6-19-03: Full Day of Activities

Thursday, June 19 2003

8:35 pm
Leslie, Alex, Matt & Emily just left. They got here @ noon and had a full day of activities. Lunch of quiche & Caesar salad for the adults and hot dogs for the kids.

Alex & Matt fished in the pond and caught @ 10 tiny fish. Played with the chickens, walked in the fields, played with Tessa, walked over to [P]’s and saw a one-day-old mini-horse foal, played air hockey… 

1-day old foal
photo by Leslie Barni

David, Alex, Matt, Em

Alex, Tessa, Matt

Leslie, Matt, Ales, Tessa, Emily

Tess, Emily, Matt, Alex. Emily is receiving a gift...

...but Emily did not like her gift.

Em and Pav
photo by Leslie Barni

Em, Tessa and Tina
photo by Leslie Barni

Tina and Matt
photo by Leslie Barni

We claim credit for Leslie's family's interest in rowing

It was gray & drizzly for the first few hours, so after lunch we went to Tractor Supply to buy rubber boots for Leslie & kids, & the kids also picked out toys for Tessa & Pav. (Vince doesn’t get much time in with the kids because he barks & is nervous)

Then, to Sandy Hill Farm to look for onion sets and potato starts for Dave B. (No luck on the potatoes – all gone just that morning – but I donated some of my spuds with developed eyes). When we got back to the house the sun was working its way out.



End of Entry

6-18-03: So Brave and Good

Wednesday, June 18 2003

11:03 pm   Sad news. Tig had a vet appointment yesterday because he was still sick and weak and skinny. Dr. Scholer determined that Kitter had intestinal cancer; there is medicine that would extend his life a few months, but we opted to put Tig at peace right away. He was so brave and good.

Tig in his prime. An abandoned outdoor kitter
that "let" me adopt him in Seattle, WA.

I held him in my arms and David stood right by and touched Tig. The vet was so kind and gentle, and although my tears flowed for my loss, I felt calm & sure about easing Tig’s pain. He was basically starving to death, unable to digest any food properly. I love Kitter, and will miss his life force.

Addendum 2014: It bothered me then, and it bothers me now, that we kept seeking medical help for Tig, and not until his final day was there a diagnosis. I still feel bad that Tig was suffering, waiting for me to ease his pain, and instead he just felt worse and worse. The vets and I should have insisted on different tests.

Monday morning I baked chocolate chocolate-chip cookies, then spent a lot of time outside weeding the small garden and ‘decorating’ the potting shed. David did business on the computer, then did a lot of weed wacking and some mowing.

Leslie & her kids are coming to visit tomorrow. Hope the rain stays away. Her parents were going to come, but opted out due to preparing for a weekend party at their house.

Worked in the field garden today. Transplanted in some seedlings to make up for the rotted seeds, and reseeded the corn and peas & beans. Cloudy today, but hot & muggy. Loved it!




End of Entry

Random List: The Nose Knows

It's still top-down time in the convertible!

Recently I kept a list of odors I encountered on the way home from work, door to door:

by Hans   / pixabay.com



• Stinky Juniper Shrub (just outside door)
• Cigarette Smoke (co-worker)
• Lemon Car Freshener (co-worker's car)
• Carmel Corn (factory across the road)
• Car Exhaust (entire business park gets on the road)
• Cigarette Smoke (multiple drivers)
• Mulch (fresh, unspread pile)
• Potpourri (floral shop with open doors and windows)
• Diesel Fumes (delivery truck)
• Cigarette Smoke (delivery truck driver)
• Apple (my drive-home snack)
• Cooked Meat (fast food burger joint)
• Freshly Cut Grass (probably some cigarette butts in there somewhere...)
• River Water (tiny section of lower Little Miami)
• Woods/Greenery (you know, that earthy smell when you pass through a heavily wooded, shady area)
• Campfire (life in the woods)
• Smouldering Charcoal (what's for dinner?)
• Fresh Air (close to home now!)
• Sleepy Dogs (official home greeters)

6-15-03: Happy 12th Anniversary!

Sunday, June 15 2003

9:38 pm  Happy 12th Anniversary to us! Happy Father’s Day!

pixabay.com

Tina & David, June 2012

Tina & David, June 2012

Sent an email card and personal letter to Dad late last night so he’d have it by this morning. Also called him today for a brief chat.

Haven’t journaled since Thursday, and am having trouble remembering what’s transpired in between. Need to get better at jotting short notes to document things, instead of always long entries.

One Friday thing was that I called Lars & told him about the boat for sale David spotted an adv. for. He sounded excited and said he would call the guy. On Saturday early afternoon I couldn’t stand the suspense, so I called his neighbor and found out that Lars was right then gone to Mt. Gilead for the boat! Haven’t heard from him yet, so I hope all went okay.

Today we finally had nice weather. Sun and warmth, with less humidity. The last few days were very, very humid, with cloudy skies. So this morning we hopped on the motorcycle and went to Shelby for a radio-controlled airplane show. Had a great ride in the sunshine, and saw some interesting flying.

Went home & David mowed the lawn while I weeded, then at 3:30 we left for our dinner reservation at Steve’s Dakota Grill. (B.D. Roadhouse wasn’t taking reservations). Food was ‘okay’, but the overall experience was so-so.

Planted the Dogwood Red Twig Hedge in the front yard this weekend. Had 20 plants, so David used the tractor & post hole digger to facilitate the holes. Good thing too, since the soil was very clayish. We planted one every 5 feet, so it’s quite a long hedge.

The mini horses have been pooping a lot in the stall.

Low germination rate in the west field garden, largely due to rotted seeds from excessive rain right after planting. I have backup transplants available for some plants. The Indian corn rows (3) are all coming up nicely.

Tig spent time out on the front porch the last few days – wearing his harness & rope – and seems to enjoy the fresh air. He’s been sick less, probably because he hasn’t had wet food for days. But that also means less caloric intake.

On Friday David did a three hour rental on a concrete buster and busted up the pertinent area in the downstairs bathroom. He said the unit was extremely heavy, and the task was a lot of work. I kept me & the animals out of the house because of the noise & dust.

Sump Pump Site

David is a manly-man with that jackhammer!

End of Entry

6-12-03: Childishly Peeved

Thursday, June 12 2003

10:38 pm   Rain, rain, rain. Might as well be a Seattle June. I feel whiney and childishly peeved about this weather, and need to toughen up.  Didn’t go outside today except twice for @ 5 minutes. While David was gone to his appointments today, I gave Tessa & Vince a bath.

On Tuesday Tig got the first bath of his life (in the utility sink) to wash the residue of sickness off him. Today I rinsed his feet. He took the whole thing pretty well, but then he’s on 6+ pounds of weak kitty. He’s so, so skinny. I called the vet today but the line was busy and I forgot to call back.

Called Leslie today and chatted for a while. They’re having issues with the construction of the addition on their house, regarding distance from the property line. Sounds like they’re working through it. Leslie’s mom & dad want to see our place, so next Thursday the 19th they’ll visit with Leslie & the kids. The boys haven’t been here since we got the chickens.

David got a thumbs up at his doctor visit today. They changed his BP medication to something that will cause less or no fatigue. Advised a cholesterol test in the near future.

We spent quite a while today brainstorming names for the new business – David “de-fragged” the computer.




End of Entry

6-11-03: When I Wasn't Looking

Wednesday, June 11 2003

10:20 pm   IRS appointment went okay. Afterward went to Meijers & Sam’s Club for groceries and Tractor Supply for misc. items and birdseed. Cloudy weather with a few rain showers, but warm temp.

After we got home David worked on the computer to print out some info for the IRS (audit on previous business) and I headed outside.  Pooper scooped horse, chicken and dog doo…

When I wasn’t looking the mail carrier delivered the final group of plants (errors & omissions from the first package) 20 dogwood “red twig” hedge, 25 lilies, 1 butterfly bush, 1 burning bush. I planted all except the hedges. Around 5:00 pm the sun finally won the battle with the gray and it felt very summery. Saw some itsy bitsy growth on plantings in the field garden. I’ll need to plant the 2nd row of corn by Friday.

Came inside at 6:00 to make dinner: BBQ chicken breast and fresh ears of corn, followed by homemade strawberry shortcake (berries from Meijer, spray can cream, homemade biscuits) – David gave it thumbs up!

werner22brigitte on pixabay.com

David’s having trouble relaxing tonight because he has a doctor’s appt tomorrow morning (routine checkup) followed by an afternoon meeting with Shane & Linda in Galion. I just hope I can support him while he handles all the stressful *setup details.

I have plans to paint the inside of the potting shed, using the paint sprayer. We’ll work together later to plant the hedge in the front yard.

*setup details: Not sure why I didn't include details in my journal, but our business plan was for an office supply store in Galion, Ohio. They didn't currently have one in town, and we had experience from our previous business. More on this later--maybe a supplemental entry because it's a pretty big topic that shaped our lives.

End of Entry

6-10-03: Downright Spunky

Tuesday, June 10 2003

9:48pm  The weather “forecasts” keep us guessing, and today I guessed I could work outside despite the thunderstorm warnings. It did shower for @ 10 minutes, while I was in the barn, other than that it was just a warm, cloudy, breezy day.

Actually, this morning I got up with the dogs @ 7am, took a shower, and read the paper in the sunroom after letting the chickens out. Then the clouds set in, so I went downstairs and took care of some email correspondence:  Dad, Ramona, [J & A], Booths.

By 11am I was outside. Planted the remaining 4 roses in the field garden for cutting flowers. Put bird netting over the front yard flower garden. Scooped horse poop. Fed carrots to Sam, Sassy (aka Cocoa Chanel) and Beanie. Continued to make organized sod piles near the west field garden.

Yesterday I weed wacked the slope to the north of the pond, and also down near the stream. My arm muscles are getting burly—in fact, I was easily able to help David get several sheets of drywall downstairs. He’s really making progress on the downstairs bathroom. The shower stall is installed, a wall mounted heater, and all wiring (I think). Sounds like the next big task will be busting up some concrete so he can dig for the sump pump.

Installing the shower stall 

More wiring

Yesterday he finished installing shelving and a work bench in the potting shed. I’m really looking forward to gathering all my potting shed in there, after it’s painted. We plan to use our sprayer to coat the inside with generic exterior white. David has made some good finds on windows for the greenhouse by checking the Home Depot/Lowe’s clearance sections. He just insists on making all my dreams come true!

Tonight David called on an ad for the fishing boat that he thought Lars might be interest in. Wanted to make sure it was still available. I’ll call Lars tomorrow at his neighbor’s house with the info.

Tomorrow morning we have an apt with the IRS. Need to depart at 8:00am.

Dad called tonight while I was in the barn, so he & David chatted. Sounds like everything is going well in Sweden.

I stopped giving Tig his meds because he’s been sick every day since we started them, sometimes twice a day. The plastic & newspaper décor in Tig’s room has totally simplified cleanup, but I feel sorry for his discomfort.

Pav has become downright spunky the last few days; we think it might be the emergency dog food. He really enjoys the great outdoors, and when it’s the least bit warm he stands in the stream or ventures part way into the pond.

Yesterday morning I baked a chocolate cake (box), and made biscuits from scratch. All turned out yummy!

10:37pm  Time to rest—another big day tomorrow!


End of Entry

6-7-03: Bit of a Spray Pattern

Saturday, June 7 2003

Just back to bed after incident with Vince. Heard yakking sounds & dog cough and I went to the dog’s room. Tessa was fine, & Pav, but when I looked for Vince under the bed I saw where he’d been suddenly sick (bit of a spray pattern on the bedskirt..). Coaxed him out, and he kept licking his muzzle and stopping himself from throwing up. Put him & Tessa outside, and Vince ate grass like mad.

David came out & watched over him while I flipped through the dog first aid book. Meanwhile Vince barfed up a load of grass & felt better, but then ate more grass & drank a lot of water. We waited, but no throw-up. So, now in bed with old blankets on & 2 tired dogs.

9:37pm  David went to the vet office this morning to pick up the meds for Tig. I didn’t have too much trouble getting him to swallow the tiny pill since I’ve had experience sticking my hand in the toothy mouth of a Doberman… 

The day started out cloudy, so I cleaned house while David went downstairs & resumed work on the bathroom. Today he installed ceiling framework, ceiling fan, wiring & outlets.

It warmed up outside by noon, so I headed out and trimmed grass around new trees before heading out to the field garden. Planted dill, sweet onions, watered everything, gathered up clumps of soil. Went in @ 6pm—didn’t really know what time it was, I was just thirsty;--and made dinner (chicken reheat, rice, veggies) and watched the Belmont Stakes. FunnyCide did not win the Triple Crown…

After dinner David went to Geyer’s in Lexington to buy some emergency dog food and I went back out to the garden to use up the last of the daylight. It felt so good to work hard & sweat in the humidity in the name of creating a food garden—I look forward to sharing the harvest with others. 

Just saw on the news that Seattle has had 3 days in a row over 90*. Yuk! The *house must be suffocatingly hot in the evening. Got a nice email from Cindy B. the other day; sounds like not much has changed there, but they did finally meet the couple that bought our house. Also Matt (aka ‘farm boy’) and his dogs finally relocated.

Vince seems to be all recovered from his ‘episode’ last night. We have the two little ones on the bed with us again tonight—just in case.

The birds have been roaring through the bird feed in record time. . . .Supposed to rain tomorrow afternoon. . . .Need to bake some goodies to have around, and some biscuits too. . . .Need to come up with a menu and a grocery list. . . .Must plant tomato plants!. . . .11:36pm, time to go to sleep so I can get up early tomorrow with the dogs, and stay up.

*house must be suffocatingly hot:  back of the house faced west, with no awnings or tree cover, and no air conditioner. Perfectly fine for 98% of Seattle weather, but bad for heat waves.

End of Entry