~A woman's gotta know how to handle herself in any situation.~
~Gail Bailey 1910~
It's been two and a half weeks of this, that, and everything in between! I'm not sure where the week of Thanksgiving went to, but I do know that My Man and I had a wonderful, candlelit ham dinner at home...just the two of us (we're opting to go to Portland for Christmas).
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| Every year hundreds of these fat lil' Quail show up in Harney County. They dig all these holes in the snow getting to the seeds and grass under neith. |
Well, I do know that we had a bunch of snow that week, I had a doctor appointment in Bend (which always takes the whole day with the driving), the horses had their shoes pulled, and the dogs got wormed. I was also working frantically on my Horsefly publication...which got to the publisher just in the nick of time the day of printing...we're not doin' that again!!! (which leads to the next paragraph)
So, Black Friday should actually be called Red Friday since I spent so much money...new computer, printer, software and going wireless as much as possible. I chose an HP all-in-one 200xt. So far I love it's color on the monitor, there's virtually no noise, but I'm not convinced that I like the 21 inch screen. I'm having a problem getting the font size to adjust; it's either way too big or so tiny that it's hard to read. Computers are always a work in progress...I'd appreciate any suggestions anyone might have.
Ah yes...the software. I gave up the ghost on my Microsoft Publisher and going for PagePlus X5, splurged and got Elements and Premier 9, and Microsoft Office 2010...I really should take these changes in small steps, but it just wasn't going to happen. I had to get a software that could do my Horsefly and convert it into PDF format (that's what was causing all the problems with the Horsefly). So, I've got 15 days to figure it out and have all my pages ready for the January issue...wish me luck!!
After all that, then came the trips to the vet...and of course the vet bills!!! On Dec 2 I loaded up all four dogs and Tat the cat into the truck...yep...in the cab; thank goodness it's got an extended cab. Abby, Cowboy and Bella Jo rode in the back seat. Cindy Sue likes to ride on the console and Tat started out in his box...but they exchanged positions about 10 minutes into the ride...
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| But I like the box mom!!! |
Tat rode on the console most of the way into town (45 minutes)...I'm sure we were quite the sight! Cindy Sue liked the box so much, I cut off the flaps and cut out a curve in one of the long sides, put all her night blankies in it and she's as snug as a bug in a rug!
So, the pups all got their shots. Abby had her ears looked at...she has an infection in both ears, and had developed an hemotoma in one of them just the day before...so we left her overnight so she could have surgery the next morning. I had the vet look into Cindy Sue's eyes because she'd been having a hard time seeing at night. She was bumping into things. The vet thought she might have glaucoma and referred us to an eye specialist in Bend.
So, off we go to Bend again two days later...on a snowy mornin'. It was slow goin'...and we were late, but we made it. The good news is that she doesn't have glaucoma, which is a very painful, debilitating disease. But, the bad news is that she does have PRA; Progressive Retinal Atrophy. It starts with loss of night vision and progressively the dog looses all sight...probably years before she's totally blind. So, we'll just deal with it one day at a time. We've started her on a supplement called Ocu-GLO, which is developed for dogs with the same ingredients that are used in human eye supplements.
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| Cindy Sue's havin' a run at the 'off leash' park in Bend. It's a nice break for her and Bella Jo on these long trips. |
Bella Jo went with us of course for moral support!!! The two of them slept in the back seat of the car the whole way...they're good travelin' pups.
So, all the dogs and horses seem to be situated health-wise for now...but, today was my turn...when you turn 50 you know they want to you to do one of those dreaded colonoscopy procedures...I'm just glad it done and over with...for another 10 years!!!
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| Awwwwww...poor momma... |
Let's just move on to Christmas!!! In fact, this Sunday is the annual Round Barn Open House...that'll take all the blues away!!
Oh my gosh I love quails they are cute!!
ReplyDeleteKeep your snow, please! Oh and for font size press CTRL and the + key (or the minus key if it's too big) keep pressing plus or minus until the font is the right size.
You can also try adjusting the screen resolution. Just like how wide screen and full screen formatted movies look different based on the settings of your TV.
ReplyDeleteIf you right click on your desktop and choose "properties" then select the "settings" tab. On that tab there should be a little box with a sliding button that says 'screen resolution' play with that a little and you should be able to get your font straight.
So glad to hear that Cindy Sue doesn't have glaucoma. It's a scary thing to deal with!
Sorry to hear of your dog's diagnosis. I hate it when they age before their time... I hope the supplements help.
ReplyDeleteLove the quail! We don't see any here in Texas!
I love that last photo of Bella Jo. Wow, you have been super busy- that;s a lot of driving. I'm surprised Tat did well travelling; most cats get pretty upset in vehicles. Our Bubby cat is getting frail, we thought he was dying a few days ago but I put frankincense oil on his paws, and he has a new lease on life. At least he's eating and drinking again! I hope Cindy Sue gives you a few more good years and the pleasure of her company.
ReplyDeleteI have a blind horse, and the best advice I can offer is this - 1st, don't treat them any differently, 'cause you never know who is going to have to handle them not knowing they're blind. 2nd - use this time when she still has good vision to teach new voice commands, words that tell her when she is about to into something ("bump" and "fence" for my mare) or to beware her footing ("step") and reinforce the commands she already has, i.e. sit, stay, etc. Use consistent words for her normal day, truck, bed, etc., and refocus on any basic obedience commands she already knows, so that when you say "sit" she'll drop immediately to the ground. Luckily you have some time and a gradual loss of vision, which should be much easier for her than sudden, total vision loss.
ReplyDeleteCheck out www.rollingdogranch.org, they are a sanctuary that specializes in blind animals.
You have been busy.
ReplyDeleteIt takes a lot of time.money, and effort taking care of our animals eh.
We have only 4 horses and one standard poodle. Keeps me busy enough.
and oh yeah, the colonoscopy is always fun. I have my next one coming up. (ick)
Aww those quails are so cool!
ReplyDeleteI wuld love to go see that round barn, maybe one day i will plan to go down and see it.
Quite a hassle, but glad all the animals are healthy and give you a little time with Cindy Sue before she goes blind.
So those quail look just like the birds that landed on the windows outside my office today to sun. Never thought of seeing quail in the city though.
ReplyDeleteSorry about Cindy Sue... that sure sucks but I'm sure she will adapt.
Enjoy your week!
I have been watching the weather done your way, its bean nasty!!!
ReplyDeleteThats a lot of doctor visits!!!
Poor Cindy Sue, she has a great mom and dad though!!
OOOO pictures of the round barn at Xmas in the snow!!! Should be beautiful!!! Cant wait!
oh my~ lots of pokin' and prodin' going on over there! At least you are proactive and are getting educated on what needs to happen next - thats half the learning lesson of life :)
ReplyDeleteHope you have a fantastic weekend, sounds like you need one!
You've been busy, love the quail shots, too bad you did'nt bag a couple for dinner, I hear they are pretty tasty..:-))
ReplyDeleteColonoscopy!!! Ha!Lol!! Just had my second this year.....Thought I was in trouble turns out its benign. It isnt the most comfortable thing in the world. But since one of my friends ignored the test. I havent.
ReplyDeleteSorry `bout the computer thing, or as my grandson calls them, "pooters", hes only 4 and knows more than I do.
Good luck with everything, and dont worry `bout the dog going blind. Our Kerry Blue, has a real problem seeing anything, and he`s only 18 months. Theres nothing we can do for him, however as a previous post suggested, we are already training him for the inevitable. Godd luck.
I love Bella Jo's picture! You have been a busy lady. Christmas holidays seem to make it even more so. I hate to go out on black Friday so, I opt to stay home that day. I rather do cyber Monday or not at all.
ReplyDeleteYou've been crazy busy by the sounds of it...I hope it slows down so you can breathe again. Great pic's of the dogs and my favorite little girl!
ReplyDeleteAh girlfriend, you have been having quite the time of it, but still you photography is perfect. Learn your software and dazzel us some more.
ReplyDeleteWow, those were some big quail. :) I hope you get along alright with all your new computer things. That sounds like a challenge! Loved reading about hauling the dogs and cat to the vet, and how Cindy Sue liked that box so well! :)
ReplyDeleteAgh! The indignity of it all. First they start squishing your boobs flat then they stick something up *there* that should never have anything stuck up there to begin with. bah!
ReplyDeleteSuck getting old...er.
Those quails are precious. We have a similar species here. I love 'em!
Great photos all..especially that last one. Pretty!
My! You've been busy!
~Lisa