He May Just Be The Death Of Me...

Our whole front yard is peppered with wild violets. They're beautiful! They're up in Andy and Shelly's woods, too - with some on our portion of the front, too. How do I know they're up in the woods?

This guy. That's how I know. Tag has been exhibiting a little doggie dementia over the past few months. Sometimes, he'll roam around the yard like he's confused. He has some odd behaviors in the house, too. The past few days, he just sits at my feet. No matter where I am. Occasionally, he chooses the most awkward moments to move in under my legs while I'm seated. He doesn't want to move either.

Such was not the case yesterday. I was getting ready to go out and feed the Barn Girls, but got sidetracked when Tag pushed the door. Once he was out he headed straight up the hill for the wood lot. Nothing I could do would turn him. He stopped once to look at me, and then ran uphill like he had an important appointment.

With my rotten knee, I couldn't move very fast, so by the time I got to the woods, he was nowhere to be seen. I limped back down the hill and told Handsome that Tag had run off on me and I'd be in my car looking for him. 

About twenty minutes later, I drove up to Andy and Shelly's to see if he'd shown up in their yard. (He hadn't.) Andy offered their four-wheeler to me so I could look for him. I accepted. I drove through the woods, and Andy hopped on his atv and went around the back of the woods. 

We met around the back side of the lot, so I turned around to try another field. I happened to look to my side, and there, in the brush was my boy. He stood looking at me like he was confused. I called him and he ambled to me. Then, I put his slip lead on, picked him up, and put him in the back of the four-wheeler.

Of course, he'd managed to roll in something nasty, so he got a bath once we were back at the farmhouse. I thanked Andy for the use of his machine, as well as his helping look. I transferred Tag to my Explorer and we headed down the hill.

Handsome helped me bathe the boy, and then I tied him out in the shade to dry off. He was perfectly content to roll around in the plush grass, and he spent an hour there getting dry. Of course, I kept the lead on him when I brought him back into the house.

Cookies were made (with some delivered up the hill), and then I sat down for a bit. Honestly, I was pooped. We did go to the estate sale (I'll share our purchases tomorrow), so my day started earlier than usual. Add the little adventure, and my concern for Tag, and I was thoroughly ready for bed at the end of the day.

We'll be keeping Tag on a lead when we take him out until I can plan a small yard to turn him into where he can't get away from us. He doesn't seem to be in any distress, but he sure is acting like the little old man he is. I'll be keeping a much closer watch over him.

The Huntress...

For the past few years, Andy and Shelly have been trying to get rid of gophers in their yard. They said they're mainly concerned that one of our dogs will chase over onto the yard and catch a foot in one of the many holes. We actually know of a dog who lost a leg that way!

They've tried everything, to no avail. They were getting ready with their next course of action, when we told them that Claudette and Crystal are working on the problem. Every day now, after I feed the girls, Claudette strolls across the field between the farmhouse and Andy and Shelly's yard. She's on the prowl.

She checks all the holes, and then settles down to wait. I haven't seen her score yet, but I'm confident she'll accomplish her goal. I'm also confident she'll bring it back to our porch to brag. yippee

I wasn't in the studio yesterday at all. It was a gorgeous day, so after haircuts and grocery shopping, I spent more time outdoors. (That's how you got yet another cat story, you know. wink) 

Handsome and I are heading to an estate sale in the morning. We got a message from the friend (she and her husband actually bought our first farmhouse), and she runs family estate sales now. She has a piece of farm equipment that she thought we might like to have as a yard ornament. We're going to see it and decide.

Then, when we get home again, I will be making cookies! Heck. It's supposed to be 88º. Why wouldn't I light up a 375º oven? lol After that, I'll definitely get back to the studio. More on that tomorrow...

Our First Hummingbird In 2022...

Male Ruby Throated Hummingbird - Image Courtesy of Birds and Blooms Magazine

We spent most of the day outdoors on Tuesday. It's been a crazy spring, and yesterday was no exception. The blustery wind was replaced with a gentle breeze, so Handsome and I tackled outdoor tasks.

Handsome started on one of the downed trees that rests on the land we currently rent out to our neighbor. He farms it every year, and that tree needs to go before it's time for him to plow the land.

I wanted to put our outside furniture on the porch, but had to clean all of it first. Little kitty footprints, and more of Leo's winter pastime. Ugh. Glad it wasn't too bad, but now everything is disinfected, scrubbed, dry and on the porch. In fact, at bedtime, Claudette and Crystal were comfortably situated on the cushioned chairs for a sleepover.

When we took our afternoon break, we were surprised to hear a saw running. Handsome went outside to find Andy cutting those big willow branches off the main tree to make the rest of the task easier for us. Now all my husband has to do is cut up all the branches and we'll load them up for the burn pile behind Andy and Shelly's.

Speaking of which...our dear neighbor, Shelly is finally back home. She went to the hospital on March 3rd, and has been either in the hospital or the rehabilitation facility adjacent to the hospital since. She's made enough progress that she could now come home to continue her recuperation. We got to see her yesterday, and I almost wanted to jump into their vehicle when they pulled in to say "hi".

Needless to say, all that work and excitement wore us two seniors out. We ate dinner, took Tylenol and tucked in happy with our efforts.

If we hadn't been outside, we would have missed our first hummingbird visiting the feeders I put out three days ago. He'll spread the word, and soon we'll have a little flock visiting every day. Winter is finally, blissfully gone.

We'll take it a little easier today. We have haircuts and a little grocery shopping to do, and then we'll be back at the farmhouse for the rest of the day. I think I'll bake cookies when we get home and take a fair amount up the hill to celebrate Shelly's return. We think it's a quiet, appropriate way to welcome her back.