While out this morning, just before sunrise, I walked by the shops and stopped at the thrift store. Sitting by the "wrong" door, there was a bag of skillets and some other kitchen items. Thinking first, "Oooh Shiny", I then drifted back into time.
Back when we decided to move to Florida, we realized that it was going to take some significant changes in our lifestyle. We had to stop being pack rats and, GASP!, throw things out. I gave out treasures captured and held onto (Precious!) for years and sold others. It was a long three year plan to move down here. First we had to pare down our "junk". We had to get the house in "Sellable Condition". We had to box everything up for moving. The problem is that you just don't switch off your needs for three years.
On top of that, we had to come up with some sort of standard. Just what are we going to pack up? Of course everyone has heard the old line that if you haven't used it in 3 years throw it out because you don't really need it. Our "precious" possessions spiraled down over that time to the absolutely necessary, and a few "shiny necessities" and very few sentimental things, but when something new showed it's shiny face would we buy it?
Generally the answer was no.
We had a hard and fast hard headed rule. "If you can buy the item or a near-enough replacement anywhere, for ten dollars or less, do not move it and try to make do without it".
Impulse purchases stopped immediately. Upgrades would happen, but the old items could no longer be held for someone else. If we didn't know of someone to give the old item to in short order, it would go out to the foot of a driveway with a note on it saying "Free to a Good Home".
Slowly at first, the house emptied into three places, the trash can and recycling, the driveway or down to the basement. The basement was a room of doom for me. More specifically it had a ceiling made of rough beams, joists and exposed nails that was at six feet. I am six feet four inches tall. I had to be VERY careful.
We would pack the precious treasures up into boxes and begun what I euphemistically called the "Box Farm" and tried to escape with my scalp intact. This became a city scape of mostly small boxes by the end of the packing time that covered a footprint the size of a small bedroom.
If you have ever visited the new house, and there are some of my readers who have, you would laugh at my using the term "Minimalistic" to describe my life. The reality is that we moved from a 1900 square foot house to a more "cosy" 1200 square house with outdoor living space adding another couple of rooms worth of usable space. The treasures we brought are here, but mostly they're crammed into much less space making the little house look that much smaller.
I'm still paring down the old gear from the move, years later. I'm still the packrat I have always been, as my sister and my cousins will attest. But now, the piles are dwindling. Digital copies of paperwork has helped a lot - you simply don't need as many filing cabinets when most of your finances are on a little memory stick chock full of PDFs created from web sites that helpfully offer a printable version.
This flood of memories came to me last night. After attending a Wilton Manors Main Street Meeting we walked over with Lettie to visit one of the oldest homes in Wilton Manors. The currently departing owner, Doug, was wrapping up his move and asking "Can you use anything out of this pile?". He was loading up the last few things into trucks and pods and moving out of the home he loved and improved over the years to smaller digs. It all reminded me of that time where I would ask people "Can you use anything out of this pile?" and then lapse into the story of the Ten Dollar Rule. I'll miss seeing Doug as much as I have, he is truly one of the best people who I have had the pleasure of getting to know here in Florida but you do what you must.
We didn't take anything last night. It would have been wrong, after all, where would you store it?
An Open Letter To My Sister, or Whatever Pops Into My Head at the Time...
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
The Black Hole of 9 Tiles
I have a floor here that is "Florida Tile" over terrazzo. Or at least I think it's Terrazzo. It's covered because the previous owners could not care for it properly.
The house is covered with these beige tiles that make it look... like it needs a good scrub. I mean really, there's just some colors that never really look clean. Even when they are.
Yesterday, I had three things fall into the black hole of my house. I swear there is one specific spot near where the room divider and the kitchen and dining room all meet. The Four Corners of the Living Room. What is interesting is that things break... there. Almost everything that has suffered deceleration trauma and shattered have hit those nine tiles.
If you come to visit, you do so at the peril of your own breakable objects.
It started early, the sun wasn't even up yet. After feeding Mrs Dog and giving her her daily meds, we went for a wander around town to make chocolate pudding and water the neighbor's grass. She is recovering from her stroke of last week, and this morning (think of it as tomorrow since we're speaking of weird singularities) she even had a "Normal Walk". What ever that is...
I got in the house with her wandering past me to get to the water bowl. The Prednisone that she is on along with the Cipro means that she's drinking about four times as much water as normal. As she's wandering over to the water bowl, I had picked up a glass from last night. Ok, two nights ago by now... She got to the end of the leash, it pulled the hand with the glass and CRASH. Into the black hole with an explosion of super chilled Silicon Dioxide. One Less Ball Jar. With a swear, I herded her into the bedroom, closed the door and got the vacuum out. Vacuuming the house at 645AM... at least the neighbors are up at 530!
Once all of that was done, it was onto the second event.
I decided that I needed breakfast and some coffee. I make it using the "Turkish Method". Take the grounds and pour boiling water over them and stir a couple times to make sure they all sink to the bottom. This requires a timer. I reach for the timer that was on the end of the Island and ... CRASH... one less item in the house. It's ok, I hated that timer anyway. It brought the dog over to see what broke, and why I was cursing at the thing....
I bet you thought I was going to spill that coffee... No, that would make the floor clean wouldn't it. Beige and Ecru... why do people use those colors? They look dirty out of the box!
Finally... since things come in threes, here is event number three!
After going through the morning nonsense, having more coffee, and my foot tapping to the classic disco on the headphones, I decided that today would be a good day to go out and attempt some landscaping. I went out and got the gas powered string trimmer started ... first try! Wow, this day's looking up! With a cloud of butterflies around me (yeah sometimes the back yard looks like a scene out of a Disney Movie), I walked around and got all the edging done. It was a solid hour and getting close to lunch. Time to go inside.
I was covered in bits of plants of dozens of species, smelled of green and gas and sweat, and hot and hungry. The shower would wait. It was time for lunch. Making the sandwich in the kitchen, I walked out to the bouncy Poang chair under the ceiling fan since it was the coldest place in the house. Lettie's mat migrated over next to the chair through her daily motions. She was laying stretched out with her nose into the Black Hole.
Yes, you guessed it right, I broke my dog.
As I sat down and had the third bite of the burger, I reached down and pet Mrs Dog. My hand came back wet. I don't mean just wet, I mean sodden. Saturated. I looked down at her, and she thinking she had Done Wrong in the way only a Border Collie could do, she started giving me Attitude. I mean full on growling and teeth - please don't mess with me!
She couldn't hold her bladder and was embarrassed with soiling the mat and the black hole.
"Come on Girl, lets go pee!". She was up and at the door like a 50 pound dart. Out to the front yard and emptied herself in The Spot. I swear she was at it forever.
I grabbed her collar, walked her to the hose and got her drenched. One of the remaining aspects of her stroke is that she's not completely stable, and when she shook she toppled over so now I have a wet dog with attitude blaming me for not letting her out in time and thinking that she's going to need to have some down time.. but the rest of the day she made it out to the yard every hour on the hour!
Luckily the black hole hasn't claimed anything since then but it is only a matter of time!
The house is covered with these beige tiles that make it look... like it needs a good scrub. I mean really, there's just some colors that never really look clean. Even when they are.
Yesterday, I had three things fall into the black hole of my house. I swear there is one specific spot near where the room divider and the kitchen and dining room all meet. The Four Corners of the Living Room. What is interesting is that things break... there. Almost everything that has suffered deceleration trauma and shattered have hit those nine tiles.
If you come to visit, you do so at the peril of your own breakable objects.
It started early, the sun wasn't even up yet. After feeding Mrs Dog and giving her her daily meds, we went for a wander around town to make chocolate pudding and water the neighbor's grass. She is recovering from her stroke of last week, and this morning (think of it as tomorrow since we're speaking of weird singularities) she even had a "Normal Walk". What ever that is...
I got in the house with her wandering past me to get to the water bowl. The Prednisone that she is on along with the Cipro means that she's drinking about four times as much water as normal. As she's wandering over to the water bowl, I had picked up a glass from last night. Ok, two nights ago by now... She got to the end of the leash, it pulled the hand with the glass and CRASH. Into the black hole with an explosion of super chilled Silicon Dioxide. One Less Ball Jar. With a swear, I herded her into the bedroom, closed the door and got the vacuum out. Vacuuming the house at 645AM... at least the neighbors are up at 530!
Once all of that was done, it was onto the second event.
I decided that I needed breakfast and some coffee. I make it using the "Turkish Method". Take the grounds and pour boiling water over them and stir a couple times to make sure they all sink to the bottom. This requires a timer. I reach for the timer that was on the end of the Island and ... CRASH... one less item in the house. It's ok, I hated that timer anyway. It brought the dog over to see what broke, and why I was cursing at the thing....
I bet you thought I was going to spill that coffee... No, that would make the floor clean wouldn't it. Beige and Ecru... why do people use those colors? They look dirty out of the box!
Finally... since things come in threes, here is event number three!
After going through the morning nonsense, having more coffee, and my foot tapping to the classic disco on the headphones, I decided that today would be a good day to go out and attempt some landscaping. I went out and got the gas powered string trimmer started ... first try! Wow, this day's looking up! With a cloud of butterflies around me (yeah sometimes the back yard looks like a scene out of a Disney Movie), I walked around and got all the edging done. It was a solid hour and getting close to lunch. Time to go inside.
I was covered in bits of plants of dozens of species, smelled of green and gas and sweat, and hot and hungry. The shower would wait. It was time for lunch. Making the sandwich in the kitchen, I walked out to the bouncy Poang chair under the ceiling fan since it was the coldest place in the house. Lettie's mat migrated over next to the chair through her daily motions. She was laying stretched out with her nose into the Black Hole.
Yes, you guessed it right, I broke my dog.
As I sat down and had the third bite of the burger, I reached down and pet Mrs Dog. My hand came back wet. I don't mean just wet, I mean sodden. Saturated. I looked down at her, and she thinking she had Done Wrong in the way only a Border Collie could do, she started giving me Attitude. I mean full on growling and teeth - please don't mess with me!
She couldn't hold her bladder and was embarrassed with soiling the mat and the black hole.
"Come on Girl, lets go pee!". She was up and at the door like a 50 pound dart. Out to the front yard and emptied herself in The Spot. I swear she was at it forever.
I grabbed her collar, walked her to the hose and got her drenched. One of the remaining aspects of her stroke is that she's not completely stable, and when she shook she toppled over so now I have a wet dog with attitude blaming me for not letting her out in time and thinking that she's going to need to have some down time.. but the rest of the day she made it out to the yard every hour on the hour!
Luckily the black hole hasn't claimed anything since then but it is only a matter of time!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
The Invasion of the Egrets in Wilton Manors
Sunday in the showers when I was walking under the overhang of the Gables Wilton Park on Wilton Drive, I encountered this Snowy Egret doing exactly the same thing. I was keeping dry in the downpour and managed to follow it the length of the building acting like a Nature Photographer snapping off digital shots the entire time.
This bird didn't seem to be threatened by me but did keep a healthy distance away. Once I got to the end of the building just before the little triangle that my border collie likes to fertilize, the egret pealed off to the left and walked back under cover via the last parking space.
I think he got tired of smiling.
Even a bird brain like strolling on Wilton Drive...
Somehow, as an advertising slogan, I don't think that will take off!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Spider at City Hall
"Naw, look at the skies, it's going to be clear!"
Looking up we saw a "Broken" sky and some blue, so we walked to Poverello and did some thrift shop browsing, then out to Out Of The Closet for some more.
Walking out, I felt a drop. By the time we got as far as the crossing light at City Hall, it was a full rain. We had a choice of walking or going back in and pretending to test the furniture for comfort while watching the rain fall. The folks at Out Of The Closet don't seem to mind, and South Florida get these sort of pop up storms. They last 20 minutes a the most and you're back to the weather you had before they hit.
We chose to cross Wilton Drive at the light and stand in front of City Hall. To head back to Poverello is almost entirely under awnings and roofs and really rain here is not that much of a big concern. It was in the mid 70s and a March Shower can be pleasant to walk in.
I learned a long time ago to take my digital camera. I wouldn't dream to call myself a Photographer, although I do take a LOT of pictures. The law of averages being what it is, I get enough pictures that I want to share.
I was standing there in front of City Hall chatting with Kevin and looked down. Pointing at the spider I said "Hey there's a shot for you!" and proceeded to energize and frame the shot you see above. It would have been a better shot were there a spray bottle of water and some back lighting involved, but you get what you pay for.
The Spider didn't mind and it gave me something to do until I got down the block to the Egrets.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Ponderisms - Humor
Ok, folks, after the week I have had, I needed a joke email to cleanse the palate. This is something from my good friend Velma. She's still sending me wonderfully strange jokes and strangely wonderful jokes.
I enjoyed it, and I hope you to too...
PONDERISMS - these are quite interesting and so true !!!
1. Ever wonder about those people who spend $2.00 a piece on those little bottles of Evian water? Try spelling Evian backwards: NAIVE
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
2. Isn't making a smoking section in a restaurant like making a peeing section in a swimming pool?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
3. OK..... So if the Jacksonville Jaguars are known as the 'Jags' and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are known as the 'Bucs,' what does that make the Tennessee Titans?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
4. If 4 out of 5 people SUFFER from diarrhea does that mean that one enjoys it?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
5. There are three religious truths:
a. Jews do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah.
b. Protestants do not recognize the Pope as the leader of the Christian faith.
c. Baptists do not recognize each other in the liquor store or Hooters.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
6. If people from Poland are called Poles, why aren't people from Holland called Holes?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
7. If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled? LOL
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*
8. Why do croutons come in airtight packages? Aren't they just stale bread to begin with?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
9 Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist but a person who drives a race car is not called a racist?
* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
10. Why isn't the number 11 pronounced onety one?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
11. If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked, dry cleaners depressed and prostitutes delayed?
*~*~*~*~*~*! ~*~*~*~*
12. If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
13. Do Lipton Tea employees take coffee breaks?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
14. ! What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
15. I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they get older; then it dawned on me ... they're cramming for their final exam.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
16. I thought about how mothers feed their babies with tiny little spoons and forks, so I wondered what do Chinese mothers use? Toothpicks?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
17. Why do they put pictures of criminals up in the Post Office? What are we supposed to do, write to them?
Why don't they just put their pictures on the postage stamps so the mailmen can look for them while they deliver the mail?
*~*~*~*~! *~*~*~*~ *~*
18. If it's true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the others here for?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
19. You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
21. Ever wonder what the speed of lightning would be if it didn't zigzag?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
22. If a cow laughed, would she spew milk out of her nose?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
23. Whatever happened to Preparations A through G?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
24. At income tax time, did you ever notice: When you put the two words 'The' and 'IRS' together it spells ... 'THEIRS'?
I enjoyed it, and I hope you to too...
PONDERISMS - these are quite interesting and so true !!!
1. Ever wonder about those people who spend $2.00 a piece on those little bottles of Evian water? Try spelling Evian backwards: NAIVE
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
2. Isn't making a smoking section in a restaurant like making a peeing section in a swimming pool?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
3. OK..... So if the Jacksonville Jaguars are known as the 'Jags' and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are known as the 'Bucs,' what does that make the Tennessee Titans?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
4. If 4 out of 5 people SUFFER from diarrhea does that mean that one enjoys it?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
5. There are three religious truths:
a. Jews do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah.
b. Protestants do not recognize the Pope as the leader of the Christian faith.
c. Baptists do not recognize each other in the liquor store or Hooters.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
6. If people from Poland are called Poles, why aren't people from Holland called Holes?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
7. If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled? LOL
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*
8. Why do croutons come in airtight packages? Aren't they just stale bread to begin with?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
9 Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist but a person who drives a race car is not called a racist?
* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
10. Why isn't the number 11 pronounced onety one?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
11. If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked, dry cleaners depressed and prostitutes delayed?
*~*~*~*~*~*! ~*~*~*~*
12. If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
13. Do Lipton Tea employees take coffee breaks?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
14. ! What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
15. I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they get older; then it dawned on me ... they're cramming for their final exam.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
16. I thought about how mothers feed their babies with tiny little spoons and forks, so I wondered what do Chinese mothers use? Toothpicks?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
17. Why do they put pictures of criminals up in the Post Office? What are we supposed to do, write to them?
Why don't they just put their pictures on the postage stamps so the mailmen can look for them while they deliver the mail?
*~*~*~*~! *~*~*~*~ *~*
18. If it's true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the others here for?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
19. You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
21. Ever wonder what the speed of lightning would be if it didn't zigzag?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
22. If a cow laughed, would she spew milk out of her nose?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
23. Whatever happened to Preparations A through G?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
24. At income tax time, did you ever notice: When you put the two words 'The' and 'IRS' together it spells ... 'THEIRS'?
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Tricks For Feeding A Sick Border Collie
I am very fortunate. I moved to Wilton Manors, Florida in 2006. In settling in I have managed to meet some wonderful women, strong women each. Every time you get to meet a person like that, someone who has wisdom to share, caring to give, and love for all, you would be a fool if you don't at least pay attention.
My Border Collie, Lettie has recently had an "Episode" that is almost certainly a Stroke. I've been writing about her episode from day one.
If you would like the back story:
The Original Episode is here,
The Diagnosis is here,
And the way I began to cope with her is on this link.
Today I have put together some very good advise from three women and one man here in town. Cindy, Constance and my neighbor Lisa have all been giving me suggestions on how to handle a difficult situation. There is a combination of things going on, but the end result is that Lettie wants nothing to do with her own food.
I was told by Constance and Cindy both that I should pamper her. Lisa chimed in with a comment last night that echos what Cindy said in Facebook about getting your sick dog to get her medications.
My friend Krishan had unfortunately been taken ill, and he was put on the same meds as she was - Cipro. After telling me all the side effects I realized that I had been doing it all wrong. Ok, Krishan is The Guy, so I know this one strong man here too.
Yes, even I, the Project Manager get things wrong once in a while.
First of all, the most important thing. If you get the Cipro in your body, do not eat any dairy. It is contraindicated. Dairy and Cipro counteract each other and you end up spending money and having no benefits from the drug. Cipro also changes the way you taste things and "ruins your appetite so you have to remind yourself to eat more".
All of that is what Lettie was experiencing since the stroke - lack of appetite, and dairy. I was feeding her yogurt since, hey dogs like yogurt, what can go wrong?
So now no more yogurt until all better time.
Next the technique was all wrong. The pills tasted foul and Dogs have a stronger sense of taste and smell than humans do. I had to hide them. I was able to take two measured tablespoons and spread them on three crackers, as well as give her the first tablespoon directly. She loves peanut butter. But hidden inside of the cracker and peanutty goodness were a half of a Cipro tablet and a Prednisone tablet.
Lettie got her meds and around 250 calories.
Finally, feeding her was a chore. I couldn't be giving her all this peanut butter. There is a lot of sugar in peanut butter, it isn't a good idea to give dogs sweets as they may get hooked on them. Also they could end up diabetic since the sugar load in prepared foods like peanut butter can be punishing to a human let alone for a 47 pound dog.
I have been having omelettes each night and giving her one egg's worth. Around another 80 calories as cooked. When the omelette was done, I looked at her ignored dog food and thought She Needs To Get Back On Real Food.
I mixed the two together. One cup of Purina Lamb And Rice and One Egg.
Lettie DEVOURED the combination! Finally a way to get my newly fussy eater to finish a proper meal. Not only was it a proper meal, it was a larger than normal meal to make up for all the skipped food that she couldn't bring herself to eat over the week. She got an extra 350 or more calories in that meal. The estimates vary from 750 to 1600 for a Border Collie per day. Since she's been pretending she is a floor mat all week, I'll assume 750 is appropriate and say we're making up for some lost time. It turns out that from the Purina website, two cups of Lamb and Rice are 768 Calories.
I just want to thank my good friends here in town for the good advise.
Thank you Cindy
Thank you Constance
Thank you Lisa
and Thank you Krishan.
We're in your debt.
My Border Collie, Lettie has recently had an "Episode" that is almost certainly a Stroke. I've been writing about her episode from day one.
If you would like the back story:
The Original Episode is here,
The Diagnosis is here,
And the way I began to cope with her is on this link.
Today I have put together some very good advise from three women and one man here in town. Cindy, Constance and my neighbor Lisa have all been giving me suggestions on how to handle a difficult situation. There is a combination of things going on, but the end result is that Lettie wants nothing to do with her own food.
I was told by Constance and Cindy both that I should pamper her. Lisa chimed in with a comment last night that echos what Cindy said in Facebook about getting your sick dog to get her medications.
My friend Krishan had unfortunately been taken ill, and he was put on the same meds as she was - Cipro. After telling me all the side effects I realized that I had been doing it all wrong. Ok, Krishan is The Guy, so I know this one strong man here too.
Yes, even I, the Project Manager get things wrong once in a while.
First of all, the most important thing. If you get the Cipro in your body, do not eat any dairy. It is contraindicated. Dairy and Cipro counteract each other and you end up spending money and having no benefits from the drug. Cipro also changes the way you taste things and "ruins your appetite so you have to remind yourself to eat more".
All of that is what Lettie was experiencing since the stroke - lack of appetite, and dairy. I was feeding her yogurt since, hey dogs like yogurt, what can go wrong?
So now no more yogurt until all better time.
Next the technique was all wrong. The pills tasted foul and Dogs have a stronger sense of taste and smell than humans do. I had to hide them. I was able to take two measured tablespoons and spread them on three crackers, as well as give her the first tablespoon directly. She loves peanut butter. But hidden inside of the cracker and peanutty goodness were a half of a Cipro tablet and a Prednisone tablet.
Lettie got her meds and around 250 calories.
Finally, feeding her was a chore. I couldn't be giving her all this peanut butter. There is a lot of sugar in peanut butter, it isn't a good idea to give dogs sweets as they may get hooked on them. Also they could end up diabetic since the sugar load in prepared foods like peanut butter can be punishing to a human let alone for a 47 pound dog.
I have been having omelettes each night and giving her one egg's worth. Around another 80 calories as cooked. When the omelette was done, I looked at her ignored dog food and thought She Needs To Get Back On Real Food.
I mixed the two together. One cup of Purina Lamb And Rice and One Egg.
Lettie DEVOURED the combination! Finally a way to get my newly fussy eater to finish a proper meal. Not only was it a proper meal, it was a larger than normal meal to make up for all the skipped food that she couldn't bring herself to eat over the week. She got an extra 350 or more calories in that meal. The estimates vary from 750 to 1600 for a Border Collie per day. Since she's been pretending she is a floor mat all week, I'll assume 750 is appropriate and say we're making up for some lost time. It turns out that from the Purina website, two cups of Lamb and Rice are 768 Calories.
I just want to thank my good friends here in town for the good advise.
Thank you Cindy
Thank you Constance
Thank you Lisa
and Thank you Krishan.
We're in your debt.
Friday, March 4, 2011
My Border Collie is Recouperating
The key word here is slowly.
We are all confident that my 10 plus year old border collie, Lettie has had a stroke. Strokes are funny beasts. Every one is different, every one effects us differently, and every one effects different species differently. With dogs and cats, they say that a stroke can be an event that you can completely recover from. On the other hand, my father's father had a stroke and was bedridden through my entire childhood.
We are also fairly confident that Lettie had a stroke around a year ago when we heard her yip in pain and then wake the next morning very wobbly.
That is our story and we are sticking to it.
I am watching her very closely. She's resting most of the day, sleeps through the night, and I think she'll come back to most of her function. It also sets up a pattern. Some morning in the future I may wake to find her in this state again. I'll wait until that episode to judge my reaction.
For now, she's safe. I'm learning alternate ways to do things.
One example, food and water. Yesterday she refused her normal food. She would usually scarf down 1 cup a day of Purina Lamb and Rice. Gobble Gobble Gobble... then want more. She'd drink water to make it expand in her gut, and then walk out the door for her one mile walk dragging me behind. Lettie took no food on her own yesterday so I tempted her with about 250 calories of Peanut Butter on Crackers. I also used a bottle with a very small nozzle to slowly give her about a pint of water through the day. Dinner was around one egg, scrambled, and a half of a pot of Activia Yogurt. It was blueberry and she spit the fruits out thinking they were pills.
I have also had to get creative giving her pills. She's on Prednisone and Cipro. Apparently Cipro tastes vile. Not only will she refuse the pill but will pass on what ever it touches. The way I have been getting these pills down her throat is to hold her head up at a 45 degree angle, wait until she sneers, slip the pill through her molar, then irrigate her mouth with a slow stream of water. It works, but it is not very subtle.
Today she walked a big figure eight around the Central Area Neighborhood in Wilton Manors. Around my block, around Wilton Drive, and sniffing all the way. Total of .85 miles. Most humans won't walk that much in a day.
Her "scanning" of objects has stopped, which means her brain is recovering. When she had the episode, the doctor noticed that instead of focusing on an object, her eyes would flick or scan the object and never quite settle on it. Today her vision looks approximately correct - she focuses, constriction and dilation of the pupils are normal, and she "fixes" on the object.
My little girl is still wobbly on her feet. She is also a fighter. I am too. We're going to fight as long as she wants. There does not seem to be any pain due to this, but of course we can't be completely sure.
I am amazed that she is bouncing back. Remembering my Grandfather laying in bed in a VA Hospital in Nazareth PA all those years, I never would have expected that my little dog would be walking around town with a purpose. Last night she even dragged me past the bars as if to say "I want normal! Lets Try!".
At least she's better than Yesterday when we had the first full day, or the first morning with all those symptoms.
I expect her to lay around all day like in this picture, asking her from time to time if she wants out or water or food. I can be a mother hen if I like, it's important to have someone around to care for you when you're down.
Besides, I can squirt a mean water bottle past the lips if I need to!
We are all confident that my 10 plus year old border collie, Lettie has had a stroke. Strokes are funny beasts. Every one is different, every one effects us differently, and every one effects different species differently. With dogs and cats, they say that a stroke can be an event that you can completely recover from. On the other hand, my father's father had a stroke and was bedridden through my entire childhood.
We are also fairly confident that Lettie had a stroke around a year ago when we heard her yip in pain and then wake the next morning very wobbly.
That is our story and we are sticking to it.
I am watching her very closely. She's resting most of the day, sleeps through the night, and I think she'll come back to most of her function. It also sets up a pattern. Some morning in the future I may wake to find her in this state again. I'll wait until that episode to judge my reaction.
For now, she's safe. I'm learning alternate ways to do things.
One example, food and water. Yesterday she refused her normal food. She would usually scarf down 1 cup a day of Purina Lamb and Rice. Gobble Gobble Gobble... then want more. She'd drink water to make it expand in her gut, and then walk out the door for her one mile walk dragging me behind. Lettie took no food on her own yesterday so I tempted her with about 250 calories of Peanut Butter on Crackers. I also used a bottle with a very small nozzle to slowly give her about a pint of water through the day. Dinner was around one egg, scrambled, and a half of a pot of Activia Yogurt. It was blueberry and she spit the fruits out thinking they were pills.
I have also had to get creative giving her pills. She's on Prednisone and Cipro. Apparently Cipro tastes vile. Not only will she refuse the pill but will pass on what ever it touches. The way I have been getting these pills down her throat is to hold her head up at a 45 degree angle, wait until she sneers, slip the pill through her molar, then irrigate her mouth with a slow stream of water. It works, but it is not very subtle.
Today she walked a big figure eight around the Central Area Neighborhood in Wilton Manors. Around my block, around Wilton Drive, and sniffing all the way. Total of .85 miles. Most humans won't walk that much in a day.
Her "scanning" of objects has stopped, which means her brain is recovering. When she had the episode, the doctor noticed that instead of focusing on an object, her eyes would flick or scan the object and never quite settle on it. Today her vision looks approximately correct - she focuses, constriction and dilation of the pupils are normal, and she "fixes" on the object.
My little girl is still wobbly on her feet. She is also a fighter. I am too. We're going to fight as long as she wants. There does not seem to be any pain due to this, but of course we can't be completely sure.
I am amazed that she is bouncing back. Remembering my Grandfather laying in bed in a VA Hospital in Nazareth PA all those years, I never would have expected that my little dog would be walking around town with a purpose. Last night she even dragged me past the bars as if to say "I want normal! Lets Try!".
At least she's better than Yesterday when we had the first full day, or the first morning with all those symptoms.
I expect her to lay around all day like in this picture, asking her from time to time if she wants out or water or food. I can be a mother hen if I like, it's important to have someone around to care for you when you're down.
Besides, I can squirt a mean water bottle past the lips if I need to!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
My Border Collie had a Stroke
That is the best guess of what she had gone through.
All the symptoms were detailed in yesterday's post.
Our day continued onward. We had taken Lettie in to Family Pet Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale and she had spent a "Spa Day". They did manage to keep her there for observation and got her to finally eat something. The prognosis then was basically to allow her to rest and recuperate.
Apparently Dogs can have a Stroke. They can get over the stroke and the brain damage will heal. Mostly. It will take time.
I had to lift Lettie in my arms and walk her to the car. She was way too wobbly to walk the short distance to the car on her own power. She's also got an Elizabethan Collar on her now, so her head looks like it is stuck into a blue lampshade. A Canine Daffodil.
Lettie is a fighter. She laid on her mat all night from when we got home until it was time to let her relieve herself on the front yard. I was able to tell her it was time for walk, and got a wag out of her black and white tipped tail. Up she went, and after I removed the e-collar, we hit the front yard in the evening cool. Mrs Dog was not in a mood to run a marathon. I did manage to get her out by the tree near the house and empty her.
I know she's a fighter because she had an interesting reaction. She sneered at me. I asked her if she wanted to walk, something she clearly understood both before and after the "episode". I annoyed her enough for the teeth to come up, the grumbling to start and a general snit fit of attitude to begin to brew.
Good. It means that she may make it to the morning.
I did break her out of her zombie phase out by the tree, and nudge her onward a few steps but I did realize that a long walk was out of the question. I scooped her up into my arms, not a favorite place, and got a few more grumbles for my troubles. Bringing her into the house, we refitted her with the e-collar so she would make it through the night with the catheter in her front leg, and will hope for the best.
...And now I am at the morning...
We got up at our usual 6AM. She woke when the bed frame thumped under my shifting weight. Smiling and wagging her tail inside of her blue lampshade. I got ready to take her out and carried her since I didn't want to chance her taking the two steps to the driveway. Since the irrigation was running, I had to walk her out to the street.
Once on the street, I saw that her mind was still there. She wobbled around and looked at the grass. There she begun to sniff and act like a dog. I didn't expect it out of her, but over the next half hour she took me around the block. Twice. That's a mile.
Her eyes are now more or less normal from the stand point of lighting. Yesterday they remained dilated, today they will shrink to a pinhole if you shine a light in them.
She wanted nothing to do with her regular food - I can't blame her, the B Complex that the Doctor wanted her to eat was strong smelling. She also didn't drink. I solved both by giving her about a tablespoon on three crackers, then got a saline solution bottle from the cabinets and refilled with water. I was able to get about 200 calories into her and probably about 1/2 cup of water at the first try. I'm due for another shortly.
Lettie never was a good one for "Personal Maintenance", she'll actually give you attitude if you brush her too long. I had to get three pills into her, and that was a trial in itself. That is, however good news. If they fight you they're going to fight for themselves.
Now Lettie is on Steroids, Antibiotics, and Vitamins. That's a lot to try to get into a dog who doesn't even want to eat. When she's back on regular food, I'll start the vitamins, but the rest will get into her one way or the other.
The last time she had her "episode" it took her about a month to be near normal. I'm seeing improvement already now that I know what to look for. I'll fight for her longer than she will fight for herself. It is the least that I can do.
A good friend here in Wilton Manors made a telling comment:
Unconditional Love Deserves To Be Rewarded.
Thanks Cindy, you said it perfectly. I'll add "even if they don't want it".
All the symptoms were detailed in yesterday's post.
Our day continued onward. We had taken Lettie in to Family Pet Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale and she had spent a "Spa Day". They did manage to keep her there for observation and got her to finally eat something. The prognosis then was basically to allow her to rest and recuperate.
Apparently Dogs can have a Stroke. They can get over the stroke and the brain damage will heal. Mostly. It will take time.
I had to lift Lettie in my arms and walk her to the car. She was way too wobbly to walk the short distance to the car on her own power. She's also got an Elizabethan Collar on her now, so her head looks like it is stuck into a blue lampshade. A Canine Daffodil.
Lettie is a fighter. She laid on her mat all night from when we got home until it was time to let her relieve herself on the front yard. I was able to tell her it was time for walk, and got a wag out of her black and white tipped tail. Up she went, and after I removed the e-collar, we hit the front yard in the evening cool. Mrs Dog was not in a mood to run a marathon. I did manage to get her out by the tree near the house and empty her.
I know she's a fighter because she had an interesting reaction. She sneered at me. I asked her if she wanted to walk, something she clearly understood both before and after the "episode". I annoyed her enough for the teeth to come up, the grumbling to start and a general snit fit of attitude to begin to brew.
Good. It means that she may make it to the morning.
I did break her out of her zombie phase out by the tree, and nudge her onward a few steps but I did realize that a long walk was out of the question. I scooped her up into my arms, not a favorite place, and got a few more grumbles for my troubles. Bringing her into the house, we refitted her with the e-collar so she would make it through the night with the catheter in her front leg, and will hope for the best.
...And now I am at the morning...
We got up at our usual 6AM. She woke when the bed frame thumped under my shifting weight. Smiling and wagging her tail inside of her blue lampshade. I got ready to take her out and carried her since I didn't want to chance her taking the two steps to the driveway. Since the irrigation was running, I had to walk her out to the street.
Once on the street, I saw that her mind was still there. She wobbled around and looked at the grass. There she begun to sniff and act like a dog. I didn't expect it out of her, but over the next half hour she took me around the block. Twice. That's a mile.
Her eyes are now more or less normal from the stand point of lighting. Yesterday they remained dilated, today they will shrink to a pinhole if you shine a light in them.
She wanted nothing to do with her regular food - I can't blame her, the B Complex that the Doctor wanted her to eat was strong smelling. She also didn't drink. I solved both by giving her about a tablespoon on three crackers, then got a saline solution bottle from the cabinets and refilled with water. I was able to get about 200 calories into her and probably about 1/2 cup of water at the first try. I'm due for another shortly.
Lettie never was a good one for "Personal Maintenance", she'll actually give you attitude if you brush her too long. I had to get three pills into her, and that was a trial in itself. That is, however good news. If they fight you they're going to fight for themselves.
Now Lettie is on Steroids, Antibiotics, and Vitamins. That's a lot to try to get into a dog who doesn't even want to eat. When she's back on regular food, I'll start the vitamins, but the rest will get into her one way or the other.
The last time she had her "episode" it took her about a month to be near normal. I'm seeing improvement already now that I know what to look for. I'll fight for her longer than she will fight for herself. It is the least that I can do.
A good friend here in Wilton Manors made a telling comment:
Unconditional Love Deserves To Be Rewarded.
Thanks Cindy, you said it perfectly. I'll add "even if they don't want it".
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
My Border Collie is Sick
Lettie lost her dinner. All over the pavement in one big pile.
Lettie is my 10 year old Border Collie. To call her Predictable is an understatement. Lettie runs like a Swiss Watch. Actually, she ran like a Swiss Watch until last night.
She did manage to pick up and continue onwards on the walk like nothing happened. Her usual smiling self, once around town. That was at 6PM.
The second walk happened at 9PM and she was normal.
She has two mats. One is right by my bed. The other is in the Living Room. She'll sleep by me until I am fast asleep then she will pick up and walk out to the living room and sleep the night. Some time during the night she comes back into the bedroom and finishes off the night there.
So far so good.
I got out of bed and put my socks on, stood up and thought that something's wrong. She usually hears me, but not always, get out of bed. I walked to the hallway and she wasn't on her mat. Lettie's a cheerful dog, always smiling, her mind working out what she should do and enjoying her tasks. I'm used to seeing her come and find me when she's not on the mat.
There was no sign of her.
The house was dark at 6AM. I begun to turn on the lights and walk through the place wearing two socks and a watch.
She was standing there looking up at me sheepishly but not standing still.
Lettie was wobbling. I knew there was a problem. We had had an episode that "cleared up on it's own" back in April last year. Never really knew what it was, we assumed it had something to do with a neck problem she had developed, but really no concrete cause.
At that point the vet was called and a message left on the service that we were going to be there at 7:30AM when the staff gets in. I managed to get Lettie out for a wobbly walk, once around the block for about 1/2 mile. When we got home she still didn't eat, still didn't drink, still didn't look good.
I managed to rush through a shower, shave, and a quick breakfast and got her to the Vet.
Not Good.
Where we are now is that my Mrs Dog is having a day at the Spa. She's visiting with Dr Gonzalez and the rest being observed. I will call back at 1PM to find out what is going on.
10 years is not long enough. I want my best friend back.
The best that can happen is another "Bonus Year". I will find out later if I am lucky twice and get my cantankerous and fearful Border Collie back.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Industrial Amaryllis 2 - The Return of the Amaryllis
Sure, the mystery in the realm of things is not all that great but why?
At any rate, there's this beautiful flower and nobody got to see it other than the hundreds of people who visit the blog on the course of a day. I don't get the idea of sticking a garden between a pump and the house, but I'm sure one of you can figure it out.
If you do, let me know.
It really is a case of toss the seeds on the ground and it will grow.
I can have "Involuntary Amaryllis" but I can't get the Zinnia in the front yard to grow. The reason is that the Amaryllis is a bulb. It is hardened to the conditions, but it also gets watered twice a week from the pump it is leaning up against. The Zinnia in the front garden gets less water. An occasional drip off the roof and not much else. If you drive past the house, and they do come up, at least you'll be able to see some neon colors, but a month later, in the supposed wet season, the seeds haven't taken.
Basically it's best to grow native species no matter where you are. The typical yard with a carpet of evenly cut grass is a great idea, if you are in England, but few places in warmer parts of the United States will grow that kind of a lawn without irrigation. Mine draws off of ground water, not the best for our ecology, but certainly better than watering from the drinking water. Being 2 1/2 miles from the ocean, the water in the ground water supply most likely will end up in the Atlantic. The Drinking Water, is much more scarce.
After looking at the local parks and preserves, I'd prefer to pull up that carpet of spongy St Augustine Grass and plant some of the natives that grow as a lawn. The little yellow flowers that are on the mimosas that grow as a ground cover are pleasant, and can make it through the year without running an ecologically questionable irrigation pump. My hedges are a different story but I have to wonder if we shouldn't take a second look at what we consider "appropriate" for a yard.
Even in places where you get a lot of water, does it make sense to grow grass?
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