Weeding and Planting, Oh My!

Country Life, Dogs & Other Animals, Gardens, ,

Zekie laying in front of the new flower bed under construction. He has been spending a lot of time with me while I’ve been weeding and planting. For the most part, he’s been good.

He’s stayed nearby while I worked on the rose bed. He’s even learned to stay out of the rose bed. I do have to preplan everything I do so he isn’t alone for more than a few minutes. Otherwise he gets stressed out. And a stressed Zekie, is a destructive Zekie.

He was with me for the urns I planted too. I tried to tie him to a leg on the patio table but he chewed through the leash. Change with Zekie is slow, although he does improve. In the interim, dealing with him is done with a lot of management.

Mr. Innocent

Dogs & Other Animals,

This is the second bowl that Zeke has “re-sculpted” since we’ve had him. It has looked like this for quite some time, I just don’t care anymore.

I don’t know when he does this. We never leave the bowl in the crate with him and go away anymore. The bowl comes out and the Nylabone goes in the crate if we are going away. When he’s in his crate for a brief time after meals, I don’t hear any noise. I don’t think he even had any canine fangs left by the time he mangled this one. (They were broken off in attempts to escape the crate when we were away.)

Although Zeke still sounds like a wild child, and I suppose he is, he is much improved from where he started. He is a good companion and relatively obedient. He does get into things but stops when we tell him to. So although he is a work in progress (aren’t we all?) things are at more of an even keel.

Here is Mr. Innocent at a friend’s house with me.

Progress!

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Zekie is ever so slowly showing improvement in his behavior. As he does, he earns more freedoms.

He has become my husband’s shop dog. Whenever he goes out to the shop to work, Zekie goes too. He lays under a sawhorse or workbench and passes the time while my husband works. The loud sound of the power tools, the hammering, the sawing, none of it bothers him. Several days of shop work in a row have Zekie waiting at the door to report for work. He likes to have a job.

Earlier this week Zekie got to go along to grandma’s house with my husband when he went to do yard work. Aside from jumping up into grandma’s lap to stare in her face and lick her nose, he was a good boy. She thought he was funny so that ended well.

Another morning, Zekie and Baxter got to ride along to a local plant nursery. They were both good boys.

Yesterday evening Zekie got to go along to a Craft Night fundraiser for our Sheltie Rescue group. My friend went along too and brought one of her dogs. Both dogs did well on the ride and at the event. Most attendees brought a dog along. Everyone got along well and it was a fun evening.

I hope Zekie is learning that new opportunities open up to well behaved dogs. I know he greatly enjoys these new adventures. He is happy and generally well behaved as long as he is with one of us. Good boy Zekie!

A Quick Evening Walk

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I volunteered at an AKC Obedience Trial yesterday and today so only a little time for weeding this evening and a quick walk around the yard. This is my new foxglove plant, also known as digitalis. Haven’t decided where to put it yet, but we have been wanting one.

These blooms are from three different azalea bushes. The last one is very old. The trunk is as big around as a small tree.

Our traditional lilacs are in bloom. Not a lot of flowers on them this year, but the Miss Kim’s and the French lilacs are still to come.

And the lily of the valley are just starting to open up. My mother used to have lilac and lily of the valley perfumes. I wish I could find them now. They smelled remarkably like the real thing. I hope

I hope you are getting out to enjoy your own flowers. Spring is a beautiful and peace inducing thing.

Fun Times

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Finally. Some sunny days. Nikki and Shelby enjoyed the day. They watched the other pups play frisbee and run around playing and being generally crazy.

Grandma’s little dog Paisley ran around and played with the big boys. She is much younger than Nikki and Shelby. A fun time, followed by baths (not a fun time) was had by all. You can see the mud on Zeke’s white legs. Summer weather is near!

Flower Walk

Country Life, Gardens, ,

Early spring always calls for a walk around our property to look for signs of life. And it is so exciting when you find some. It means winter is on its way out. And while I like winter, there is a time for everything and this is the time for gardens and warmer days. Above is the lungwort nestled amongst the vinca vine. It is a native perennial. You can identify even without the flower, by its mottled leaves.

These are the only trilliums we have. Trillium were once endangered in Ohio. They do not like to be disturbed so I have never moved them. They are also nestled amongst the vinca vine. The lungwort and trillium like to grow in shade. They reside in our pine grove under the tall trees.

Pale pink blossoms belong to the viburnum. The bush and its flowers are not particularly showy but the smell is amazing. Worth growing for the fragrance alone.

This is the beginnings of flowering on our red bud trees. I was not familiar with them before we bought these from the county extension office but I am a big fan.

These trees are also from the county extension office. They are river birches. It amazing what you can grow from sticks not even as big around as a pencil.

We have many plants from the extension office because we like the try new things. Their offerings are selected to do well in our area. We have several of these bushes from one such experiment. They are plum bushes that grow little football shaped plums. So far the bushes have only produced a few fruits and the birds enjoyed those before we had the chance.

Onward spring! I look forward to many more blooms.

Stay! Good Dog.

Country Life, Dogs & Other Animals, Gardens,

Zekie continues to improve his behavior. He can hold a stay long enough for me to take a few pictures.

Of course just last week he chewed a second bungee cord in half that was used to hold the pasture gates together. Without it there is only the latch and cross board holding the gates together at the top. With no bungee cord Zeke can push his way through and escape. I was working in the patio garden and he couldn’t bear to be that far away from me. The gate is now held together at the bottom by a chain and a metal closure with a snap on each end.

Sometimes you take what you can get. Look at that stay!

Scientist As Artist

Gardens, Thoughts On Life, ,

This is what you get from a gardener who is also a scientist.

A visual and olfactory experience.

Enjoy!

Lessons From the Dog

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Dear Human,

Don’t stress out about things.

This too shall pass. No matter what it is.

Spring will come. As will summer, fall, and winter.

Your child or pet will outgrow the terrible two’s, three’s, and teens.

That time you spend wishing you didn’t have to go to work, one day you won’t.

Be in the moment. Enjoy the now.

From the Dog

With Love.

(And could you pet me while you’re enjoying the now?)

Daffodils in Spring

Country Life, Dogs & Other Animals, Gardens, ,

And so it begins…

We have many daffodils, and soon narcissis too. This is just a small fraction of the daffodils we have blooming today and they are just getting started. Many more to come.

This lady vase is special. She was given to me by a friend and former co-worker. The vase belonged to her parents and she chose to share it with me! I reserve the Lady Vase mostly for spring flowers which are special after a long winter. I keep the vase up on our living room mantel so it is safe.

This is why. Kitties love biting and batting flowers around. And I cannot be around 24 hours a day. So up out of harm’s way she goes.

May you have spring flowers to enjoy and friends to share them with!