Tag Archives: Country Life

Gifts of Summer

Country Life, Gardens, ,

Peaches are in season! We got half a peck at the Farm Market nearby this morning. So this evening I made pie. Pie prepared with fresh fruit is a whole different experience than having a store bought pie.

Honey Rocks are also in season! They are a large muskmelon. They are slightly different than a cantaloupe, they are, well …, muskier. And they have visible ribs. Delicious!

A few weeks ago I picked enough black raspberries from our bushes to bake a pie.

And a few weeks before that I harvested service berries from our bushes and made a pie.

See a theme here? Living in the country does have numerous benefits!

Best Friends

Country Life, Dogs & Other Animals, Rescue Happenings,

It is good to have friends. Best friends. I firmly believe that you can have more than one best friend when you are an adult. There are friends for different occasions. These two are my reliable best friends.

Yesterday we volunteered at the County Fair together. I have no doubt that I can trust these girls to be well behaved with hundreds of people around. I don’t have to worry about incidents with adults, children, other animals, or unexpected circumstances when they are with me. They can handle it.

Shelby, of the red scarf, is the most obedient, well behaved dog I have ever had. We are a finely honed working team. She watches me to determine whatever it is that I want from her. She responds to my requests, verbal and often hand signals too. I also listen to her. If she indicates that she is unsure or stressed, I either reassure her or provide her with a short break, depending on the situation.

Nikki, in the green scarf, does her best to comply with my wishes although she doesn’t have quite the ability to figure things out that Shelby does. Still, I know that she will be well behaved and not cause trouble because that is her nature.

Yesterday at the Fair we participated in three things. First was the Therapy Dog Demonstration. Both girls are veterans with close to 100 visits under their belts (leashes?). Most have been to nursing homes. After that we manned one of the entrance gates for a couple of hours since it is easier if everyone takes a turn. Above are the girls at our station by the gate wondering why there is so much traffic. For our last event of the day we participated in something called Meet the Breeds where each of the handlers told a few facts about their Breed. The audience was then free to meet all the dogs.

What fine little ambassadors these girls are, for their breed and dogs in general. Also, I adopted them both from Northeast Ohio Shetland Sheepdog Rescue so they represented how fine Rescue dogs can be. They make me proud.

And after such good and hard teamwork, good girls get ice cream. (I got ice cream too, but I will spare you that photo!)

A Weekend Well Spent

Country Life, Dogs & Other Animals, Gardens, ,

How many times can you go swimming in one day? Many times when it is 92 degrees with high humidity.

The majority of my three day weekend was spent in the garden with dogs. I lounged in my pool chair and read while drinking Fresca and cold water. I am sharing with you the view that I had while I bobbed around in the water.

This is how people without air conditioning (or at least we) survive. Given this week’s forecast there will probably be more of the same when I’m not at work. I’m so thankful to have the entire area fenced in now so I don’t have to choose between being in the garden or being with dogs.

Life is good!

Short Garden Tour

Country Life, Gardens, ,

First pictorial garden walk about for this year. This year’s addition to the garden is a new flowerbed. The perimeter is planted with pink blooming spirea. Sunflowers are planted along the back fence line for this year. We’ll have to see what plantings are in store for next.

My favorite urn needed about a dozen plants to fill it up. It holds sweet potato vine, coleus, spikes, nicotiana, and assorted petunias.

This much smaller urn contains verbena, dahlia, and petunias.

The rose garden finally seems to be making a comeback. We had so many extra cold winters in a row that I was beginning to wonder if it would survive. The jury is still out on my America climbing rose. It lost a lot of canes.

More garden photos will be forthcoming. I am tired now from helping to cut down a pine tree and haul off the branches. Plus I have to watch the basketball game. Go Cavs!

Cairns, and Ledges, and Streams, Oh My!

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

Spring weather is finally here and that means time for hiking! Actually we have been hiking for the past two months even when it was cold but it is much more fun now. Who knew all these rock walls were at the far end of a trail at West Branch State Park? Actually, probably lots of people knew but I wasn’t one of them.

The trail that we took on Sunday even had streams to ford in two places. Cassius, Baxter, and Shelby all crossed with daddy. Zekie was back with me.

Someone left a rock cairn in the tiny center island of one of the streams. It looks like a miniature temple against the rock cliffs rising up in the background.

We walked through some brush so we could get a better look at a couple of ponds and an old stone foundation. Here is Zekie trying to keep up with the pack but he’s stuck on leash with me.

The ponds drew lots of bird life which was fun to watch. We put in over 6.5 miles which I logged on Wooftrax, an app that will give a few cents to the registered rescue of your choice for every walk that you log. Of course mine go to Northeast Ohio Shetland Sheepdog Rescue. Shelby and Zekie insist!

We had some tired dogs when we got home. After a day that includes frisbeeing and hiking, Cassius is too tired to hold his head up!

Morning Sky

Country Life, Thoughts On Life, ,

Ohio is moody. This was my view when I arrived at work on Monday morning. The view was indeed spectacular with the beautiful sky and the cottony, white frosted trees.

Some years it has been 70 and sunny in April. Other years there have been several inches of snow.

Yesterday it rained all day long and was in the fifties. Today it has been high winds and enough snow to pile up on the fence.

We had daffodils last year at this time. Overall, could be better, could be worse. Either way I know that I will be whining by the end of June that it is too hot. This too shall pass.

Signs of Spring

Country Life, Dogs & Other Animals, ,

What are signs of spring in our family? Lots of hikes! Here we were making our way down to the water at Towner’s Woods near Kent, Ohio.

Zekie, the former foster dog, enjoyed it as much as the rest of us. We discovered that he loves water. We walked down to the edge of the lake and he jumped right in. So did Cassius the greyhound.

The park was full of hikers and Zeke was good! He didn’t growl, bark, or lunge at anyone while I walked him. This is a first! I was so proud. And he seemed intent on paying attention and interacting with me. Let’s hope this was the first of many such peaceful walks.

A Trip to the Vet

Country Life, Dogs & Other Animals,

Shelby gave us a bit of a scare yesterday.

My husband called me at work to report that Shelby was limping and could barely make it across the driveway with the other dogs. After they came back in she was also short tempered and laying in her crate.

So I canceled her biweekly visit to the nursing home and made an appointment with the vet instead. No one wants a crabby dog visiting them anyway.Shelby is a tough girl and has tested positive for exposure to Lyme Disease in the past so we were worried. After an examination and an article from the vet citing that 90% of dogs exposed to Lyme Disease never exhibit any symptoms, I was feeling better. (By the way, I do use flea and tick preventative on my dogs in the warmer months but the ticks are developing a resistance to it.)

Shelby did seem to have a sensitive area along her back that was causing her pain. So the vet is thinking that she may have slipped in the mud or on the ice and hurt herself. She will be taking prescribed pain pills for 10 days in the hope she that she will then feel better.

Shelby is generally a happy girl and we want to see that smile return.

The Face of Innocence 

Country Life, Dogs & Other Animals, Rescue Happenings,


Look at that beautiful, innocent face. No trouble at all, right? Not so much. 

We were enjoying a spell of good weather so on Friday we were outside putting the gardens to bed, digging up bulbs, etc. Our dogs were outside but Zeke had to stay in because he has escaped the fence two times. Luckily he just wants to be with us so doesn’t run off. Unfortunately, we now have to keep him inside when we do yard work but he still wants to be with us. He got upset by this and got onto the dining room table again, no doubt trying to look out the window to see us. We could tell this because all the papers that were on the table, were all over the floor. 

We will give him another chance because this is not something he does all the time but if it continues he will have to be crated when we are outside. I hope we don’t have to do this because then Zeke becomes distraught and covered in drool. Not pleasant for any of us. 

The important thing is to keep him safe. And also to prevent destructive habits from forming. Not many people are looking for dogs with destructive habits to adopt. 

But that face…

Freedom 

Country Life, Thoughts On Life,

There is no way you could get me to trade this for a tidy little house in town. 

Sometimes it does sound appealing to me but very rarely. When I think about having nice, clear city water, it doesn’t sound so bad. You know, you just turn the tap on, and out it comes, magically iron-free and ready to use. 
In the winter time, you drive a short distance down the street, or maybe even walk, and you can buy things without risking life and limb on slippery snow covered roads. 

But here, I am free. I can sit outside and listen to the crickets. I can hear the wind blowing across the little valley. I can plant beds upon beds of flowers on one side of the house and vegetables on the other. 

And most importantly, I can have all the dogs I want. Well, not quite that many! I am constrained by time and money. But one day I will be retired and then I will only be constrained by money. Beware!

My mother-in-law liked to quote a poem that began “When I am an old lady I shall wear purple…” Well I already wear purple so either I am already an old lady (hmmm, I guess that’s relative) or I am going to do things more outrageous than are quoted in the poem.  Let’s hope for the latter. 

Wow, that is one bunch of random thoughts. Well, if you know me, you know that is how my mind works. I don’t claim to have them organized, just to have lots of them. Until my next random spilling of thoughts…

Peace be with you.