Seasons pass by so quickly, don't they?
I thought before Summer packs her bags,
I might take a little time to share with you what colors we have left -
before they are gone!
And yes, they have spread all over everything by this time, but still, they are so lovely and so varied in their colors!
The garden tunnel is thick and lush with these glorious morning bloomers.
What a magical place, shady and cool, this would be to sit and read a book, or work on some needle work (if only it weren't for our insect friends who make it a point to pester!)
Summer's colors are definitely fading...
Long before the foliage starts to turn, these colorful berries appear - purple beauty berries...
and these on a vine that grows on the garden fence. I love how the berries appear in so many colors.
One of this week's chores is to harvest the leaves from this garden box. It is my tea garden and has so many fragrant leaves that are perfect for herbal teas. There are several types of mint (chocolate being one of them), and also lemon verbena. There's nothing better than a warm cup of home-grown herbal tea before bedtime on a cold Winter's evening.
In yet another box is several varieties of sage. I am going to dry these leaves and make smudge sticks with them. This is an ancient Indigenous Peoples' tradition, to roll and wrap sage into small bundles that could be burned as incense to help cleanse a space of negative energy. (Now all I need to do is find a space with negative energy!)
From time to time I mention my worry list. Aside from the maternal worries about whether Pete would adjust to barn life...
which he has...
splendidly,
We have, however, added Chester to the worry list. He is all by himself on the list, but, he is there, nonetheless.
When we arrived home last week we noticed that Chester had a limp on one of his back paws. We examined it to find nothing amiss, so we put him on anti-inflammatory medication in case he had over done it a bit. After a few days, his limp worsened to the point that we now have a three-legged dog. He runs on three and will not put the fourth down.
We are concerned that it may be his ACL. Being only 4 years old, and an active dog, we have no choice but to have this fixed via surgery. Tomorrow, he is scheduled to see a vet for a diagnostic work-up and referral to a surgeon for an ACL reconstruction.
This is going to be some adventure with a crazy dog like Chester. It will be 8 weeks of severely limiting his activity... a confinement of sorts. We may all be a little crazy by the end of it all!
Yesterday we began the process of introducing him to his post-op collar. Chester is not at all food motivated, so everything has to be a game that includes lots and lots of hugs and kisses and praise. He's a very smart boy, so I am sure he will catch on quickly!
Got apples??
Comments
Little Pete is such a photogenic kitty!
So sorry about Chester ... hopefully surgery will take care of it for him! You may have to keep him a little sedated during the healing process!
And I loved the multi colored berry photo . . .
(that was a mouthful)
Unusual all the different colors together!
Long recovery ahead for Chester . . .
Hope he does ok, seems like there is always
something to keep us in that “fret” mode!
Keep us posted!
Do you know that here in the Piedmont of NC, I have not met any natives who like morning glories? They consider it a pest! Personally, I think it is beautiful.
Sorry to hear about Chester. We had a dog that also had surgery for her ACL. She did great and Chester will too!
Pete has such an expressive face. I could just stare forever into his eyes. I'm so happy he found you!
I'll be keeping you and Chester in my thoughts as you go through this process.
Oh poor Chester. Our HEMI had the same surgery when he was alive. Would not change that decision up for anything. LOTS of work on our part to help him the first month or so. Once he got the go ahead for more activity, it was a part of our routine. He LOVED it when I massaged his leg and hips. I purchased a harness called the Help Em Up. Best money I spent. He was a 100lb choc. Lab. Lifting him up to go out was so much easier for me. And walking around outside for exercise. This mama admits to sleeping on a new dog bed right beside his on the floor for the first 2 weeks. If I didn’t, he would keep getting up to find me when he wasn’t supposed to. You have Velcro kitty, I had Velcro Labrador. �� it’s a process to get them back on their feet again and back to normal activity, but it is worth every second spent caring for them. BIG HUGS to you and Hubs for ALL of your love you share with your “family”��
EDGAR C. BEARD
Rose