Tag: puppy love

Measuring Up

Published on by yvonneannetteLeave a comment

When things go wrong, sometimes they really go down hill like an avalanche. And though yes, one recently occurred out west on a ski slope, I’m talking about common everyday mishaps and blunders. This week I began to wonder if the guardian angels had gone on strike!

“Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.” —Proverbs 21:2

Last evening as I was playing in the hall with the little black mop, my golden doodle barked directly in my right ear. Nice sharp pain accompanied my own yelp of “OUCH!” Then an oozing feeling inside my ear followed with more ringing like a loud old fashioned school bell. Yep, that hurt. After an hour, when the feeling did not leave me, I decided I had enough of tears and went to bed.

A ruptured ear drum in my GOOD ear was not how I planned the next few weeks. Recovering from my highly anxious, high energy Honey is how I have spent much of my time with her in my life. High energy has now been defined as a dog who thrives on generous doses of energetic activity. And if there is any energy movement in the home, the high energy dog wants to be in the CENTER of the activity. She will not sit back and watch any active movement. Even if it is just sweeping the kitchen floor. This dog want to be in the middle of the dust pile. If she is not… She will make a dust pile to be in!

It will be awful quiet around here as I spend time resting on the new sofa cushions letting my eyes just tear as much as they want too. Gosh darn but this dog is going to kill me one of these days.

Finished my sofa makeover for the new year. 2024 begins with a new C2C gingham blanket and two pillows made from the leftover yarn. I am very happy with the end result. And yes they are comfy also.

We attempted to go to church with my ear drum all in a dither. As soon as the piano started playing, I had to leave. The sound is so sharp and my head just throbs. I’m trying to keep away from the vertigo that is lingering on the doorstep.

Being the resourceful person that I am, I decided to try and give Honey some smell therapy. When we got home I put some lavender oil on her handkerchief and wrapped it around her neck. On the way home, I asked my good shopper to buy some lavender and chamomile scent scapes or something for the plug in., He found an air wick brand aroma therapy. So for the win, I caught her going to rest almost immediately after plugging it in.

So my little black Kona and I can continue our cuddle sessions. Poor Honey has not had frisbee time in over a week. Perhaps that would explain her bottled up energy outburst. The temperatures are looking much better for the forecasted future.

While I find myself not measuring up to my own expectations, I am reminded that God has His own standard of measurements. And every where I look across my family prayer list there is need. May the Lord weigh my heart and find it not lacking in my prayers and hopes for the needs of others. Meanwhile I hope this ear thing does not turn into a fever. That would require a visit to the doctor.

Kona Week Six: Kona’s Journal

Published on by yvonneannetteLeave a comment

This week I finally found the 12 week puppy training / socialization plan for Shih Tzu puppies. It is actually quite helpful. I thought the potty training and feeding times would be included, but not so much. So far I think we are doing okay..

A couple of weeks ago I wrote out a two hour increments schedule for the puppy, but he was still on four meals a day. The first week to 10 days I did a free feed on the recommended amount for his weight. Then I moved to four meals with the food in a plastic storage for the day. At four weeks I moved him to three times a day so the potty breaks would be more consistent. Kona has really been such a good little dog. he only has greeting pee accidents on occasion.

Kona has the first nine words learned quite well. Sit, Go Potty, Down, Look-At-Me, Stay, Please, Paw, Roll Over, and Leave It. I’m sure Okay is also one of them, as it is our “release” cue for getting up from his position for meal consumption. These words could be put into a weekly training list. But really Sit/Stay is the most important outside of whatever one uses for potty break. I have never had a puppy that did stay so well the first two weeks into training. We use his meal time as rehearsals. And then he gets to show off for new people all the time.

This weekend we took our first road trip with just Kona. We left Charlie home as always. But this time Honey stayed home also. Our visiting event was an indoor reception so I felt Honey would be cooped up too long in the pickup. My daughter was able to come up and let her out for a play session half way thru the day. She was just fine, but a little cold when we got home that evening. And surprising to me was that she did not get full of burs and such.

Kona attended his first little kid birthday party on Sunday. He was very good with all the petting and greeting. And his tail wagged a little “you did it!” When a six month old little boy rolled over. It was fun to watch him “applaud” the baby with a tail wag. The little kids are the best social experience for him. And watching the ones that were once afraid of dogs learn to interact is a joy. Of course, confession time, is that I lost track of his next potty break and he had a greeting accident because I left the room. Oh, well. I’ll try to do better.

What else have I learned this week?

Family begins to loose their communication lines when distance is allowed to become a factor. I am still surprised at how my family does not choose to rejoice in each other’s happenings. It’s rather painful. I guess maybe I want everyone to be included in celebrations and such. Yet the family lines are drawn and each chooses to share only what they so choose. Sometimes divorce plays a large role in all of this talk / share. Sometimes it is the lifestyle choices of others.

And then when I think maybe my family might be dysfunctional, I find out someone else’s is far worse. So I guess I can be super happy that we were all together for a common cause and got to have a siblings picture taken at the occasion. And we have all been blessed with health until this writing anyways.

Not exactly Black vs. White but the contrast between my two softies is so interesting. My love for the larger has waned some. Not that I want to be rid of her, it’s just that her “hyper” has never really settled enough for me. And her aptitude to run off and be independent always throws me off a bit. She just is not singular in her affection to me either. Nevertheless she is a good girl. And quite easy care at minimal attention except for when there is someone else around. I guess maybe i learned that the top quality of a dog for me should be loyalty, then friendliness. Friendliness first leads to difficulty in obedience training.

Charlie is so independent that I can’t get any loyal obedience out of him. He has been a bit snarky at delivery people. And that might prove to be an issue. We might have to put up a sign for them to greet him by by name with enthusiasm, so he thinks that they know him. Anyone in the family he meets is greeting forthcoming with much joy. So we’ll see how the future shapes him.

Kona is quite loyal to the point of separation anxiety. I’m trying not to creat a co-dependent puppy. But when all he has is me… and the hand that feeds him… well that’s just how the kibbles roll. Will have to start letting my husband feed him supper I suppose.

And one final note on this past week, Kona got his first “pathetic” haircut. Yeah, I know I did not do the best job, But he can see, I can see his face, and he’s easier to comb thru and clean up. So there. On we go into the next week.

Yeah, Well…

Published on by yvonneannetteLeave a comment

Week seven of Kona at the Clark Homestead was punctuated by my awful head cold that I got from my hubby. First the head ache, then some respiratory sinus pressure, then the ears, and chest and now just some barely there lingering annoyances. So for the first time in a very long while, I did not go to help out at my daughter’s this week.

No daycare for Honey. No kid time for Kona. No boatloads of laundry. Just lots of aceltominiphine and ibuprofen. It was rough. But I’ve heard that others had it worse. It’s just that for me sleep eludes again.

So while one day it did absolutely nothing, the next day I took a break from all other chores and crocheted a small sweater for Kona. I know… It looks a bit small. But the pattern has begun and the next one will be better color coordinated and I have a few small changes to make. The sweater needs to graduate larger and I think that part is fibured out along with how to make it bigger across the back.

He was the perfect little model. The only thing missing is a ring to clip the leash unto. Yeah, well…

This week the Book I am listening to is “woven” by Meredith Miller. There is a whole lot of her “language” choice that I do not care for. Redefining words that have meant one thing into another just for the purpose of self approval seems rather narcissist or something. But there are enough other things in the book that maybe get her point across. It’s hard to spend so much of my listening applying grace and mercy to the author for her “misuse” of words. (The most difficult one is her use of the Hebrew word for God that is repeated to the point of loosing it’s reverence- Yahweh. This is a word for them that is only a breath or whisper word. It is not spoken in great repetition.). God seems to have lost His Holiness in this book.

Our pastor is doing a sermon series on the book of Romans. Romans 1:17 is the verse I chose to memorize this week. “For in it -the gospel- the righteousness of God is revealed from faith unto faith, as it is written ‘the just shall live by faith.’” In the message his emphasis on the Faith Unto Faith really hit home.

I am not a swimmer so finding the right analogy to understand this meaning is a little harder. The beginner swimmer starts in an area of water in which he or she can touch the bottom. Soon as skills are learned the lifeguard takes the swimmer into deeper water to test their skill and learn more about the buoyancy of the body when the lungs are filled with air. Faith is like that. The more we take in the truth of God’s promises, the better we learn to float on His word. From faith in the Cross to faith in life’s challenges our learning teaches us more about filling up with the Air ie God’s righteousness and the better we will float undisturbed through life’s rough seas. Yeah, I’m not really a swimmer. But I can float on my back, and I can do the back stroke. It’s tucking my head into the water that I don’t like to do.

Faith unto faith going deeper into trust in God is part of how we weather the floods of life.

Finding joy in life or in spite of life is the deeper part of faith’s well. There is another saying about faith being about drinking from the well spring of salvation. So many spiritual lessons to learn from physics.

Meanwhile this little crochet mosaic pattern is one of my favorites. It will continue to be a pattern I return to again and again. From mittens, to hats, to bags, to a doggie sweater! Here I go.

Kona will probably out grow the little sweater before he even gets to use it. The forecast this next week is seasonably average to warm. The pattern will be adjusted going forward. But I have some other things to crochet and will have to return to this later.

Comic relief

Published on by yvonneannetteLeave a comment

The heat is on- in the house that is, so far the greenhouse has not needed it. But I think next weekend is a different story.

Fall changes going in and out of the house. Finding the hats to go with that jacket is a good thing. Being cold is no fun at 45 degrees to take the garbage to the dumpster, now requires a jacket and a hat. The mittens will come later. And this morning my phone decided to revert to blind lady mode. And the speaking person is so annoying. What makes them decide to use such an awful AI voice for all of that data repetition. So frustrating for this technically challenged person. Changing the command applications on my phone overnight essentially means that I can no longer use my phone the way that I normally do. There went all my plans for making jelly et cetera for the morning.

Pear Tabasco Sauce Recipe 2023. 25 oz or so of chopped Tabasco peppers and 3 red jalapenos and 2 red pablano peppers in the food processor. ADD 1 1/2 teaspoons of canning salt, 1 1/2 cups white wine vinegar *one bottle, 1 1/2 cups pear juice concentrate to the sauce pan and bring to a boil. RETURN to the food processor and blend until smooth. Bring to a boil in sauce pan again. Put the entire contents through in a screen sieve to drip out for two hours. I covered with a saran wrap. Add 1 1/2 cups filtered water to the pepper juice concentrate. Finally, I used my empty vinegar bottle for Pear Tabasco Sauce. And YES it is very hot. I tested with a toothpick and it took my breath away. I am letting the cooked peppers drip awhile longer to get the rest of the juice.

What in the world am I making this stuff ror? The son-in-laws for sure, and a drop or two in my mac’n’cheese was pretty good. My brothers might like a little vile of the hot sauce, maybe.

Comic relief Thursday was the cat hanging on to the little dogs leash. Zucchi really likes Kona. They are usually not far from each other when outside. Or maybe it’s me that they both are so attached to. I thought it was pretty funny to see the cat chase the dogs leash. Zucchi is bigger than Kona. That’s also very funny.

Kona’s first visit to the vet was Thursday afternoon. I found out he was only 6.6 pounds. That would be about 6 lbs 9 oz. He won’t be much over eight pounds when full grown. Our first Shih Tzu Furbie was only suppose to be about 12 pounds and he ended up being 22 pounds of love when he grew up. We are learning with our history it is better to wait until closer to a year for the neutering so that size is smaller and more natural to genetics.

More comic relief is me trying to clean out the closets and redo our storage centers. In the moving of all those items, I found Honey’s first service harness. So we put it on for the day and ran through the “guide helps” again. She is so amazing on the harness. Off of it, she is a wild beast. Like jumping right into my hands to knock the phone, the leash, and the frisbee all to the ground. At least she did not break my nose this time, but it was a dropped call nevertheless!

So I though it was super funny to get a picture of the guide girl helping me take the little laptop out for a potty break. Honey finally made “Dog of the Week” at doggy daycare that she goes to on Tuesday. Funny thing how they don’t kow My Dog! She is so well behaved at day care. A model of good behavior.

I also tried to pick pears yesterday. And after an hour, I had 1 1/2 five gallon pails of pears. I as sorting them as I picked. There are still so many more on the tree. This really is not the job for blind person. I have to find them by feel a lot. Or I back away from the branch to bet a better view. Then when I come back in to pick a pear, the branch usually pokes me in the eye! Ugh. But they are so GOOD!

I am also trying to finish up my geranium cuttings for the next spring plant selling. There are still a few more varieties to trim back. And I really have not even touched the pelargoniums that have such jagged leaves. And their flowers are smaller with mostly two toned visuals. I might have outgrown the greenhouse last spring. BUT this fall I have definitely outgrown it. Some of the plants that do not like less than 50 degrees have already been brought to the house. But there are some succulents that still need a new home. Cutting the larger geraniums back is my only option for more space.

And just when I think the greenhouse is full someone calls with another plant donation! There were five more large plants to take in and an Hibiscus Bush / Tree. It was not quite the right season for propegating the hibiscus, but the cuttings had to be done for it to fit in the growbed. Center of the middle bed is its new home.

Meanwhile the closet rearrangement went pretty well. Decided to store the extra canned goods in our closet that has no heat source. It is always about 10 degrees cooler than the rest of the house. The seven years of taxes are moved, the long dresses that I never wear are moved and the shelving in the closet is so much more accessible than stacking all the boxes directly on top of each other. Next project is clean up the house for an overnighter with the grandees.

My New Laptop: Kona’s Journal

Published on by yvonneannetteLeave a comment

Otherwise know as the blood pressure regulator

One Wednesday morning just three weeks ago (September 27th to be exact) I ate my breakfast and then found myself suffering from the lowest blood pressure that I have had in weeks. My body temperature felt like 95 degrees and so I sought out my “warming bag.” It is an upholstered sock filled with beans, or corn, or cherry pits, not sure now after all these years. Sitting on the sofa under a mound of blankets and hugging my mug to get warm, I looked at my social media feed. As we all do while doing “nothing.” This adorable little black puppy came on the screen once again, and I though… Ahhh, that would be a nice warming bag.

A bag of fur lined with a little body, a pumping heartbeat and oh, so snuggly. When I am cold, I shall have a new laptop!

Snuggles and puppy licks are oh so much nicer than sitting alone on the sofa looking at my selfish sixty pound doodle on the floor. Honey just never took up the cuddle bug vibes. As much as I tried to make her sit with me, it only lasted ever so shortly!

Today marks the beginning of week four with Kona in my life. And all those around me. Feeding time still involves a few minutes of classic training for puppy. Training stays into the little guy’s life is the new key challenge. Sunday after church he launched himself out of the pickup before I could get the leash hooked on. The four foot fall made him a little “yippee” and sore the rest of the day. By Monday morning he was fine. I knew nothing was broke as he still let me touch and examine him all over. So training stay into our routine is vital.

When I’m not looking is actually quite frequent and with my tunnel vision, finding the little dude is sometimes not easy. The harness and leash is the most important tool for a blind dog trainer. That way I can keep track of the fast little fur-ball

Yesterday with the grandkids my little grandson (who giggles with such glee) was running with Kona and accidentally dropped the leash. “OMA! I dropped the leash!” My response was quick with a look downwards and a foot on the tail of the kite, I said it’s okay- That’s why he has the leash. Thank you for telling me right away, Isaac..

All the “oops” involved with puppies are great learning tools. Pets have a way of bringing out the best and worst in people. And when we are tired, UFF, by the worst is not pretty. Thankfully, there is a crate for the half hour leading up to the two hour potty window closure. Either it’s time for close attention and learning language of the cues or it’s time to put puppy away and let him “yipe” for the going out need.

Books are still one of my best time busters. My mp3 Bible lost battery juice the other night and that was a rough going to sleep. I am trying to listen to a book my daughter recommended, but the going is slow. And the talking book library has been forgo-teen these three weeks.

Greenhouse is on maintenance mode. Though I have been tackling some cuttings yet. There are three or four more varieties to get done. And the canning is slow if not halted. There are still those pears…

Garden cleanups need to happen yet… All the end of the season chores. Like getting rid of the plant matter, pulling up garden stakes, and putting away all of the water hoses. I feel rather slow at any of that stuff because that means the snow will fly soon.

I am making myself feel overwhelmed as I write out the list. One thing at a time.

Drying the herbs and peppers is ongoing also. At least the herbs can go in the dehydrator. We strung the habaneros up to hang on the window curtains. The drying time takes awhile, but it’s usually done by Christmas decorating.

It took me a whole summer to figure out how to keep my chapel plant happy. I fed it some coffee grounds and then put it on a tray of pebbles with water. And now look at it. Maybe I’ll become a master gardener after all.

The big question is: Did the blood pressure regulator work? And the the answer I would give is YES! So far, I have not been cold after my own meal consumption for quite a while. I was cold on Tuesday after standing outside watching the grandkids play. But it was cold. And my ability to go outside without even a jacket at 45 degrees has amazed me. But when puppy has to potty- we run! Three minutes at sweater weather without a jacket has not bothered me near as much as it use to. And I really have not been sitting around as long as I use to. Keeping Kona schedule is movement at every two hours!

Two weeks into Kona training: Kona’s Journal

Published on by yvonneannetteLeave a comment

Well, two weeks went by really fast. The second week that Kona was here involved my mad rush to get everything into the greenhouse for an overnight temperature of 33 degrees Fahrenheit. Some of the leftover plants outside are actually doing pretty well in spite of the cold snap. We did not have our true freeze yet.

Back to my book listening this week, I finished up my praying the Scripture book by Jodie Berndt. So much of the book is memory bank deposits. But such good reminders. Right now our family has one main prayer focus for one of my cousin’s young child. Our heart just aches when we stand at the door of God’s kingdom begging for His assistance. It reminds me of the Matthew 18 parable of the widow and the judge. Please Lord, intervene in this young life.

The greenhouse takes up a bit less of my time right now. Which is good, because Kona needs some real training attention. Yesterday in the rain I went out with him nine times. It seemed to pour rain every hour and a half that he needed to go out. Today, I am pushing him to every two hours.

Finding homes has been part of his social skill set this last week. We take the kennel with us on the day I go to my daughter’s house. That evening after supper at home, he found his way back to the crate to fall asleep. He was definitely all wore out from the day. We spend a few minutes before each meal on training. This week, I added “stay” to his knowledge of words. (Kona, Come, Sit, Down, Kennel, and of course Go Potty are the commands so far.)

To my surprise, the Black Cherry Rudbeckia or African Coneflower, decided to bloom this dreary rainy week. It is so pretty. I think it bloomed early last spring, in May maybe. So seeing the larger bloom pop open really made me happy. It’s not very many flowers that will actually bloom in the greenhouse at forty percent less sunlight.

And now it will be time to clean up all of the house plants. Some of the ivy’s and winged plants will not handle consistent temperatures at less than fifty degrees. So that is the next push of work. Of course after I finish cleaning up the Geraniums and putting away the canna lilies.

The other day it was rather warm outside so I took the time to clean up some of the houseplants on the kitchen window display. The puppy’s crate is just beneath all of the plants and I did not want any plant residue to fall into his “living area.” Needless to say in my blindness I spilled a plant and some water and had a whole lot more clean up than I had planned on. Oh, well. It’s all done and clean, and ready to go the winter now.

Two weeks into puppy training and I think I know Kona’s schedule pretty good now. Licking means he’s thirsty. Biting means either he’s hungry or has to go potty. Clock watching is my new pass time. And the days are going by much too quickly to get any large projects done. I tried to can some tomatoes on Monday and it was a fail because I could not find the right gauge for the pressure cooker. Ugh. The whole day’s work went into the compost pile.

Two weeks of Kona and I’m so glad that he sleeps through the night. Of course my hubby gets up so early that I think he takes him at four thirty a.m. or so. Six to eight hours of sleep is pretty good. Now if I can just get to the list of things calling for my attention yet. Pears, peppers, Zucchini, beets, carrots, broom grass wreaths and other items are just waiting for me to take a puppy break and get some work done around here. (-oh and another cat took her life on the road by vehicle tires again-maybe we should build the house at the east end of the property) That’s enough for now.

Where there’s a …

Published on by yvonneannetteLeave a comment

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way” is the old saying. And it was meant to mean doing something really difficult because one’s determination is insurmountable. This week has been a different sort of will and way in my determination observations

Where there’s a basket there’s a cat . I put the basket out on the deck the other day to return it to the vehicle for “containment” of items while we drive. It seemed the basket was always finding it’s way back to the house. And cluttering up our allready very messy entry way in the kitchen.

Where there’s a fence, there are weeds. These Bicycle tires make a great visual guide for me when I am walking from the greenhouse to the barn. So of course for the first three months of summer I had to pull bind weed out of the spokes. Finally now that fall has officially arrived the flowers are showing their little faces through the fence. I think it looks so fun!

“Moon garden delight” is what I call this next photo. The fact is I was supposed to be helping hold the tomato containers while my hubby did the picking. But when darkness set in and the solar lights came on, I could not resist trying to get a picture of the mass of blooms. I really need to get after dead heading the blooms but sometimes it’s fun to let them go a little longer.

And now for true confessions of deep desires and companionship. Yes, I spend a lot of time alone. A LOT. The last six months have found me bringing Zucchi or Pepper or Tabitha in the house during my afternoon rest / crochet time. About three weeks ago Pepper found her life’s end on the pavement by the mailbox. It was a sad day, but she was not real attached to me. Then just the other day, yesterday in fact, one of the four year old spayed females died on the road also. Lela was old enhough to know better I had hoped. She was not real friendly as cats go, but she was a good mouser. I hope the mouse she was after tasted good. It certainly does not seem worth the rest of running across the road for it

So while I spent the afternoon digging a five gallon sized hole, I made my final decision to spend no more money on cats when we live so close to a busy paved county road. And it turns out that one of our neighbors has been raising small lap dogs for a few years now. As a bit of side income and enjoyment, small dogs do make a lot of people happy.

I have been looking at small dogs for a couple of years, I so miss the companionship of a little thing on my lap or next to me. Yes, I know it’s a lot of work up front for a couple months. And yes, I know I didn’t really want a black dog. But little Shih Tzus are such an attachment to their owners, that I’m not to worried about having a ton of eye contact. And now for the name…

At first I wanted Ebony after the black keys on the piano. I like to caress them also. Then I thought of Kona, after one of my favorite dar roast coffees. Then our daughter texted “I WANT SNUGGLES!” And we thought maybe that would be a good name. Bugger but it’s important to get a name right. We’ll be saying it for the next fourteen years or so.I’m

So this little eight pound hairy thing will be mopping up a lot of pollen over the next few weeks until frost. And he’s way too small to do the stairs. He does well on the leash / follow thing so that’s good. And so far in less than 24 hours of “gotcha” I have only stepped on him once..

Kona (the coffee) has a light, delicate sweet and fruity flavor with less caffeine than roasts made from beans picked later . So we think the name fits a little black pocket puppy quite well. He’s pretty light, you can carry him with one hand. He’s very delicate because of his size. but actually quite well proportioned. . And yes, he’s very sweet and it’s going to take a lot of will power to keep up with the training and not let him be naughty. He’s also a little fruity when he gets his energy spurts. But that’s just the nature of a happy little Shih Tzu.

Next up: how to train a puppy if you are blind. I wonder how that one will read.

Kona’s Journal: Thus began the life of little black mop in my empty nest life. How will the family put up with my lonely decisions? Surely we will all fall in love with my need for a therapy walk with a little outside time thrown in for some fresh air. Puppy love is very time consuming. Puppy parenting is bound to show the flaws in anyone’s character. Here goes a new challenge!

Zucchi and Pepper (and Charlie, too!)

Published on by yvonneannetteLeave a comment

What to name black kittens was the question I posed all the way home on their four hour journey. And also, where to put them to keep them safe. Why was I giving myself so much more work, right when things were really quite peaceful.

I finally decided to let my husband cut a corner off one of the grow-bed structure so that the 36” crate could fit in the corner that only had 35 inches of space. Ugh. I hope I don’t regret this. So the kittens would be housed in a crate in the greenhouse only to be rescued from the heat during the midday sunshine.

Now the names…. We love the black zucchini from the garden and my husband prefers black pepper, while I like my salt. So, I decided Zucchi and Pepper would be appropriate kitten names. And sure enough Pepper is the one with more white markings.

Not what in the world would I want another black kitty? I did not actually. The mama cat had some other kitties with calico, but she hid them right before we came to visit. And they were a little wild.

Well that’s what has comes of country life. Trying to re-home kittens and looking at endless pictures of dog’s on the internet to see if there is a dog fit for the country.

And after looking for the right dog, after our last passed away, has not been easy. We were on the fence about a puppy, because they can be so naughty and chew up everything in sight. So las week while thumbing through the Facebook, I saw Charlie.

King Charles the third seemed like just the perfect dog. I was so hopeful that he would transition smoothly. And so far, Charles has lived up to his “regal” mutt characteristics. His timidity and soulful expression shows that he really is a softie at heart. He definitely has the “feelings’ thing figured out ans wants to love rather than hurt.

Every dog has a back story if they are re-homed later in life. Charlie is six years old, same as Honey. I had some nerves about that, but life will just have to march on now. Charlie was a street rescue puppy from Texas that his last “mum’s brother” adopted a few years ago. He lived outside there. His very first “person” may have been abusive, as Charles will snap a new things in fear. So far he only snapped at Honey a couple of times. Thankfully, his new “dad” put down the law and chewed him out verbally. The last time he snarked was over the back door and back deck possession. But that was also addressed immediately. He has not done anything since Saturday. It’s all just a learning curve about what is his or not.

I praised him when he snarled at the cat trying to get at his food. I don’t want him to let them run over him on the food-dish or hut thing. He needs to know he can eat in peace and not be bothered. Charlie takes his “sit pretty” treats very well, and is gentle at his take. So we have tried a few photo-ops with this command.

The other pleasant surprise is that he is a clean kennel dog. He prefers to do his business at a distance from living quarters. Yay! The last two outdoor mutts we had were non-selective. Those “bombs” are awful on the Sunday shoes!

My biggest “unbelief” came when on the fourth morning here, he slipped under the electric fence to go wake up Cocoa the horse, to tell him to come and eat breakfast. He was so gently in his steps ahead of the horse. Huh? Perhaps, these morning round conversations were actually heard. Charlie slipped back under the fence and away we walked. Perhaps also, Cocoa is more blind then ever before. He is 23 years old this year.

There is the new pet stories. I have been a little busy to keep up with my journal. It is full-on garden season. We also went to farmer’s market twice. The greenhouse was pretty successful this year. Now on to some more weeding and weed control!

Back At It

Published on by yvonneannetteLeave a comment

But what is “it?” well, I am attempting a new mosaic crochet. Also watching the seedlings daily rise up from their little catacombs. And cleaning up in the greenhouse when I almost start cleaning in the house.

Found a few mosaic patterns to try to I grabbed some real ugly color set and making an attempt at a prayer shawl/perhaps it will be an afghan crochet project.

Trying to get Honey back into the working mindset has not been easy. It made her very unruly the day that Eva walked with unleashed, and misbehaving off in the rearview mirror of our walking. I was so frustrated I took the harness off and marched away from her thirty paces. Then, called her back to the job, which went better the last half of return walk home.

There is no such thing as a cakewalk in life. I know this time of year many of my friends or relatives are thinking of their vows for lent etcetera, but fasting does not include “easy” options. There is a new fad diet of fasting for longer than twelve hours a day. I think if I ever tried that someone would surely find me on the floor in a heap.

Here they come! The blooms on the Mother’s day geraniums are popping one by one very day. It is so fun to watch things grow! And watch them bloom. I have been busy organizing in the greenhouse. The starts/cuttings season is over. And the growing season is on. So I am putting all of the color selections together. It’s not very easy as their are so many sizes. The first thing is just getting the beds freed up so that I can plant some greens for our own consumption.

With the spring comes the snow melt and the MUD! So when the view out the window is so messy, it is time for a windowsill update. We went to the lumberyard last weekend and found some items we needed. And of course I found a plant or tow! The little aloe variety and the cactus were just the thing that this little pot needed. The bunny ear cactus did have some roots so into the arrangement it went. Arrangements are always better in odd numbers. Decorating is not really my thing. But cleaning up the view was in order.

Honey had her groom date yesterday. That is the first time that I have ever been with for grooming drop off. she was not sure she should leave me. I found that funny. The instructions were followed and I did not have to have a skinny twig returned to me. It was mostly a hygiene day. Getting a full haircut is not necessary every time. It only cut the price by one President Jackson.

Crochet brain freeze has been accompanied by the book “My patients and other animals: a veterinary’s stories of love, loss, and hope” by Suzy Finchan-Gray. Much of the book was very sad. And why does the bond that we share with pets have to be so “inexplicable?” I think that was her favorite word. Doctors do like to use big words you know.

Finishing a couple more books. One is the Tabernacle book that my mother gave me. The explanations of the Veil in the Jerusalem temple are very poetic and almost terrifying. The idea that one of the high priests could die if entering the Holy of holies improperly is such a description of true reverence. It makes me almost ashamed to hear anyone call a Pastor today “Reverend so-and-so”. The more recent book that I started is the tale of a veterinary of internal medicine. The book is interesting in some respects, but the stories of end of life decisions are so sad. I just wanted to skip through all that stuff. Until she gave her opinion on euthanasia. Not a topic I agree with her on. Animals do not carry the same value of soul as a human being. We are made in the image of the Almighty (Genesis 1:27). And though God decided it is not good for man to be alone (Genesis 2:18) it is not the dog or cat that He elevated to be the man’s helpmate. So glad that I can see the bigger picture of creation and God’s design for human companionship both in marriage and within the world of animals. Manny people might not agree with my opinion of pets in our lives.

So I may be “Back At It” whatever it is. Keeping myself occupied is the main thing. Today, is actually a whole week after starting this entry. And my mind started reeling with activity after the children’s sermon at church. I use to say, I go to church for the children’s message. Well, I still do. And maybe it’s because we have to become like a child to understand things of the faith. We have to approach faith with the trust of a child. We have to come to Jesus with full childlike belief and hope that God is who He says He is.