Thursday Doin's

Early on Thursday morning, Meeko went to the Vets for a bath and his Bordetella vaccination. While he was there, they clipped his nails, cleaned his ears and trimmed the fur on his stomach. He was looking pretty when he came home and he knew it. Immediately he wanted to go out and show off his new look.

Though the photo above is a little too light, there he is looking well-groomed. He's always proud to be all cleaned up.
This afternoon the boys and I went to the farm. I was able to get a photo of Yankee. Yankee is a miniature horse. He is full grown and is not a pony.
It was a hot day and all of the horses were gathering around the water trough. One (I can't remember his name) kept coming near when he saw me taking photos of Yankee. It was as if he was saying, "I want my picture taken too."
Yankee was just taking his time wandering around the barnyard and grazing on a bit of grass. He doesn't crave the same attention as the other horses. He is more of a loner. Sometimes the other horses pick on him a little.
After I had made dinner and fed hubby, I came into the computer room, just as the sun was setting. The sky was a brilliant red to the northwest.
To the southwest it was pretty shades of pink, blue and lavender. I haven't seen colors like this in a sunset yet this summer. It was breathtaking. It wasn't long after these photos were taken that a severe thunderstorm moved in. I got these shots just in time.

And those are the joys that I experienced on Thursday. Hubby worked upstairs and I did some laundry that I was behind in and tidied the house a bit. Our helper was here and he is continuing to paint the upstairs kitchen. Hubby worked laying the new bathroom sub floor so the plumber can install the bath tub, sink and toilet when he comes on Monday. Things are shaping up nicely.

Take care and have a great weekend. ~Blessings, Mary~

Meeko and Renovation News

Some of you have been asking about Meeko. He is much better and there hasn`t been a reoccurrence of his Colitis. We`re watching his diet and making sure he is getting what he needs.

Over the weekend it was cooler and Meeko has been enjoying the great outdoors. He enjoys being outside when a nice breeze is blowing.

The above photo is a rare one where he is looking directly at the camera. It seems when I aim that he always turns his head away. I`m hoping this can be clicked on to enlarge it, as it clearly shows his eyes. His right eye is blue and the left one is brown.

Here he is resting comfortably in the cooler weather. He so enjoys laying on the veranda and keeping watch over the yard.

As most of you already know, the plumber was to come Monday. Well, he did and he was here from 9 am to 4 pm. He changed the pipes for the upstairs bathroom vanity but when he began working to install the toilet, he found that there was two hairline cracks down the pipe and he had to take that out and put in a new one. I`m certainly glad he found that because it would have spelled disaster in the future. It was quite a bit extra work for him and that wasn`t something we had planned on. However, we are aware that when you begin renovating old houses that you never know what you are going to find. Thank goodness this was found before it broke open, which wouldn`t have been long from the looks of the old pipe.

For years when we`ve done laundry, our bathtub (this is in our apartment) gurgles and so does the kitchen sink. Well, the plumber found out that nothing in the upstairs bathroom was vented and that is why everything gurgles when the washer empties. That is now fixed as well.

So, the renovations continue. The plumber can`t come back until next Monday because he has a big job to do. That is okay because there is still lots of painting to be done upstairs.

Take care and have a great Wednesday. Blessings, Mary

News about Meeko and an Award

Many of my regular readers will recognize Meeko. This photo was taken last summer. I have very few photos of him that are this good. He is a bit camera shy and likes to turn his head just when I snap his picture.

Meeko has always been a very clean dog. He is eight years old and we never had any trouble training him. So, a month ago when he had an accident in the house, I wondered if he had a problem. It didn't happen again, so I figured it was just that he had a bit of a stomach ache and couldn't wait or maybe that he had a bug.

Last Thursday hubby and I had to go out for a couple of hours to take care of some business. When we came home, Meeko had had another accident and this time there was fresh blood in his stool. Though it was 6 pm, I called the vet's office immediately and was referred to the after hours clinic. They told me to bring him in. I thought maybe he had gotten into some bones, but that was not the case.

It seems Meeko has colitis. I never imagined that dogs would suffer from this, but sure enough that's what he has. I guess dogs can get any condition that humans can.

The vet prescribed medication for Meeko and he seems to be doing much better. I have to phone my regular vet to find out if he has to continue treatment or be put on a special diet. I would also like to know what causes a dog to have colitis. I will definitely keep everyone updated on his progress, but right now he seems to be his old self. I'm also going to inquire on a prognosis.

The above award was given to me by Sammie at Bears in Exile. It is a lovely award and I appreciate it so much. Thank you so much, Sammie. It is lovely.

I would like to present this to all of the wonderful folks who stop by to visit with me on a regular basis. Each of you are creative in your own way and each possess amazing talents. You all brighten my day and now it is my turn to brighten yours with this little button. Enjoy! ~Blessings, Mary~

Meeko has a Girlfriend

Most of my friends and readers have met Meeko. He is a delight to us. He has plenty of charming personality and he thinks he's king of the household.

Well, a couple of months ago, a female dog began coming this way with her owners and she and Meeko have become fast friends.

Meet Angelina. She is a darling and she and Meeko get along great. They see each other almost every day. She is with her owner Frank in this photo and her other owner, Nancy, is taking the photos. If either Frank or Nancy doesn't come by with Angelina by the time I take Meeko out for his nightly walk, he heads directly to her place. He knows exactly where she lives and looks for her as we walk by. She is usually out in the yard and comes as soon as she knows he's there.
Nancy took this photo of the two dogs together a couple of weeks ago. They were enjoying each other's company, but Angelina, like Meeko, is a little camera shy. She kept turning her back each time Nancy aimed the camera.

Angelina and Meeko have quite a friendship going. They look forward to their time together each evening. When Angelina is in the house as we walk by, Meeko tries to figure out how to get in to her and we can hear her barking and running around trying to figure out how to get out to him. They have a close bond and enjoy each other's company. Sometimes Meeko will lay and rub his head on the grass and Angelina will jump on his head. It's hilarious to watch the two of them play together.

Not much going on here. I've been a little under the weather with arthritis pain in my knees, so wasn't upstairs today. The doctor told me she wanted me to take a two week break and rest, but that isn't really possible. Then she prescribed Celebrex, (she was a fill-in doctor, mine is on holidays) which I am allergic to because it contains aspirin. That was an experience in itself.

Take care and enjoy the weekend. Remember to take some time for yourself. ~Blessings, Mary~

A Peaceful Walk with Meeko

A week or so ago, Meeko and I went on a leisurely walk that turned out to be balm for the soul. It was so quiet and peaceful as we walked the trail along the canal. This is the area where I told you there is sometimes snakes, but there were no snakes on this day. There were some other critters such as birds and squirrels.

Above is a park bench where we sometimes sit and watch the Canada geese and the Mallard ducks. There were no geese or ducks on this day.

A photo of the canal. In the center there is water, but it's hard to spot because of the reflections.
A beautiful grove of trees. There are many on this part of the trail. Each of them are so different and unique. We did lose a few in the mini tornado that spun through here a week and a half ago.
Meeko, sitting and looking down the trail. He knows there are squirrels and doves in the distance.
Here is another view and another bench that we sometimes take a breather on. It is usually shady here and a nice place to sit on a hot summer day.

Meeko looking toward the water. He spied a bird in the bushes and was watching it. We taught him not to chase birds or squirrels, but sometimes he sits and quivers because he would like to chase them.

Above is an old road. We usually walk down the trail and then come back along this road. It is shady here all the time and the trees make a canopy overhead.

As we headed back along the road, we saw Mr. Robin. He swooped down not far from us, then up in a tree, sang us a song and then down on the ground where I took this photo.

As we walked along the road, a dove flew across our path and came to rest by perching on a wire overhead. There are lots of doves, squirrels and robins here. This is the area where the kingfisher and the blue heron can be seen early in the morning. We do see the kingfisher at other times of the day, but not this day.

I hope you enjoyed taking this walk with Meeko and I. It is a beautiful area and a very peaceful walk.

Remember to take a walk in your neighborhood in order to see the native species that live there. It is indeed balm for the soul. ~Blessings, Mary~

Random Acts of Kindness from Blogging Friends

It was a tough weekend as my regular readers will know and it's going to be a tough month. But I keep my eyes heavenward, knowing that I will get through all of this. Today, I received a beautiful sentiment from on of my blogging friends.

Denise of Shorty Bear's Place knows how much I love Meeko. She sent me the above graphics and I absolutely love them. Denise, you made my day. Thank you so much. You can be sure I'll keep these for years.

It's true that life is better with an Alaskan Malamute. Meeko knows when something is not right with my day and he often comes to me and lays his head on my knee. This afternoon I went outside and sat on the side step. He was laying on the porch and we spent some quality time together. It was a pleasant diversion from all the tension that has been floating around here. LOL
A couple of days ago, I did the four things meme that I saw a Storyteller's. This beautiful button above is one that was given out to participants. Thank you, Storyteller. This little guy is adorable.

This morning after I'd had my first cup of coffee, I walked into the bathroom and saw it through someone else's eyes. The walls needed washing, the vanity needed a good scrubbing and the medicine cabinet was full of medications that had long expired. Right then and there I decided that was my goal for today, though I would have much rather been working in the garden. So, after hubby left to do his errands, I got right to it. I cleaned the medicine cabinet and sorted all of the meds and got rid of anything that had expired. I cleaned out the cupboards and washed them. I cleaned the vanity, the wall behind it and the sink and all the accessories on the vanity such as the soap dishes, toothbrush holder etc.

I have to do things a bit at a time because of my spinal injury. By the time I had filled the bathroom garbage can with things that were no longer needed and the expired meds, I took it out to the curb. Tuesday is garbage day around here and this was the perfect day to get rid of all this stuff.

About that time hubby came home and it was time to get him something to eat. Earlier in the afternoon I had cooked macaroni to make a macaroni salad and I had taken braising ribs out of the freezer. Hubby did the braising ribs on the BBQ and added his specialty sauce. I made the macaroni salad and we had cucumbers, tomatoes and cauliflower florets with it. It was delicous. Nothing fancy, but good.

Besides all this, I had the cleaning up to do and I'd done laundry in between cleaning the bathroom, so I am plenty tired tonight. But it feels good. We have clean sheets to sleep on, lots of clean clothes and the bathroom looks great. It's organized and tidy once more. I just have to finish washing all the walls down and then the floor. This will take some effort on my part as I have trouble getting down on my hands and knees anymore. The bathroom is very small, so using a mop in there is impossible.

Even though I'm a little tuckered out, I feel good. I like to have the house clean and tidy and it's hard to keep up to all the clutter because of limited space and lack of tools for organization.

Take care and have a great Tuesday. Be sure to take time to stop and enjoy the beauty of spring. It was a beautiful day here and I went out a couple of times when taking a break to enjoy it. ~Blessings, Mary!

New Yard Decor or a Crazy Whim?

About a month ago the city came along and cut an old tree that was two doors up the street. The tree was hollow and in danger of falling down. They piled the wood on my next door neighbor's lawn and told her that they would be coming to get it in a week or two and if she knew anyone that wanted any of it, to let them know.

Without my knowledge, the neighbor took five pieces of the hollow tree into her yard before the city came back. I had my eye on a couple pieces, but it was frozen to the ground. I figured I'd wait until the weather warmed up a little and grab a piece. Before I could get it brought home, the city came and picked up the wood.

Yesterday it was pouring rain and I was talking to my neighbor. I happened to mention that I would have liked a piece of stump from that old tree. She directed me to her side porch and told me to help myself. There was a huge piece there with a hollow in it.

So today, I coecered hubby into going with me to get it. He looked at me like I was crazy, but did my bidding and we lugged it home. I see potential in this stump and want to plant flowers, maybe a creeping vine, in the hollow part. On the flat end I think a sitting gnome or fairy would be nice. Watcha think?
Above, Meeko is sniffing around the piece of stump and examining it. At first he wasn't thrilled with it being in his part of the yard. Meeko is very fussy about what enters his kingdom, but Mama is the boss and I said the stump was going there and that was it.
After sniffing around it for a while, Meeko finally accepted the fact that it was staying and decided to go with the flow. Ha! Mama is the boss! Hubby had warned me that Meeko would christen it but he was wrong. Meeko minded his manners, just as I've taught him.
Here Meeko is laying and relaxing. It looks as if he is saying, "Well, if it must be here, I may as well get used to it."

Now, I've told you all this in fun, but also because I want your opinion. Is the stump an eyesore or is there potential in it? What kind of flowers should be planted in it? I value any suggestions here. Should I get rid of it or can it be made into something natural and beautiful? Your honest opinion will be very much appreciated.

In other news, things are really quiet around here. Tenant got his notice and he was a little bit upset. He has signed an agreement to be out by May 31, 2008.

Nothing else much going on around here. I have yard work that needs to be done. It rained Friday and Saturday and was chilly out today, so hopefully I can get more of it done this week.

Have a great week and remember to do a random act of kindness for someone. Being kind is good for the soul. ~Blessings, Mary~