The Three Bears

 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. 

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.

Did You Have A Merry Christmas

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

The pink one did best

                                                                                                                                                                       My best gifts came earlier in the month. The first week in December my nephrologist told me that my kidneys are now stable and he doesn't need to see me for a whole year. A week later my cardiologist told

me my heart is now stable and I don't need to see her for a full year. The past three years have been doctor's appointment or lab tests or scopes or scans almost every week. It feels like a great gift.

So even though it was quiet, it was a good holiday

Friends and Family

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. 

Here's the group, two in the feeder and the other three across the porch. When I take the dogs out on leash they sit up and watch us but they don't run away. If the dogs show any interest in them they'll hiss but they don't usually leave their buffet.

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.

The Next Chapter

 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.