Ready. Set.. JUNE!!! (bug)

Good Morning All!
I see that Miss DeBee has posted a thank you for those of you that were kind enough to have visited her pages, and mine, and to have offered your condolences to herslef and to Derek as well... (I thank you too)!

Roberta came out with My Little Master Gabriel. I have not yet figured out exactly which language he speaks in, but whatever it is, he is very knowlegable about many things, and very excited to talk about any/everything. I swear this little man has an opinion on everything! hehehe

We took the little wagon, hitched to the back of the cub cadet and made our way back to the woods...

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Miss Punk gets the part without the rug!

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...and we are OFF!

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This is to be Master Gabriels first walk down to the river...

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A reassuring hug from Mama... "Boy Grandma, that's a LONG way down!"

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About 1/3rd of the way down, Gabriel is thinking that this isn't too bad!

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And down at the bottom it is easier to walk... (well a little easier anyway)...

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But, "OUCH!", if you step on an odd branch, it can/will hit you in the face!

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An old campfire, cleaned by the risen river in spring...

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Going UP is MUCH harder... and lots more fun (if you are 19 months old)!

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"Grandma WAIT!" We got 5 more feet up already...

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And then it is time to head home once again; and get to the chores that nedd doing.

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...and he STILL was full of p&v; wanting to help shovel!

SHOVEL WHAT????

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Since there is no snow he had to rescue a drowning June Bug before his nap!

He didn't like that too much. (The bug OR the nap..)!

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Roberta did the weedwhacking while I mowed the ditches. (And I really don't think the young man napped when he was laid down... A lot of babbling and fun, a bit of quiet. He filled his drawers and was ready to go again! hehehe (More energy than Mama and Grandma had left)!

Hope you all have a grand day!!!

XOXO
Anne

The Love of a Dog... For Cleo (Added Links)

Good Morning All;

With memories many I begin this entry... For Miss Mona, for Amos, for Homey, for Lucie, and now for Miss Cleo...

Derek, Caseys fiance, had to make that awful decision last night to put his "Cleo" to rest. Many of us that have chosen to let a dog or a cat love us have had to face making such a decision. And it is no easier to make whether you are man or a woman, old or young...

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Miss Cleo at the farm just 2 months ago...

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Derek had called here very early yesterday morning, having found his Miss Cleo unresponsive in his sunroom. He was at the vet clinic, "The Animal House" out on the east side. After speaking briefly to Casey, I told her I would drive her in to be with him.

Arriving there, Cleo was having seizures, and was not coherent at all. Just three days ago, (the last time I saw her), she was so spirited, jumping up and down on the glider that Derek has in his back yard! And yesterday she was in end~stage renal failure. The vet said that the following 24 hours were very critical as to whether she could recover or worsen. She said that with respect to the pet food recall she had seen quite a few cases of renal failure, but none as bad as Cleo was. They gave her Ringers Lactate and then sodium chloride for fluids; having to add a wee bit of valium to her IV when the seizures took over. Casey and Derek had brought Cleo in to Dr. Spires a few months back and after her blood tests had come back he had quickly diagnosed kidney failure; putting her on a special diet...

After bringing Cleo to the animal hospital across town last night, she had worsened and Derek had to finally decide to have his Cleo put to sleep. CaseyAnne called here a little after 8 telling me that Cleo was gone...

A long, sad day for all... His mom, dad and sister had all come to see Cleo too, and of course casey stayed with him all day too.

...And since Derek does not usually come online, I will link to his moms page here so if any of you would like to say a few comforting words, you can. Please CLICK HERE for Debs page. I see she has already posted a blog of her own.

Peace to Derek and his family. Miss Cleo was 11 ~and very well loved.

XOXO
Anne

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" And, My Friend, when I am very old, and I can no longer enjoy good health, hearing and sight; do not make heroic efforts to keep me going.
I am simply not having any fun...
Please keep that my trusting life is taken gently; and I shall leave this earth, knowing even with the last breath I draw, that my fate was always safest in your hands. "

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Please note...

They do not know what caused Miss Cleo's kidneys to fail, be it age or something else.

I am including the following links for you to double~check your cat and dog foods, plants and human foods as well to what they can/canNOT eat or chew on etc etc etc...

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1st and Foremost www.petconnection.com

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pet food list A~Z

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AVMA

A comprehensive list of recalled products

The AVMA has compiled a comprehensive list of recalled products that contains all recall information that has come to the attention of the AVMA.

We hope you find this a helpful resource

Please note:
This list contains all recall information that has come to the attention of the AVMA, but it is not guaranteed to be complete.
Pet food recall
May 15, 2007 (updated 4:45 pm CDT)

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DogReader

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FDA

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The recall

More than 5,600 pet-food products, house brands and name brands alike, are now on the FDA's recall list. The first recall was the largest, of more than 60 million containers of "cuts and gravy" canned or pouched food that turned out to have wheat gluten tainted with melamine, which is used in the manufacture of plastic countertops, cleaning agents, glue and fertilizer. Those products were all made by Menu Foods, under almost 100 different brand names.

Subsequent recalls have included dry foods, and foods containing rice protein concentrate. More recalls are expected as these companies voluntarily pull products. (Note on the human food chain: "Salvage" pet food was fed to hogs, chickens and farmed fish in several states and in Canada, and the same targeted ingredients as have gone into pet food is also used in the manufacture of food for human consumption. The FDA says there's no danger to anyone who eats any of the animals, arguing a "dilution effect," but no one know for sure.)

The official pet-food recall list is the FDA's, but our experience has shown us that Pet Food Tracker and The Pet Food List as well the AVMA's list update more quickly than the FDA.

Important: Check your pet foods against these lists, and then check them again!

Changes and adjustments are seen on the lists on a frequent basis.

Taken from here... CLICK

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ASPCA

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Toxic Plants A~Z

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Toxic People food A~Z

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For a poison safe home

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Pet Diets A premier site for pet nutrition advice and homemade diets from veterinary nutritionists.

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Please do not forget to visit Debs page CLICK HERE

The "Ides" of May???

Good Tuesday Morning to All;

I found this little angel in my mailbox this morning, and thought we could all use a little of her vigilance in our lives....

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And am also thinking that Miss Roberta could use a little extra too.

She had stopped here on her way to work yesterday morning; even picking up some leftover picnic food for her lunch break, and was back on the road...

In the meanwhile, Kelli had called and spoken to Casey about the horses, when my cell phone rang... It was Berta; having broken down on the corner of University and Webster... (Thank God Kelli had called or KC and I would have been long gone outside)! I told Berta I was on my way. KC hung up from Kelli, and I told her to grab the keys to our Old Reliable Betsy... (aka "The Roadmaster"). Undoubtably the best darned car I ever bought...

She followed me into town, gave Berta the Old Buick, and then called Derek. Her thinking was that since he regularly must have cars towed from the apt buildings lots, he would know what to do. (Freakin' tow trucks are WAY too spendy)... He rented a little car dolly from U Haul and after he was done with work he brought Bertas car out here.

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This picture of Master Gabriel by her car was taken a month and a half ago...

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I am thinking it is her stupid alternator once again. (This will be the 3rd one to 'go' in her 1999 Ford Escort). Am also wondering if maybe those 'teeth' aren't lining up correctly, or if the bolts don't get seated correctly because there is NO reason why this should happen to her 3 times. Once would be OK; twice you start to ask questions, but three times is a real problem...

I shall check it out if it dries up today. Seems as though we got a bunch of rain last night; and judging from the past radars that I pulled up it must have been somewhat noisy when it came down too. (Keep in mind that I am a bit wussy when it comes to storms)... I had gone up to bed; beat, after a day of 88 degree mowing, and had both of my windows open with the fan on. When I woke this morning, the windows in my bedroom were both closed, and I had never heard a thing from Mother Nature. I am thinking that KC must have closed them when it had begun to rain because I sure as heck have NO recollection of doing so!

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Gee, maybe it was Punk that closed them? She got a bit of a workout yesterday afternoon too. Following me back to the woods while I mowed, and then deciding she might rather be up by the house with KC while KC was weedwhacking... I think she panted for half an hour even AFTER she came back inside. So did Punk. (Just kidding Casey)! hehehe

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Punkin, balancing the squeak burger on her nose. (Show~Off)!!!

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Casey had an appointment with the DDS late yesterday afternoon. This appointment just to get the charges involved, and what the insurance will/won't cover. She has a tooth that grew in terribly wrong (above the next tooth), giving her that gap between her teeth. She is going to have that "sedation dentistry" done... How very cool for her. (And yes, we would have gotten this done a LONG time ago, but what can I say?, the kid just kept getting sick)!

Not too sure HOW they are going to do it all, (but I am sure exactly how danged pricey it is). Might as well be a bazillion dollars. That's OK, I shall just write them a check! hehehe (Mama always said that she couldn't be out of money if she still had checks left) ?!?!?!

I'd better close for now and get to digging out that junk room... Dangitallanyway, I am going to have that darned rummage sale if it kills me! Once I get set up and all, I can put the 'open' sign out any day; (and I am looking forward to doing that all summer long, as time permits).

Have a grand day!

XOXO
Anne

Here are a few thoughts for the day... ENJOY!

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Flattened Hedgehogs, Switchblades, & a GIANT Bug

Good Monday Morning to All;

I hope your weekend was as glorious as my own!

For all of you who have asked, or are wondering (and who have not made it to Caseys Blog), please know that she is WITHOUT PAIN in her pancreas for the 1st time in a very long time! (Yay Casey)! And double~yay, Dr. Dua!!!

We arrived home on Saturday afternoon, after moseying our way northward and stopping at a handful of rummage sales... A fun day for us too. I dropped Casey off at Dereks home, and Punkie and I continued on our way.

Punkin. "My fierce protector" (as I like to call her), was so happy to be home... She had been so busy while we were in Milwaukee once again. She bristled everytime the fire trucks were called out. And she had to make sure the big garbage trucks that passed by the hotel were not going to come and get her.

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Punkie checks out the traffic on the street below...

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AND, she had to guard the sleeping CaseyFace!

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And protect us from the pocket sized switch blade razor found in my bed, under the fitted sheet???

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(and from the giant bug "??" that scared the bejeezus out of me at 4:00AM)!

Out of the corner of my eye to see such a thing crawling up the wall; to realize fast enough that it wasn't a spider (so at least I didn't have to have my heart~attack that morning)...
But I don't know what it was either... I walked past it on my way to collect some toilet paper... And then to flush the darned thing. (It took me 2 trys of holding the handle down each time). OMG, he was SO BIG! (Compare him to the size of the coffee cups)...

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Ummmm, yeah, the room was free. (That was a slight "no~brainer" for anyone in management).

And no, the manager said he did not know what the heck kind of bug it was either...

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As we came home rounding the corner in Flintville we see a mass of color! Each and every fruit tree being in bloom! From apples to apricots to pears...

Roberta and Gabriel under the Flowering Crab Tree...

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Pears. (almost all the blooms had already fallen to the ground)...

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More Crab apples...

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more apples... Mmmm... I can almost taste the applesauce!

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We stopped over at Miss Kellis to see the horses too. They had just come back home after being at Miss Michelles for a few years. And seemed very happy to be home too!

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Kelli; with May and Breezie...

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I had to keep The Punkster in the car... Once she had rounded the corner to Kelli and Tims backyard, and had seen two horses (where no horses had ever been seen by her before) she had threatened to scare them. Nothing doing, so back to the car with her.

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She forgave me quickly enough...

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...even bringing me her own mothers day gift!

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And suddenly my little desk area was filled with cards and surprises galore! Books and bags and cards and photo collages...

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My Little Miss Valerie, My Little Man Isaiah, and of course Young Lawrence too!

Roberta and Casey had been very busy indeed!

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Miss Punkin had taken offense to the crinkly bags n such, and in the meanwhile had literally flattened her toy hedgehog... even removing its squeaker thingie...

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and there is NOTHING WORSE than losing your squeaker thingie!!!

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And Punk said she didn't do it either!

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But with 'evidence' like this we knew it was herself that had killed the poor thing!

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Time for me to close and to try to find my house. A bit of rain yesterday had kept us all inside. And it seems that we all used that time to completely mess up the old abode. A job quite well done too; (if I do say so myself)!

Casey will be here bright and early. Temps are to get to the mid 80's by this afternoon with sunshine as well. I am not one to shake and bake my brains on the rider in the heat, so we will get the lawns done early... (or as soon as the rain has dried from the grasses). Casey has offered to weedwhack once more, and I am not stupid enough to deny her that pleasure! hehehe

I hope you all had a grand weekend, and I am wishing you a "wunnaful" week ahead as well! And I do hope your squeaker thingies are all well and good too!!!

XOXO
Anne

Now does anybody want to tell me what kind of gross bug that was at the free hotel? Hmmmm.... (or maybe I do not want to know)?

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Mothers Day; The Happy and The Cruel

Good Sunny~Day Morning to all!

I would begin by saying Happy Mothers Day to All, but am not sure if it is appropriate for all of my female friends... (and certainly only for a few of my male readers as well). hehehe

There are those of us with children, and from them we also have grandchildren to love...

There are those of us who have no children, whether by choice or by chance...

...And yet there is a common bond that holds us together. That bond being our LOVE of/for children.

We love children.

Those without their own, love someone elses children as their own.

Those by chance, away from their new and young familys during this next month of mommies and daddies, (mostly Iraq), are still serving the rest of us. (U.S.). ~And are still loving their young children.

Those away from their young children by choice at any time (for any reason) have created their own special hell.

I plan on having a most special Mothers Day. I love my children. I love my grandchildren fiercely! But I also know that by the Grace of God I was able to have these babies in the first place. Unlike my parents who had to adopt, and yet chose to love us anyway.

"Not flesh of my flesh, nor bone of my bone; but still miraculously my own. Never forget for a single minute that you didn't grow under my heart, but IN it." ...And that is something that almost all of us adoptees can brag about... We know we are loved and wanted. (Although I am sure there might have been a time ~or two~ that our parents might have questioned their sanity)... hehehe

And it is for those families, that these days are the very most of "special".

But then there are those Mothers that have SO wanted a child. Those Moms who have carried their child only for a little while; and have lost them. For the Mamas that have carried them to lose their child in childbirth. For those that have had to see their child die for whatever reason at a very young age. For those that have had to watch their child die from accidents.. or drugs.. or alcohol... For these moms this is the cruelest day of all. Those Mamas among us with their empty arms and their own huge hearts.

We can never understand the 'whys' of the world. But the rest of us can share our own hearts and our own armfuls. ... And all we need to have is that common bond of loving a child. We share our own. We share our love...

Hats off to all "Mamas" everywhere; and to whichever category you might fall into! Peace. Hope. And love to all.

XOXO
Anne

Peek~A~Boo!

My Little Master Gabriel playing peek~a~boo around the corner of the garage...

Good Morning all;

You will have to check out Caseys blog today to know what is going on in our little world.

Please CLICK HERE for Caseys Blog pages/entries...

I have much to do beforehand... Casey was up from about 3 til 6:00, and is getting another hour or so of sleep in.

Special thanks to my neighbors and friends for keeping watch over our place and my Miss Milly while we are gone.

I will try to get back to visiting you all as I can...

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A rained~upon and bit spent, but still beautiful flower for you all!.

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I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

XOXO
Anne

The Stent and The Gophers

Good Morning All!
I do realize I have not written, but I do wish to thank those of you who have taken the time to comment, and to write such nice notes about/To CaseyAnne!

First and foremost, KC's stent is still there. Her family doctor has told us though that it can remain there for a long time. Now, personally I cannot understand most people that have sought the advice of a physician and then do not heed that same advice. (What is the purpose in going to the doctor then in the 1st place)? But I question whether KC's stent should still be there... (or should be LEFT within)...

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KC's stent is about 8" long...

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I have found an article after searching for a long time about these stents. In two separate places, (including the opening statement), it claims that these stents should be removed within a week. (Yokes! Her surgery was April 17th)...

Please CLICK HERE for that article. (This is also where the above picture came from).

We are just a bit confused; especially given her pain levels still. Perhaps a call to the surgeon down at Froedtert is in order? Oh, I do hate to 2nd~guess these things; but it was her surgeon that had told Derek and I that this stent would have to be removed if it did not pass of its own accord. Perhaps we will know more tomorrow then.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

Having been battling a nasty migraine for the past two days, I must report that my little garden is only maybe 2/3rds finished. And I can't wait to be eating those green beans either! But I'm getting there. More upset about this lateness than I should be as it is still only the 1st third of May. I am happy to report that I have caught up on more than a few hours of sleep too. (Chemically induced, but "sleep" none~the~less). After her own doctor appointment, Casey then brought me in for a shot for my stupid head... (I might have lasted all of 1/2 an hour after getting home). But get this; we called right after KC's appointment, got to my Dr. office about 15 minutes later, and was in/out of that office within less than ten minutes. Thank God that he has me down for a standing order. (And I have been thankful for that for many years now)...

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Ready! Aim!! Scurry!!!

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Casey has also taken it upon herself to be the terminator for these darned gophers of mine. She says it will take her all summer, (but what she doesn't know is that I flooded many holes in the back of the house already). hehehe It is amazing what a garden hose can accomplish! Thre were 2 holes back there that I actually had the hose down about 10-12 feet! But gave my gun to Casey once more... (She sounded a bit like Rambo at one point)... But I believe she got two of them critters too. They still can get down in their holes after being hit by a .22.

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She quietly sneaks up on them; after spying them eating birdseed...

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She fires one shot, and sends the darned thing back to his hole...

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and so she sits in wait for him to come back out...

(Having gone deer hunting for the last 7 years, she can be VERY patient)...

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I hear another shot, I see the gopher do a little dance after jumping straight up in the air, and I see the ground directly behind him spray upward. (All this happens within a split~second)... She goes to check and see if she can see him in his hole...

Nope.

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She snickers, but like myself, she does believe she hit that one...

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I had bought a Burning Bush to put between two of the maples, and while we walked out there, she saw more gophers. I did get the small bush planted and well watered, she found about 10 more holes to choose from. We will have to get back out and maybe finish the garden today, (with a break or two to rid my garden, my yard and my lawns of these little varmints). I do not want to be using too much poison either because of the dogs. Sooner or later, they could find it; and even a little leftover would do them harm, and I do not want to be taking that chance.

Speaking of the dogs, Miss Punk still needs to learn that the garden is off limits to her. It is slowly sinking in, but I think this learning process might go faster if she wasn't deaf. (Oh, perhaps it is her selective hearing and not her eardrums)??? Hmmm... She sure can be sassy...

Brother Buddy is on almost complete bed rest for a month! He is very upset about this treatment, but is learning to accept it too. Mary is just thankful that there is hope for his ACL to heal better of its own accord.

I'd better close for now. Hope you are all having a great Wednesday! Since it has rained a bit, I will attempt to get some indoor things done... (like finding my floors and my tables all over again)?!?! And hopefully Caseys surgeon will concur with her family doctor here... ? ...>say "pretty please"?<

XOXO
Anne

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Here's a nasty thought for the day too:

If it's in pet food, I'm sure it's in human food. What do YOU think?

http://www.petconnection.com/

My Busy Weekend... (Really)...

Good Morning!
I am looking at the time... The daylight has arrived and so I must type fast and get back outside to finish planting. The picture above showing only the first staked row.

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Punk had to watch; (because unlike Milly she does not yet understand that she can't go in the darned garden).

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They were good (for the most part) and so after all was done for yesterday, they got a treat.

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Milly on left; Punk on the right...

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I have completed about 1/3 of my little garden at this point. I would like to get this done before tomorrow. Then we will pray for rain; it is SO dry still.

...I am thinking that with Caseys recheck xray tomorrow, the stent will probably still be there, (she has not passed it)... She will then need further surgery to remove this stent. A busy day ahead then for me to get these seeds and my little plants in the ground.

Mary has just called, and will return to the vet with Buddy this afternoon. She says her Buddy does want to play but that the vet has told her to keep him as quiet as possible. Hard to keep a good dog down, so she has him in his inside kennel until the vet says he can move about more. Hopefully they can avoid surgery. I do think these things heal of their own accord... (?) Hope so anyway.

Not much other news, but I sure wish it would warm up just a teeny tiny bit. Either that or maybe the winds could just go away while I am outside? It was quite the Don Quixote day yesterday. (And being sandblasted for 8 hours only makes me dirty)! Glad I didn't put my contacts in in the morning... And yuck, but I will pull on those same sandy jeans this morning too. I swear if I have to throw more clothes like that in my washer it will ALL turn to mud! hehehe Kind of like the shower last night after Punkin got out... She smells a far cry better now, but was not happy having to get in there so late. (Yeah, me neither)... And no, you cannot see how bad it really was!!!

I hope everyone had a 'fantabulous' weekend. Those storms and tornadoes we have all heard about? I hope that you are all safe and sound.

Now you have to let me know what YOU did this weekend...

XOXO
Anne

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