That said, I had an appointment with the Octogenarian to see her gardens and I was going to get there!

So, I bundled the dogs into the car, brought plenty of water and a bowl for Tucker, dropped Buddy off for the day at the groomers, stopped 5 times in 80 plus miles for the Little dog to PEE (I couldn’t leave him home all day in his condition now could I?)  paid for insurance on the new Farmlet, transferred the water into our name, found out I need proof of ownership and $160.00 to transfer the electric into our name, and that the trash service office is only open for business for one hour a day (because it’s a one man office and he wears four hats, and three of those hats require him to be out of the office!!!) and somewhere in all that I ate the ugliest lunch in history (normally I would have asked the cook to try again, but under the circumstances I don’t think it would have helped and I was really hungry, and it didn’t poison me) and then it was nearing 2:00 PM and time for my visit!   

In short it was a busy day!

(Insert a rather long inhale here) 

I arrived on time and she came out onto the porch to greet me.  We then proceeded to go inside because it was still raining cats and dogs!  He daughter was visiting, introductions were made, and we sat round the table in the breakfast room, drank coffee, and visited for two hours or more!

As we got to know each other better I was struck with the thought, that it was sad that we couldn’t be neighbors.  She is such a lovely and sweet woman.

Later when the rain let up and the sun pretended to burn through the clouds, we peeked at the gardens from the back deck and from the front porch.  Even with all the pelting from the heavy rain, the flowers showed me their potential and it was amazing!  Lilies, roses, iris, and so much more await me when we finally move up on the mountain.  And get this!

Even though she is moving away in a few short weeks, she and her daughter spent quite a few hours out in the garden weeding it!  (I understand this, and probably will do the same before we leave our current Farmlet.  )

~*~*~*~

Now, about that rain.  This was the spent version of the rain that had caused the bad weather in the Midwest earlier in the week, and although we didn’t have severe weather, it was coming down in buckets nonetheless!

This meant that the gardens were tattered and puddled.  I’ll say no more except that I promised you pictures and I am delivering on that promise! 

Click the photo to enter the Mountain Farmlet…

~*~*~*~

PLEASE NOTE

This post was scheduled to be shared over the weekend, but with all the commotion the severe weather has caused over the past two weeks, I just didn’t have the heart.  In retrospect, my annoyances pale in comparison.

I know very well how awful these storms can be because we lived through them in April of 2011.  The devastation is incomprehensible.  There is seeing it on television, and then seeing if first hand.

INCOMPREHENSIBLE!

My heart aches for all who have suffered the loss of life and property.  God bless these people, heal their hearts, and give them strength.

~*~*~*~

Be still, sad heart, and cease repining; Behind the clouds is the sun still shining; Thy fate is the common fate of all, Into each life some rain must fall…

from The Rainy Day:  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

~*~

]]> http://pixilatedtoo.wordpress.com/2013/05/23/visiting-the-mountain-farmlet-into-each-life-some-rain-must-fall/feed/ 10 pixilated2 You must enter from here... if you want to ... get to the porch and the front door. I have been here three times and never saw this bell until I took the previous picture! One lonely duck. The sign by the road is misleading! Rain on Cedar. The path to the creek. A beautiful boundary line! http://pixilatedtoo.wordpress.com/2013/05/16/goose-pail-tales-a-gooses-gotta-dibble/ http://pixilatedtoo.wordpress.com/2013/05/16/goose-pail-tales-a-gooses-gotta-dibble/#comments Thu, 16 May 2013 17:40:04 +0000 Lynda http://pixilatedtoo.wordpress.com/?p=5367 Continue reading →]]> Living in an older home, on land that has been ranched, farmed and subdivided since the very early 18oos, leads to some interesting finds.

Digging for gardens, or even just the rainstorms we get, can bring many interesting items to the surface.  Pocket knives, old bottles and tools, items thrown into the burn pile that wouldn’t burn, and more.  There are tales of Indian arrowheads to be found everywhere here in Alabama, and that should not be surprising as this was once Native Amerindian land.  Though I confess, I have yet to find any of this valuable treasure here on the Farmlet.

What I do find, after the fact, are the items the rain loosens and brings up.  Things my geese will dibble up out of the soil, and like a Raccoon, will take to the water pail and wash.

To my chagrin, these items look dangerous and non-foodworthy.    For your interest, or not , here are some treasures my geese have collected so far this year…

Each of these items were found at the end of the day when I dumped their water pails!

Row 1, L to R:  rusted clockwork; a 2 in. reflector;  a plastic soldier who’s seen some pretty serious action; an 8 in. plastic zip tie;  a small bit of white plastic; a hose washer; a strange, plastic, locking clip; and a rubberized covering for a tool tip.

Row 2, L to R:  An ancient bit of barbed wire; wire; a row of nails from 1 inch to 5 inches in length;  two bits of *twisted mystery metal; and an underwire from a rather large cupped bra, with plastic coating missing. Eaten? 

Row 3, L to R:  An eye screw with a bit of wire attached; a bolt with nut and washer rusted in place; an aluminum screw cap; a fuse from an automobile; a rather sharp piece of heavy gauge, cut aluminum; two miscellaneous bits of twisted, aluminum wire; and …

Row 4, L to R:  Various pieces of glass from broken windows and old glass bottles!  I find this everywhere on the property!  I don’t know why we’re all not missing toes!  Scary.

When I see the items the geese leave behind in their water, I often wonder how much of it I don’t see.  That is to say, how much is small enough to be EATEN!

When I prepare my chickens for the table I have seen bits of glass they swallowed whole, usually pea sized or smaller.  Thankfully, their crops and the rocks they swallow work the edges off the glass shards and apparently with no harm to the bird.  But then I have to wonder…

What have the geese swallowed?

I haven’t a clue.  I can only assume that if any items were swallowed, they  were nothing deleterious to their health!

It is going to rain again today and tomorrow

~*~*~*~

*INTERESTING:  I went looking for barbed wire history, and found this display:

(Available for sale HERE)

I may have a bit of antique Crandal ‘Champion’ ca. 1879, or Hodge ‘Spur Rowel’  (sp?) ca. 1887.  Neither of them collectible in their rusted state, but a fun find! 

~*~*~*~

Hm,  if I train them right, maybe they’ll find something really good and I’ll get rich!

!!!

(Fixed the link, Sorry!)

Photo Credit:  Marianne Whooley at Maris World

The Twins

a play in one act

Act I:  Scene I

NARRATOR:

The twins were rotten.  What one didn’t think of the other one did.   Of late their favorite activity was pulling pranks on little kids in the neighborhood.

Today, however,  they were investigating  a  rumor they’d heard, about some mystery beast out by the pond.  Several people claimed that it was eating small animals about town, and peeking into windows at night, and that they absolutely wanted to see!

Standing silently they survey the water.

TWIN I:     What’s that?

TWIN II:   Nuthin’ scardy cat!

TWIN I:     Something touched my leg!

TWIN II:   Yeah, right.

(A twig snaps…)

THE TWINS:  Screaming in unison (they run offstage)

(A young child snickers nearby.)

Fin

~*~

(The 100 words are in color) 

Isn’t she lovely to think of that?

She also said she had some photographs of the old place for me too.

Is it Friday yet?

~*~

*NOTE:  For those who wonder why I call her the Octogenarian.  I do it to protect her anonymity.   I didn’t want to put her name out there on the net, lest she run into it and not appreciate my bandying it about! 

Over the weekend we had sunshine with a bit of rain, and I made the discovery that I am allergic to something in Pace Picante Sauce.  My face broke out into little bumps all around my mouth and itched until 2:00 AM.  (It stopped at 2:00 because I got up and took a Benadryl.    )

On Saturday we visited Tuscumbia and here is some of what we saw…

Tuscumbia is a quaint and lovely town, but I think they roll up the sidewalks too early on Saturdays.  By 4:00 PM nearly everything was CLOSED, and on Sunday everything IS closed!

~*~*~*~

It is 7:00 AM and I have to get ready for the dentist, call the vet to inquire about Tucker’s medicine, and try to get some packing and sorting done.

How was your weekend?

Related articles

• Scientists identify important regulator for synapse stability and plasticity (medicalxpress.com)

Thank you.

~*~*~*~

Tree islands floating

on brilliant chartreuse seas

grass becomes shoreline

~*~*~*~

An UNrelated article (it was raining when I posted the above)

• Rainy Day’s In Cambridge (barefootvintage.wordpress.com)

First he began peeing in the house.  Not all the time, but just every once in a while.  Then it gradually increased.

Next he started loosing weight.  We could feel his backbones and ribs, which isn’t exactly a bad thing, except that nothing in is diet regimen had changed.  Plus, he had this big pot belly thing going on and he didn’t have worms.  We’d checked for that too.

Now it got really weird.  The Little dog has always been what we referred to as a secret water drinker.  Prior to getting sick we had only ever seen him take little sips of water at a time.  Suddenly, he was drinking the water bowl DRY.

And weirder still, he began chasing the Big dog away from his food dish and wolfing it down!!!

The final straw was when we woke up with wet feet in the bed.  Tucker sleeps between the covers at the foot of the bed and, poor guy, he lost it in his sleep!

I called the vet as soon as they opened and we went in to see the head veterinarian.  We explained everything that had been going on, and he said he believed it was Cushing’s Disease.   He began testing in office and sent out lab samples too.

So, now begins the treatment.  Treatment is tricky with the old meds, but there is a newer med on the market that has been trialed in England called *Vetoryl (trilostane) .  We will be using this newer med because it has less risk to the Little dog.  This is not to say that it does not have side effects! (see below) We await the medicine, it is on order, and then will have to closely monitor the Little dog to get the dosage right.

~*~*~*~

Think happy thoughts, because it is breaking my heart to see him like this every day.

When he sits up his little belly sticks out like a Pot Bellied Pig’s.

Symptoms of Cushing’s Disease in Dogs

The most common symptoms include:
• increased/excessive water consumption (polydipsia)  (!!!)
• increased/excessive urination (polyuria)  (!!!)
• urinary accidents in previously housetrained dogs  (!!!)
• increased/excessive appetite (polyphagia)  (!!!)
• appearance of food stealing/guarding, begging, trash dumping, etc.  (!!!)
• sagging, bloated, pot-bellied appearance  (!!!)
• weight gain or its appearance, due to fat redistribution
• loss of muscle mass, giving the appearance of weight loss  (!!!)
• bony, skull-like appearance of head
• exercise intolerance, lethargy, general or hind-leg weakness (!!!)
• new reluctance to jump on furniture or people  (!!!)
• excess panting, seeking cool surfaces to rest on
• symmetrically thinning hair or baldness (alopecia) on torso  (!!!)
• other coat changes like dullness, dryness
• slow regrowth of hair after clipping
• thin, wrinkled, fragile, and/or darkly pigmented skin  (!!!)
• easily damaged/bruised skin that heals slowly  (!!!)
• hard, calcified lumps in the skin (calcinosis cutis)
• susceptibility to infections (especially skin and urinary)
• diabetes, pancreatitis, seizures

( (!!!) Indicates Tucker’s slowly increasing symptoms over the past year and a half.)

*Vetoryl (trilostane) Capsules, the latest drug approved to treat canine Cushing’s, is also the first drug approved to treat both pituitary- and adrenal-dependent Cushing’s in dogs. This prescription drug works by stopping the production of cortisol in the adrenal glands. In studies of the drug, the most common side effects were vomiting, lack of energy, diarrhea, and weight loss.

Citations:

• Kateconnick.com
• The FDA

FRIDAY FICTIONEERS

THE CHALLENGE:

Write a one hundred word story that has a beginning, middle and end. (No one will be ostracized for going over or under the word count.)

THE KEY:

Make every word count.

~*~*~*~

For the Friday, May 10th deadline, I offer you,

Copyright-Ted Strutz

The Elopement

Arriving with her little suitcase she sat in the bar against the wall.  She preferred this seat because it afforded her the best vantage for surveying the room.  From here she could see the length of the room from the front window to the back entrance.  Ordering herself a drink for the evening she expectantly watched and waited till closing.

~*~

All the regulars knew this was Juliette’s seat and they made sure it was always waiting for her by telling her story:

“Yeah!   Her boyfriend tells her,  ’Meet me at 6:00 and we’ll elope.’  That was over twenty years ago…”

~*~*~*~

]]> http://pixilatedtoo.wordpress.com/2013/05/08/creative-writing-the-elopement/feed/ 70 pixilated2 icon-grill-ted-strutz http://pixilatedtoo.wordpress.com/2013/05/04/a-saturday-snippet/ http://pixilatedtoo.wordpress.com/2013/05/04/a-saturday-snippet/#comments Sat, 04 May 2013 20:55:23 +0000 Lynda http://pixilatedtoo.wordpress.com/?p=5248 Continue reading →]]> I haven’t talked about it.  I wasn’t sure what to say, but the Little dog is very sick.  All we know for sure is that his kidneys are not doing their job.

Lots of tests, lots of pampering, LOTS of extra trips outside to “GO.”

When I know what is going on, then you will too.  In the meantime, Buddy keeps us entertained…

Are you jealous of the Little dog, Buddy?

I think so!

Hm, perhaps we’ll need to get him one of these in his size? 

I am a Nerd.

In my school days to be called a Nerd was an insult.  Nobody wanted to be a Nerd.  However as an adult I find science fascinating!

So here for your viewing pleasure, or not, I offer you:

The Worlds Smallest Movie

and its sequel…

The making of The Worlds Smallest Movie

I love the line where the scientist says:

“If I can get 1,000 kids to enjoy science rather than go into law school I’d be super happy.”

If you do not find these films fascinating, well then relax, because:

You can rest assured that

you are not a Nerd!

~*~

UPDATE:   I don’t usually care for the Urban Dictionary’s definitions.  That said,  IMHO they really got to the essence of what it means to be a “Nerd.”  (Click the word to be magically transported, and then scroll down to the definitions.) 

Related article:

• Why it is awesome to be a nerd. (fscheer.wordpress.com)