Weekend In Review

Was a busy weekend. Yesterday was absolutely stunning -- almost 70 degrees and bright sunshine. I did some raking of leaves from my gardens, dug up about 1000 baby violas (aka "Johnny Jump-Ups") that were spreading into the lawn. I pull these like weeds every year, but can't get rid of them ... it's wild. I think they should come with a warning label at the nursery.

Didn't get as much done as I would have liked, but still spent several hours outside in the lovely weather.

With the heat come the bugs, though, and Dakota is already having tick problems. I finally broke down and tried a topical tick medication, FiproGuard Plus for Dogs from Sentry/Sergeant's Pet Care. I bought it at my local Agway, and it's supposed to be comparable to Frontline. I know Vectra burns Dakota's skin, so we can't use it, but thought I'd give this a try.

I applied it on Friday morning at about 9 a.m. -- right before a walk. I put it on the back of her neck and down her shoulders, as directed. Though it didn't bother her on the walk (I suspect she was sufficiently distracted), she spent the rest of the day pacing and fussing. I don't know if it burned her skin (it wasn't pink like it had been with Vectra), or if it was the smell, which was pretty noticeable, even to me.

This morning, 48 hours after applying the stuff, I found TWO fully engorged ticks embedded under her collar. They'd been there for at least a couple of days and were alive an kicking (ew, ew, ew). I pulled them out -- one left a HUGE lump and scab -- and then promptly got on my computer and emailed the company. I'm furious. Not only was my dog stressed by the meds for a good twelve hours, BUT IT DIDN'T EVEN WORK.

We'll see what they have to say.

In the meantime, I guess I'll be going to back to checking for ticks every time she's outside, frequent combing and bathing and much crossing of fingers.

I have a love/hate relationship with spring.

How was your weekend.

Oh, and because I know someone will ask, I'm still not really well. The coughing is less now, but my throat aches again. Still, I'm not as completely exhausted as I was there for a while, so I think it's a win. Eventually the rest will go away. I can't be sick forever.

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You Are Teal Green

You are a one of a kind, original person. There's no one even close to being like you. Expressive and creative, you have a knack for making the impossible possible. While you are a bit offbeat, you don't scare people away with your quirks. Your warm personality nicely counteracts and strange habits you may have.

What Color Green Are You?

... making the impossible, possible. I thought that was my biz partner, Judy (aka The Goddess). It's right here on her bio.

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Smart Dogs and Weird Dreams

Poisons and medicine are oftentimes the same substance given with different intents. ~Peter Mere Latham

I dreamed last night that I was running my daughter in agility. There were hurdles and obstacles all around a room, only the hurdles were too high and she kept knocking them over.

Freud would probably have a field day with me.

Tonight is agility night, and we have to go because DD promised to run another woman's dog while she was on vacation. This means I have to leave my dog behind and go to agility without her. I already feel terrible and don't even want to think about the look on her face when we shut the door and drive off without her. It's almost as if we're committing doggie adultery.

Speaking of Dakota, she's on antibiotics and hates the pills. They're pretty small, so I've tried hiding them in bits of food, but last time she had pills she bit into one in the middle of a chunk of meat and now suspects anything I give her. So the last two days, I've just been sticking them down her throat and using a liquid syringe to give her a little water to make her swallow.

The result of that? As soon as I open the cupboard with the pills, she hides. Never mind that I have her food (she gets the pills at her meals), never mind I bought her roast beef, never mind any of that. The cupboard opens, she leaves.

There are days I hate smart dogs.

So, now I'm going to have to remember to get her pills out in the middle of the day... just leave it sitting out somewhere an hour or so before her meals. Though I'm a little afraid she's just going to eventually stop eating.

I had a friend whose dog wouldn't take pills for anything, until her mom accidentally dropped one on the floor and the dog pounced and swallowed before she could pick it up. From the moment on, her mom would pretend to be making some meal at the counter and then "accidentally" drop her meds on the floor. Worked every time.

See -- dumb dogs rock.

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You Are Silver

You are down to earth and unpretentious. You don't feel like you need to show off, and you're very secure with your place in the world. You are understated and elegant. You carry yourself with poise, and you're more known for what you don't do than what you do. You can fit in anywhere from a country western bar to a black tie gala. You are adaptable and adventurous. You are blind to social class and background. You see people as who they are ... not as where they came from or how much money they have.

Are You Silver or Gold?

Not sure about the elegant part, but the rest is pretty right on.

DD and Lemons

It's bizarre that the produce manager is more important to my children's health than the pediatrician. ~Meryl Streep

First off, an update on DD (for those of you not on Facebook): It seems she has a nasty, icky, awful ... cold. It's full of mucus and drainage and is causing her "heavy head" feeling and the pain in her ears (which are clean and lovely according to the doc). She's using saline mist and mucinex and ibuprofen and moaning and groaning. She is not a good sick person. She is truly a drama queen. But, she's not terminal, lol.

Also, the doc said, "I'm not going to give you antibiotics." and I said, "Good, I don't want them." and she was pleasantly surprised because so many folks come in just wanting a prescription for them no matter what. I told her that my DD has never been on them and that I've only used them twice in my entire adult life (and then, only under extreme duress). I hate the things. I found the whole conversation interesting, however.

Unfortunately, DD being sick caused us to miss Dakota's last class before her AKC Canine Good Citizen test on Friday. She really needed the practice. I'm terribly afraid she's going to fail spectacularly.

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It's only taken me NINE DAYS to respond to an award I received: the "Lemonade Award" (As in: "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade."). Lynn Reynolds bestowed it upon me.

She said: A big lemonade award to Marianne Arkins, whose blog introduced me to the insidious joys of blogthing quizzes!

LOL...

I have so many favorite blogs, it's hard to choose only a few. But for ones that make me smile the most?

Melissa and Mary who almost always post LOLCats, which I love.

Amy with the photo essays on her life.

Brandy with her crazy cat pictures (cats do the darndest things).

Dru with her talk about New York, New York so I can live vicariously (and the pictures of her quilts).

Groovy with her crazy sense of humor. She seldom fails to amuse me.

There are so many more... but it's early on a Sunday so my brain is sleeping in.

Have a great day.

And, in honor of Lynn, here's a quiz!

Your Friendship Style is Independent

You love your friends, but you don't always need them as much as they need you. You like to do your own thing. Sometimes this means taking a break from your friends and carving your own path. As long as your friends give you the space you need, you are happy to be there for them whenever you can. Your friends lean on you for advice and problem solving. You tend to be "the rock." You and an Empathetic Friend: Go well together. Your Empathetic Friend understand and accepts you... but may be too needy sometimes. You and a Gregarious Friend: Get along well, as long as your Gregarious Friend is happy to only see you occasionally. You and another Independent Friend: Have a love / hate thing going on. When you agree, things are blissful. However, more often than not, you butt heads. You and a Philosophical Friend: Are somewhat a matter of opposites attract. You're both thinkers, but you think very differently.

What's Your Friendship Style?

That's pretty close to right, lol...

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Hug A Veteran

I did! My DH... *G*

But the freedom that they fought for, and the country grand they wrought for, Is their monument to-day, and for aye. ~ Thomas Dunn English

This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave. ~Elmer Davis

It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you. ~Dick Cheney



In other news... my cold knocked me on my butt yesterday. That and nearly no sleep the night before... I spent a good part of the day either staring off into space because of the "non-drowsy" cold meds I took in desperation or laying on the couch because I felt so disassociated from my body.

I hate medicine. Now I remember why I almost never take it.

So, no writing. But I'm feeling better this a.m. -- not WELL, but better and functional and I can even feel my legs and the world isn't spinning, so I'm hoping to accomplish something.

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Our microwave broke Sunday night. Not earthshattering news, but I never realized how much I rely on the stupid thing.

Monday morning, I had to--are you ready??--boil water ON THE STOVE for DH's yuppy coffee (he won't drink real coffee, silly guy). And, then later that day I went to make some tea for me. I plopped a bag in my mug, put in some cold water, turned and ... **sigh**

I didn't plan dinner early enough, so pulled frozen stew meat out for DH and... put it in a dish of tepid water to thaw.

All day I kept turning to where it should be... how did we ever survive without them?

What appliance do you think YOU would miss the most (excepting your oven and fridge)?

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How cool is this?

The Long and the Short of It (LASR) got a nod and a sound bite in Karen Harper's latest novel, "The Hiding Place"... go hie yourself to a bookstore and check out the reviews at the beginning.

I feel so special... like we've arrived. *G*

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Okay... I'm about 5'9 1/2" ...

Here's 5'9":

What Your Height Says About You

You are a true adventurer, and you live for the thrill. You have a lot of charisma, and you're good at convincing people to join you in your schemes. You are open to the world, and you make connections easily. You have lots of friends. You are likely to have many life paths to choose from. There are many possibilities open to you. You are about as tall as the average British man.

What Does Your Height Say About You?

And here is 5'10"

What Your Height Says About You

You are a gifted communicator, and you understand other people well. You are compassionate and empathetic. You feel other's pain a little too easily. Because of your open heart and open mind, many people admire and adore you. You are classy and well mannered. You have the art of charm mastered. You are about as tall as the average Australian man.

What Does Your Height Say About You?

Which do YOU think is closer? LOL...

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Groovy, re: wanting my mom closer... you forget, my mom actually lived with me for twelve years until September 2007. I want her back.

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Have a great day everyone!