Dog Days

 August is here bringing in the dog days of summer. 

The dogs next door were skunked...visiting Border Collies that tried to best a skunk.  We sent over two "skunk kits" that I keep on hand for skunk emergencies...peroxide, baking soda, softsoap and rubber gloves.   

This is Gus...his brother Monte got the worst of the skunking and was mostly asleep when we visited. 

Luckily Smudge and Baxter escaped...we heard Baxter went into the woods and barked but Smudge stayed right on the road and barked! 

Smudge is growing a bit taller...here she is biting Baxters front foot to get his attention. 

If you live in or near the woods sooner or later there will be a skunking.  Just a matter of time. 

Far Side

Skunk Kit:

1 quart Hydrogen Peroxide

1/4 cup baking soda

1 teaspoon soft soap or dish soap like dawn

Rubber gloves 

Mix in a bucket and apply to the dog...it may bleach the hair of your dog.  You can repeat treatments then rinse well and then bathe the dog with shampoo.  

Last of July

 I had a quiet Tuesday, I cleaned the bathroom and did some laundry and tackled some odds and ends and then had an afternoon nap.  Still feeling pretty wiped out.  

Now we can say goodbye to July and hello August.  

Far Side

Oh my

 Well...yesterday I began infusions of a new miracle drug called Actemra at the Infusion Center.  About 7 minutes into the infusion I started  to feel "funny"  ....my throat felt scratchy and constricted.  Something was not right.  A heavy weight descended on my chest, like I might drown.  It was hard to breathe and difficult to swallow.

Luckily Nurse Lynn was there within seconds and stopped the IV and began to administered other meds.   She called a code and soon the room was full of Nurses and a Doctor...more meds were given after another bout of feeling "more funny" ...finally I started to feel better but was still wonky and then began to feel better....just tired. 

I will live to see another day.  The meds made me real sleepy and I spent the afternoon asleep.   Far Guy was with me for the infusion and kept watch over me in the afternoon. 

Darn.  I failed another med.  It seems hopeless...I wonder if they will ever find a RA med that will work for me??  So far I have failed Arava ( mouth and tongue ulcers), Humira ( six months with no change in symptoms), Enbrel (extremely high blood pressure), Orencia ( tremors, headache, fatigue) and now Actemra.

Enough excitement for the week.  My RA Doctor is aware and I have an appointment to see my Primary Care Dr in Grand Forks, ND next week.

Far Side

 

Me

 I am crocheting something for me...well if I like it when it is done. 

It is a shawl, using a variegated very thin yarn.   I have a long ways to go.  It is slow going. Many things are slow going these days.   

Far Side

Quiet Day

 I had a quiet day...I did some laundry and put a roast in the crockpot.  Salad and roast pork was what was for supper.  It was a warm day the high was 86F or 30C eh!   I read, watched/ napped through a couple of movies and played a game with Aubrey and Katie.  

Aubrey is here for a few more days with her Mom and Dad last week she had surgery in the Cities, she had two bone grafts in her mouth.  She is a trooper...still looking at 2 or 3 surgeries after the grafts.  Aubrey is our great niece and she was born with a bilateral cleft palate and has endured many surgeries. 

Far Guy went to a nearby car show he gathered with his Car Club group.  He said it was a miserable day...no AC in the old gal Tilly.  I comforted myself thinking that at least I had a car with AC should he break down and need a ride. 

Far Side

Ants and Xrays

 Here is a mound I am watching for ant activity.  It has a trail headed off of it that disappears into the woods.  I put the old solar light as a marker for the small Lilac that is in the left of the photo.  This is in the wildflower gardens East of the house. 

I take the riding lawn mower out to apply ant "stuff"  easier than hobbling around and no ants bite my legs.  The Cornfield Ants are very busy this year and are quite a challenge for me. 

As for my hobbling around...I had Xrays and there are numerous reasons for left hip, knee, ankle and back pain.  Waiting to see what the specialists say about repairs or if they are all NRTS...not repairable this station. 

Me on the riding mower.  I wear a long sleeved shirt that has seen better days, safety glasses and a floppy hat, I tuck my sweat pants into my tall red rubber boots....I am quite a sight. Being a lawn mowing goddess is all about the proper attire.  I wish safety glasses had a nose guard as a branch that I should have cut off years ago keeps hitting me in the nose.

Far Side

Warm Spell and Dreaming

 We are headed for a warm spell...low 90's /high 80's for the next ten days. 

Thursday is infusion day for Far Guy and I ran errands.   Everyone and their Uncle was in town.  Only one parking spot at the meat market and I got it so I didn't have to hobble a block or drive around the block until someone left a spot.  Two maybe three more weeks of tourists, many States start school in mid August.  

I mowed yesterday, next door and at my other baby brothers shop.  It was comfortable to mow in the shade.  I have designed the perfect lawn mower many times in my head...too darn old to put it to paper and give it a whirl.  I think about it when I mow...it should be a totally enclosed deck with four mulching blades that are easy to change...no discharge chute...who needs grass flying in the air.  It would have room for two of my main sprayers...poison ivy killer and thistle killer and a spot for my branch cutter....maybe even an attachment that would come out on a robotic arm to trim the grass around trees....alas it is only a dream...but I can still see myself multitasking when I am mowing. 

Far Side

Neighbors new puppy

 The neighbors Steve and Jo got a new puppy.  A tri color Aussie.   Her name is Toots. 

She is sure cute.

Typical puppy; sharp teeth and short attention span. 

Far Side

Little blue flower

 I think these wildflowers over at my baby brothers are very pretty.

You can see Baxter provides a good back drop for flowers. 

I am not sure what the flowers are...they look like Forget me nots, but those are biennial and this is the first year wildflower planting. 

Far Side

Up

 I would not do this but it was fun to see and hear this fella the other night.  

Here is a pretty good side view of his flying contraption.

We were at the neighbors...so I managed the old windmill in the photo.

Monday was a quiet day, I killed some ants and did some laundry.  I put ribs in the crock pot, Far Guy made us a baked potato and green beans. 

We are getting some smoke from the wildfires up North. 

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Old Dogs

 Old dogs grow weary, their joints ache, their hearing and sight fail...but they have had a good life.

It is easier to recall them as puppies...recalling the puppy breath, sharp toe nails and teeth.  Puppies always make us smile. 

March of 2012 Steve and Jo next door neighbors got a little Aussie pup and named him Putzer or Putz for short.   He was a very special little puppy. 

Odda, Putz and our Border Collie Chance in 2012.  

These three were great friends, always happy to see each other and ready for a good game of chase.  Putz always greeted us, his whole body wagged.

Sadly Putz crossed the Rainbow Bridge on July 2, 2024.  His nose was still good, but he couldn't hear or see much.  His faithful friends Odda (2009-2021) and Chance(2004-2018) were probably waiting for his arrival. 

Far Side

28

Our oldest Granddaughter turned 28 last week!  How can she be that old...seems like yesterday that she was just a babe!  She makes us feel old.

We did not get to see her for her birthday, but we talked with her and I stole a photo that she posted on Facebook. 

She is a beauty inside and out!  

Happy Birthday Vannah, we love you very much! 

Grandma

Fawns in the field

There is a bean field across the road from us.  News Flash: Deer like beans and green leaves.

 

It is a bit smoky here from the wildfires up in our neighbors to the North.

They cut some grass around the edge of the irrigated field...this doe and fawn were not yet in the bean field.  The twin fawns in the bean field look a bit older than this little one. 

Far Side

Busy Day

 We had a busy day Thursday; Infusion for Far Guy while I picked up groceries and ran errands. 

Toward evening we headed in to the funeral home for the visitation for our neighbor lady who died suddenly last Saturday.  The line of people waiting to pay their respects spilled out the doors and into the parking lot.  We signed the guest book gave our condolences to her husband and left.  Way too many people for us to stick around and visit. 

Every person over 30 that had a lawn chair was in town getting their spot on Main Street to listen to some band and frequent the beer garden, anyone who was not there was at the fairgrounds for the fair, or standing in line at the funeral home. 

Minnesota State bird..the Loon...I took this photo a number of years ago...I always liked it because the water looks so cool and refreshing.  We are headed back into the 80 F degrees again...I don't see 90 F in the forecast but you never know. 

Far Side

Fine

 I managed laundry and a long nap and a bit of crocheting.   Will wonders ever cease?  I had a really rough day with lots of pain...so it goes.  ( I have no pain when laying still with my heated rice bag)  

Had to wait on another call from the specialty pharmacy that ships the Rheumatoid Arthritis injections.   "Please wait on the line as a nurse wants to speak with you"  three minutes later I finally get to talk to a real person who said "What can I help you with? "  WTF  you called me.  "Oh ya your medication shipped today. "  OK fine. 

The latest miracle drug should be here on Friday.  OK fine. 

Far Side

Out

 I went out mowing,  mowing is one thing I can do that doesn't bother my bum knee.  The lawn looks great again.  I have some Canada Thistle that I need to spray one of these days.   It was a nice day to be out and about....a bit of a breeze and not too warm. Visited with my other baby brother and she who sees robins first.

Then Far Guy suggested that we go out to supper and invite his high school friend and her husband ...so we did.  It was a nice evening out. 

The Rudbeckia is blooming nicely in the wild gardens. 

Far Side

Going with the flow

 Not much we can do about anything. We can take care of each other and embrace each day as they come along. 

We can be kind...I could be kinder....so I let Far Guy cook.  I didn't even swear when the phone rang and it was a recording that said wait on the line we want to talk to you.  #iwaskindanddidntcallthemdumbasses

The bear is still visiting...I wonder if he/she knows I am a bit gimpy right now...just call me Chester.  It is only a matter of time before that bear comes out in the daylight.   He/she must have a den nearby.

 

Far Side

and so it goes

 One summer day after another.  We learned of two deaths over the weekend.  One was a Lung Transplant survivor for a number of years...her donor gave her many health issues...she spent much of last year in the hospital. She finally lost her battle or won...which ever way to look at the situation. She was such a wonderful support person to anyone on the Lung Transplant List...as she was to us when Far Guy was part of that process. 

The other death a neighbor lady.   So sad. 

Yet the Summer heat rolls on for a couple more days.  The skeeters bite and the bear visits the yard every night looking for bird seed. (Far Guy brings it in every night. )

My knee is better but not perfect.  

  

Far Side

Easy

 It was an easy day yesterday, I managed to do some laundry and put my knee up.  I watched a golfing movie  The Long Game that wasn't very good.  I can crochet while my knee is up...so I got out an old crochet project. 

Supper was an easy meal from the freezer.  Far Guy said it was too warm to cook.  The high was 85 F but the humidity was up there.

Far Side

Repairs

 Yesterday we ran a couple of errands...all repair stuff.  The stopper in the bathroom sink broke.  Water was stuck in the sink, I wedged a knife in there and got the broken stopper pulled out.  We have a new stopper and Far Guy will play plumber one of these days. 

I tweaked my knee in my sleep or when I got up in the nighttime....so I hobbled into Walgreens and bought a knee brace.   It helps.  Last Spring I threw away all the ace bandages I had for larger joints...wouldn't you know it I musta jinxed myself.  So an ace bandage was purchased also.  With support and rest (RICE) I hope to see some improvement if not I will head to the Dr next week.   It is much different pain than the arthritis pain I have....on an interesting note..the two pains fight for attention. If worse comes to worse I have an old pair of crutches:)

After repairs were purchased we went to lupper at our favorite Mexican place.  Lunch/supper works for us.  Best part ...no dishes to wash and we were home in time to have a long nap and put my knee up.

Flowers in Dorset, MN.

Far Side