initial diagnosis – which wasn’t really a diagnosis so much as hunting and fishing by the ophthalmologist – was a bit scary. Anything from “golden retriever uveitis,” basically an inflammatory disease mostly found in goldens, to a tumor. I’m not slamming the doc, not at all – he was VERY thorough, and actually very reasonably priced. (Dr. Shifrin at the Austin Animal Eye Clinic, but don’t head out there with your fur-baby as you have to have a referral from your regular vet.) Loretta just presented a bit unusually. Anyway, antibiotics and steroidal drops later, she seems to be on the mend. She had a checkup last Monday, and most evidence of the “whatever” was gone. She stays on the eye drops for the next 6 weeks, a follow-up visit then.

Those tomatoes were HOW much?!

Gardens. What in the world do we see in them? Seriously, I could buy produce for approximately a tenth the cost of growing it! I used to be able to say, "oh those home grown tomatoes!" but truthfully our tomatoes just haven't been that great lately. Last summer we didn't get ANY - they all went to the deer. This year we decided to fight back -



This picture is of just the four plants we decided to try to save after the deer's first drive by. Four poles, construction fencing. Pretty cheap, but effective so far. One side closes with twist ties so we can open to weed (and hopefully to pick!).




I refer to this as "Daisy's tomato." That golden retriever would suck the tomato slice right off your sandwich, so I planted this one right where she can get at it. Tony just built a cute little cage to pop over the whole plant, which sits on the patio. When a tomato is ripe, off comes the cage and Daisy plucks away. Yes, seriously, she delicately sucks it right off the stem.

I figure with the plants, the water, the fertilizer, and now the creative fencing....oh, those tomatoes are about 5 bucks a pound.