Category Archives: Country Life

Rebirth

Country Life, Gardens, , ,

I finally took some time and worked on fall chores. I dug up all my gladioli bulbs to store them for winter. We are in Zone 5 so you never know if they will survive to come up in the spring or not. It just depends how cold it gets. If I leave them in the ground, sometimes they come up the next year and others they don’t. I have enough bulbs now that I don’t want to take a chance.

So I take the time to dig them up so we can enjoy them again next year.

Once I have dug them up, I spread them out so they can dry for a few days to a week. If they are all clumped together they can retain too much moisture and rot.

After that I put them into several paper bags. They need to have air circulation but still be in the dark. I store the bags in the basement so they don’t freeze. And that’s it. Come spring time I will break off any dead parts from the previous season and separate bulbs that have multiplied but stuck together. Then they will be ready to go back in the soil and we can enjoy them all over again.

A Week in the Life…

Country Life, Dogs & Other Animals, Rescue Happenings, ,

It was a busy week for the dogs and me. One benefit of having so many dogs is there is one for every occasion. On Monday Nikki, Shelby, Cassius and I went to visit our resident friends at a local nursing home. This is the pups posing in front of the facility’s festively decorated fireplace

Cassius wants to stay close to me so this is the best picture I have of him from that evening. We always have a good time when we go there.

Two day’s later I took the same group of dogs to a meet and greet with some Kent State students.

This was to provide a de-stressing session for the students and to promote our Sheltie Rescue group. I know Cassius is a greyhound, not a sheltie but he likes to support his sheltie friends. And ride in the car. Sometimes I take Baxter but this week I took Cassius along and we enjoyed meeting other doggy friends there too.

This morning my husband and I took four dogs for a walk on the Hike and Bike trail. Nikki stayed home and rested her 12 year old bones but Shelby, Cassius, Zekie, and Baxter all went.

I think we wore them out because this is what we saw not too long after we got home. Baxter did find the energy to go out and catch the frisbee until it started to rain.

A life with dogs is a good life.

Such Is My Life

Country Life, Dogs & Other Animals, ,

The face of innocence? Not! More like the face of “yeah, what do you want”?

I’ve been reading some of my posts from last year when Zeke arrived. He had me fooled. I was all “Zeke is great and obedient and rides in the car so well”. And to be fair, he did do those things.

Fast forward a year. To now. I just threw Zeke’s food bowl in the trash can because it looked like this.

He turned it into a safety hazard. The nooks and crannies from all the teeth marks were places where bacteria could grow. And the sharp pointy edge was akin to a knife.

And then there was yesterday when I was heading for the door to leave for work. I said to the dogs as I always do, take care of the house and be good pups. I turned around as I reached for the door and saw Zeke heading towards the kitchen. I highly doubt he was planning on making coffee for daddy. So I went back and used the bungee cord to secure the kitchen doors. I love that dog!

Leaving the house in the mornings is a process. All those human personal hygiene things are a drop in the bucket. There are more important things. Has Shelby had her antibiotics and prednisone, cleverly wrapped in a bit of bread to resemble a pill pocket? Check. Has Zeke had his two glucosamine/chondrotin supplements and his herbal anti anxiety pill? Check. Has Cassius had his Otomax for his ear infection? Check. Have Baxter and Nikki had their bit of dog biscuit so they don’t feel left out and have their feelings hurt? Check. Did I remember to bring the cat back downstairs so he doesn’t chew the leaves off of the gardenia plant? I think so, so I’m going to say check. . Hmmm, I can’t imagine why I’m often running late!

Such is my life. And I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Four Out of Five Ain’t Bad

Country Life, Dogs & Other Animals,

When I only work a half day, it is a big deal for the dogs. It makes them happy. Shelby reacts with her “momma’s home” face. She prances around and says you must pet me. She is the overtly joyous and bossy one.

Zeke is relieved that I came back home. He can relax now and rest. He seems convinced that each time I leave will be the last and he will never see me again. Someone was recently asking me, after almost a year, he still feels this way? What can I say? He’s a smart boy. His previous owners had him for almost three years (assuming they had him from a puppy, who knows) and they left him at a County Kennel. I’m sure he loved them just as fiercely. Dogs are like that.

Baxter takes this opportunity of me coming home from work early to ask for more belly rubs. Why waste an opportunity, these things are important!

Cassius sidles up to me and leans. He is a big time leaner. It’s a good thing I’m not older. His “lean” has 70 lbs. of weight behind it. It serves his purpose, he usually gets petted.

And then there is Nikki. She is never overly impressed that I am around unless it is dinner time or there is a car ride in the offering. Nikki is a daddy’s girl.

Hey, most of the dogs are happy I’m home. Four out of five ain’t bad.

A Touch of Splendor

Country Life, Gardens,

Tonight’s garden offering.

Each bloom becomes more precious than the last.

There are fewer each day.

The threat of frost becomes more imminent.

Splendor.

A Fine Fall Weekend

Country Life, Dogs & Other Animals, Gardens, ,

Saturday was a good day. The weather was pleasant, finally a break from the rain and gloom. It’s hard to complain too much when portions of the rest of the country have suffered from ongoing flooding. As fall progresses, our garden is still a very enjoyable place.

We have a beautiful aster and still lots of datura in bloom, as well as many other flowers.

And pups to enjoy them with us. How lucky can one girl get?

And we got a portable fire pit so as the fall weather continues to cool, we can still enjoy spending time outside. I think the pups approve.

We resumed going on walks starting today. The temperatures are just right to make them really enjoyable. We drove to a nearby town and walked and looked at architectural details on houses. And you’ll never believe who was the most well behaved dog was on our outing. Zekie! I never thought I would be saying that!

Hello, Old Friend

Country Life, Dogs & Other Animals, Rescue Happenings, ,

It’s always good to catch up with old friends. This is a picture of an old friend. Sky (formerly known as Skylar) spent the past week with us while his humans were away. He was our foster dog for a number of months about three years ago. Fortunately, his humans are also friends of ours so he gets to stay with us every once in a while.

Sky got to spend some time with us on the patio on the one nice day we had. This was a treat because it wasn’t totally fenced in back when he lived with us.

At first he just watched everyone else play. See him peeking from behind the plant?

But then he remembered how things work around here and started to join in.

By the end of the afternoon, Sky was tired and ready for a rest.

He is back home with his own family now but it sure was nice to spend some time with him.

Fall Bloomers

Country Life, Gardens,

Dahlia

Clematis is stillness blooming

Datura

Morning glory. First time the purple ones have bloomed. Better late than never.

Sedum

Giant mushroom, about 8 inches across. Not something we planted but still impressive.

The garden is still providing beauty and magic, even this late in the season.

Thank You For Being a Friend

Country Life, Thoughts On Life, ,

The girls and I lost a friend this week. Nikki (above), Shelby (below) and I have been visiting at a local nursing home for a number of years. This gentleman, Bob, was one of our favorites.

I visited with Bob the two times a month that we went to the nursing home for the four and a half years that he resided there. He always greeted us with a smile and a quick wit. I could tell everyone loved him, workers and residents alike.

He always had a kind word, words of comfort or a joke to share. As we got to know each other, I found out that Bob was from the same small community that I live in. I live right down the street from a business he once had. Over the months, Bob taught me a lot of local history of the area and tidbits of information about what times used to be like there. I learned from him about local landmarks and points of interest, and just what times were like over the years.

Bob could talk about anything. We talked about “our Cavs”, gardening, current events, historical events, his family, my family. You name it, we probably talked about it. We shared life. I felt closer to him than any grandparent I ever had.

Bob lived a good, and long life. He was 94. Still, I cried when I saw his obituary in the paper. I didn’t think it was time yet. Thank you my friend, my life is better for having known you.

Sweet Dreams

Country Life, Dogs & Other Animals,

What to do on a cold, rainy day? Stay in the house and snuggle under the covers. The cold is relative. It only seems cold because a few days ago it was 90 degrees. Today it was 57. Ask me again in January and see if I still think 57 is cold.

And the rains came down all day long and still are. They are coming off some distant hurricanes. We complain about the excess rain but it sure beats a hurricane.

It makes for boring days for the dogs. No frisbee time or pasture time at all.

Nothing fun. Mealtime becomes the highlight of the day. And that is a sad thing indeed because the vet said Cassius the greyhound and Baxter both need to lose five pounds.

So a nap goes on the agenda. Sweet dreams.