Posts from the ‘Me and the House’ category

Thanksgiving Day Eve

So, we progress!

XXL wire crate is now used only when I go out and about and can not take Emmett with me. Emmett does “go to crate” with no hesitancy!

Mostly, the house is now WIDE OPEN – YEA! We still have gates for some times when Emmett and/or Auggie have “the crazies”.

Crazies generally happen early morning or late afternoon.

The bedroom. The bedroom with NO “pen”. Currently, Emmett “goes to his bed” after some pre-bed snuggles. He sleeps in his bed or on the floor until about 3:00 a.m. when he wakes. I hear him shake and then pitter-patter and he comes on MY bed and settles.

Speaking of settling… this is a culmination of teaching Emmett and Auggie to settle – HOO RAH!

Light and Mountains!

Auggie.

Auggie and Emmett: Thanksgiving Eve.

It won’t always be like this

Over 7 years ago, when I was in the throes of caring for Karl … 8 months of cancer, not cancer, what is it and the last 3 months outside several times in the night … I thought to myself: “it won’t always be like this”.

And in the last year with Bear and particularly, the last 6 months when he needed help getting up and down and all that went with that, I thought to myself: “it won’t always be like this”.

With both Karl and Bear, it was a fear of what I knew was to be the inevitable loss, but also a wondering if I could physically and mentally go the distance. And even in the not wanting the loss of each of them, wanting “normal” life. But I knew “it won’t always be like this” and that helped me continue on caring for and loving them until it was time to let them go.

So, now … a puppy! Such joy, such love, such cuteness. So much heart healing.

So much attention needed!! It is sometimes nearly overwhelming even with all of the tools at my disposal: crate, pen, work from home …

It won’t always be like this. That makes me both glad and sad. Puppy time is so fleeting! If not for the notes I kept when raising Karl, I would have forgotten many puppy details. My vivid memories of life with Karl are of grown up Karl.

I am so thankful I kept notes. I also bought my first digital camera before I even brought Karl home so I have a LOT of photos. And of Bear. And of Bob and Auggie.

But back to Emmett and puppy days.

Monday, it will be twelve weeks since I brought him home. He is a bit over 4.5 months old. He is looking like a small version of the grown up dog and less like a baby dog. Pee and Poop is happening outside and all of the constant watching and dashing outside is done. Oh, there is still a LOT of puppy in him, but he has outgrown 2 collars and 3 harnesses. The nighttime pen barely contains him. The crate that fits in the Jeep is almost too small. His puppy teeth have been replaced by his permanent teeth!!

Gah!! My baby is growing up.

My personal challenge is to enjoy every day and to be the best human I can to my canine and feline companions … to lead and teach and yet allow them to be dog and cat. To look forward to grown up Emmett while enjoying the remaining puppy time.

There are days when I’d like a time out!! I said that today in the grocery … this is smallish town Montana and I’ve shopped the same grocery for 16 years so there are conversations in the checkout … and walking to the car, I thought … if I had a day without Emmett I’d likely miss him so much that I wouldn’t enjoy it.

Puppy days are intense and full and fun and funny. I love it and I am so grateful I get to experience it with Emmett and Auggie. Auggie remains THE MOST TOLERANT cat! He deserves a medal. I use some of Emmett’s crate time to give Auggie some one on one, but still. Auggie has accepted the changes in our lives and routine better than I could have imagined.

I tell Auggie: “It won’t always be like this!”

The other thing that won’t always be like this is the weather. We have had a perfect Spring and early Summer. Rain and sun and mostly moderate temperatures. The local organic farms, including my own CSA farmer have had wonderful growing conditions in spite of snow on the ground longer than normal.

But we are approaching that time when it is likely to suddenly get hot and dry … and maybe smoky from fires.

So, like puppy days, I am enjoying pleasant days while we have them.

It won’t always be like this.

Rearranging things

There is a room in my house that is technically the living room.

Really, it is Bear’s room.

I don’t have TV and I typically sit to read in either the kitchen or the sunroom.

As Bear has moved into his very senior years and the back legs are not so strong, the living room as well as the rest of the house has non skid rugs so that he can navigate and get up and down. And there is a single mattress on the floor for his comfort as well – easy on/off.

As it heats up this week, I got to thinking that a bit of rearrangement might make things more comfortable as well as giving Bear more room to get into a cool corner he likes.

I opened things up and moved the A/C unit…

… so it points the length of the living room and into the bedroom. A booster fan keeps the bedroom nice and cool.

The sunroom chair now boasts a VERY large footstool!

Another booster fan helps some cool air from the living room reach the kitchen and sunroom.

Like Bear in his corner, Auggie also slept through the entire rearranging.

But later, we all enjoyed the cool – the new arrangement DOES work better with the real test to come later this week.

Sunday: between Part 1 and Part 2 of another round of Winter

We started Sunday very relaxed!

While Auggie was napping, I sipped my coffee and formulated the day’s plan:

  • Morning walk and a bit of walk-path maintenance
  • I had a bit of cleanup to do with shovel and snow thrower
  • If weather holding, make a quick run to hardware and grocery
  • Stock firewood on the porch
  • Laundry, vacuum, i.e. chores that require electricity
  • Make sure I have food easily prepared on the woodstove
  • In between the above, clear as much of the roof as I can

    • We walked and tromped down a few paths, I ran the thrower to clean up driveway edges and the front walk and then off to the store 30 minutes before the blizzard warning started.

    I wasn’t the only one at the store. Between the Super Bowl and the forecast monster storm, it was a madhouse in the grocery!

    I persevered and came home with all I wanted.

    Yes, that is a raindrop!

    Ominous clouds low over the mountains…

    But at home…

    Rain and above freezing temperatures (36F) turning everything less than beautiful!

    I proceeded with my list.

    It kept raining.

    I didn’t go up on the roof, but did some additional clearing with my roof rake from the ground. Sean, my wood worker person called to say he could get here to help with the roof on Wednesday. I think that will be fine. Much as it would have been nice to clear it, it will likely take the snow but it WILL need to be cleared before next weekend’s forecast warm up.

    Still raining and actually the roof is draining nicely down the cleared edges – no water building up behind ice dams – yea!

    NOAA had originally said this storm would start with rain changing to snow. Then they said it was too cold in the valley and that it would likely stay cold and we’d get all snow. Then they put the Blizzard warning on. By 2:00 they removed the blizzard warning and reading between the lines it looks like the heaviest snowfall might occur north of me.

    Bear and I are just back from our “before bedtime” walk. We walked in the rain.

    Another round of Winter: part 1

    We’ve had a couple of forecast winter storms that didn’t happen.

    But earlier this week, the NOAA sounded very certain of a Friday through Monday double threat:

    My supplies were stocked up so no last minute run to town…

    … and the snow started a bit earlier than forecast. Typically weather events are late. But, not only did the snow start early, it was only 11F and it was coming down like it meant it.

    We woke up to 9 inches of new snow and it was still snowing.

    I did some test runs with the snow thrower. The snow was so light and fluffy that it threw fine, but still a lot of snow which required going very slow. I cleared the walk and about 10 feet in front of the garage and motorhome …in an hour. Typically, I can clear most of the driveway in an hour, the walk in 15 minutes and in front of the motorhome in another 20.

    I multiplied and added extra rest breaks and knew I would be fortunate if I could clear by end of the day. Plus, I needed to clear the roof vents and “rake” the roof edges where ice dams were forming. And walks with Bear!

    I called (actually emailed) for reinforcements…

    Thank you neighbor Mike! Mike and the mighty backhoe cleared the driveway.

    I managed the roof and enough snowshoe trails to let us walk in the woods.

    Auggie was in and out and finally had to spend some time removing ice balls from between his toes.

    I’m writing this at 7:20 p.m. and both Bear and Auggie have gone to bed! I am about to follow – no kidding! Working outside in the cold and snow … I am beat.

    Plus we need to rest up for part 2 starting tomorrow afternoon…

    YIKES!