After his big misadventure, it took about 10 days for Auggie to get back to fluffy.
Not just his fur, but also his normally sunny, funny, sweet disposition!
I am so grateful! It was heartbreaking to see him in that greasy state but worse was that he didn’t act like Auggie!
But that is past and he is back to fluffy!
And sunny, funny, sweet and loving Auggie-boy.
On the way to town, next to the dump: in the mist.
Pumpkin Pasta Bake and a side salad of baby spinach and arugula with a basil-ranch-vinaigrette.
And bread – a beautiful loaf of peasant bread: rye/white whole wheat/white
Thursday supper: so pretty and so good.
It is actually one week since Auggie’s Big Misadventure, but I couldn’t write about it until I knew all was ok, which it is.
But, a week ago, about 9:15 a.m., Auggie came in covered with what I thought was mud, but was in fact some thick, oily substance. It was from a spot around his middle back to all of his tail – like he’d fallen in backwards in whatever.
When I smelled the oil-gas and it was obvious that it wasn’t going to rinse off … by the way, Auggie has always allowed me to rinse off his bottom when necessary … under the sink tap. Anyway, this called for more drastic measures and I took him in the shower with me. I have a separate shower head on a long hose so it was fairly easy to work on the shower floor. I cannot say that Auggie was as happy with this method as a bottom rinse in the sink, though. There was yowling.
We both needed a break so I toweled him off, wrapped him in a warm, dry towel and sat down to think about how to proceed. I called the vet. I know you are all yelling at your computer about now … DAWN DISH DETERGENT!!! Yep, what they use to clean wildlife after an oil spill. We all know this, but I didn’t think of it and it was a bit of a moot point as having gone all “natural”, good for the environment, etc. in my cleaning products, I didn’t HAVE any Dawn.
You can bet, I will always have Dawn now and forever more!
Fortunately, I was able to reach a friend in town who was able to drop everything, pick up some Dawn and deliver it. Meanwhile, Auggie and I sat in the kitchen chair and commiserated. To his great credit, he just snuggled up to me as we waited.
The Dawn arrived, we jumped back in the shower and to my relief, a good bit more of whatever came off. After another break, we moved to partial baths in a dishpan in the kitchen sink. So, finally, most was out and I thought we both had had enough of the procedure – particularly Auggie.
This is three days after. He still looks a bit greasy in parts and after some recovery, he was a bit out of sorts. My concern was also that he probably licked some of the stuff as well as absorption through the skin so I was making a pest of myself watching him and keeping him inside to make sure input and output was normal.
Finally, some outside time!
After a record breaking 4.86 inches of rain (official at the airport – 1914 record being 3.4 inches), things have started drying out. I think a dirt bath or three is what is really needed to fully clean Auggie’s fur.
Bear stayed clear of all of the clean-up…
Tuesday, things started getting back to normal.
Auggie has been sticking close to Bear and me when outside. Yesterday, he did spend some time on his own, but was hunting in the slash pile or on Beardog Hill. Whatever happened, it was traumatic enough to make an impression and so far he is sticking very close to home.
.
We’ve had no rain in November and hopefully this weekend things will be good for a proper dirt bath and no more misadventures!
We’ve had a few nights where the temperature dropped below freezing, but not really a hard, killing frost.
We DID break a 102 year record for the rainiest October and October 2016 is now the rainiest October on record. The exact record amount is yet to be determined as we have 1 more day and it has been and is forecast to be rainy all the way to November 1.
The good news is that since the ground is not frozen, all of this rain is seeping in and giving the trees and ground a very good drink of water – badly needed!
The bad news is that it would be nice to have some very cold temperatures as in “freeze the ground” temperatures, before it snows. Otherwise, too many bugs/wasps, etc. live and potentially make outdoor Summer life miserable. However, much as Auggie believes that the weather is my responsibility, it is not and it will be what it will be.
It has been beautiful between showers with the typical cloudy- small sun-break skies and vibrant Fall colors. Leaves and the gold Larch Pine needles are dropping and likely by next week the trees that lose leaves and needles will be bare.
Meanwhile.
The frost may not be ON the pumpkins, but they are being harvested and I continue to cook them every few days. Some I use and some goes in the freezer for the off-pumpkin season.
After cooking and de-seed/de-pulping, it almost looks like “that’s all???”.
But a three pound pie pumpkin, yields about 4 cups of pumpkin puree.
I use my Vita-mix blender to puree the pumpkin.
Now, one of Vita-mix (and Blendtec) selling points is that you use the blender to clean itself by putting hot water and some dish soap in it and running at top speed: it is its own dishwasher! While that is true, in some cases I clean it another way…
To “clean” the pumpkin, I prefer to use warm milk with some pumpkin spice…
Cleanish blender (just needs a rinse :)), add some coffee to the foamy pumpkin-spice-milk and oh boy!!! – you have a pumpkin spice latte which actually has pumpkin in it! (***and fiber in your coffee … :) !! )
And then !!! …
You dip your King Arthur Flour’s Pumpkin Biscotti in your pumpkin spice latte and you are one happy person!
Or you could have your pumpkin latte with one of Mel’s Kitchen Café: Pumpkin Cinnamon rolls.
That makes for a happy person as well.
All of that sweetness.
All of that pumpkin.
BUT!
… My most favorite pumpkin recipe (prepare to be surprised!):
Dishing Out Health’s Pumpkin Kale Turkey Sausage Spaghetti Pie!
Yes, a pasta dish. I’m more of a savory than sweet kind of person and although the biscotti, the cinnamon rolls and the latte are wonderful, this dish is the pumpkin dish that really makes my day!
Although it is written with kale and turkey sausage, I’ve made it with spinach, with arugula, with chard. And with turkey sausage, ground beef and even with white beans and no meat.
I make 1/2 the recipe in one of my 5 1/2 inch pie dishes and that feeds me two meals plus a large spoonful to be added to a broth and make a lunch soup.
Cheers!
Tomorrow, October 24, Bear will be 12 years old! 12 is definitely senior dog but he has been acting like young dog these last six weeks.
Still, the back end is not working as well as it used to. Early in the summer, it was obvious that he couldn’t get in the motorhome. Part of the problem is he does not have stairs in the house, i.e. no practice. Plus the motorhome has large risers and the metal bottom steps and depending on leveling, the first step is not always the same height from the ground.
I looked at various solutions … some options were not doable “on the road”. I needed an option that I could deal with at rest stops as well as overnight. I had a ramp which we’ve used but Bear does not like it and it was somewhat short making for a steep incline.
Not too long ago, I found this longer ramp. It is 87 inches long – 27 inches longer than the old ramp which makes a big deal in the incline.
Since the prior ramp had bad memories, I decided to start from scratch, take it slow and hopefully make this ramp FUN!!
The new ramp arrived last Wednesday and after a day of just letting Bear walk around and sniff it, I laid it flat at the entrance to the house. Armed with very small pieces of hot dog, I coaxed Bear on the ramp and then walking in and out. As he got comfortable, I got a bit stingier with the treats and also no treat if you step off the ramp. By yesterday, in and out of the house on the flat ramp was a piece of cake.
This morning, I set the ramp up on the side of the porch so it has a very slight incline.
“Have you got the hot dogs? Let’s get started!!”
No problem with the small incline.
No walking off the ramp.
Hot dog!!
Enter Auggie.
One man’s ramp is another man’s tunnel.
Once was enough and Auggie left to do something else.
“I don’t care if he plays on the ramp, but don’t give him any of my hot dogs!”