The B Word

As in doggy bath!

A badly needed doggy bath after what transpired this morning. First off it has been stinking hot here lately, but when we went out this morning for Millie's front yard time, time that I use to drink my coffee and sometimes do a little crocheting, time that she uses to first run madly about the yard in search of cats that might be hiding under the daisy bushes, then a more calm walk around to sniff everything, then an even calmer lets lay in the grass and watch the world go by, it seemed a little cooler and much more pleasant outside. We do the front yard time every day and she knows what 'go outside' means and gets very excited waiting for me to open the front door. She has been really good about staying inside her boundaries but still likes to warn people off with a bark if they get to close to her front yard. Anyway, since it didn't seem quite so hot I decided today would be a good day to get some much needed yard work done.

I had been wanting to take out part of the star jasmine vine that has been growing alongside the garage for quite a few years, the star jasmine vine that will overnight sprout new tendrils that tend you grab you as you walk up the sidewalk, the star jasmine vine that started out as a very small plant and grew to cover two large trellises. It had gotten so heavy on the second trellis that it has been leaning way over and really annoying me. Because I like things straight. Pictures hanging crooked drive me nuts and so does a leaning over trellis.

So, lots of chopping and lopping and I got the trellis that didn't actually have a plant growing beneath it, just branches from the original plant, all cleaned up and the branches removed, then trimmed the actual plant on the other trellis way way back. No more grabbing at me when I least expect it!

Then I cleaned out the overgrown African daisies out of one side of the front flower bed, they were starting to look half dead and maybe it's time to freshen things up out there. The front flower bed is also always full of leaves from the camphor tree so a lot of raking was also done. I went into the back yard to get the broom and when I came back out Millie was enthusiastically digging a big hole in the nice damp dirt that my raking of leaves had uncovered. Her paws were covered in mud, so after an unsuccessful attempt to wipe the mud off decided that today would be bath day.

I did a little weed whacking of the small patch of grass (weeds) that grows near the street side flower bed, the rest of the yard being basically dead because we don't water those weeds, only the ones near the flower beds that get watered when we're doing the flowers, then brought Millie inside for her bath.

She looks much cleaner now, as does the yard. I have to be in the right mood to do yard work, sometimes I wish we lived in an apartment or someplace without a yard to take care of, but when I'm finished I do feel like I really accomplished something.

Front flower bed where the hole was dug.

And star jasmine and empty trellis.

I've been doing lots of crochet while sitting in the air conditioned house and am getting a little obsessed with it. It's very relaxing and I've been doing things that get finished quickly like blanket blocks and drink coasters. I was thinking about putting the coasters in my Etsy shop but still haven't decided for sure on that. I've looked around at some other crochet type shops and it doesn't seem like they sell all that well, but it might be worth a try. I haven't made anything new for my shop in a long time, I've almost gotten to where I don't really enjoy doing the shop all that much anymore. I do like the little bit of extra money though, so I'm hesitant to completely give it up.

I am not going to show you my most recent crochet since I'm working on Christmas gifts and if I showed you that would ruin the surprise.

Vacation Week and Doggy Bath

Keith is on vacation this week, the way they do it with the railroad is that they have to sign up at the end of the year for the next year's vacation spots. He used to take vacations in the summer but I convinced him to do it this year in the spring and fall so that the weather is nice and it's not too hot to go anywhere. Not that we've been anywhere yet.

So far, we went to see American Sniper one afternoon, which was very good except for the fake baby scenes. We've been out to eat a couple of times since I don't cook on vacation if I don't have to. Keith has had a few naps, nothing unusual about that, and I got him to mow the yard and spread some dandelion killer stuff in the grass. We went for a drive, thinking we would take the dog to this lake that is outside of town in the dry dirt area near the oilfields, a lake that we have never been to, not being much in the way of lake people with no fishing poles or boats. Well, that didn't go so well and we never did make it to the lake.

We drove some of the roads outside of town, driving through the metropolis of Tupman which I think is near Taft, a tiny town of a few hundred people living in what passes for houses in that kind of town. Think shacks. I had Millie on my lap on a pillow and as we are driving along outside of that town, my lap started to feel very warm and I realized that Millie couldn't hold it any longer and had peed right through the pillow onto my lap. We stopped by the side of the road where Keith took her for a little walk while I unsuccessfully tried to dry things off with paper towels. We got back in the car, Millie sitting on my now wet lap and instead of going to the lake headed for home since my pants were all wet with doggy pee. Lovely.

As we were almost home, she started throwing up, fortunately just foamy bile, but a lot of it, all over the side of the car door and on the floor and yes, on my pants.

I don't think that dog likes riding in the car all that much, the last time she went very far she threw up, so I should have known better. They do make doggy motion sickness meds, so before we take another car ride we will stock up on those.

Tomorrow we are going to take a drive into the desert, Keith says the wildflowers are blooming like crazy right now so I'd like to see that before they all die. We won't be taking the dog with us. We did figure out that we can leave her at home with the back door open enough for her to get in and out of and that seems to work okay for now. We just lock the side gate and if anyone is bold enough to try and climb over the fence to get into our house, have at it! Keith is over at Home Depot looking for a doggy door thing that they make for sliding glass doors so that we won't have to leave the door open in the future. It's going to be fly season here real soon and we really don't want the house to fill up with flies.

Keith gave Millie a bath yesterday morning, she hadn't had one since the flea bath we gave her when we first brought her home. She wasn't too thrilled about it but her fur looks a lot fluffier and cleaner and she sure smells better!