Yesterday Sydney had her stitches out. Good news!
I asked if it was OK for Syd to run loose now as she's been confined to leash walks for the past 12 days since the surgery. He said she could go free as long as she didn't root around in the dirt. Bad news!
I sometimes think I made a mistake when I named Sydney and Mackey. I gave it a lot of thought at the time but more recently I think I missed the boat.
Here are baby Syd and Mac.
And here are a couple of Holstein cows. See a similarity?
I think I should have called them Bossy and Moo.
Sydney is certainly bossy. Ask any of the other dogs.
Mackey is very noisy. She barks at anything that mooooves.
And here is Mackey with one of her favorite toys....a cow.
Last week I decided that since the holidays were over I'd get everything done early in the week and have a nice quiet three day weekend to just relax and do next to nothing. Well, be careful what you wish for!
It started out according to plan. We had a couple of appointments, a lunch and catch up session with some friends and grocery shopping. Mission accomplished.
Then late Thursday afternoon I noticed Sydney licking at her back paw. I checked it and found that she had an ingrown nail. Syd has those thick nails that curl and they grow super fast. She just had a nail trim a short while ago but this nail had curled under and was poking into her pad.
I knew it must be painful so I called the vet's office just as they were closing. They said to bring her in the morning and Dr B would take care of it. They said not to feed her just in case they needed to sedate her.
So Friday, the first day of my relaxing weekend, we took Syd to see the doc. He said all her nails were pretty long and given the way they curl he'd like to sedate her and trim them way back. He'd cauterize the quick so she didn't bleed. That would give us more time between trims.
He did a complete check up on her because she has lots of lumps and bumps, but only one concerned him. She had a small ulcerated tumor on her face near her lip. He didn't think it would heal because of the location so he wanted to remove it while she was sedated. That brought up my concern about sedation at her age, 13. He said he'd use the same technique he used with Morgan, something to make her very drowsy along with a local for the surgical site. He thought it would work for Syd so I agreed.
Then I went home and waited for the call. It came around 2:30. Syd had come thru the surgery well and was ready to go home. When we arrived home she was anxious to eat so she had a small dinner, then slept all evening. She has to be walked on leash and can only be out to potty so she doesn't infect her paw. She also gets antibiotics and pain pills daily for about a week.
Saturday and today were spent catering to Syd's needs, short outings, giving meds and just lots of attention. The other three are being good but are asking for lots of special attention too.
So much for my relaxing weekend.
Once upon a time I met a very nice doctor. He was a cardiologist and was up to date on my condition. We hit it off and I actually enjoyed my frequent visits with him. I learned that he had two little girls aged seven and three and in the winter of 2024 he and his wife welcomed a baby boy. I sent them a little gift to celebrate the birth of their son.
Every time I had an appointment he would show me photos of his adorable children and it inspired me to knit something for them. When I gave it some thought I knew that I would make them Teddy Bears. After all, everyone needs a Teddy Bear to tell their secrets to.
First I made Sunshine. I always make the head first so I can chat with them while I make the bodies.
This is Sunshine.
Next was Berry.
Finally came Sky.
The three bears were finished.
I put them in a gift bag where they could see out and delivered it to my doctor's office. They created quite a fuss among the nurses and the patients in the waiting room. He was so pleased that he gave me a 'bear' hug.
Unfortunately the doctor has moved to a different city to practice and I miss him and his little family but I'm sure the three bears are in good hands.
Christmas last year (or week) was a quiet affair. We bought the pups some gifts of course and had special dinners for them, but it wasn't one of those hectic holidays of the past with twelve dogs racing around showing off their new toys.
Syd isn't very interested in toys, she'd rather be hunting for moles or squirrels or taking a nap. Boston ate both his new toys in a matter of minutes. I keep hard kongs filled with peanut butter around just for him. He's a power chewer.
Mackey got a new squeaky snake which she carried around for a few minutes before trying to take Thistle's toy away from him. Thistle is the toy lover. He carries one around the house and brings it over to share whenever I sit down. I love that whenever Rob takes a nap on the couch Thistle places one of his toys on Rob's chest to nap with him.
The birds each got a honey stick for Christmas. These little sticks are covered with seeds that are glued together with honey. These birds love them and clean them off in a couple hours.
I've done a lot of knitting over the last couple years and my holiday knits joined us for the season.
A snowman
A holiday hippo
I only meant to make a reindeer but ended up with the whole group
Santa even has a tree and a bag of goodies in his sleigh
And of course this guy
The Christmas cactus all managed to bloom in time even though they're pretty young plants. One of them had a number of blooms but the other each had one or two.
We had white
and yellow
and red
So even though it was quiet, it was a good holiday
Besides the four canine members of the family we have two feathered friends. When Summer died in June of 2024 his cage mate Winter was sad. So off we went to the pet shop to find him a new friend.
When we walked over to the cage full of budgies hey all flew to the back of the cage except one. A little pudgy green bird clung to the bars in the front of the cage and chirped at us. It seemed like he was trying to talk to us and of course I decided he was saying "take me home with you". So we did. When we put him in the isolation cage for a few days he seemed happy and sang to us. After about five days we put him in the cage with Winter and got quite a shock. Although very young, he was almost twice Winter's size.
We soon learned why. That boy loves to eat and eat and eat some more. He's a big chubby budgie and a happy one. He and Winter get along great and they both chatter away all day. I love to hear them.
After almost dying from a tick bite, I declared war on ticks. We take several precautions. The dogs get tick preventive treatments every month. The boys both take Simparica and because Mackey is prone to seizures, the girls get a topical Advantix II. I use a tick repellant spray on my pant legs and I have a tick preventive lotion that I rub on my arms and legs. I also wear long socks over my pantlegs.
Rob sprays the yard. I searched for a spray that wouldn't hurt the dogs and found one that is specifically for ticks. It's called Nix Ticks and it's available on Amazon. It won't hurt birds, butterflies or other animals and it seems to work well.
But my favorite part of our tick war is the night crew. Every evening at dusk we put out some dog kibble and whatever other tasty treats we might have. Then we turn on the porch light and watch out the window. Soon our little family of five opossums show up, sometime together and sometimes singly. We get to watch them enjoy their dinner. Opossums love to eat ticks so I encourage them to hang around and keep the pests in check.
We also have some other friends in the neighborhood. The people who recently moved in next door have two big dogs, a Mastiff and what looks like a big Lab. At Christmas they got a new puppy that looks like a Pitty. I see them all the time but haven't formally met them yet. I think I'll bake some dog treats to take over to introduce myself.
Across the street are two dogs. Vera is a Shepherd mix and Lucy is a fuzzy Terrier. I recently doggy sat for Lucy while the family was away. She and I are good pals. Isn't she cute.
The same family also has this fellow residing in the front yard. He's the quiet type.
One of Rocket J's great grandchildren drops by occasionally to steal a little kibble from the opossums.
My tick war will wage on in the new year but I have lots of soldiers helping me.
Happy New Year.
When I was younger I used to make new year's resolutions. Occasionally I actually stuck with them, usually they were forgotten in days or weeks. For many years now I haven't even thought about them but this year I have made one resolution and I'm sticking with it. I resolve to get back into blogging. And here I am!
I started this blog originally as a form of journaling. I posted mainly about my dogs. I enjoyed blogging. I learned a lot, I met a lot of people with similar interests and we became a community. I also made some wonderful friends who I miss a lot.
I stopped blogging after my illness. I had too much to do trying to put my life back together to think about anything else. Also my Water Dogs were all gone and I didn't know what I could post about. Now almost three years after being so sick I am doing well and feeling well. So I think it's time to get back to my journal and catch it up to date on what's happening in my life. It will have a different flavor as things have changed around here.
I have no Porties anymore which makes me tremendously sad. I miss the breed and the unique challenges they presented. I do, however, have four naughty dogs and my first post should introduce them.
First is Sydney.
Yes, Sid is one of the puppy girls from before. She and Mackey, her sister, recently turned 13 and we celebrated with mini cupcakes, with sprinkles of course. Fudge said it wasn't a party without sprinkles. Syd is showing her age. She has a lot of lumps and bumps but at a recent vet visit Dr B assured me that they're all the fatty kind and not a concern. She has also lost most of her hearing but doesn't care. She loves to run outside in the morning, stand on the rocks and bark at the world till her breakfast is ready. After breakfast she sleeps most of the day.
Next is Mackey.
Mackey is Syd's litter mate but they have very different personalities. Mac is definitely Rob's dog. She's never more than a few feet away from him, unless food is involved. She's a real chow hound. Mackey enjoys shredding dog toys and teasing Thistle. They're actually good pals but she likes to get him in trouble and he falls for it every time.
Next is Boston.
Boston just turned three. When I got sick he was a little pup only four months old. We were working on training and he was doing well. But then we were separated for about five months and he grew big (75 pounds) and got out of control. Rob had all he could handle taking care of the house and the pets and spending time with me at the hospital. When I finally got home I couldn't do much and Boston was on his own. Now we're working hard to learn obedience and how to be a good boy. He's super smart and is learning quickly but still likes to steal anything that is within reach. And boy, he has a long reach! But we'll get there.
Finally there is Thistle.
Thistle will be three in February. Thistle's mom is a Collie and dad is a Poodle. Thistle weighs 70 pounds and as you can see is a big boy. But he's a sweet dog who is very attuned to my emotions and my voice. He reacts strongly and is easily hurt by harsh words. I tell Thistle what a good boy he is many times each day. He follows me everywhere and cries if he can't be with me. He howls when I leave the house without him. He sleeps beside me each night and wakes me with his wet nose and a whimper. He's an absolute love.
So we're back and over the next few day I'll catch you up on what' s been going on here. I will also change the header soon so don't be surprised.
