All About My Pooch and My Projects

It's been a while since I've created a post.  I've been lazy, not in the mood, and tied up with other things.

One of the things I've been tied up with is my little dog, Finn.  He's been under the weather since October.  He didn’t really act or feel sick, but his stools just weren’t right.  Our vet did 2 worm tests on him at different times that came back negative each time.  But, the vet said the tests are only accurate 65% of the time.  He treated him with antibiotics and wormers and every time it cleared up but then returned. 

Then he ended up with an abscess.  The vet wasn’t sure if it was a tumor or an abscess, so again 2 weeks of antibiotics and he tested the growth…it came back negative for cancer.  After 2 weeks he checked internally, and the growth was gone.  The vet said we may just have to deal with stools that are a bit soft forever.  He suggested giving him a teaspoon of pumpkin daily with his food to see if that helps.  He’s been finished with his antibiotics for a week now, and the pumpkin has helped a lot with his stools.  We’re keeping our fingers crossed that this will continue.  The vet said the only thing left to try is to put him on a special diet.  So, we’re hoping Finn will continue as he is now.

In the meantime, of course, he's gotten spoiled eating chicken breast and rice.  So now, that's all he wants.  He gets that mixed with kibble and pumpkin once a day.  After he's eaten that we fill his bowl with just kibble.  If he's hungry enough he'll just have to eat that.  Silly pooch.

I'm still working on projects to use up my leftover yarn.  Although with Christmas coming, I haven't had as much time as I've wanted to crochet.  Here are a few of my latest finished projects.

This is a large afghan.  Although I'm trying to use up my yarn, when I use this many colors, I still have a lot of leftovers to use up!

This picture doesn't do this scarf justice.  The colors are blue, lavender and a cream. I love this yarn!! It's so soft and easy to work with, it's called Sweet Roll.  This was not part of my leftover yarn.  I wanted to try and make something using a corner to corner pattern, and I also wanted to try this new self striping yarn.  I want to buy more!!!! But, I need to get rid of the old stuff first.

This is another corner to corner throw using the leftover yarn.  I wish it was bigger, so I am working on another afghan using the same pattern but increasing the size.  These colors are cornmeal, sage, cream and a variegated yarn (I can't recall the color name).

I still have a long way to go to use up my old yarn, but I am making headway!

Busy Hands...Keep Me From Snacks

Due to lousy weather, two cataract surgeries, and planning menus for a new diet I've been on, I haven't had much time to get out and hike.  Although, I did hike the last 3 days with umbrella and on a paved trail (not my favorite kind of trail.)

Here are a few projects I've been working on.  This is my latest completed afghan.  Herb refers to it as Joseph's Afghan of Many Colors...a play on words of Joseph's Coat of Many Colors.  I refer to it as the Big Box of Crayons.   It's big enough to cover our Queen size bed.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do with all of these afghans, just storing them for now.  I love the colors, and the lacy pattern.  I only used one color twice, the first and the last row.

I still have plenty of extra yarn left, so I have another afghan ready to start.  However, first I've had a project in mind for several years that I wanted to do.  Here it is completed.  Can you guess what they are?  Probably not.

This next picture may give you a hint.

We've had many pets over the years.  We loved them all, but it was getting a bit expensive to buy each and every one a nice urn to store their ashes.  I must confess, we didn't always have all of our pets cremated...just too expensive.

These boxes aren't perfect, but I did my best.  I tried to match the colors to the pet.  Some don't show up as perfect matches, but they are pretty close.  Here are the pets' pictures to match the urns.

The first box on the left:  Magnum

 

 The big middle box:  Idol

The box on the right:  Sedona

As far as my surgeries, they were great!  I only wear glasses now when I read.  My diet?  I've lost 19 pounds so far.  I'd like to lose more, but only time will tell.  I can now fit back into my old jeans.  I still have some other jeans that are even smaller, maybe I'll wear them eventually, but right now I'm content on what I've lost so far.  Hope to continue to watch what I put into my mouth!

It's All About Dogs

People love to hike with their dogs, but some people take advantage of the trails in ways they shouldn't.  Our county parks allow dogs to be in the park but they must be leashed at all times.  Some people think that rule is only for others, and not themselves.

A facebook friend of mine recently encountered some unleashed dogs while she was walking, she reported them to the rangers.  I don't know if they were ticketed or not, but I ran into that same dog walker this morning while on my hike.

I could hear her calling her dogs, and by the time she approached me, they were leashed.  After posting this on facebook with the description of the person and her dogs, I found out that these dogs possibly killed some chickens at the park's little farm they have for visitors.  Apparently, this person has become a real problem for the park.  It's sad and unfortunate people don't realize how nice they have it. I go to other parks, that don't allow dogs at all.  They don't allow for the safety of the wildlife there....and I'm sure the stupidity of some owners.. END OF RANT.

Since this post is about dogs, I thought I'd post some pictures of two 4 month old puppies who belong to my granddaughter and my daughter's friend.  They stopped by to visit with Finn one day.

This is Aki.  She is an akita.  I love the way she has her paw in the bowl.  I also love the wrinkles on head between her ears.

 

This is Bernie.  He is a Victorian Bulldog.  OK.  I never heard of this breed either.  I was told this breed was developed with an English Bulldog and an American Bulldog.  Bernie has longer legs than an English Bulldog.  I have to admit, this little guy was so cute.  My other granddaughter calls him Meatball. 

Neither dog was aggressive with Finn.  They were all interested in each other and ran around like they weren't sure what to do with each other.  Finn was a little apprehensive with Bernie, but Bernie was more "Hi! I'm Bernie!" in your face.  They all wore each other out.  A fun day all around!

Who's Watching Whom?!

As I sat "counting" birds for The FeederWatch Program this past Sunday and Monday, I had to laugh at the observances I made at who was actually watching whom.

Of course, there I sat with my binoculars, camera, clipboard with tally sheet, pen and coffee behind closed patio doors. About 10 feet away were my feeders hanging from the tree and other pole systems.

Lovely, little every day birds I watched and counted.  Cardinals and House Sparrow.

All of a sudden I spotted this gray fluffy intruder!  Not one of my cats!  Mine stay indoors at all times.  Such a pretty cat...who had obviously been watching all of my birds at the feeders too.  I'm not sure what she was rolling around in.  The other day Finn was rolling around in that same area and I looked to see what might have been there, but saw nothing.

I didn't want the cat to get any of the birds, so I sent out my buddy, Finn.  As soon as he went flying out the door, the cat ran.  However, he did check out the area where it sat.

Finn giving the icy stare...DON'T COME BACK!

A little later, this beautiful Cooper's Hawk landed about 3 feet from where I watching behind patio doors.  I was so excited...I was afraid I wouldn't be able to hold the camera steady!  I'm sure this is the closest I'll ever get to such a magnificent bird!  I'm having enlargements made of these pictures so I can enjoy them every day!  He didn't catch any little birds either.

So, I guess I'm not the only one out there watching.....

A Day in the Life

I've been trying to get into the Christmas spirit the last week or so.  I was all raring to go back in November, but circumstances and people just seem to keep getting in the way and muddying up the outlook.

After a good walk in Winton Woods with Finn in the crisp December air, my spirits were lifted.  Yeah, I look a little goofy in my owl hat, but I love it and it's just enough to keep my ears and head warm.  I'm not quite sure what makes me smile so much...the walk itself, or the fact that I'm finished with the walk.  I always feel so good afterwards, so I guess I'll keep it up!

This is a picture I inadvertently took with my phone, so I thought I'd include it.  We were sitting in the park's parking lot.

Here's Finn looking all cute in his crocheted sweater of cammo and green.  It was made with leftover yarn.  I wanted it all to be cammo, but ran out.  I think in the beginning he wasn't quite sure about the sweater...maybe he was embarrassed.  Haha!  But he soon was strutting his stuff!

I was going to start some Christmas cleaning after supper tonight, but my daughter called and asked if I could pick up Emmi from day care.  I guess I could have cleaned when I got home, but decided to blog instead.  Priorities!





It was a little cold in Emily's house when we got there.  Here is her cat, Ashes, huddling under the tree to get warm.  The heat finally kicked on and everything was nice a toasty.

Here are recent pictures of Emily's tree:

And our little table top tree. Underneath the tree is Santa in a boat and two bears.  Love my little woodland scene.

A Trail with Obstacles and Heat!

Another humid sweltering day in Ohio.  Our hiking plans for today were to try and go around twice on the Kingfisher Trail in Winton Woods.  Twice around was our normal routine back before I had knee surgery.  Since my surgery was so successful and I am without pain, I'm hoping we will eventually be able to go even longer than twice around.

We started out before 9 am this morning hoping to beat the heat and hopefully not run into many people.  We could hear noise in the distance as though someone was working in the area.  Sure enough, a crew was working on the lower portion of the trail.  Unfortunately, they were pretty much blocking the trail.  Not only do I have a new knee, but I'm just naturally a klutz, so I always feel I need to watch where I'm going, and have plenty of space to get my big feet through small spaces.  Here is what we needed to pass.

As you can see they didn't leave much space for people to get by.  Finn decided to hop over the rails and go down the hill.  Then, of course, he couldn't quite hop back up and over the rails.  I had to brace myself, bend down, reach over and heist his fat little body back on the trail.  Thank goodness, I kept my klutziness in check.

We continued on and headed for the steps to move to the top portion of the trail.  Another partial blockage greeted us.

They could have pulled their vehicle a little more to the right as there is a level path that runs through.  No, they don't want to make it too easy for hikers.  We got by, and continued on up the hill to the upper portion of the trail.  I didn't want to go back down to the lower portion so I decided we'd stay up top.  When we finally got to the top, my plan was to do the top portion 3 times.  Walk to the end, then go back and forth on the top portion 2 more times.  However, Finn was starting to pant pretty much, so we did a shortened version of the last 2 times.  Since he wears a "winter" coat all the time, I knew he had to be hot.  He will get a haircut later today.  Here is a short video of Finn.

I've also been busy doing some crocheting.  A few scarves for Christmas gifts this year.  Some of the colors do not show up very well.  The scarf on the far left is a soft lilac color.  The second from the right is gray.  I love the little purses I found to match.

Hiking Buddies Once Again!

I decided to take Finn along with me today on my hike.  He had ACL surgery back in November 2015.  Since my knee was bothering me so much after he healed I didn't go hiking any more until after my surgery.  I knew he would be all excited about going hiking again after such a long time, I was a bit afraid he would pull me down the hills.  I don't mind when he pulls me up hills, that actually helps.  I was very surprised he took it easy going down hills today.  I've also forgotten how often he likes to stop and sniff everything too!

It was a very hot and humid day today, but we started our hike at 8:30 am.  It wasn't too bad, and best of all we had the whole trail to ourselves...that's always nice.

My first attempt at the upper portion of the trail.  The steps going up, followed by a long uphill trek.

We didn't see much wildlife, but did hear lots of birds. 

Just a few pictures of simple flowers and a web.  Nothing spectacular, I guess we've missed a lot of the early summer blooms. 

 

 

Before I know it, it will be fall and all the leaves will be turning.  I'm not too bummed about it though, I really didn't expect to be back on the trails at all this summer.  This surgery has surprised me in many ways.  My recovery has been much quicker than I expected.  The only pain I felt today, was in what I used to call my "good" knee. It's not near as bad as the other knee was, so I'm hoping I can put off surgery on my "good" knee for as long as possible, possibly forever. 

Tomorrow will be my last session of outpatient therapy!  Yay!  It will be good to have my days back where I can plan or not plan what I want to do.  The therapists, Katie and Linas were wonderful to work with though, and I appreciate all they've done for me and to me!!

Kingfisher Trail 3/29/2016

It's been a while since Finn and I hiked Kingfisher Trail in Winton Woods.  It was a nice crisp morning with only a few people on the trail.  A couple walking a dog and 3 young boys on bikes.  Bikes are not allowed on the trails, but I've learned over the years people believe those rules are for other people not for them.  I used to say something to the kids, but they always acted innocent and just kept going any way, so I've given up.  They're just going to do what they want to do any way.

There are 3 portions to this trail.  The lower trail where the first two pictures were taken down by the creek.  There is also an upper portion of the trail.  There is also an "unofficial" portion in between the bottom and top.

I don't know if you can see the tiny yellow flowers among the spring grass, but it looked like a beautiful carpet.  The creek is in the background.

Another shot of the creek farther along the trail.

 This picture was taken from the upper portion.

A lot of the trees in Winton Woods have been cut down due to the Emerald Ash Borer infesting so many of the trees.  This particular tree is one where every year we saw Black Racer snakes sunning themselves in the spring.  Since the tree has been cut down I wasn't sure if we'd still see snakes in the tree.  No snakes today...I looked around in nearby trees and on the ground too.

This picture was also taken from the upper portion.  If you look into the background you can probably see the boardwalk, which is the beginning of the trail on the bottom portion.

The path in the middle of this picture is what I call the "unauthorized" portion of the trail.

Taken from the upper trail.  Another pile of cut down trees.  The forest has really been opened up.  Of course I prefer the canopy of trees...especially during the hot weather.

We usually hike the trail twice.  First in one direction, then turn around and go in the opposite direction.  The lower trail was quite muddy this morning, so on our second time around we decided to take the "unofficial" middle trail back out.  I can always kick off my muddy hiking boots, but I wanted to give Finn's underbelly time to dry out before we got back into the car.  He's such a short little guy.  He sits on an old sheet in the passenger seat.  This is a photo of the beginning of the "unofficial" middle trail.

Finally, the nice bright forsythia bush at the end of our hike near the parking lot.

Changes...Changes..Changes

I haven't been blogging much lately for several reasons.  One being that I've been busy doing other things.  Since I got a new puppy in June, I've been spending a lot of time with him and not taking very many pictures.  We hike trails and play in the back yard.  When we hike, I'm busy working with Finn.  He still wants to jump on people and kiss them.  He's just a little guy, 9 lbs or so, so he won't hurt anyone, but he still has to learn his manners.  A camera hanging around my neck just gets in the way when I'm tending to Finn.

One of our cats is not doing very well either.  Magnum has lost the use of his back legs.  He doesn't seem to be in any pain, but we do keep an extra eye for him.  Finn likes to jump on the cats and give them "kisses" too, and poor Magnum has no way to escape quickly.  We move Magnum to higher ground (the sofa) when Finn is out tearing around the house.  Magnum is having some litter box issues too.  His back legs usually don't make it into the litter box (he thinks they're in, but because he doesn't have any feeling in them, he doesn't realize they aren't in).  We have a pretty good system set up so the mess stays in a big tray, but it does take extra time and effort to clean up after him.

 These are a couple of shots of Magnum's spot when he wants to sit with us in the family room

Magnum in his safe spot on the sofa when Finn is running wild.

Magnum's other safe spot in the "cat room" only the cats are allowed in this room.  Litter boxes, food and water and of course, Magnum's special resting spot.  Magnum spends a lot of time in here away from crazy Finn, but he can come out whenever he wants. 








I don't get a lot of comments on my blog, and that's OK.  I know some people read my blog, but don't leave comments...I'm OK with that.  I read a few blogs and don't leave comments either.  I do appreciate anyone who stops by to read my blog leaving comments or not.

So, I've decided just to blog when I have something that I'd like to share with others or just for my own enjoyment.  I hope you'll tag along with me whether I blog once a week, once a month...or who knows, once a year!

Today, I've decided to share a video of horse I used to ride at Winton Woods Riding Center when I took lessons a few years ago.  His name is Sultan and has always been one of my favorites.  This video was taken by a lady who works at the Riding Center and was kind enough to share it with me.  This video shows off how beautiful Sultan is...such a handsome boy!  Horses are such magnificent animals! This is my first attempt to post a video, hope it works!  Enjoy!

Back Again!

After a crazy August and no blogging, I'm back!

Actually, it all began at the end of June, but August was the worst.  Of course, we started out by picking up a stray cat in the woods and ended up that same day with not only a new cat but 3 newborn kittens.  I was also plagued by 3 back to back health issues.  Thankfully, they ended up not being serious but, just enough to slow me down and not want to do anything.  That's why I haven't blogged lately or left many comments on my bloggers' friends' pages.  Sorry about that.

I've even taken some time off from my volunteer duties at the cat shelter.  My own pets have so many health needs that I need to deal with at this time, I figured they (and my own health) needed to be my priorities at this time.

Misty (mama cat) is now up-to-date on all her shots and has been spayed.  The second day after her surgery we noticed her stitches had been pulled out.  We don't think they were in very good to start with.  She seems to be healing fine though.  Yay!

The two kittens that survived Squishy, the black & white (my granddaughter's new kitten) and Macey, the gray & white (apparently ours, since no one has said they wanted her) have two more visits to the vet coming up, and of course, need to be spayed and neutered.

Willow, our dachshund, of course still has her Cushings Disease, so we're spending a good deal of time cleaning up her accidents even though she is on two medications.  She's so sweet, I feel so bad for her.

I had my own doctor's visits to tend to, plus working part time, so I decided to take some time off from those things that weren't really necessary for my day to day living.

During my month of health issues I also didn't hike at all!  I really really missed that!  I did my first 2 1/2 mile hike yesterday...did that feel good!  It's raining this morning, and I'm not sure I'll be able to fit one in today or tomorrow. :(  We'll see.

All seems to be going well at this point...keep your fingers crossed.  I am looking forward to getting these kittens finished with their vet visits and will be able to start acclimating Misty and Macey to the rest of the menagerie here at home (2 dogs and 3 other cats).  When all this gets accomplished, I hope to go back to my normal madcap routine!