Can Norma Jean Teach Swimming?

Yesterday was a hot (90 degree), sunny day so we decided a trip to the lake would be fun.  Morgan stayed home because she's showing her age and these trip tire her. Samba stayed home because she still has stitches in her foot. So we took Norma Jean, Tess and Noah.

The big question was, would Norma Jean remember how to swim out and retrieve the toys or without Morgan and Samba there to provide an example, would she forget. And, if she remembered, could she teach Tess and Noah?

We met Splash and Gracie and headed for the swimming cove.

Once we arrived, everybody was ready to get wet.

Splash and Gracie like to create a splash by jumping off the boat. My guys are still learners and wear vests to give them support and confidence.

This looked promising.

Nora Jean remembered what she was supposed to do and set a good example for the others.

 Noah caught on quickly.

Tess never did retrieve the toys, but she showed that she could swim with the others.

Splash and Grace are tireless.

We did lots of swimming together.

One of the toys floated under the boat and Rob swam back to rescue it. The girls were keeping a close eye on him.

Then it was time for a break and some lunch.

 After lunch everyone was ready to swim some more.

Splash led the way.

Noah decided that he was finished for the day and settled down on the boat.

We decided that Norma Jean was so confident now, we'd remove her vest and see how she did without it.

Obviously, she does great without the vest. She's just as confident swimming naked as wearing the vest.

Tess still needs the help of her vest, but she's doing very well.

Finally, it was time to come aboard and have a snack before heading home.

My two fish puppies, Grace and Norma Jean were sorry to leave the lake, but there will be other days to swim.

Good News, Bad News

We just returned from our visit to Dr B. He said we had good news and bad news, but the bad news wasn't so bad.

There are two lumps, one on Sky's neck just under the ear. That one is pretty good sized, maybe the size of a nickel. There is another on his side that is smaller about the size of a dime. Nurse Sarah shaved the two areas so we could get a good look. Then Dr B withdrew some fluid to look at under the microscope.

They're both sebaceous cysts. That's the good news. The bad news is that the smaller one has burst and is draining on the inside.  It's painful and we're going to apply hot compresses to it till it stops draining and is no longer painful, then we'll have them both removed. If these cysts drain outside, they're ok, but when they drain inwardly they cause inflammation. If they do it once, they tend to grow again, then drain again causing more inflammation. So to break the cycle, Sky will have them both removed.

Sky was a good boy, but he was happy to get home, have dinner and chase his ball.

Fingers Crossed

We're on our way to see Dr B.

Yesterday Rob found a nasty little dime size lump on Sky's neck. We're not wasting any time. Let's see what this thing is and get it out of there.

We'll let you know what the Doctor says.

Oh Give Me A Home...

Where the Buffalo roam....

I thought you might like to meet our neighbors.

Up until last year, cattle used to graze in this big pasture.

One day the cattle disappeared and this herd of American Bison (Buffalo) showed up.

The herd has grown, thanks to the Big Daddy Buffalo who stands guard over his family.

These youngsters are curious about us and come up to the fence to check us out.

In the background is a mama and  her new calf. This baby is only a few hours old.

This guy is scratching his head on the post.

Now really, would you trespass here?

Can you image herds of millions of these big guys roaming freely?

It must have been quite a sight.

Ms Nature's Art Studio

One of the first things we learned in art class was the color wheel. Red and blue make purple, blue and yellow make green and yellow and red make orange. So simple!

Here is Mother Nature's color wheel.

She has used these wonderful colors over and over to give us a beautiful world to enjoy.

Start with red.

Add some blue to make purple.

Take that same blue.

Add some yellow to make green.

Back to yellow.

Add red and you get orange.

Then she combines them so nicely.

What a beautiful world!