I cant even begin to list the corrections and fixes I need to dowith respect to... well, almost everything! But first, let me talk about the weather: it's awful once again, in that we expect violent storms to pass this way today. April in Wisconsin has had a historically high (highest ever?) number of violent storms pass through. We are normally a quiet state. But this month? Thunder, hail that has boosted the profits of the roofing companies, and tornadoes, of the type that knocked down houses. Oh, and did I mention flooding? And today, all these are on the radar once again.
Millie has developed a cough. I can't assess the severity of that. Normally a coughing dog sounds horrible (like an ancient lifetime smoker hacking away), but eventually it resolves on its own. But with a puppy, you have to be more careful and make sure it's not pneumonia. Basically, in the 3.5 weeks that I have had her, Millie has gone through treatment for parasites, treatment for GI issues, and now treatment for a cough. Is this pup ever healthy??
Still, the sweet girl stays put in her crate-bed until 6:30. And we make it outside before any rains come down.
But breakfast, for sure, is indoors.
For all her coughing, Millie appears to me to be peppy and playful.
But I put her in her crate for a while, because I have an appointment at Steffi's House (a reminder: I'm moving to it in July) with Beth, a person who is going to do some digging there for me (she owns and runs Bevalli Gardens -- a place I'd never heard of until last week). I need to redo the plantings in front of that house. What's planted next to the house doesn't belong there and indeed, some of it doesn't belong anywhere. Typical new development stuff, poorly thought out, indifferently positioned. A large juniper, a baby crab apple that wont always be a baby -- both inches away from the house. What were they thinking??
Beth's ideas for the front of the house fit with mine... for the most part. I know my perennials too well to be convinced that simple Stella daylilies are an asset. It's a dilemma -- should I just do it all myself? But, wasn't I going to reduce my yard workload?
I compromise: Beth will plant one side of the entrance, I'll plant the other. At the farmette, I would have done it all myself. Indeed, I agonized over each of the flowers I put in. All thousands of them. But maybe it's time for me to not agonize over this anymore? Maybe I can just listen to someone else's ideas? Beth will rip out the stupid fabric and remove the horrible stuff they call soil and dump some better stuff for us to work with. And she'll move the trees away from the house. How long will all this take you? -- I ask her. I have a solid group of helpers. Two hours. I'm stunned. It would have taken me the whole summer.
Back at the house, I let Millie out for a bit of play. Listening to her cough, I know that I have to cancel her afternoon grooming appointment, and this is such a shame, because she really is too shaggy, especially for the warm weather that's before us. Still, if she has kennel cough, she can't be with other dogs. No doggie daycare for her this week either. Time to take her to the vet yet again.
I am so glad I love my vet. I see a lot of her.
We return home: it's raining hard now. I take out Millie's rain jacket, which is pretty, but the hood bothers her and the whole jacket slips around as she trots forward.
But it does keep her torso dry and given the state of her health, I think this is a good thing.
In the afternoon, I drive over to pick up the kids. I leave Millie in her crate again. It makes no sense to shuttle her from one school to the next, with home stopovers in between. Good thing she is so easy to crate!
And home again.
I watch the kids and Millie -- Sparrow loves to play with her, right there at her level. She's most rambunctious with him and I warn him that he has to set boundaries. Millie is at an age where she wants to find out how far she can go and what she can get away with. If he plays hard, she can join that race.
Still, it's nice to see the two of them chase each other, throw and retrieve toys, do all that stuff that older people are incapable of doing.
Snowdrop is much more into the gentle hugs and tummy rubs.
A full range of play for the pup!
The two big kids leave, I put together a metal shelf to lift some of the plants of the porch floor. The lower ones within her reach are not toxic to her, but she has found the dirt in their pots very attractive to eat. Yes, eat. Probably to test me. So I build a shelf and move them up, while seh keeps me company and chats with the dog across the street.
The storms move in -- to the north, to the south, mostly bypassing us. I love it when forecasts warn of horrible stuff and the weather delivers something quite innocent instead. Distant rumble, a quick soak of the ground and it's done.
Millie, isn't it time to go to sleep? No? Oh come on, don't hide under the couch. It's so hard to drag you out from under there. Millie!
with so much love...
