Puppy Gal Welcomes You To
Judy's Journal....
I started this feature for friends and family to answer their
"What's going on?" emails,
therefore, I probably tell too much,
but you are
welcome to laugh, cry and sigh with us.
"Life is too short to deal with ugly acting people!"
7/28/03 Ultrasound Positive For Puppies 4-5
The Latest Adventures of Peanut -
Updated 8/1/03
Jeb, The Champ
Bob taught him to walk again!!!
Jazzman Pictures
Updated 7/27/03
Our Daily Summer Activities!!
Gina's Father is critically ill and it seems there may be nothing more that the doctors are able to do but try to manage his pain. I received this email from her today:
My dad went to the hospital on Sunday due to horrible stomach pain. They are still running tests but have already found that his spleen is very enlarged...surgery is not an option because of his blood disorder. They are treating him with pain medication "lots of pain med...every 15 minutes". He has pump for self-administration, so they may send him home with it. They also drained 2 liters of fluid off his lungs. He is still in the hospital, he might go home today not too sure yet. But he is slowly going down hill, I just hope they make it comfortable for him, he has been in such pain.
Kim & Chuck's Little Britches, a 6 month old Bully with birth defects. They have held him close to their bodies and hearts, nursing him through several crisis, never letting him down. This is the email I got from them today:
We had a bad night with Little Britches last night.
We took him this morning to
Dilworth's vet clinic in Tupelo. They did blood work, chest x-ray, and an ECG. His
prognosis is, of course, poor (which I thought I was prepared for, until I heard the
words). We elected to try medications (several) and he will have to go back in a week for
blood work (liver panel, kidney panel, etc) and for another ECG. They gave us the option
of euthanasia, but even though his chest x-ray was bad and he is in atrial flutter--they
said other than his anemia and low protein (because of all the fluid), his blood work was
pretty good. So, this lead me to think with functioning kidneys and liver that he might
be able to metabolize these medicines well enough that he can be comfortable and maybe
decrease his symptoms well enough to have a good little life. I don't want the poor
little guy to suffer, I don't want to be stingy or trying to hang on to something that
will just never be. But, I know Little Britches, he is so attached to us and loves to be
touching one of us and it just seems cold for him to not be here when his time comes.
Plus, at least this will give us a little time to try to accept the inevitable, although
it won't make it any easier. We've had little puppies to die and that is so terribly
heart breaking, but having one for 6 months and doing everything for him and we are always
holding him, he sleeps with us, because we want to be there for him when he gets too short
of breath to try to help him and calm him. I have cried all day, I don't know if I'm cut
out for breeding Bullies or not, I can't help but get attached especially to one that needs
total care because they are so helpless. How in the world are you still sane? This whole
ordeal is just too heartbreaking.6:42 PM - Chuck just now brought Little Britches home and we all ran out to the truck to greet him. He was so glad to see us. His medication schedule..is the kind of regimen I see at the long term care facility where I work. But, while he's with us, he'll never have to want for anything!!!! And, thank you so much for thinking about us and our baby.
- 8:30 AM CST
Lynyrd the biggest of the baby birds who escaped, has been recovered. He was sitting on a low window sill this morning looking out. We named him after Lynyrd Skynard (Ronnie Van Zant) the writer and singer of Free Bird - the National Anthem of the South. LOL LOL
- 6:30 AM CST
We met Kim late yesterday afternoon to return Magnum, he is such a sweetheart. He enjoyed the stay but missed his family!!!
While we were gone, three of Mama Bob's baby birds took flight. Gracious it happened in a hurry and we were unprepared. We found two of them but have no idea where the third one is. How sad!!! There weren't any loose feathers laying about so I don't believe it became a Bully Snack. It may be behind the washer and dryer but we have the front loading models on pedestals that are too big for Bob to move by himself. Having 4 out of 5 well and on their way to being released in a few days is marvelous, we will not distress ourselves by dwelling on the negative.
I'm having trouble with my email software today and lost messages which were sent to me last night. So if you sent one of these, please wait until tonight and resend it. I believe my problem is that I save all messages because often there is a need for the complete history on a pup or person. In the last 12 months I have sent 8099 messages and received approximately the same!!!! Today, I'll work toward a clean up !!!
Hope your day is the best it can be!!!
Congratulations to Jay & Terry on their litter of 7 Bullies, 6 females & 1 male, born Monday night!!! We're holding Terry's hand via phone and email through this litter, their first. Jay is due back in town Friday to help out with the "mothering" duties.
Gabby will be ready to be bred to Mini-E tomorrow. We are considering doing the AI ourselves, since we had a heck of a time chasing down a vet this morning to bred Happy for the final time.
- 5:00 AM CST
Boy Howdy!!! Yesterday we worked long and hard!! We were very productive and feel really good about the many tasks we were able to complete. Today Bob takes Happy and Magnum back to the vet for what we believe will be the final breeding. While he is gone I'm going to clean on the house and when he gets back, we're going to spent the afternoon under the ceiling fan on the shaded side porch with plenty of iced tea and snacks!!! I wonder who will end up with the hammock. We decided a little R & R is absolutely essential!!
Have a wonderful day and make someone smile, if you can!!!
We couldn't do all that is necessary to take care of "our gang", my plants, the orphaned Eastern Bluebirds, strays that came to stay, other orphaned or in distress critters or get any of our house building projects done if we wasted time watching TV and listened to the radio. Also any noise other than the animals would muffle a possible "problem associated sound" from them. Therefore....
Imagine our surprise when I tuned in PBC at 5:30 AM and heard the British Broadcasting World News Report. We listen to PBC news daily but never this early in the morning. Oh Lordy what a great way to start the morning, laughing our heads off!!! Our world is full of Jeff Foxworthy type characters and we could just envision a couple of them sitting around a table listening to the radio because it's raining so hard outside. To them it would have seemed like an Alien Invasion of the radio with "wicket", "cricket" "fancy" and such. What an idea for a TV program - Foxworthy greets BBC!!
Day 5 with the rescued Bluebirds is going well. They are all alive and doing well. They are a little afraid of me, but "BOY" do they respond to "Mama Bob".
Bob's attempt at Haiku--
Five Eastern Bluebirds
Reach for manna from heaven--
He will fill the bill.
All, except Peanut, of the 6 month old pups are slowly recovering from their sinus infection. He seemd a little worse yesterday so we are monitoring him closely.
Have a wonderful day and try to keep your mind "on the sunny side"!!!
GREAT NEWS!!! Smart Cookie's ultrasound was positive for 4-5 puppies!!!!
- 11:30 AM CST
Good News!!!! And I certainly hope it is correct!! Dr Jerry did an ultrasound on Charlotte and saw 3 babies. She's was bred this one last time to PepperJack and is due to deliver 8/17 - 8/22. ALSO it appears King Bizkit's first stud service was a success and Bama is due to deliver 8/10 - 8/13. We'll have to give a helping hand to Floyd, this will be his second litter but the first was natural and this one should be via c-section. Bob is going to take Smart Cookie in for an ultrasound either today or tomorrow. We don't normally get ultrasound done, but we need to know how to plan the upcoming months and we have people anxious to know if they will be getting a puppy or not.
*** Helpful hint!! IF you are trying to move something like a big flower pot, don't try to lift it, just loop your dog leash around it and pull it along. The lead that works best is the 2 inch wide nylon which is 5-6 feet long. Put it around the pot and run the snap end through the loop on the end when you would normally hold onto. If inside raise up the pot and put a towel under it to keep from harming your hardwood floor or if it's carpet put a trash bag under it. A similar configuration works great for larger objects, like a heavy chair. I just fasten enough leads together to do the job.
- 8:30 AM CST
Good Morning!!! Bob is taking Happy & Magnum back to the vet's for what will probably be her final breeding. I'm going to stay here and get my chores completed. With temperatures in the middle 90's all plants in pots must be watered on a daily basis...remember this crazy woman bought 69 pots of hanging plants, well now to the watering. LOL LOL LOL
Day three with the rescued Eastern Bluebirds, they are very demanding but all are still
alive and active. He's feeding them softened Purina Puppy Chow via a syringe 12 - 14 times a
day. Whew!!! It almost as much trouble as taking care of a litter of puppies, but at least
they don't have to be fed during the night. I can just see us never being able to get them to return to the wild
for they are convinced that Mama Bob is their real mother!! I have visions of them flying
in a group with Bob as he goes about doing his outside chores. At times he already has a parade - Bob with a
Bully on a lead, followed by the three yard dogs in single file and then the two cats, so add a flock of birds
overhead and it really will be a strange sight. LOL LOL
Bob let me sleep in this morning, he got up at 4 AM to start taking care of "our gang" but
I slept until 8 o'clock, the latest I've slept in a long while. It's already 85 degrees outside
with a Heat Index of 91, so breathing is somewhat labored. I'm having to do my outside chores
in spurts, resting in the house under the a/c for a bit then going out to do more.
While resting
I found these pictures of Happy at age 4 months and thought you would like to see
them.
We could do with a few hours of "downtime" this afternoon, but we have the baby birds and the 6 month
old puppies to look after. So why do we do it, it's gratifying!!! This is the retirement life we had
planned, but somehow we've taken on a lot more than we had envisioned.
Have a lazy day and please remember to pray for the members of our society in uniform: military, police and
fire fighters, it's through their efforts that we are free.PS Forgot to tell you that Peanut, Sugar, Count & Cowboy got varing degrees of sinus infections as a result of all the sanding, so we're constantly having to wipe their noses. They are taking an antihistimine plus an antibiotic so they will be better soon.
Good Morning!!! I'm glad to report that Bob and I are rested and feeling very positive this morning. The second day with the rescued Eastern Bluebird babies is going great. I wish you could hear "Mama Bob" make bird sounds and their eager response in anticipation of food!!! I'm so proud of him. There just aren't many people who would take the time to save a clutch of orphaned birds. For his birthday August 29, I really should get him a large breed baby parrot. One that he can hand feed and raise in his gentle manner. BUT, Oh Mercy, they do intimidate me!!
Bob is going to take Happy & Magnum back to the vet for another breeding. Usually the females are bred every other day but since tomorrow is Sunday we decided to bred her today and then on Monday.
Got to run, it's suppose to get up to 90 degrees today so I have to get my outside morning chores done quickly.
Goodness Gracious!!! Memphis was really been hit hard by the storms and many areas are still without electricity. Fortunately, our property there was spared. I'm sure it was on National News (we no longer watch TV) but if you want to read what the local newspaper has to say their URL is www.gomemphis.com.
We feel fortunate but the associated anxiety has depleted us physically and mentally. My "being" is in need of revitalizing so I'm just going to sit in the floor with seven of "our gang" - Jeb, four of the 6 month old puppies (Peanut, Sugar, Cowboy & Count), my two "old lovable heifers", Sassy T & Daisy - and see if that won't get me "going".
If not I'm going to take my cure for the Blues!!!! I suppose taking the cure once every 6 months won't hurt a person!!! LOL LOL
Well no being mopey for me!! I looked at the zone 7 garden calendar and it was about time to dig the potatoes in my little garden patch by the back door. They grew from potatoes I had thrown out way early in the spring because they had started to sprout. I try to remember to put all vegetable waste in the garden patch as a form of compost. I got a good 5 lbs of potatoes ranging from bite size to "large". I gives me a "warm fuzzy" feeling to harvest my own vegetables, they taste so much better than store bought and I know harmful pesticides were not used!!
While I was doing that, Bob checked on the new clutch of Eastern Bluebirds, in the same utility box as earlier in the spring. He hadn't seen the mother flying around this morning and became concerned. He found her dead in the bottom box. He put the 5 babies, who are just about ready to fly, in the utility room, but only 2 of them are active. He has tried to feed them, without success because they will not open their mouths. I hate this, I'm too soft hearted to go through these helpless little things dying.
Meanwhile, Bob did a vaginal smear on Happy and he's hopeful that this time she's truly ready to be bred. She has had the strangest heat cycle, I'm wondering if it's one of those "Split Cycles" I've recently read about or maybe a cyst on an ovary??!! He is off to the Vet's with she and Magnum while I anxiously await Dr. Jerry's opinion.
- 2:00 PM CST
The phone line being down prevented the above entry from being uploaded, so I'll just give you an update:
Happy was ready to breed and Magnum was the Bully of the hour!!! Here are pictures of Happy
and Magnum
The baby birds are doing fine!! Once they got over being so scared, they started chirping
for food. When Bob returned from the Vet's he was so excited to hear them and immediately
fed them. I heard Bob chuckling and asked "You're really enjoying those babies, aren't
you?" He responded with, "They are so funny and eager for food, I'm glad I thought to
check on them."So now we have 5 more mouths to feed and knowing Bob he will spend as much time trying to save these baby birds as he did a tiny Bully named Peanut. I just hope he is as successful.
Jazzman Pictures - Click Here
- 11:00 AM CST
Bob is gone for the day, so it's just me and "our gang" with lots to do. We decided to name the new male puppy, Jazzman, because he came from Dixieland Bulldogs.
He's a very good puppy
but we haven't allow him to interact with the other pups his age yet. We want him to get use to
us and his new environment first. His Grandfather is CH Dingmans Badger Redman that's why he's so
pretty!!!Well, someone needs to get a Judge to sign papers to have us committed! We bought the puppy! He has a great pedigree and will be a good addition to our bloodlines, but the last thing we needed was another -- anything!!!!!
- 8:00 AM CST
We're exhausted this morning!!! Last night we had a repeat of the weather of yesterday!!
After the electricity came back on about 5:30 PM we got a call from a young couple wanting to sell their Bully pup because the man has been in the hospital several times lately and unable to work. They came to the house so Bob could take its picture, etc.
Afterward we were so exhausted we retired to our bedroom upstairs to sit under the A/C. Almost immediately the electricity went out and 20 minutes later a string of horrible thunderstorms were here. From about 8 last night until 4:30 AM we didn't have electricity. Hot and muggy without an a/c, "our gang" was restless and the outside dogs being use to security lights high on poles barked all night long keeping unseen creatures at bay.
The yard is littered with deadwood, tips of what were healthy tree limbs and leaves are laying all around as if fall had come early. It will take me days to pick up and rake the yard. The tin roof on the barn has torn lose in a couple of places while flower pots and hanging baskets have blown as much as 20 feet from their original position.
BUT today is proving to be sunny and hot, so I best get to work!!!
Boy Howdy!!!!! What a Day!!! Gina called to warn us that extremely high winds had toppled trees in Memphis and was headed our way!!! We had walked the Big Bullies and were rushing to get the "pups" out to potty when the bottom fell out of the sky, literally. The wind knocked over flower pots, deadwood from the trees was flying through the air and a large, heavy plastic pet carrier lifted and sailed through the air, slamming it into the side of the van 30 feet away, then it bounced into my flower bed. As soon as there was a pause in the wind, I ran to retrieve it, just then rain came down in sheets. The wicked wind picked back up and then suddenly stopped and blew in the opposite direction. A tornado went over head but did not touch down, Thank The Good Lord!!! We have been without power since 8:00 AM and it just came back on. It's been hot and muggy so we've been extremely worried about the Bullies and ourselves. More later.... PS Kojak & Eli are both doing better and are back at home!! Thanks for caring!!!
Monday - 7/21/03 - 10:00 AM CST
I'm "offline" today, Bob is finishing the floors.
Sunday - 7/20/03 - 10:00 AM CST
God is always sending me his fallen creatures!!! While giving fresh water to the Bullies in the totally enclosed dog runs separate from the house, a giant butterfly landed on my water hose causing Baby Snooks to get crazy. I wondered what it was doing inside and since it was so big I put on my reading glasses to have a better look.
GOSH!!! It was a baby Hummingbird and it wasn't attempting to move. I didn't know I was capable of running so fast as I headed for the house to get Big Bob, birds are his domain not mine. I grabbed a wash cloth to cradle in it and hollered for him to come help me before Baby Snooks got it. He took over and was successful in rescuing it. Poor, beautiful, exhausted baby bird. At first we put it in a flower pot and I ask Bob to grab his camera.
It was soon
obvious that it was too exhausted to fly and the more it tried the worse it was going to
be. We put it in a pan and lightly covered the top with a lightweight piece of cloth to enable
it breath but it would also think it was night and get some rest. About 5 minutes later, we
uncovered it to find it asleep but instantly awaken by the movement. It did a mini-flight to the
edge of the pan, then another to the surface of the table, a moment later it's little wings lifted
it into flight, our hearts sank as it did in mid-flight but only for a moment, then off it went.
I've always heard "If caged a Hummingbird will die" This one we were able to set free!!Come to think of it, that goes for humans as well, eventually our spirit and soul will die, then our body will give way. So don't be caged by something you can change!!
Do you think God sent this baby bird so I would write that last line for someone reading this???
To: Judy Cooksey
Sent: Sunday, July 20, 2003 12:39 PM
Subject: Yes you wrote the line for me.
Thank you!! I have begun my journey today.
God bless you I will keep you informed of my progress.
I love you JUDY...and BOB...
Now if you are from the South and a believer, you just got chill bumps all over your arms!!!
OK it's ready NOW!!!!
- 10:30 AM CST
The vaginal smear Bob did on Happy indicates she is ready to be bred!!! Fortunately our friend's stud Magnum is still at the vet's so Bob is on his way to have her bred. He's going to bring both Magnum and Tamika (there being bred) back with him and a little later today we are going to meet Kim & Chuck so they can get Tamika, they are also very anxious to see Bizkit so we'll take him with us. They live about 100 miles from us.
We'll take some really good ones of Tamika while we have her here so if you are interest in pup from her you can get in contact with Kim. They should know around 8/18 if her breeding was successful.
- 8:45 AM CST
Whew!!! We have nasty thunderstorms this morning. Right now we are in-between the cells so I'm on the computer for just a few minutes. Gina has asked me for my recipe for Chicken & Dressing and since I'm cooking just that this morning I was able to write it down for her and I thought maybe some of you would like it also:
Recipe For Chicken & Dressing
Have a wonderful day!!!
I had to take time out to love on Jeb, The Champ, this morning. He had buttermilk all over his face and got it all over my pants, so I just got down in the floor and loved on him for awhile. Of course Bob with his "ever ready" camera had to take pictures!!
The Champ is 14 inches from the top of his shoulders to the floor and 17 inches in length from his neck to his tail. I'm guessing he weighs about 45 pounds. Isn't he precious!!!
More Pictures & A Link To The Story of His Miraculous Recovery !!
Pictures With His Best Friend, Tyler!!
- 3:00 AM CST
Good Morning!!! I'm up because I have a sore throat, stuffy nose and achy ears, but I have too much to do today, breeding the 3 females again, to let physical problems take hold. The problem with the floors turned out to be very simple, Bob was so tired he forgot to stir the finish. The young man answering the call at the manufacture's location was wonderful...I wish I could say as much for the manager of the paint department at Lowe's. I was just attempting to find the source of the problem, not asking or demanding anything. At least I left the store smiling because I realized how fortunate I am to have such a positive attitude, she was grouchy and rude, I'm sure as a result of being unhappy with herself. What a shame!!! It's sad when a person wastes their life brooding over something they can't change... missing the happy life they could have!!!
These floors will not leave us alone!!! The last section that Bob finished has a different shine, semi-gloss instead of satin. My opinion is the can must be mislabel!!! I'm off to Lowe's in Corinth to get them to verify that I'm correct and hopefully get a new can that is actually "satin", but if all they have in stock is from the same run, I'll have to make a decision as to what we should do. You can't imagine the work poor Bob will have to do to make it "right". The floors, or part of the floors, have to be lightly sanded and another coat of whatever put on them.Good thing I put those peaches on to cook last night, eating a bowl with cream on top certainly lightened his mood.
This picture really makes the living room look small, but it will give you an idea of what Bob is doing. You would not believe how much effort he put into the ceiling beams and the floor. Sometimes "my artist" just takes forever but it is beautiful when he finishes.
Last night after working for 15 hours straight Bob and I were headed for bed early...Oops I've got tiny, tiny wormy things on my skin, I thought it was a spider's web. Panic "wormy things"!!! Got out the microscope and decided the only place I had seen something similar was on my plants, it was some kind of larva so it must be the half bushel of peaches I stopped by the orchard and purchased. I had to wash them down before I could even think about going to bed. I was so tired when I bought them that I forgot peaches go from ripe to rotten in a very short time, so neighbors got peaches and others went into the crock pot to cook all night and be turned into peach jam and cobbler "to die for" in the morning. To heck with my diet, summer's fresh bounty is just too good to miss!!!
Last night I got home last night at 6 o'clock after having a day filled with obstacles and the floors were still very wet. I suggested going to Corinth to eat since we were both very tired and shouldn't be in the paint flumes longer than necessary. We finished our nightly chores and took off. Returning at 9:30, we found the floors still wet. LOL LOL LOL What were we to do, the stairs to our bedroom were in the middle of the glistening wet floors. Should we go to a motel or make tracks on the floor? We made tracks I just don't know how bad yet. We could not leave "our gang" here by themselves for the night.
I'm off to do a repeat of Monday's activities!!!
I'm back on the road today but this time it's to PetSmart in Tupelo, Mississippi to buy dog food. The trip will take me about 3 hours, just long enough for Bob to apply the last coat of finish to the floors.
Yesterday "our gang" were fed dry dog food. I just didn't have the time to pamper them by soaking the dry food in hot water then adding meat or canned Pedigree Puppy Food for additional flavor. They looked at me like I was feeding them stale bread!!! But they soon decided I wasn't going to do any better so they ate it...spoiled brats!!!
I'm still trying to decide about going back "online" and have a very nice offer from Brenda of PA, who has one of our "babies". She said just refer the "uglies" to her and she would respond to them!! LOL LOL
I'm off to get the driving over before it gets any hotter.
Monday - 7/14/03 7:30 AM CST
Dang floors didn't get that last coat of finish today, cause we had too many things that "had to
be done now". Just sitting down for the night, as you will note we've been up and working 15 1/2 hours.
We ended up taking three females to the vet to be bred so we had to make two trips. Reba
& Mo, a.k.a Sweetpea, were bred to Mini-E
While at the vet's the second time we met up with Chuck, of Kim & Chuck owners of KC, Tamika and Magnum. We're going to use Magnum to bred Happy who will hopefully be ready by the time Magnum has completed courting Tamika.
So for those of you on the Waiting List for puppies, if everything goes well, you will have several litters to choose from since Gina & Phillip and Kim & Chuck have also bred their females.
- 4:00 AM CST
Did you notice the time, 4 o'clock in the morning! We're up and running with a absolutely full list of things that "have to be done today" - taking Bizkit to Covington, TN for a Stud Service which is a two hour round trip plus vet time, taking two of our females to our vet to have them bred via an AI, testing 3 more females to determine when they will be "ready", and completing the finishing of the floors. Special consideration also must be give to the temperature which is suppose to be in the lower 90's. If the van breaks down on the road, the Bullies could have a heat stroke. Makes me tired and anxious just to think of it.
Check out Ernie on Ebay! He's gone into the modeling field. (Not seriously.) http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2334500824&category=undefined
Ernie lives in California and looks just like his Papa, PepperJack.
Bob had to stop sanding because he ran out of sandpaper. We went to the get some and the bottom dropped out of the sky, severe thunderstorms, so yet another delay.
- Noon CST
Gophers...moles...Chaddyshack ...dynamite they won't sell to just anyone so now what do I do!!!! Bait, traps, sound devices are not working!!! At first I thought the "strays" had been laying on my hosta, but further investigation proved they had been eaten from the bottom up to the leaves, leaving what appeared at first glance to be mashed and wilted leaves, now they are going after other plants!!! If anyone has any suggestions, please send me an e-mail right away!!!
It's 87 degrees with a Heat Index of 93. The high is suppose to be 93 degrees and I'll bet the Heat Index goes up to 103!! This type of heat really slows us down and the productivity drops dramatically. We have to get us really early to beat the heat, usually 5 o'clock.
For breakfast along with our scrambles eggs and toast, we had tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers fresh picked from the little patch by the back door. There is just a satisfied feeling that comes from eating what you've grown yourself, plus it tastes so much better than store bought.
It's almost time for me to get back "online" and I'm trying to decide if that is what I want to do. If only there was a way to block the "ugly acting people that I don't know" I wouldn't hesitate.
Have a Good Day!!!
Too tired..... Bob has put on the first coat of finishing, no stain, on the Cherry Flooring and it is beautiful. A little darker than we had expected but we love it!!!! Trying to get all the fumes out of the house, we turned off the A/C and turned on the attic fan. The heat has sapped our energy and we're so tired we can't think properly. Bob is going to sand lightly in the morning and apply the second coat so we'll be just as tired tomorrow night. I am so please that we are back to making progress on the house.
Have a Great Sunday!!!
"The Count of Dogwood Pond a.k.a Counce,
Bob just did not like the name Counce.
Count & Peanut
Sugar Cookie
Click For More Pictures of Sugar
- 3:00 PM CST
I'm sick of sanding and the dust that goes with it. I think we could probably do this for the rest of our lives, so it's time to say "ENOUGH"!! I'm about to vacuum everything down and then Bob is going to do a test finishing in the tiny bathroom off the living room. If we like what we see, we going to move all the "babies" to the shop where there is an A/C and apply the finish tomorrow and Sunday.We have worked so hard that the week has just flown by.
This is to my friend Beth:
Girl, are you still down in the dumps? Only thing to do is just shake yourself free, literally. Pop that O'Brother tape in the player, turn it up really loud so it almost makes the hounds holler and dance to the music. Make that Bully of yours get up off his lazy behind and do the Bully Butt Wiggle with you ... dance yourself right out of the BLUES!!!
Seriously, anything I can do to help, just let me know.
Everybody have a great weekend!!!
Updated pictures of Sugar Cookie, sister of Peanut Butter Cookie now 6 months old.
What a look on his face!! LOL
Click For More Pictures of Peanut
Today I decided to make someone happy, so I put two of the hanging baskets in the van and drove down the road to two tiny houses sitting side by side just barely set back off the road. In passing by, I had seen the "little old ladies" out in the yard or sitting on their porches and from time to time I have stopped my van to give a scolding to their white German Shepherd who darts out to chase my van. I'm so afraid one day he will get run over. I just knocked on their doors and told them I had a present for them. Of course they wanted to know who I was so I gave them my name and tried to explain where I lived, without using the "N word". I made them smile and I hope the good feeling lasts all day for them, I know it will for me.
We've been up and working since 4 AM, so we're taking a break. We had a roasted turkey sandwich for whichever would this be breakfast or lunch. Yesterday, I went by one of the grocery stores just to see what they might have on sale left over from the July 4th stock and was lucky enough to get two fresh turkeys for $.39 per pound. Those Bullies are going to eat fine this week. I roasted one in the oven last night while it was cooler outside, now I'll pick most of the meat off the bone, chop it in the food processor and add it to their soaked Purina Puppy Chow. Meanwhile I'll cook the carcass in a big stew pan with rosemary, diced dried garlic and oregano until all the meat just falls off the bone, extract the bones and make gravy to add to the chopped turkey....Gourmet Turkey Gravy for "Our Gang". Everyone should be fed so good!!!
Yesterday, I did make a second trip to get plants, but only 10 hanging baskets and 5 other small nursery pots - Mandevilla, Jasmine, etc. Bob asked if I was going for another load of plants today and I told him ""NO""". The morning after a binge of plant buying, when reality hits you smack in the face, is tough on the nervous system...every waking hour this summer will be spend taking care of Bullies and plants.
I have so many plants it's almost impossible to walk!!! Poor Bob thought earlier in the year that I was going to die, so now he lets me do whatever I want!!! Actually he always has, but now he's encouraging the madness. Can you imagine I already had a porch full, and then I bought a total of 68 more hanging baskets, 2 big pots and 10 smaller black growers pots of plants. What a deal I got...or did I?
At least the plants won't bark..in addition to our gang, we have two Bullfrogs one of which honks like a goose and the other barks like a puppy and then there are a couple of wild birds who have the puppy bark down pat, they bark for food.
No more Bullies, strays, cats or plants!!! We are totally maxed out!!! Poor Bob was mad at Bizkit and Count last night. Regardless of what he did they wouldn't stop barking....Judy to the rescue I feed them softened food with lots of chicken legs and thighs ($.29 per pound) and told them they were on the list to give away if they didn't stop harassing Big Bob!! Silence!!!
Have a wonderful day and be thankful for what you do have!!!!
Shake, rattle and roll......I'm on one!!! What a 'Lucy' thing I've done!!!
Long story but it's the end of the selling season, house plants out in the sun, for these it was a disaster, so they are sun burned on top, but I can take care of that. I asked how much if I bought all the philodendron . We bargained a little not much, men are such pushovers. $1.75 per basket ...so here I am with 41 hanging baskets... I also struck a deal on the Boston ferns for $2.00 each but didn't have room to transport them. The guy asked if Bob knew what I was doing and I told him Lord NO!!! As I drove out the gate I said, if you hear of a killin' in Pocahontas, I was me!!!! LOL LOL
We're taking a break from our morning chores and getting ready to start back on the floors. What I forgot to tell you is that the flooring is tongue-and-groove boards that Bob laid himself. It was milled locally and allowed to air dry. We had heard the 92 year old owner of the mill, wouldn't sell to anyone he didn't like, so Bob started off their relationship on a cold winter day by going into the old man's tiny office and when asked how he could be helped Bob said first off he just needed to sit by the pot bellied stove and get warm.
After a
good 20 minutes of no conversation, Bob finally started off by telling him we were
building a house and needed someone who really "knew wood" to help us along. Months later,
Bob had bought all the cypress wood for the board and batten outside of the house and
asked about oak flooring. The old man studied him for a while then said "I've got
something better stored up the road"...which turned out to be the cherry
flooring we are now finishing.Just about everything connected with the house has it's own story......even the road we live on now name Betty Lane wasn't named when we started building. 'Folks in these parts' had called it "Nigger Church Road" for as long as anyone could remember. I tried saying Black Church Road, Negro Church Road, the last road before entering Mississippi, giving detailed instructions as to the milage from one point to another but so many times we were forced to use those words or supplies couldn't be delivered. Unfortunately, the church was burned down over 20 years ago.
We're fine, just working hard. Gina & Phillip are coming today to help and eat BBQ. Have A Great 4th of July and please remember to pray for our military, because of them we continue to be Independent!!!
Oops I've got computer problems this morning, probably a virus so if you don't hear from me for a few days you'll know why!!
- 6:30 AM CST
I slept in this morning, didn't get up until 5:30. Goodness I'm tired, but there are things to do.
Looking at Sleepy this morning, I'm wondering if she isn't having a False Pregnancy!! Although she has milk, she just isn't big enough nor is the breast tissue filled out like it should be. Another point is that she is being so dang picky about what she eats, normally a Mother-To-Be would be eating everything in sight! Oh well, this is just part of raising Bullies!
My Grandmother would always say "Things happen for the best, although we can't see it at the time" and the older I get the more I understand ... for every bad thing that happens there's something worse thing that could have happened.
We're just now calling it quits for the night ... we've had company, rain and electrical problems but we just jumped those hurdles and moved ahead!! It's time to go to bed and get up early, early in the morning to get things done. I only have two more weeks of "downtime" then it's back online!!
Thank you all for being kind enough to understand, I had to have time to revitalize!!!
- 5:00 AM CST
We're up to our eyes in work complicated by three days of rain and expecting Sleepy to go into labor any time. Bob has finished round three of the sanding, now it's take another look, touch up here and there, dust removal, applying the first coat of finish, let it dry for 24 hours, sand lightly and apply second coat, let it dry, sand lightly and then apply the final finish.. The delay has been the cloudy rainy weather, so last night I went to Lowe's and bought lights on a tripod, I don't know why I hadn't thought of that before.
The area he's working on is the front part of the house downstairs and the flooring is native cherry. Although it is going to be beautiful it is certainly taking more effort than the oak flooring in the kitchen, laundry and bath area. By the way we are going to have to refinish these areas because we have certainly abused them while building, plus we won't talk about the damage from nine grown Bullies in the house, housebreaking 4 puppies at the same time, etc.
I don't think Sleepy will hold off long enough for Bob to finish the floors, but maybe. I looked up the description of her last litter and she almost had to have an emergency c-section in the middle of the night, so our anxiety has increased. She had 8 puppies last time but she's not as big this time around!!!
Have a Good Day and make someone smile!!!
Prior Judy's Journal Page, April 2003 - June 15, 2003
Prior Event Page January - April 2003
Why I'm Nicknamed PuppyGal
"We have one mission in life, and that mission is to love" - Mother Theresa
Judy is a PuppyGal and always has been -- bringing in strays, thrown away puppies and other creature for the last 50 years, we will have to assume she was five years old before she brought in her first one. When she was four years old she went missing and hours later they found her under her Grandparent's old country farmhouse. She had snuggled up next to their big white dog and fell asleep. She and their eight yard dogs roamed the 100 acre farm, everyone contend that the dogs would protect her. While other little girls played with dolls, PuppyGal and the dogs followed behind her Papa as he plowed the fields, feed the goats or milked the cows. Life changed, Papa passed away, she lived full time in the city, got a good education and became an executive for a National Corporation. One day she decided they were robbing her of her life so she told them "I'm Through Now" and returned to the country and her first love dogs… smashed faced, snorting Bulldogs.