Rain and the stressors of life ...

The colorful leaves have filled the lawn and left the trees bare. I cannot rake the lawn so I cut them up with my lawn mower. Sometimes it takes a few trips around to get them all broken into tiny pieces but I enjoy being out there.

I'm having a wiener roast for the neighborhood children tomorrow evening. It's just hot dogs with sauce, cole slaw, and all the other fixin's; marshmallows, chips and cookies. West Virginia has the best hot dogs in the country as far as I'm concerned. Check out this place not far from my home ... if nothing else, it will give you a giggle. Hillbilly Hot Dogs ... just the best they is. hee-hee I like just a regular slaw dog: bun, wiener, mustard, onions, sauce, and cole slaw. The others are okay if you're hankerin' for somethin' different.

I'm making a cookie recipe my cousin gave me when I was a youngster ... probably some 40 years ago. I think I was about 11 years old. Maybe. Who can remember back that far? ha Although there are many days those memories are far more clear than the ones from a few hours ago. :-) Chocolate chip oatmeal raisin walnut cookies. Simply amazing. I use coconut oil now instead of other oils. It really makes the dough lighter and crispier. I'll share the recipe if anyone wants it. I can type it up in a minute or two.

Samson is still with me. He has good days and bad. His good days consist of eating and sleeping and wanting his belly scratched.  :-) I have a vet check-up scheduled for 12 Nov. I'll know more of what he's dealing with then. Sometimes he seems to have a fever. He'll shake and quiver as though he's freezing. I cover him with an afghan and at times he wants me to sit there with him. Soon, he's snuggled up to me ... along with Miss Cleo and Mister. Then we all take a snooze. It's good I live alone, I guess. I let many indoor chores slide to spend time with my babes while knitting or crocheting.

Miss Cleo likes to hang close when Samson isn't feeling well. It's almost like she knows he's feeling poorly. She is 13 years old. I found her as she popped out from under my car one day in July 2002. She was barely 5 weeks, according to the vet, and on the verge of death with a viral infection and terribly high fever. That was the first time I've seen a cat "pant" like a dog. She's healthy now and very much a diva in this house.

I'm off to bake cookies and wash laundry! I'm happy it's nice enough to hang a few items out. I love the fresh smell of the outdoors.

Blessings ...

When is the right "time"?

This is the last time Samson and I spent time outdoors together. September 2015. He doesn't want to hang out anymore. He seems to be more comfortable indoors, sleeping.

I found Samson on December 9, 2003. It was bitter cold and snowing, with the nights dropping below zero. I had been to my property in the country where my aunt told me she'd seen two pups dead in a ditch down the road a few days prior. While driving by, I noticed one licking his paw. I immediately stopped my car and called a fellow I knew to ask him to come get the pup and put him in my Blazer. He did. Samson (as I later named him because I'd asked the Lord to restore his strength and fur) sat in the front seat just looking at me. He was so cold, his body was numb and he couldn't feel his broken hips and deep wounds. He was in the veterinary hospital for three days. He's been with me practically 24/7 since.

Samson has had multiple surgeries since for various tumors that pop up. He has a parathyroid gland tumor, diagnosed a year and a half ago. He's lost much weight, but is not emaciated. He is weak; stumbles and falls; appears to not see or hear well. He stands in one place often ... seemingly confused as to what exactly he wants to do. I have to really coax him to eat. He drinks two or three times a day but nothing like he once did. He sleeps all but a total of maybe an hour or two out of 24. I took him outside today to enjoy some sun. He always loved that. Twenty minutes seemed to exhaust him. He wanted in, made his way to the couch and is now sleeping.

I can't imagine how he will endure the winter. He gets dry heaves often; needs to eat grass. There really is none in the winter without digging through the snow. Since I use a wheelchair, I cannot get into the deep snow to assist him. His potty breaks are difficult because he doesn't like going out into the grass. He's never liked wet grass.

How do I decide when it is time to let him go? When is it time to cross that Rainbow Bridge? I don't want Samson to suffer. But I certainly don't want to shorten his life because I made the wrong decision.

Have you lost a furry friend this way? How did you make the decision? Do you have any regrets or wish you'd done something differently?

I know this is a difficult topic and if you choose to respond, I will appreciate it with all my heart.

Blessings ...

Happy Friday

It's Autumn in Plum Hollow.

I believe I'm back!

And as long as I believe it ... it's gotta be true, yes? :-)

I've been sick for quite a while. By the grace and mercy of God, I'm on the road to recovery.

I've felt well enough to hire a handyman to do what I cannot. One of the chores: paint the house shutters. Before, they were one shade darker than the siding. Now, there called "Nature". (I think that is the name. I'll edit this when I find the paint can.) It doesn't show up so well in the photo but it's an army brown with olive undertones. I love it. They were very difficult to paint. I purchased 1-2-3 primer and Valspar paint for plastic and vinyl. The paint peeled right off. We tried everything over the course of three days. Finally, I told my guy to "paint them and put them back anyway". It does seem that the longer they hang there, the more "cured" the paint is. If the paint is still on them by Summer 2016 ... I'll be happy. haha

 

 

I have had many other things on the to-do list marked off and it's truly wonderful.

Hope your summer was wonderful and your autumn will be even better!