Time Flies When You're Having...Fun?

When I stop and think about it, the amount of time that I spend on seemingly futile activities every week is somewhat staggering.  For example,  I try to spend some time weekly to keep my moss bed free of weeds.  As you can see, I seem to be fighting a losing battle.

I did spend over an hour on Friday making that delicious Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream that I made before, and then accidentally left out on the counter over night.  This time we were able to enjoy it twice!

On Friday afternoon, I picked L up at school and we drove 40 minutes to watch J's first soccer game (which they won 7-0.)  I wouldn't consider that time wasted, as we had time to chat, and even listen to a story on CD. 

Yesterday morning, I spent an hour and a half at the vet with Kali.  It looked like she was peeing blood on Friday night.  After a bunch of tests, it looks like she was dehydrated, had a UTI, and also has Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (in which her body is attacking her red blood cells.) So this explains the "blood" in her urine, which is probably mostly bilirubin from breaking down those cells, as well as the fact that she has been laying around so much for the past couple of weeks.  In fact, on Thursday afternoon, she was too tired to chase the ball, which is one of her favorite things to do!  She got IV fluids at the vet, as well as injections of antibiotic and steroids, and she came home with antibiotics, steroids and Pepcid to take twice a day for a while.  She returns to the vet tomorrow morning, where I assume they will check her blood again. 

Her urine is lighter in color today, which I am taking as a good sign.  Otherwise, it is basically wait and see...there is a very real possibility that she will not recover from this.  I think that fact hit J hard last night, as she got out of bed after 10 PM, and came upstairs to "say goodnight to Kali."

After we got home from the vet, I spent another hour and a half hauling water for our cistern.  It isn't wasted time, but it is extremely boring:  it takes 30 minutes to drive to the water station, fill the buffalo, drive home, and empty it.  Thank goodness for podcasts to listen to during that task!

Today the whole family drove an hour into the Middle-of-Nowhere, PA for L's first soccer game.  Unfortunately, her team was shut out, 0-9.  Since today is officially "National Cheeseburger Day", we stopped at Five Guys on the way home for some awesome cheeseburgers and fries.

Now here it is:  Sunday evening.  A whole, new week begins in just a few hours.  This week features more soccer games and soccer practice, voice lessons, vet appointments, Dr. appointments, work and school, along with the weekly making and canning of tomato sauce...along with all of the little futile things that eat up the hours.  Enjoy them all!

Taming the Beast

Even though we woke to another coating of snow this morning, it was all blue sky, sunshine and mild this afternoon. 

Poor Kali, who is covered with about 3 inches of thick, black wool all over, has been overheated more than not lately.  She looks more like a bear than a dog, and I've taken to calling her "Beast."  She pants and paces all day long.  Since she is not scheduled for a haircut for over a week yet, JP and I couldn't stand it any longer.  We double teamed her for over an hour this afternoon with scissors and electric clippers.

Trash bag full of hair clippings...

 

Now she looks like she lost a fight with a hedge trimmer, but her hair is significantly shorter, and we can see her eyes again.  When her hair appointment comes up in early April, the groomer can fix all the boo-boo's, and she'll look lovely and sleek again.

 

At least for now she will be ready for the 70 degree temps forecasted for tomorrow.  Just don't tease her about her bad hair-do...it's not her fault!

One More For Good Measure

Stella:  "I eat chicken food and hickory nut hulls,
then puke on the carpet."
Kali:  "I steal trash while people are away and shred it."

For Shame!

Dog Shaming

Not to beat this topic to death, but JP forwarded me this article from our local paper this morning regarding dogs feeling shame.

I thought I'd photograph the contrite Stella, who was shaking so badly that it took several shots to get one that wasn't blurred.

Happy Friday!

February is the Longest Month!

I have just come in from outside, where it is hovering near 17 or 18 degrees today.  I am sitting here in my long underwear (it's a great look, btw) and not feeling inclined to do much of anything.  I just finished treating the hens with permethrin dust for the lice problem - 13 out of 15 are infested. 

After I got all of the poison and lice exposed clothing in the washer, I spent less than an hour with my Dad in the wood shop, varnishing tongue and groove panels that are soon to become wainscoting in our dining room. 

Have I accomplished enough for the day yet?

February needs to end.  It is d-r-a-g-g-i-n-g along, making the worst month (although January is also in contention for that honor this year) last FOREVER. 

We have had 10 snow days and 11 two hour delays since New Year.  The low temp of 2014 is -10 F, and although we had 2 days of 40 degrees and sun over the weekend, for the remainder of February the ground has been frozen solid and snow covered.

I'm tired.  I'm done.  I don't want to schlep water out to the chickens 3 times a day any more.  I'm tired of stacking wood, and checking the wood burner which results in becoming completely smokey smelling.  I'm sick of bundling up every time I head outside to do one or more of the above.  I don't want to have a fight with my daughters every morning about wearing their winter coats (they rebel - say the coats make them "look fat!")  I'm exhausted from feeling anxious every time I drive up or down our driveway, wondering if I'm going to slide over the edge into the woods, or skid right out into the road in front of a truck.

Apparently Stella is having some late winter psychosis as well.  Last Friday, before we left for the movie, JP asked "do you trust the dog enough to leave her out of her kennel while we are gone?"  I told him no, but relented after closing the doors to every room, removing books and pillows that she's been known to gnaw on, and treating the legs of the chairs with bitter apple (she's been known to gnaw those too!)  We came home to find this:

She clawed a hole in JP's new(ish) recliner (that we bought last year to replace the other one she chewed on!)  She was punished and put in jail for the remainder of the night.  She slunk around guiltily for several days, but  I had mostly forgiven her by yesterday...until she clawed the same spot some more while I was down at the bottom of the driveway picking up the girls from the bus.

There is another Polar Vortex pushing down into PA until this weekend.  At that point, they are calling for another 1-3 inches of snow or freezing rain.  It seems that March won't be starting out much better.

Oh the humanity!

Research

I have been doing some research lately.

For example, yesterday I determined that the snow in the country is much more attractive than the snow in town.  It is whiter and more pristine, although there are more piles of deer poo and ATV or snowmobile tracks.

It is also clear, without too much in-depth research, that the snow is finally melting.  It is clearest on the driveway, which has not been exposed in weeks (leading to the 2nd rescheduling of the Sears repairman visit to fix my leaking washer.)

Sunrise Monday morning...

Sunrise this morning!

Last night, the family and I discovered that in a head-to-head taste test, 4 out of 4 tasters vastly preferred Nutella to Jif with hazelnuts.  No surprise there.

This morning, some olfactory research led me to the conclusion that these 2 shaggy beasts cannot go another day without a trim and a bath.

 

 

After a few hours of very involved research, the living room looked like this, and both dogs had their nails clipped, ears cleaned, teeth brushed, baths and they were brushed. 

 

Stella had a trim, and it was clear that there was absolutely no way that Kali was getting a trim by anyone other than a professional!