Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Midweek mélange

'Tis the season for sunrises! Yeah, yeah; I know the sun rises EVERY morning, but it rises at such a civilized time in September, when there are sometimes clouds and valley fog for added interest. 😉





The sunsets aren't slouches, either.

On the west side of the house, my New York asters coordinate with the sunset colors, and the bees are busy working them over. I was told in a FB comment that these are called Michaelmas daisies in the UK, although my research says they are different species. I love that name, though!

On the canine front, our pooches looked pooped last night.
The perspective in this photo makes Dozer look huge, when he is actually smaller than Jackson. Both are aging before our eyes; indeed, Jackson will be 11 next month and Dozer is 10 1/2. That's old for a bulldog, but Dozer is chipper if slow and gimpy (unless it's breakfast time!). It's Jackson, the dog o' my heart, who worries me. His need to drink (and pee . . . and drink and pee, and drink and pee . . . .) seems far beyond normal (diabetes has been ruled out), and he's losing weight and muscle. He was limping on a front leg and losing strength in his back end, symptomatic of a neck problem; we put him on a course of prednisone and those issues have gone away. Sigh; there is no stopping the clock, just the choice to enjoy them every single remaining day while keeping them as comfortable as possible.

The newest member of the family (should he choose to stay) is recovering from his 'tutoring' last Sunday.
Chuckie had a rough go of it for a couple days (and the tack room is going to need an even more thorough scrub-down), but he seems well on the mend now. We've been giving him Clavamox twice a day to prevent infection; after Rick gave the first two doses, Chuckie showed his resentment by hiding in the corner and glowering. He didn't react as negatively when I gave him the next three doses, and we followed up the medicine with lots of loving. So when this morning's dose was followed in a second or two by a crescendoing yowl and an attack of my leg with claws and fangs, I was taken completely by surprise! I hollered in shock and he ricocheted away, landing in his water dish and then retreating to his bed. To say I'm a bit nervous about administering tonight's dose would be an understatement. I don't need cat-scratch or cat-bite fever; I'm still not over a nasty infection in a toe that started with a blister several weeks ago.

One of my anniversary orchids (the one Rick got me in June) is reblooming. The s-l-o-w-l-y swelling and opening buds create great anticipation, and the blossoms last a gloriously long time.
I visited a local nursery and gift shop last Thursday (falling for the print of this scarf vest, which I've worn twice already),

 and discussed my orchids with the clerk. The first one Rick gave me has a bunch of air roots, and hasn't rebloomed in awhile. She said she would help me repot it, so I'm going to take it (and my tiny one) in tomorrow after work.

It's been awhile since Rick finished turning a bowl, but last night he brought up this little cherry beauty.

It's 2.5" tall and 7.5" across and exquisite IMHO!

Oh, and I am still spinning alpaca.

That's all (rather a lot) for now from . . .

7 comments:

Michelle said...

Do you have a favorite subject in this smorgasbord?

A :-) said...

I love the views you have :-) And I can't believe that the pups are both that old . . . seems like you just got them. That it a little distressing about Jackson, I hope you can pinpoint what's going on for him. Kitties and I are not a good mix, but do watch the scratch - I think you already know how serious a cat bite/scratch can be.

Susan said...

My goodness! You might have to go out in armor to administer meds on that cat! I love that vest - what a lovely pattern. I have never had any luck with orchids but I sure do love them. What a beautiful bowl!

C-ingspots said...

I try to relish every day with our animals; dogs, horses and cat because their time with us is so short. Much too short in my opinion! I'm so sorry to hear about Jackson. He always seems so young and exuberant to me, and I know how you love him. He picked you as his person too, ya know? :)

Your views are beautiful, and made all the lovelier by the clouds and the fog you've shared lately. We enjoyed a spectacular sunset last night and that's another thing I try to be thankful for every day...our ever-changing sky shows. Lest I forget, I concede to you. Summer is over, and Fall has definitely arrived. The cold mornings are a stark reminder, but this weather is absolutely delicious!

That bowl is a beauty!!

Theresa said...

That scarf vest is awesome! I have always abhorred giving cats medication, the crafty little....well, YOU can fill in the blank! Glad though that he is on the mend. I can't believe Dozer and Jackson are getting up there in years. Seems like puppyhood was just yesterday, or at least young adulthood. And then I look at Jack, how did he slip into his teens so quickly?

Retired Knitter said...

Aww. That Jackson. He looks like such a cuddly dog - and handsome with his coat of long hair. It is hard to see our dear pets age. Especially bullies that don't generally last as long as other breeds. My son's first bull dog lasted until 11 years and 11 months - very very old for a bull dog with epilepsy for 9 years on an increasing level of seizure medicines over that time. Hope your bully does as well.

Jeanne said...

What a bunch of lovely pictures!! Those sunrise/sunsets are simply gorgeous. Where we live, our town is in a very small - think "tiny" - valley, and our house is on the west end. We don't get to see too many beautiful sunsets, and the sun drops behind those hills earlier than down in the main valley.

I'm sorry Chuckie is giving you such a difficult time! I keep wondering is he isn't going to disappear as soon as he gets a chance.

How about a picture of you wearing that beautiful scarf vest??

We have two small orchids on the north kitchen windowsill. They like that amount of light, and both bloom several ties a year. They both have quite a few air roots. And both were just repotted within the last month. I hope yours does well. We used coconut fiber, no dirt. There's a great shop in Eugene that knows all about orchids, and other plants.