Puppy Gal Welcomes You To
Judy's Journal June 2008 ....
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!"
Being happy doesn't mean everything's perfect.
It means you've decided to see beyond the imperfections! (Author Unknown)
Hardeman Co. Animal Control
English Bulldog Puppy Pictures
Li'l Cookie showing Eve's Puppies how to eat spaghetti!! Video Made 4/03/08
Click here to get IN THE MOOD!!!
Monday - June 30, 2008 4:30 PM
The dryer hasn't worked in a few days, comes on but won't start the cycle, unfortunately there is no error code. One of the things we bought on Friday was a voltage meter so Bob could test a part as directed by Whirlpool. Yesterday he finally got around to it .... now it won't even come on period.
It's all Jeb's fault, the little hard-head ...
Jeb was laying in the floor watching Bob, who was sitting on the floor, vacuuming out the lower part of the dryer once he had taken the panel off. All of a sudden Jeb decided he wanted the vacuum hose, he snatched it from Bob's hand, because it was totally unexpected Bob didn't resist and Jeb started pulling it across the room toward his den. We both just cracked up laughing, which didn't bother Jeb one bit. I told him to "drop it" in my "you've been a bad puppy voice" and he did. Bob is back to using it again, Jeb knows better than to pull another snatch and run, so he does the slow creep, up into Bob's lap where he mouths the hose like it's a big bone he's not allowed to have. Between the two of them they managed, I'm sure, to knock a connection loose so now the dryer isn't getting power at all.
It was right after the above that my foot "of a thousand bites" started warming up which caused it to swell and start itching. I turned the electric skillet of new potatoes and onions down on simmer and told Bob everything I'm cooking should be done in 17 minutes. The bread in the oven is on a timer and when it goes off, cut off the potatoes. If you want an egg toss it in on top of the potatoes when the timer is down to 5 minutes and enjoy!!! I'm going into our refrigerated bedroom for an olive oil dip so these dang bites will stop itching.
I'm hopeful that by tomorrow my inseact bites will have played themselves out and I'll be able to figure out what's going on with the dryer, never trust a man with a Bully in his lap to do a good repair job. (lol lol) - Judy
Sunday - June 29, 2008 9:30 PM
Do you ever get a hankering for something good to eat? Do you go out to a high priced restaurant and find yourself immediately disappointed in the quality of the food??? Well here's my story .... Good seafood is expensive but chances are good that you will pay a high price for seafood that isn't really good. Before the chiggers started chomping on my body we stopped at Tony's Market, 1204 N Gloster St, Tupelo, MS to check out what they were selling. There weren't any oysters in the display case so I asked if they had any. Expecting oysters in the shell I was surprised when they brought out oysters in a plastic container from the cooler in back. To be honest they didn't appeal to me but I had asked so we bought a small container. We ate them raw tonight and my taste buds were in heaven!!!! If you like seafood, do yourself a favor and visit Tony's Market. The prices are not cheap but you will definitely love anything you purchase from them (beef, pork, etc.) ... good eatin' is hard to find. - Judy
Sunday - June 29, 2008 7:30 PM
I wish I could tell you that I came up with a sure fire way to keep chigger bites from driving a person crazy, but I can't ... I think I might be over the edge. Best thing I found to do is dab the Orajel where I could, stay in the upstairs bedroom with the a/c on high, rub olive oil all over my body and leave the clothes wearing for another day. lol lol
I decided my body attracting biting insects is the problem and I have been searching the internet in hopes of finding information, but about all I found is the garlic smell theory which won't work for me because we eat LOTS of garlic and it hasn't stopped them yet. There was one other site that said B12 & B6 supplements would keep mosquitoes away ... supposedly they don't like the smell of the B6 and the B12 is to make a person sweat??? Well I don't sweat as a normal rule, just over-heat, so maybe I should just try this one out to see if it's true.
Forget me being able to get or answer emails for a while longer. With me unable to help Bob with the critters, he hasn't had time to set up the newer computer for me. - Judy
Saturday - June 28, 2008 1:00 PM
My theory, although it sounds crazy, is that the van had chiggers, about a quarter of the way home from Tupelo, MS yesterday I started to itching like a crazy person. I asked Bob to watch the traffic to make sure there were no trucks anywhere near and when he gave me the all clear I started wiggling out of my under clothes.
I wonder what they would have said at the McDonald's if I had gone in and asked if someone would guard the door so that Bob could go into the restroom with me to see if I had chiggers or ticks on my behind. What do people who are single do if they have a tick they can't get at??
Needless to say these insect bites have gotten way beyond the dabbing stage, there are just too many, and I'm in need of some strong medicine to stop the itching and calm down these inflamed bites which are threatening to become infected. By the way, Bob doesn't have any bites ... I think that is what really sets me off, we're in the same environment I'm miserable and he is without any discomfort. (grumble, grumble.) - Judy
Saturday - June 28, 2008 9:30 AM
Everybody tells me everything....
While shopping yesterday, it started. I merely asked the cashier if she knew why there were so many people out shopping. From there it took less than 3 minutes for her to tell me the story of her life. I murmured kind words, wished her well and would have given her a hug of encouragement, which she truly needed, if the circumstances had been different. As we leave her area, I look over at Bob who had a slight smile on his face and ask, what is that smile about. He said I believe she told you her life story in record time, didn't she? It was going to be one of those days ... any person who needs to "tell it to someone" was going to be looking for me.
Lady without clothes story, we'll call her Maggie Mae ....
Not far from here there lives a lady who is so very nice, kind and polite when she's taking her medicine, when she's without her medicine it's a totally different story. She's very well known to the Sheriff's Department and has been in several mental institutions through out her life.
Somehow or the other, the pastor at the church she was attending confirmed to her that if she truly believed that she should not be taking her medicine that perhaps it was the Lord's will. Oops... she hadn't been without her medicine long before her family started hearing the ruckus, she verified her pastor's part in the situation so they called him in an effort to get her back on her medicine. He was most adamant that the Lord works in mysterious ways and insisted all would be well. A lot he knew.
Her family insisted the pastor visit her, therefore he and a deacon of the church rang her doorbell. She answered the door naked as a jaybird, praising him and the Lord for setting her free, even of her clothes. Quickly the pastor and the deacon attempted retreat, a naked woman answering her house door in rural Mississippi is not a common occurrence. It is doubtful that the pastor or deacon had ever seen a naked woman, except "maybe" their wives. She kept insisting they come into the house for a glass of sweet tea and they kept making excuses. There is no way these two men were going to set a foot in a house with a naked lady. Finally she got mad and cussed them to high heaven for being so impolite as to decline her invitation. After finally extracting themselves from the situation, the pastor called her on the telephone and convinced her to start back taking her medication. (Told to me by the lady's sister.) - Judy
Friday - June 27, 2008 9:30 PM
We needed supplies and I offered to go alone but Bob said there was no way he would let me out by myself after what happened to me last year when I got so hot ... crazy, silly stuff. We had a very good time. He got the oil changed in the van while I rounded up what we needed at Wal-Mart, then we went out to eat at the New China Buffet, I know I swore I wouldn't go there again but we did. Then we stopped at the "bent and dent" store in Booneville, MS, didn't find much but did get lentils and rice to cook for the critters.
Our next stop was at PetSmart where we went into sticker shock, the price of all premium dog food is about to go out the roof, most already is but we could tell they were selling off the present stock to make room for the higher priced packages with less in them, some of which had already arrived. I was also shocked at the price of the birds and their supplies.
Our next stop was Sam's where we found the same price increases, so it wasn't just PetSmart. We made a mini stop at Home Depot for an "s-trap", I refused to check prices there I had seen enough for one day. lol lol
I so hope you have a wonderful weekend. - Judy
Friday - June 27, 2008 10:30 AM
Yearly - Bully Heat Stroke Warning!!!!
Summer can be hadazardous to your English Bulldog's health and well being.Use good judgement at all times and monitor your Bully carefully. A woman called me crying and wanting to know if I had any puppies, her children had been in the back yard playing with their Bully and didn't know it was over-heating, it had a heat stroke and died. Thankfully it wasn't one of my "babies".
Never leave your Bully outside alone without shade when the temperature is above 72F, their coat absorbs the sun's rays and depending upon the Bully it could prove to be fatal. Just because there is shade available doesn't mean your Bully will go to it if it gets hot, they don't realize they are hot, until they are too hot.
Never leave your Bully outside alone although it is confined to a shaded area during the summer, temperatures rise quickly.
Never jog with your Bully.
Never take long walks with your Bully without taking along a wagon to transport it back home should it start to get too hot ... a good idea is to take along plenty of water to drink or pour on it.
Never allow your male Bully to attempt to breed a female, free style. They are too short and compact to complete the act and could very well have a heat stroke or heart attack trying.
Never place your Bully in a plastic kennel in a vehicle during the summer, air flow is too restricted.
Never allow your Bully to be unsupervised in a vehicle, crated or otherwise. A/c systems fail, vehicles run out of gas, etc.
Wednesday - June 26, 2008 4:00 PM
I tried to get Jeb to wear a straw hat for pictures but he refused, wanted to eat it or at least play with it!! lol lol
It is hot and dry here, the chiggers are out and a few found me yesterday when Chunky Cookie and I were out in the flower garden. I'm highly allergic to all insect bites and stings but I've found that bites can be controlled by dabbing on a little Orajel, toothache medicine. I've tried all OTC (over the counter) insect itch relief products, plus prescription steroids but this is the only product that gives me relief from the itching.
I use to carry around adrenalin to give myself a shot in case I was stung, until I discovered splashing on water so a layer of salt would stick to the area, no bump, lump or any evidence of being stung appears. I have restaurant salt packets everywhere!! BUT this must be done immediately!!!
One more home remedy ... if you get burned immediately pour vinegar over the area, doesn't matter what kind. If it's bad, soak a cloth with vinegar and hold it on the area.
I use all three of these home remedies and have no reason to tell you about them, other than trying to be helpful. - Judy
New Bloom For Today
Daylily
Wednesday - June 25, 2008 1:30 PM
Blooming Today
Daylily
Lily
Wednesday - June 25, 2008 10:30 AM
Just maybe Chunky Cookie (a.k.a. Li'l Cookie) has been broken from messing with my plants. She is so weird, she likes to sniff the blooms ... but just now I think she might have sniffed a tiny insect which was in the bloom or maybe got pollen up her nose. She sneezed about 15 times straight and looked at me like I had made her do it. lol lol It was too funny to be described with words, I wish I had my camera to take a video but I was busy hanging out sheets.
Wednesday - June 25, 2008 7:30 AM
Oh So Good .... Watermelon, Mini Seedless, Eubanks Produce Farm, Lucedale, MS ... right here in the good ole USA!!! Bob bought this for me at Walmart on Monday. If you like a sweet delicious watermelon, do yourself a favor and rush out to your Walmart and get yourself one!!! Like everything else, good watermelons are so hard to find, even at a farmer's market.
I've looked high and low for wild caught USA shrimp, now Walmart has them. I bought a small package and will report on their flavor once I've cooked them, which will probably be today. We bought USA peaches which were so very good and juicy, but the nectarines (imported )are tasteless.
Do you think being able to purchase grown in the USA watermelons and USA wild caught shrimp is due to the high cost of gas, therefore importing products from other countries cost more??? If that is a correct assumption, then we should see more USA products in the grocery stores which means keeping more of our money in our own (USA) economy. Oops that's not right because more of our money is going to other countries for gas!! Well at least we can get USA grown food which tastes better, so there is a bit of a silver lining to the high gas price situation.
We've already completed the first round of morning chores, but gracious there is so much more to do, so I best get moving. Have a good day!!! - Judy
Tuesday - June 24, 2008 9:30 PM
Blooming Now....
Angel's Trumpet (Brugmansia) Rosamond Seedling, which means it was grown from a seed and I could
apply to have it registered, but it looks too much like Rosamond's other offspring. I don't
know how they smell but she perfumes an acre easily with this many blooms. When an Angel's
Trumpet has several blooms open at one time it's referred to as a "flush".
Daylily
Lily
Can you believe this "mess" of Lilies all blooming at one time!! LOL
Tuesday - June 24, 2008 6:30 PM
I really did, "shopped until I dropped" yesterday. We got up early, worked hard and fast getting the morning chores completed and then took off to Corinth, MS to pick up supplies. We got hotter than the dickens going from store to store. I had a list all made out so it was pretty much a no brainer but I had to check to see if there were any bargains that could be used in the critter food, etc. lol You know me. Well we were almost finished with Wal-Mart when I told Bob I had to go get a drink of water at the back of the store, then sit in Ronald McDonald's lap for a few minutes, I was exhausted. (The Corinth, MS store has a McDonald's in the back of the store.)
On the way to the back Bob kept trying to ask me questions and once I sat down he was asking if I could think of anything else we needed, he would go get it and come back to me, etc., etc. I asked, Have you ever seen me have to sit down on a shopping trip?? He responded, No and then he got frightened, which made everything worse. I had to tell him to calm down, stop asking me questions, go get the other items on the list, check out and meet me at the front of the store ... I'll be sittin' on a bench.
While he was doing all of that, I figured out I had just expended more calories that I had taken in the last few days, the heat had sapped my energy, plus it was 3 o'clock in the afternoon and in our rush I had totally forgotten to eat breakfast. Needless to say, we stopped for a late lunch.
Bob reminded me that I would never, ever allow one of my critters to go that long without food. He is so right, they get fed first thing in the morning and last thing at night and my priority was on them and Bob, I even made sure he had eaten, but I forgot about myself.
I'm going to have to do better than this, especially in this summer heat. - Judy
Monday - June 23, 2008 9:45 AM
Blooming of 06/18/08
Daylily
Lily
Rose
Monday - June 23, 2008 9:15 AM
Blooming Now....
Angel's Trumpet (Brugmansia) Rosamond Seedling
This photo captures the blooming stages ... bud is green, opening to white then turning a
deep velevety pink.
Daylily
Lily
Very similar but not the same lily as above.
Monday - June 23, 2008 8:45 AM
Good Morning!!!
Bob and I spent a considerable part of the weekend evaluating our activities and how we could improve the methods used to complete our chores. There just does not seem to be enough hours in the day to do everything we would like to do .. which is my fault with all my house plants, flower beds, critters and such. We're determined to get in more relaxation time which will include a little catfishin'.
Bob took some beautiful pictures of blooms yesterday so I'll be posting those a little later in the day. May your day be cheerful and your soul light. - Judy
Saturday - June 21, 2008 10:30 PM
That little wet hen of a storm, or her evil twin, did more damage at my "kinda" cousin's house, about 50 miles to the North, than she did here.
Date: Friday - June 20, 2008
Subject: Glad You're OK
Name: Mona
Glad to hear you are ok. I told Chad I was worried because you had not posted. That same darn wet hen got us too. About 1/2 hour before you. About 1:30am on Saturday, Lightning hit a tree in our front yard, which blew the ground up all the way to the chain link fence, ran the length of the fence, welded the gates shut, ran into our sunroom through an electrical wire over the doggy door. It blowed the doggy door out of the wall, set the socket and insuation over it on fire, blowed every electric socket in that room out. We are just blessed that Chad was up and managed to get the breaker off before anything else caught fire. We have spent the whole week trying to get folks rounded up to get trees cut down, air conditioner fixed, electrical wires reran...yada yada...you know the drill. I'm glad to hear ya'll are ok. I was about ready to call, but I know you don't like calls so I was going to give it another day or so. Talk later,Mona
Blooming Now....
sDaylily
Calla Lily
Friday - June 20, 2008 8:20 PM
Last Saturday morning around 2 o'clock, a nasty little Banty (Bantam) Rooster of a storm came through here dumping rain by the buckets full. He was followed by a little wet hen storm flying low to the ground spitting out lightening. I think she was aiming for the 250 gallon liquid propane tank but the charge was more attracted to the telephone cable buried in the ground about 6 feet South of it. The lightening followed that telephone line into the house and to about 5 feet from where we were trying to sleep, I woke up shaking and looking for the hole in the wall, but it had only blown the beejibbers out of the modem and printed circuit boards. My computer still isn't acting right but we've finally got it to where it will send and receive emails, most of the time. lol
I'll be back in the morning to post pictures of the current blooms. - Judy
Friday - June 13, 2008 4:00 PM
Once in a Blue Moon I'll give Buttermilk to the Bullies ... it is too high in sodium for them to have more often!!!! However, they love it, especially Jeb. He says he likes it so much he would like to rub it all over his face. I gave him about a cup of buttermilk in a bowl which he lapped up immediately then I turned around and he had laid down and buried his face in the empty bowl. lol lol Tonight for supper they are getting lentils cooked with pork and minced garlic mixed into their soaked Purina dry food. The big pot full is on the stove cooking now and you can tell they know it's their food ... or maybe they just think all food cooking in a big pot is theirs.
We've had light rain showers off and on all day and it has made us all lazy, that includes the critters. It's nice to have all of "strays" back in good shape, not limping around because there for a few weeks it seemed the "strays that came to stay" were getting beat up by something and I was beginning to suspect the wild turkeys were after them because they were getting too close to their nests. I'm going to read up on wild turkey behavior because we haven't heard them clucking for a few days and that leads us to believe they've moved out of the immediate area.
I'm off to start soaking critter food and clean up the kitchen a little, then go to bed early so we can get an early start on tomorrow. - Judy
Thursday - June 12, 2008 5:00 PM
Good Evening!! I thought you might like this picture of Chunky Cookie a.k.a. Li'l Cookie.
lol lol She is such a pest, she will not leave me alone, it's lick, lick, lick on the back
of my legs and if I correct her she'll get behind me and bump me slightly on the leg with
her snout, as if getting back at me. All of you parents of teenagers know the attitude she
has right now, "loving but defiant". If I'm trying to take pictures of plants she jumps in
the flower bed to get between them and me, and will actually lay down on the flowers.
Stinker!!! We've had a round of training on not doing that lately. I watch her closely
and go into my "ain, ain, ain" mode which prevents her from following through with the
action, but I have to watch her like a hawk. We had a good little rain shower here today which cooled down the temperature and watered all the plants for me. I cooked Bob a pie and am about to fix either a cobbler or a buttermilk prune cake.
Normally, I'm a news hound, but I'm so sick of politics, food price increases as well as recalls and all the horrible happening both in the USA and other countries. I'm impressed with the efficiency of the first responders to our recent weather disasters. I held my breath until the quake lake overflow in China was resolved and I smiled when I read some Cuban urban dwellers have turned empty lots into vegetable patches and are making a tidy profit by Cuban standards while providing better food for local residence, a "capitalist" endeavor instigated by Raul Castro no less ... just maybe there is hope for capitalism to take over Cuba, if so surely democracy wouldn't be far behind.
We're off to walk and feed the critters. - Judy
Wednesday - June 11, 2008 10:30 AMAt 2:00 AM I woke up, checked the outside temperature which was 66F so I turned off the air conditioner and on the attic fan. Our neighbor down the road had been burning trash and there was still a residue of the odor in the air coming through the open window. An hour later I was awakened by the perfume from one of my Angel's Trumpets (Brugmansia) which we had planted about 14 feet from a window which was open downstairs. What a delightful smell, like a fresh shower with soap containing a ever so slight touch of musk.
Angel's Trumpet blooms open at night to attract the Hawkmoth which is the pollinator. Some varieties
have only a faint smell but with others, one bloom
can perfume a large size yard. Too bad I
only had two varieties in bloom or the pollination might have been successful. I'm not into
hybridization, I have too much other work to do, but it's nice every once in a while to grow out
seeds Mother Nature has pollinated just to see what she created, although in the "world of Brugmansia
hybridizers" that's like raising "mutt puppies". lol lol
Isabella
I have this Angel's Trumpet marked as Isabella, but it is very hard to tell the difference in many of the hybrid pinks, so who knows.
Wednesday - June 11, 2008 9:30 AM
Tuesday - June 10, 2008 11:30 AM
Blooming Today
Lilies
Daylilies
Old Fashion Tall Garden Phlox
Another plant that can get out of hand easily.
Tuesday - June 10, 2008 8:00 AM
We had storms all around us all night long and I thought Melanie was going to tear down the kiddy gates to come upstairs. Along about 3 AM the weather settled down and so did she, Bless Her Heart!!
I'm going to cook breakfast first then I'm going to take pictures of the new blooms before it gets too hot and humid for me to be outside. Not much is going on, we're all just trying to lay low and stay cool through this hot spell. - Judy
Monday - June 9, 2008 Noon
We had one really bad scare earlier this morning, the electricity went off. Immediately we started trying to get in touch with the utility company but all circuits were busy which meant the outage was widespread. Bob got hyper worrying about what to do if the Bullies started to warm up since the high temperature for today is forcasted to be 94F .... I laid down on the bed and started reading a book. Our utility provider is really good and I had faith that the outage would be for a short time only. I didn't get a full chapter read before everything popped back on.
Sunday - June 8, 2008 3:45 PM
Bob says, in answer to "Why do you love me?":
"I love you because in the middle of the night
You reach for me and hold me tight..."
Saturday - June 7, 2008 7:30 AM
I'm happy to report that John and wife are getting "their groove back", I hope that means they are getting "back in the groove" versus something nasty. lol I can't post her name because this is a small community and her name is unusual, about like Posey, so if I posted it everyone reading this journal and living in our community would know their business. When we were out last Saturday I told her all about Bob and his high blood pressure medicine, which cause him to be fitful at night and when he insisted upon it being changed, that it resolved the problem. Now I'm the one talking in my sleep about things like "raccoon honeymoon". He told me this morning that I woke him up at 3:33 AM to tell him the time and remind him that he had to get up at 5:00 AM. He said OK and I went back to sleep, that is ... if I was awake, I went back to sleep. I don't have the excuse of taking any medications, I've always been this way.
Yesterday morning, we went to the vet's very early so that we could be first in line. On the way home, I asked Bob, who was driving, to stop to get donuts, something we haven't had for several years. I ordered 3, 2 for Bob and 1 for me, the lady behind the counter said for an additional $.50 I can give you 3 more donuts, now you know me, I'm always chasing a bargain so why not. Out of the assortment I picked an Apple Fritter, which was a deep fried fancy twisted donut with a glazing of apple flavoring and bits. It was wonderful, well the first 3 bites were, then I realized my mouth was totally coated with cold, sweet grease ... yuck, yuck, yuck!! I could not stand the feeling. Seeing that Bob was almost finished with his Chocolate glazed donut I handed him the remainder of my Apple Fritter which he totally enjoyed. He said it seemed as if lately he was finishing off all my meals for me, so no wonder he was gaining weight.
I love pickled onions but it's so difficult to come by a brand that is really good. I lucked up and bought a small jar which I can truly say are the best. The brand name is Haywards. Bob had never liked pickled onions until I got him to try one of these. They are great to eat with sandwiches. Dill Pickles are another thing I love but again the brand makes all the difference. I don't care how expensive a jar of pickles is, most are not fit to eat, in my opinion. I don't remember the brand I bought recently but I got them at the "Dollar Tree Store", for a $1. I thought why not give them a try. I was delighted to bite into a crispy, good tasting dill.
I just read through this entry and thought "weird", so I'll stop now. lol Have a wonderful weekend. - Judy
Friday - June 6, 2008 11:15 AM
Blooming Today
Lilies
Roses
Purple Pickerel Weed
Pond Plant Considered Invasive Must Be Tightly Controlled
Dumpy & Boomer
Friday - June 6, 2008 6:15 AM
It's hotter than a pepper sprout here in Pocahontas, TN. I suppose we would be considered the true middle of the Mid-South, right on the Mississippi/Tennessee Stateline, 80 miles east of Memphis, TN.
Seed Snatching Can Be Great Fun
The topic for today is seed snatching .... first off not all seeds produce plants true to the mother plant because the pollinator (bees, insects and such) might have been in pollen from the same plant family but not the same species. i.e. different Iris, but there are lots of plants that are self-pollinating so they will be true. How was that for trying to confuse you!Why pay good money for seeds, when you get so few, when you can in most cases "snatch" seeds of the plants you see and like, before the birds and insects eat them. True Southern Etiquette requires that you "ask" before snatching, if possible, that is if the plants are on private property, botanical gardens, nurseries, etc. Plants loaded with seeds along the roadside in my opinion are considered "free for the taking" and permission is not needed. Matter of fact if the plant is in an area that will get mowed and or sprayed by the county or state my feelings are, rescue by dig the complete plant and hope it survives.
I'm normally one of those timid snatchers, but I got a little happy the other day at Lowe's. A woman who obviously didn't know anything about plants asked me if the odd colored Daisies with lots of spent blooms on the markdown rack would put out more blooms. I don't know a thing about Daises but I knew those spent blooms were just about dry and the plant would look much better "dead headed". She gave it the once over and decided I knew my plants .... hehehe. We pinched off the spent blooms and sure enough it looked so good that she was off to the cashier to buy it, meanwhile I had a pocket full of seed pods. They may be a hybrid which will not reproduce from seeds, they may revert back to the wild plant or I may have a flower bed full of "pink" daisies come this time next year.
The Story of Dumpy - December 15, 2000
We noticed a new blue pickup truck stopped at the end of our gravel drive. The driver spotted us watching, jumped back into their truck and hurriedly spun out and down the road. A small dog scrambled onto the road, running and barking after the pickup. Another dumped dog!
I got into my van as fast as I could (with my gimpy foot) and raced up the road. There on
the side of the road was a mixed black and white male dog the size of a small beagle. I
would guess his lineage consisted of fiest and blue heeler. I used all my usual "come here,
doggie" skills to no avail. He was so frightened he just ran off into the woods.
During the next three days, I caught a glimpse of him, but having recently been bitten by a strange dog, I was not agile enough to get close to him.
On the fourth morning, I put a couple of slices of left over pizza in Angel's food bowl. Angel picked up a large piece of the pizza and headed off down the drive. I watched as she went to the place along side the road where the little dog had entered the woods. I waited about an hour, gave her another piece and watched as she did it again. Angel, (my Guardian Angel), was taking care of the "dumped dog". Maybe she recognized in the dog the same fears as she had when she was dumped out at very near the same place.
Today, coming back from the vet's I saw the "dumped dog". His sides were sunken in and he looked so pitiful lying in a grassy area beside the road waiting for his family to come back!! I stopped. He ran. It was obvious the only food he had were Angel's pizzas.
I returned with dog food and water to where I had last seen him. When I stopped the van, he ran. When I placed the food near by, he was so hungry he could barely wait for me to leave.
I returned 30 minutes later to a dog in a much better frame of mind but still really frightened. Using all my doggie skills, I was finally able to get my hands on him and managed to hold his head away from me so he couldn't bite. A scared dog can bite. I had come prepared with a dog carrier in the van. He curled up in the back of it and just shook.
Tomorrow, we'll go slowly, and the next day and the next day and one day soon, he will
make someone a great pet the only problem is people don't want a grown mixed mutt. He
needs to be given the best chance possible so I'll take him to the vet for his shots and
have him neutered. We'll teach him to love and trust and walk on a lead. Just maybe some
day soon someone will say, "Hey, I'd like to have that dog." In the meantime, he won't be
shot, run over, freeze or starve.
Dumpy Today
No one ever said, Hey, I'd like to have that dog, probably because most of the time he
would pull a disappearing act whenever strangers were around. lol lol After unpacking it, I tossed a "banana box" on the back porch for Bob to take to the truck which makes the dumpster runs. I've been warned that insect eggs will hatch from these boxes and I surely don't want any more insects than we already have ... unless it would be one that liked a diet of other insects.
Bob came in the back door after taking care of the outside
critters and said, Dumpy really likes the bed you got for him. I looked out the back door
and sure enough Dump is curled up in the box sleeping. Who would have thought it. He likes
his den very much and we make sure the front is not covered unless there is a storm
predicted. At any rate I thought you would like pictures of the Dump in the box he
had decided to call "home". Notice the graying around his face, he was full grown when he
was dumped out and that was almost 8 years ago. This is the little fella who took on the
3-400 pound pig that was on the back porch. - Judy Thursday - June 5, 2008 6:30 AM
I'm sure you have heard the phrase .. It's time to stop being silly and get serious! Well we're doing just the opposite around here .. It's time to stop being serious and get silly!! Isn't that a much better way to live!!
It never cooled off enough last night to turn on the attic fan. I'm so addicted to the roar of the fan and the fresh air flowing across the bed from the open window, that I kept waking up to check to see if I could turn it on. The good news is, later in the week it's suppose to be a little cooler at night. If you don't have a whole house fan, just imagine being outside when the temperature was 60 or so with a gentle breeze flowing over you, then you will know my addiction.
I don't think I told you how crazy the cashier at a salvage food store looked at Bob when he bought 15 cans of salmon. We had gotten a couple of cans to try out on the critters and they loved it so we went back and got all they had in stock. For $1 each it was a real deal and just a tad in each bowl was a refreshing change of taste for their soaked kibble, much cheaper than adding canned dog food on those days when I don't have anything cooked up to add.
Speaking of salmon, Mr Cat was in his usual place in my chair on the side porch yesterday morning. I was so very pleased. When I turned on the hose to water the plants he jumped down and off the porch. I watched closely as he walked away and realized it was his back left foot he was favoring, but he's getting around fairly well so he probably just strained a muscle, don't we all know how that feels.
Grits, corn beef seasoned with a small amount of crushed tomatoes, thyme, sauted onions, poach eggs cooked on top, eaten with toast instead of biscuits sounds like a wonderful breakfast for this morning. We enjoyed this while in the Bahamas many years ago, so I came home and cooked it until I got it right!!! It's Bahamian Firehouse Breakfast a.k.a. Bully Beef (Jamaican). I'm off to the kitchen. - Judy
In Bloom Today
Lilies
I had been using the shop vac in the kitchen last night when I ran out of energy. Intending to finish the job this morning, I didn't put it up. When Bob opened the kiddy gate to let Li'l Cookie out to potty, she ran quick as lightening to the extension cord, snatched it up and charged out the back door. The kiddy gate into the living room which had been resting on the cord, came tumbling to the floor with a loud clatter and the shop vac fell over on it's side. Li'l Cookie abandoned the cord just before she leapt off the porch I'm sure because of the resistance ... she never heard the commotion she cause in the kitchen. Meanwhile Jeb just sat there in the middle of the kitchen waiting for his chicken treat and looking around as if to say, can you believe she's making all that noise.
Jeb then said, "By the way I liked the spinach but next time can you leave off the pepper sauce". I told him, "Don't beg for everything I'm eating, OK!!" To which he replied, "I'll eat it with pepper sauce".
Wednesday - June 4, 2008 5:20 AM
I woke up this morning mumbling "raccoon honeymoon" and I need some spinach ... I surely hope we don't have raccoons to take up residence around here. They are cute little things but can be so destructive and I've heard that orphaned raccoons rescued by people have a tendency to stay where they were raised.
It had been forever since I had cooked rice pudding so mid-morning yesterday, I surprised Bob by cooking one for him since he had cooked me up a pan of rice to be used as stir fry later in the day. I started off with a can of fried apples which I chopped into smaller pieces, tossed in pretty good amount of raisins, added enough rice to come within a half inch of the top of the souffle dish and poured in a milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla pudding mix I had stirred up, just guessed at the measurements. Stirred it together and put it in the convection oven at 400F with the timer set for 1 hour. He swore it was wonderful. I tasted it and it was good, but I don't much care for sweet.
Recently I found it necessary for my mental health and well being to push away from people and things that were dragging me down. It was very hard to do and I truly felt bad doing so but it was necessary. Last night I found a wonderful website full of articles on self growth .. "Attitude Is Everything" Please take the time to read his wonderful words, they are so very true. www.attitudeiseverything.com/artuckes/Keller4.html
Stop Complaining!!! - Complaints work against you in three ways (read the full article above for more information) I believe as people get older they may at times get a sour outlook on life, but this is also very true of all people at times especially those on the lower end of the economical ladder. I've often wondered which came first with the later group ... kinda like the chicken and egg thing. I do know that if I were stripped of all my earthly goods and sat down in a strange environment, that I would not only survive, I would thrive, it's my nature.
Li'l Cookie, who will have to be renamed Chunky Cookie, is wanting to star in another video, she's afraid people will forget who she is. I remind her she doesn't want to be like Britney Spears, depending on attention from other people for her happiness. lol Jeb doesn't want anything but food while Jazzman just wants the females who are in heat. Juliet and Bessie Smith want to know if "they are with puppies". I tell them time will tell. Melanie wants to be with Bob and the birds are squawking for more green grass seeds from the clump of wild grass seed Bob inadvertently planted when he threw "the seedy mess" from the bottom of their cages out into the yard, this past winter.
These are just a few of the happenings here at Dogwood Pond, I do hope you will visit again soon. - Judy
Tuesday - June 3, 2008 5:30 AM
For the best part of yesterday, the humidity was 95%. It doesn't matter much what the temperature was 'cause a person has a bad time moving around, much less working when the humidity is that high. Thankfully we were up early so we got a good bit done before the temperature started rising.
When I was "out" Saturday, I bought 16 sheets for the critters. Most of them were white which are great to use when a female is coming into heat. I went out to look at them in the van and it wasn't 10 minutes later that I would have qualified as a contestant in a wet t-shirt contest. I looked like someone had turned a water hose on me, from my head down to my toes, I was soaking wet. lol lol
Mr. Cat shown here with Melanie - Thursday he was sitting in my chair at the table on the porch and got up when I
came around the corner with my breakfast plate. Not long after he jumped off the porch
onto the ground 5 feet below and tumbled. We realized he was hurt, however he's an
independent cat who likes to take his loving when he wants it but resents overtures of
affection ... his Mama was a feral cat and taught him fear. Then he went missing. Miss
Kitty came around a couple of times to eat but didn't stay to lounge on the porch
furniture or get in leg rubbing time, as she normally does. We decided she was taking care of him. With him
unable to defend himself, he needed her.
(Miss Kitty)...
We looked high and low for them and my worse fear was to find him dead, not knowing the
extent of his injuries. He's such a good cat, a true dog whisperer. Tonight he was on the
back porch limping but wanting "good food", he got a can of salmon. Truth of the matter is
there are lots of humans in this world that don't eat as good as my critters, but that is
out of my control. To the best of our knowledge Mr Cat hadn't eaten since last Thursday so
we wanted to make sure he got food which would fortify him. Bob wanted my help in
capturing him to determine what was wrong with his paw but I told him, maybe tomorrow Mr. Cat
will let me look. We can't frighten him, remember when we took him in to be "fixed" he is
the one who escaped in the vet's office and took refuge in the area above the ceiling
tiles, they had to crawl up there to capture him??? Let him be the one to make the
decision to let me help. It's the same way with humans, you can't force help upon them, they have
to want it. - JudyMonday - June 2, 2008 2:00 PM
In Bloom...
Lilies
Daylily
Wildflowers Along The Roadside
Queen Anne's Lace (I think)
Orange Butterfly Weed
Monday - June 2, 2008 8:00 AM
If you ever get up before 6 AM, make sure your radio isn't set to a talk show program ... While rushing to cook breakfast, getting the critters out to potty, back in and then fed, I didn't take the time to change the station right away. Never again will I think my "kinda cousin's" tales about seeing a half man half gator, come out of the Louisiana swamp after having drank way too much of his Uncle-In-Law's home brew, are weird. I'm going to tell him he needs to tune in to "Coast To Coast AM With George Noory" for some new material!!
Never have I heard such strange stuff!!! - Judy
Monday - June 2, 2008 4:40 AM
We're up to get an early start on the temperature. It's suppose to get up to 88F with heavy humidity which makes for bad working conditions.
Aunt Nettie called to say she had lost her ice pick and wanted to know if I had an extra. No Mam, I don't and you know a good ice pick is hard to come by these days. If you can locate one at a store, it's most likely been made in China and won't hold a sharp point, you'll do more damage to your hand trying to use it, than it's worth. BUT I tell you what I'll try to find you one at a Flea Market or Antique Store, it'll be money better spent.
To all of that Aunt Nettie, replied "if ever you have an ice pick stuck in the top of your head be sure not to let anyone pull it out until you get to a doctor". ... OooooK was the only reply I could make and wasn't sure I wanted to know what had happened to her ice pick. I've never been big on asking questions, never know when you might be told something you don't want to hear.
All of the above reminds me of Aunt Nettie's sister's funeral, I never heard of such goings on ...
Have a wonderful Monday, start the week off with a smile and try hard to keep one. - Judy
PS I've been wondering why we didn't volunteer to help that poor lady unload her van in front of the Salavation Army store ... that would have been our normal reaction. Oh well I'm going to have to give that some more thought.
Sunday - June 1, 2008 5:30 AM
A couple of hours ago, I jumped out of bed with a vocal outburst of pain due to a severe leg cramp, must be low on potassium, which is the fault of my crazy digestive system. I don't take the supplement unless it is a must because at times they make me upchuck. Potassium pill washed down, I thought I would try to explain the happenings of yesterday.
I wanted to tell the overweight lady, head totally wet from sweating, red faced and about to pass out from heat exhaustion, that she should tell the Salvation Army Worker (Ripley, MS) to go to .....
I've been trying hard all day to get my friend's mind off of waking up in the middle of the night with her much loved and respected husband pounding the devil out of her with his fists, she fought back which woke him up to the realization of what was happening. She had fought for her life and rightly so. Now her heart is broken, he's such a gentle soul. Neither one of us are in the mood to put up with much out of anyone. Meanwhile, Melanie is in the back of the van, under coat dog hair is whirling everywhere because she's pacing with desire to go home to her Big Daddy and panting because she's not as cool as she normally is.
The poor woman was unloading pile after pile of "expensive, good stuff" at the front door as a donation to the Salvation Army, my friend and I had just been killing time so we went to see what now occupied the building. Out comes a lady telling this poor woman to move around to the back of the building to make donations. I started laughing and said, do you want to tell her that it's OK to tell the worker where to get off or should I???
Next stop lunch, I'm buying because my friend is actually toooo thrifty, not even for a mental health fix to agree to going to a "good" restaurant to eat lunch when McDonald's was just down the road. I left the motor running, extra key, with a/c on for Melanie while we were in the restaurant.
The first tip off should have been "flower tortilla" on the menu or the other obvious errors, but after drinking a gallon of water to refresh my soul, I was ready to eat. Seemingly out of the blue I ask my friend to please lay down her fork, place her napkin over her plate and get ready to leave the restaurant. She looked at me like she had encountered another person who had gone crazy on her. I paid the bill without a fuss and we made a hasty exit. Out in the van, I confessed that the two darting water bug hatchlings in the bottom of the bowl of "old salad" fixing were just a little more than I could handle. No sense in throwing up all over the table, but it was close for a minute or two. And don't tell me "we SHOULD have gone to McDonald's!!!" We are both giggling like teenagers, drunk on an afternoon of freedom. (lol lol)
At 7:33 PM her "Baby Girl" knocked on the kitchen door and came in. She had driven in from Memphis after she got off work, come to stay with her Mama and Daddy through Sunday night. As I hugged her, I slipped the bottle with the remaining Seroquel into her pocket. I told her to check the Google screen I left up on her Mama's computer when she had the opportunity.
Over my shoulder I called out to Baby Girl, love both your Mama & Daddy, we'll hang the doctor later. Her girls aren't near as "hot-headed" as their uncles. Of course it could be the uncles have just spent way too much time on a tractor plowing fields in the Summer sun. Melanie and I hit the road headed toward our Big Daddy Bob, thankful at the thought of being hugged up by him, neither of us were going to mind sharing. - Judy
PS While I'm talking about weirdness, I must explain I've had my website since November 1999. it was my birthday present from Bob. For years I didn't realize and at times I now forget, that people write me pitiful emails in the middle of the night, I'm sure while drunk or on drugs. I can't tell you the emotional energy I've spend worrying about people, their Bully and/or their family. Hindsight tells me some probably didn't even have a Bully and if all their relatives and friends were "horrible" people, there isn't anything I can do to change their life.(Why have not they had to good sense to eliminate these people from their lives??) It is tough to turn down a cry for sympathy, but this woman's plate is just too full and burdens, both my own and those of people I love, have becoming harder for me to carry.
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