Monday, May 11, 2015

Our first walk in the woods........

Now that May is here we can get outside again. We asked Tristen if he would like to go for a walk, he was all for it. So as he had been very good we figured we would take him to the park and then we could walk after. We let him play for a short time but there were quite a few kids there and he was acting up.
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So off we went for our first walk in the woods for this year. We were soon to discover the fire that had occured a couple of days before. Lucky the park is right near the fire station for that area and was quickly taken care of. It was very sad to see the damage and the beautiful trees that had most likely died. Although there may be some hope. Tristen was rather upset and sad about the trees. It gave me a chance to reiterate about being safe in the woods because animals live there. I can not even begin to imagine the huge forest fires they have out west. God help them this year with the drought.
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In fact, just close by we found a Beaver house. I met a lady walking her dog and she said that someone told her they had seen babies.
I could see evidence of Beaver work as we walked close by. I hope the fire didn't scare them away.
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We found a tepee, some one had made a little house out of branches. Was it a homeless persons shelter for for the winter or kids playing in the woods.
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We didn't see much in the way of wildlife, well, with Mr Motor mouth thats usually not something we expect. Besides the bears are awake and in the area so we hear. That's OK. They don't normally bother people, although I am sure there are babies around. I have yet to see a bear. We hear about them all the time, and they have been close to my home. I always miss them,just not fair. I want pictures.
Tristen did a little tree climbing
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Not too much yet in the way of wildflowers, but after this rain I am guessing a lot of things will just pop. Blossoms are out on the wild cherry trees and some mini daffodils were perky.
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Some nice clear paths, that I am sure helped the firemen when they needed to get in there quickly
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We heard what appeared to be Sandhill Cranes or some kind of Herons squabbling but they were gone by the time we got down to the water.
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We got back to the park and Tristen found a friend this time. His name was Orion and he was with his Grandma, she was wanting to leave but she was enjoying watching them play as much as we were so they stayed for a time.
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It started to get cold so we decided to leave we heard much groaning, but they came quietly and so we went home.
I will show this here, we took a short walk in the rain yesterday and saw a nice big bunny.
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Its so good to be outside, I don't mind a little rain. Unfortunatley I won't shrink.

Thursday, May 7, 2015

New life.......

We have a Robin nesting on our front porch again.
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I hope she does better this year. Most years a Robin gives it a try on our porch. Only one that I remember was a success. Several gave up. One got its eggs stolen. Squirrels I think.
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Anyway I will watch out for her best I can.
The Crows I fed last winter have nested near by, actually across our ally. I bet everyone is just thrilled. I am.......the local Blue Jay population is not happy. Last Spring we had a Blue Jay nest but the babies got killed, that really upset me.
Another nice thing happened today. Another butterfly. Last year I saw one all year, so far this year I have 3 different ones coming.
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This is the other one. Taken in April
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The other one that has been a daily visitor is a white one. I can't catch that one at the right time. She loves the tulips across the ally and comes to check out my garden but so far I either don't have the camera handy or, she flits away.
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I am hoping to see some Monarcs this year. I have plenty of plants for butterfly. They should be grateful. I have also read of a Butterfly feeding station. I have the dish, now I need to cut up a sponge and soak it in nectar. Maybe that will bring her in.

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

A matter of life or death..................

I think I mentioned that Bijou had a brush with death recently. Last week actually. She was very sick and we could not figure out why. We knew she had a kidney stone, and also the stone in her bladder again because we had xrays done. That didn't explain this pain and decline though. The vet put her on a large dose of antibiotics and pain killers. She managed to get through it slowly, it was a mystery, the vet could not figure it out. Well a week passed and she was eating regular and so I decided it was best to take care of the bladder stone because she was having problems again peeing. So it was that we took her in again. I got a call later that morning, the vet told me she had found a mass of gelatinous substance attached to her stomach wall, it went around her internal organs and bled when touched. It was not possible to remove it.SHe had no idea what it was, was afraid to biopsy and make it ooze more. What to do? close her up and see what happens or put her to sleep?.
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My husband had just gone to work thinking everything was OK. So I called and had him come back. He was very very upset. I told the vet to close her up and we would come up and see her to talk. She wanted to wait until Bijou came out of the anesthetic so we went up later. The vet by now was very surprised that Bijou was awake and alert. We talked and we decided we would take Bijou home and at least let her know we were there and she was loved and just cherish a few days with her before taking her back to put her to sleep. Well, when we went back to where she was in her cage, she sat up and wanted out. The vet decided then and there to let her go home and then for us to bring her back next day to give her more fluids. She thought that she would do better at home than to stay overnight which was what she had wanted to happen at first.
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We took her home, we found the old crate we used when they were babies. They could sleep on the end of the bed in it without getting squished. So we made that up for Bijou and she was able to sleep in her usual spot even if somewhat confined.
Next day (today) we took her back first thing to have her get more fluids and pain meds. We picked her up at noon. Again the vet could not believe how well she was doing. She has slept a lot today but is eating well. The vet says she has never experienced anything like this in her 30 years as a vet. She calls her, her miricle dog. We don't know what her future prognosis is, but she is home for now.
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So this is the thing............we were close to saying "let her go" while she was still asleep. The vet would have done it thinking it for the best. I said no, because I wanted Bijou to know we were with her. If it came to that I wanted to be holding her. Then when she woke up (and the vet was not sure she would) and was alert and her pain was controlled.......well. I decided that we should bring her home for whatever life she had left.
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That is the dilemma isn't it? Taking a life. I have done so in the past, for what I considered good reasons, or the best for the animal at the time. I never take it lightly. I always regret it. I always feel the pain of second guessing my motives and my reasons. I can not stand the idea of a beloved pet in pain, especially if nothing will get better. God gave us dominion over the animals. I take that to mean that I am to do what is best for them. If it means ending their life it must be with great soul searching and consideration, not for selfish reasons or convenience. I may have done that once when it involved a cat, maybe two cats. They had issues we could not resolve. Both would poop and pee all over the house, on the beds and furniture. The vet thought in the first case (Buffy) that she was sick, she could not figure it out and thought it best to put her to sleep. Long story with Buffy because of her family history, her sister born with her organs on the wrong side and her mother had the same issues that Buffy did. The second cat Beatrice was so stressed by even being at the vets that the vet pursuded me it would be the best, that she was sick and would not respond well to treatment. She suggested to try to retrain her would be to confine her to a bathroom. Well that would be cruel and so we made our choice. I regret both of those choices, even so, I don't know what else I could have done.
With the poodles, Bonnie was in the throws of a heart attack and was about gone by the time we got to the vet so it was a case of seeing her off gently and pain free as best we could. Bambi much the same but Buttons, sweet Buttons, Dr Burke came to our house. We said goodbye and took the easy way out, could I have waited longer? I don't know. Poor Buttons, such a sweet sweet girl and so many ailments all her life. I didn't want her to suffer but she did not like to see the vet there, was she ready? Ah, well that's it isn't it? Do we really have the right to deny even one day? If dogs go to heaven, then it doesn't matter. We will see them again. What if they don't? Then we have taken from them what little life they have.
Do animals have souls, do they have another life when they cross the Rainbow bridge. Part of me says no. Who does go to heaven? Did the dinasaurs? Do cows? animals that have terrible lives here deserve another chance at life don't they? Is it just our pets, that can't be. It can't just be dogs and cats because in some countries they are food. What I do know is every animal has a personality. Even birds have character so, if God knows when even a sparrow falls from the sky, does God love them? They certainly deserve love more than we do in my opinion.
So Bijou............you may have a long life ahead, but it might be short going by what's going on inside you. I do not want to have to make the choice over your life or death, not again..........but I will when I need to. It's what comes with loving them and doing what is best for them with complete knowlege and consideration of all the facts. It has cost over 1,000 dollars so far..........we cant afford it (and this is the 2nd time) but it is what we do isn't it?. Life does not have a price does it? It shouldn't but I fear it does sometimes. Still, for now, we have Bijou home and happy and we will relish every single day and thank God for it.
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Friday, May 1, 2015

May Day...............

It's May, It's May the merry month of May...........I love May Day. In some countries its a day to have a military parade and show of their might. In England not so much.

I love the May blossoms, the bluebells, the cowslips and nature coming alive. Birds are nesting and it's such a happy month.
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The English May celebrations include Morris men.

The May Pole dancers on the village green.

I love that traditions are kept up in Britain. That people still take the time to be involved. That men and women still take time to learn the complicated dances of the Morris dancers. They may I am sure seem silly to some but they have their history. The old village green, where now the village people still gather for events, fairs and gymkahnas. It's beautiful and I hope it last forever.
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Monday, April 27, 2015

Tristen's Swimming lesson.......

On Wednesday Dan was away on his honeymoon so we took Tristen to his swimming lesson. Now that was quite the experience. He wants so much to be older than he is. He had to show us how to get to the YMCA and he was insistent even though we knew where it was. He showed us where we had to park and showed us what to do and where to go. Full of himself he was. He always is haha. He is just like his mum.
Anyway, he knew to take a shower and get changed in the locker room and took us to the pool to meet the instructor.
He is not different there than at school or anywhere else. He does not listen. Still he enjoyed his lesson.

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So that was an adventure. He kept popping out of the pool and coming over to where we sat, all wet and dripping. We think we will sign him up for soccer this summer.
So then one evening Gabby stopped in with Cooper. Tristen was just getting into the tub, so Gabby put Cooper in with him.
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Cousins having fun. Oh boy!!!.........these two will be quite the pair when they get older. Cooper had a blast.
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I am linking with The Dedicated House, Make it pretty Monday
also with Inspire me Monday

Follow ups...................

When it rains it pours? Well it sometimes seems that way doesn't it? I am not sure where to begin, I have not had much chance to write on here, or indeed, not known what to say.
First of all Bijou. Well, she has made a recovery of sorts and now needs to go back to the vets for a follow up. I suspect the stones in her bladder are bad. She pees all the time and not much comes out. That means the bladder stones are getting bigger. She has recovered from whatever it was that almost killed her. Still no idea what happened to her. She is her usual annoying self now. So we will get her back to the vets and get another Xray done to see how bad her bladder is.
She managed to get her hair cut and is looking pretty again.
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Bodi got her hair cut at the same time and she is pretty too.
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I take the poodles in two by two. The other two got theirs this week. I stopped in at the thrift shop at that time but that is for another post.
So........Gabrielle is doing better. She had a mental breakdown. She is working on it. It makes me wonder what mental illness is. What triggers it? How is it to be avoided? Is it in our genetic make up? I know it is hard to talk about and very hard to understand. Some of it I think is our personality that make us susceptible and then a chemical imbalance maybe. Especially in women. Anyway, Gabby took Alexandra's death very hard. She has never been comfortable talking about it. She is a depressed personality or rather I should say melancholy, ADHD and more comfortable away from people. So it was around the anniversary of Alex death that she went to pieces after a confrontation at work. She is still very fragile but is doing better.
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Reina, well she is doing well. They have put off her surgery in the hope that it can wait until she is a little older. She is very young to have gall stones,but she does.
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So now for the latest news. My daughter Laura ....phew. So she has been having marriage problems and this led to what can only be described as a breakdown too. She took an overdose of tylanol. Now, as soon as she did it she realized it was probably not in her best interests and tried to throw them back up. Nope.......so off to the ER they went. I am so sick of that place. Well she had to spend a week there on the psyche ward.
Back to that mental health issue. Oh, I am sure she had no intent upon killing herself it was a bid for attention.
Laura has a volatile personality to begin with, then when she is PMS'ing it becomes really bad. She has no self control. So maybe this little stay, and council will help work some of that out for her. So could be a blessing in disguise.
So how do we come to this?
My Mother I realize was a controlling woman when it came to my dad, jealous too. Laura is much the same in personality as my Mum. She recognises that and try's to work on it. I remember mum had a nervous breakdown when my dad had an affair. I remember some problems in their marriage but they pretty much kept it away from me. I just remember a few things that made sense later in life when I was more aware of adult things.
As a child I didn't notice a lot, I was naive and back then kids didn't know much about such things. They only made sense later. Her family too was very volatile, at least some of them were. So as I grew up I think maybe I too had some of those traits. Especially while raising kids. Patience was not one of my virtues and certainly not one of Laura's.
I now know PMS was a great part of it for me. For Laura far worse than that PMS times 5. I wont go into all that as its not my story to tell but I wonder about mental health and how little help there is for anyone until it's too late.
The main problem for her has been lack of health insurance. She needs meds for the PMS and depression and when you don't have the insurance you stop taking them. That should not happen.
Anyway..............just a few reasons why I have not been very active on my blogs. Everything will be OK in the end.
linking with Inspire Me Monday

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Hectic weeks..................

Its been a rather hectic few weeks one way or other. I began baby sitting for a few months. The babies grandmother was about to retire and would be looking after the little fella after that. He is a cute little,( and I mean little) 3 month old. His mother was terrified of leaving him to go back to work, so this arrangement worked well for her. My problem was getting up at 5am. The first month it was actually quite nice. I have a good hour to myself as the sun came up.
Well I finished with that job on Friday and I suppose that over the period of time I watched him I had saved a little nest egg. I was hoping to buy something with it. We need a new BBQ, a new vacuum and this and that. It was not to be. More later.
So then Gabby got sick...........she was in the ER a couple of times and we were trying to help with that situation as well. She is doing better now.
Then Reina got sick. She has Spherocytosis (an inherited blood disease)and the pain from her gall bladder was bad poor thing. She ended up going to ER and then down to a childrens hospital. They are restricting her diet and holding off on surgery until she is older.
Meanwhile Tristen and Reina did a fashion show. They did what they did last year. Laura works at Yonkers and they do a childrens fashion show now every year.
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Reina being serious about her job
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The next thing to happen was Bijou got sick.
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Here we are leaving the vets after 3 days treatment. She was not at all happy and still very weak.
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She was out of sorts and lethargic when we decided to take her in on Monday. She was not eating and was dehydrated and had a fever. The vet decided to keep her overnight, ran blood work and urine tests. She has bladder stones again. She only had that large one out a few months ago. She now has a kidney stone as well. They put her on intravenus liquids and antibiotics. They could not explain the pain, the vets seemed to not know what to do or why she was not responding. They kept her another night and did more blood tests. Everything came back ok. They were confused. She was in for 3 days and we brought her home Friday. Took her back for more infusions on Saturday and then home again. She is gradually getting a bit better this week. She is eating a bit more. She seems to be in less pain. Each day seems to be an improvement. We are not sure yet though. Lots of prayers for her and I really prayed God would give her a chance to spend some time at home with us............I believe He answered prayers. We really thought we would loose her.
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Well as Bijou seem to be on the mend, I am hoping now that things will become less frantic for the next few weeks. I really do need to catch up on things. I am loving being out in the garden working again. I have had no time for my blogs.