Benefits of the Sit-Stay

Dogs & Other Animals, Gardens, , ,

Zekie holding a stay in front of the irises

Zekie staying by the wygelia

We walked around the yard this afternoon checking out various plants. As Zekie walked by some of them, I thought what a beautiful photo that would make. So, I told Zekie to sit, and then to stay.

He is familiar with this process now. I can saw his name to get him to look at the camera and he continues to hold his stay. He waits for a release command which could be in the form of:

  • Ok-meaning you’re released to move about
  • Come-means come to me
  • Ok, let’s go-which means come to me and we will proceed to walk

These are just commands as I use them. Unless you are competing, it really doesn’t matter the words you use as long as you are consistent and can communicate with your dog to get the results you want.

With most dogs, keeping commands short, one or two words is best. This is what I do for all our dogs. Zekie is very communicative and seems to be able to comprehend sentences at other times though. Such as, “be quiet or you’re going in your crate”. (“Be quiet” when used by itself is less effective.) “Where is daddy?” “Go get your bone.” “I’ll be right back.” He responds appropriately to all of these sentences.

An intelligent mind can be both a blessing and a curse in a dog. They spend lots of time thinking. It is up to us to channel those thoughts in a direction that we find appropriate. Otherwise, the dog will channel them as he deems appropriate, and we may not agree!

Still Mulching

Country Life, Gardens, ,

I spent several hours today weeding and mulching my peony and iris bed. Hubby tried to weedeat it for me, but the plants are just too close together. It caused too much destruction. So I am weeding by hand.

I will finish tomorrow. I was driven inside mid-afternoon by the large amount of fly bites I was getting, along with the biting gnats and bees, it was too much for me. Even though I had to take an antihistamine to deal with the various bug bites, I must say the flowerbed is looking good.

The bed also contains false indigo, hardy amaryllis, and a young red maple. I don’t know how I ever had time to work. Retirement is exhausting!

The peonies in this bed should bloom soon and I will post pictures when they do. I want to start posting more pictures on my Sanctuary Acres Facebook page, so you may want to follow that as well. I promise there will be no political posts on that page. Maybe an occasional spay/neuter comment. Mostly it will be photos of our flowers, gardens and animals.

A Day In My Gardening Life (Mulch!)

Country Life, Gardens, ,

My plan this morning was to spend it mulching flowerbeds. I went outside and found my husband sorting wood left from past carpentry projects. I took off my gardening gloves and stopped to help him, so it would get finished before the rain came. I didn’t want to get the mulch smell on the wood. We finished some of the work in the rain. Looked for my gardening gloves but couldn’t find them.

Since it was raining I went inside until things dried out. I decided to work on some financial records for our dog rescue for the rest of the morning. Next thing I knew, it was lunch time. Looked for my gardening gloves again. I have another pair but didn’t want both pairs to smell like mulch. Couldn’t find them. Ate lunch. Looked for my gardening gloves. No luck.

Got out new gardening gloves and helped husband mulch the rest of the flowerbeds in the patio area. Still no gardening gloves, but the beds are looking great.

Then, we checked on the vegetable garden. This resulted in hubby and me weeding the row of beets, radishes, and turnips. A gardener’s work is never done, especially in the spring time.

Weed free plants with blooms do not come easy or free. It is, however, a labor of love for us.

Never did find those gloves.

Pizza, pizza!

Cooking, ,

Homemade pizza is always a hit.

I make my own dough which provides enough for two pizzas. I make one and save the other half of the dough in the refrigerator for another day. That way, you get fresh pizza two times. Or you can make both at once and have leftovers. I just use the dough recipe in my bread maker cookbook.

This pizza has garlic & herb spaghetti sauce. The toppings are black olives, diced red pepper, mushrooms, freshly grated Asiago cheese, and white cheddar. Baked at 400 degrees for 17 minutes.

I was out of red sauce when I made the second pizza so made it mushroom and spinach Alfredo. I used a half can of cream of mushroom soup for the sauce and gave it a sprinkle of Old Bay Seasoning to spice it up. It was delicious.

I find that you can make pizza with just about anything you have on hand. If you don’t have anything to use for sauce, some olive oil and freshly minced or sliced garlic work just fine. Give it a try!

The Gray Tree Frog

Dogs & Other Animals,

I found this visitor on the patio this afternoon when I put up the sun umbrella. He/she had been sheltered underneath the umbrella. This is a gray tree frog. They change colors to blend in with their surroundings. I have seen green and brown ones, but with these markings, they are apparently still considered to be the gray tree frog.

You can see his toe pads which are sticky for clinging and climbing. I performed an internet search and was surprised to find that these little guys can live 7-9 years! They eat mostly crickets, but also a variety of other soft, small things such as worms, moths, mosquitoes, etc.

I love to listen to the songs these little guys sing. Maybe I’ve been listening to the same frogs for the past several years! Nature surprises me again.

A Typical Day

Country Life, Dogs & Other Animals, Gardens, ,

This morning, I took time to enjoy a cup of coffee and some patio time with the dogs. I soaked in the beauty of the flowers and greenery. The dogs enjoyed it too. Zekie found the plastic whale from the top of the old pool thermometer and thought it made a fine toy. He followed me around and put the whale at my feet, then snatched it away, saying “see what I have!”

After a lunch of homemade pizza, I put the dogs out in the fenced pasture to play and enjoy the sunshine. Then it was work time for me. I pruned the old fashioned lilac that grows beside the kitchen window. The original lilac died. The one that is there now was moved here as a young rootling. It came from grandma’s house in town. It is old enough to have some dead branches so I gave it a good trim.

I also pruned the ancient scarlett azalea outside the living room window. It has a beautiful color. I have not seen another in this shade of red-orange-peach. The base of the bush is enormous and gnarly giving it an ancient feel. The house was built in 1830 so I have no idea how old the azalea is. I didn’t trim the bush back nearly as far as I felt it should be. Parts of it are not in the best of health and I didn’t think it would survive a drastic trimming. I hope this makes it stronger next year, then I can prune it again.

Then I moved on to more mundane chores. I pulled the dried out vines from last year’s morning glories off the fence, picked up grass clumps from the weed eater, and weeded around newly sprouted plants in the vegetable garden.

All the prunings and weeds, I took to the pile at the back of our woods where we dump such things. Eventually we get some nice compost at the bottom of the pile. The walk through the woods is always interesting. Halfway back on the left is our pet cemetery. It elicits memories each time I pass. The neighbor’s yellow marsh irises are visible around her pond. There are always plants of interest to notice along the way. Jack-in-the-pulpits. Solomon’s seal. It is a pleasant walk if your load is not too heavy.

After the work was done, I took three of the dogs for a walk to the township park and back. Zekie was a good boy. He only barked at one car, even though 7 or 8 cars passed us. We crossed to the other side of the road when we passed a house with two dogs behind a slat fence. Zekie looked at them but didn’t bark! I was so proud.

This is a typical day for me as a retired person living in the country.

Lilacs and Memories

Country Life, Gardens, Thoughts On Life, ,
Old fashioned lilacs with lily of the valley
Royal lilacs
Miss Kim lilacs

We have three types of lilacs. All have that wonderful lilac scent. The benefit of having multiple types is that they bloom at different times, so lilac season lasts about a month for us. This is indeed a wonderful thing.

Certain scents can make your mind retrieve memories from long ago. When I smell lilacs, it reminds me of a perfume my mother had that she purchased from a local drug store many years ago. It smelled like lilacs, not like some perfumey replica. I remember picking it up from my mother’s vanity.

The scent of lilacs can make me feel like a carefree little girl. Some scents can unlock the magic.

Comfrey and Hummingbird Moths

Dogs & Other Animals, Gardens, ,

I split my comfrey plant in two this year. This is the split that I move to a new location. Aside, from not being quite as tall as the half left in place, it is doing great.

This is a plant that I grow not for it’s great beauty, but for the variety of pollinators that it draws. It does draw assorted types of bees. Even better, the hummingbirds love it.

But the main reason I grow comfrey is because it draws hummingbird moths like nothing I’ve ever seen!

I can’t get enough of watching them. They are a moth that moves like a hummingbird and they have antennae. I find them fascinating. The one above was in my garden last year, feeding on one of our butterfly bushes, of which they are also quite fond. Keep an eye out for them. They are worth the effort.

Socially Distanced

Thoughts On Life, , ,

This is the face of a happy girl who got to see her family for the first time in three months!

There was no touching or hugging and everyone sat far apart. But still, it was awesome!

Yesterday, I saw my brother, his wife, and my two nieces. It was a balm to the soul. The girls were so well behaved and kept their distance. Not being able to see them for so long is the only thing that has made me cry during these times.

Today I saw my daughter, her boyfriend, and mother in law. We split the gatherings because it’s easier to social distance and sanitize with less people.

We practiced giving air hugs from six feet away. Not nearly as satisfying, but better than nothing.

These times seem unique to me, but really, it’s happened before. The pox epidemic of the 1600’s. The influenza outbreaks of the late 1800’s and, of course, of 1918. Pandemics resulting in mask wearing and extreme measures. Likely, it will happen again.

Let’s not again take for granted the time spent with family and friends though. Let us remember to cherish each other’s company. It is a gift that will not soon lose its value.

Getting Old

Thoughts On Life, , ,

This is what happens when you get old. You get age spots. So, you start using skin cream to lighten the spot/s. And then you use sunscreen and wear a hat when you go outside in the sun.

Be smart. Wear the sunscreen when you’re still young and spot free.