Fall Has Arrived

Summer of 2012 was a real endurance test. After a warm dry winter we went directly into a scorching summer with temps in the nineties and over one hundred every day for months. We had no rain until  very recently and had to conserve water.  We provided drinking water for the birds and squirrels and kept the dogs' pool time to a minimum.

This summer we did not water the lawn, trees or shrubbery. They had to make it on their own and unfortunately, some didn't survive.

But suddenly autumn has arrived with cool mornings and evenings and some rain. The grass is looking green again if you overlook the bare spots here and there. There is some color around the yard these days too. Since I'm spending a lot of time outside walking my sick dogs around the yard, I've noticed it and decided to share it

If you stand under the plum tree and look toward the back of the house this is what you see.

The white flowers in the front are Crepe Myrtle.

Then you see part of the Yew hedge and the pink flowers are another Crepe Myrtle.

We have two Pyracantha hedges, one along the property line and one on the side the fence. This time of the year they are covered with berries. The birds will clean them off soon.

In front of the fence we have several Nandina, a form of dwarf bamboo. It also has clusters of berries.

Inside the fence we have three Crabapple trees and they now have their tiny little apples.

The Butterfly Bush is still in flower and still getting lots of visitors.

Rob's rose bush is putting out some late blooms.

We even have some little wildflowers still in bloom.

After such a terrible summer, it's really nice to see some bright patches of color.

For those of you asking about Samba, here she is, skinny and weak, but still here beside me and getting a little better each day.

She's trying very hard to get well. Today she ate 2 1/2 cups of kibble and two cans of tuna. She and Sky slept thru the night letting me sleep from 11 last night till 6:15 this morning. That's the first time in months that I haven't been outside several times during the night.

Yesterday we sent stool samples from Samba, Sky and Fudge to the university for some extensive testing. They are going to try and determine just what has been making the dogs sick and hopefully how to treat it. Dr B also started both Samba and Sky on a different antibiotic and they both seem to be responding well. Sky seems more alert today and Samba is eating and her stool is much improved. I feel better today knowing that others are trying to help find a solution for my pups.