Tag Archives: Country Life

Snow Path

Country Life, Dogs & Other Animals, ,

We awoke to much new snow this morning. Somewhere between 10-12 inches. My husband ran the snowblower to clear the driveway and sidewalks, then shoveled snow off the porch roofs.

I refilled the bird feeder and shoveled a path for the dogs to go outside.

The snow was deep on poor little Nikki and she is twelve years old. She’s a game little girl though and even went before I shoveled a path. But she prefers to sleep on the dog bed.

Even the taller dogs appreciate the path. They appreciated the snow too. I guess novelty is good amusement.

Grey Cats

Country Life, Dogs & Other Animals,

I have a thing for grey cats. I have had three so far.

My most recent grey cat was Lacey, pictured above. She passed away a couple years ago from a cancer on her face. I actually asked my then sister-in-law if I could have Lacey because my cat named…Grey Cat, who looked remarkably like her with some additional white markings, had recently passed, also from a cancer of the face. After working on her husband for a while, they agreed I could have Lacey. She turned out to be nothing like Grey Cat but that was ok. She was a great cat in her own right.

Grey Cat, above, followed me everywhere in the house and sat in my lap every evening when it was time to watch tv. Lacey was quite friendly too but she loved everyone. Grey Cat was my cat. (My husband, at the time, named Grey Cat because he was, well, a grey cat. When he wanted to name our next cat Black & White Cat I told him, Ok you’re done naming the cats.)

Also pictured above is my third grey cat. He’s the one on the left with the Joker-like grin. He was named Bogart, and I adopted him from the local APL, along with his sister Lauren, who was a dilute calico from the same litter.

As you can see, Lauren had a fair amount of grey fur herself.

I have had many other cats over the years but I will save those for another day.

Donkeys Make Me Happy

Country Life, Dogs & Other Animals, ,

Look at this adorable miniature donkey!

On a mini-farm near us, are several miniature donkeys, a couple of burros, and a horse or two. We frequently drive by on our way to walk the dogs.

I would love to have a couple of miniature donkeys but it is unlikely and probably not a good idea for a whole host of reasons. So every time we drive past I say something to the effect of Oh look, my donkeys are outside or I’m glad these people are taking such good care of my donkeys.

I have done this so many times that my husband even humors me and plays along now. He probably figures it is easier than having a discussion about why I can’t actually have donkeys.

Does anybody else do this? Hey, don’t judge, it makes me happy.

Sunday Evening

Country Life, Dogs & Other Animals, ,

Sunday evenings are for relaxing. Shelby is a good relaxer.

Yesterday she went along to visit the grand pups and kitties. Just as at home, she appointed herself as Sherriff Shelby and ran interference, and kept the other animals under control. They were actually just playing but she doesn’t like too much rowdiness under her patrol.

The grand pups are Milo and Coco, two corgis who are full brother and sister although from different litters. So Shelby is resting up from her busy day yesterday.

Cassius is also resting. He stayed home yesterday but being a good hound, he knows that Sundays (or any day) are a good day to rest.

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.

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.

Zeke the Wonder Dog

Dogs & Other Animals, Rescue Happenings,

This is Zeke the Wonder Dog. As in, I wonder what he is going to get into next. I love him, I really do. But even I must admit he’s a handful.

His biggest problem at this point is the separation anxiety. It causes him to drool excessively. And I mean a lot. Even after being gone for only a couple of hours, we come home to him covered in so much drool in his crate that his greetings leave us with large wet spots and paw prints on our clothing. Not to mention on the floor and a crate that needs to be swabbed out with a towel.

Oh, and did I mention the chewing? The anxiety also causes him to chew. Which lead to him having no remaining fangs.

Below is a picture of what Zeke’s food bowl formerly looked like.

Below is what Zeke’s food bowl looks like now.

And so Zeke has earned his title of The Wonder Dog. And yes, I do wonder what he is going to get into next.

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.

Restoration

Country Life, Dogs & Other Animals, Gardens, ,

Gardens can have such a peaceful, tranquil effect on the soul. If you can stop yourself from jumping up to grab the shears and dead head a few roses or pulling out “just a few weeds”, that is.

I do pretty well at relaxing and reading a good book or magazine though. It is a good way to pass an hour before going back to the rest of life and responsibilities.

I find that sitting still and watching butterflies, bees, hummingbird moths, and hummingbirds fluttering from flower to flower collecting pollen, has much the same affect on me as watching fish in an aquarium.

I am removed from my own world for a while and enter into an alternate one. That of various animals. It is definitely also a restorative way to pass some time. I encourage you to give it a try.