12 Little Breakfasts. Snack & Pepper Portraits.

Well, I have a houseful. Mindi's neighbor's dogs didn't come, as her mother got back in town and is going to take care of them. I am glad really, as I have enough to do to take care of the 11 critters that are here.

The minute I got up, I turned on the coffee maker, I only make 2 mugs at a time, as I don't like old coffee. By the time I had turned on the computer, and donned a thick robe, I could carry a cup outside with me when I took the dogs out for their "first call". When I got them back inside, I turned on the dog room TV, opened up the blinds in there to let the sunlight in. As soon as I was dressed, it is still T-shirt and turtleneck weather, it was time to start on all twelve little breakfasts. Mindi's 8 eat one thing, Bobcat eats another, MaeMae another, and then Snack and Pepper (cats) another. 12 little dishes all in a row ! Sheba had to have her medicines, and then I took the dogs outside again. They always seem to have to 'go' after they eat. Sheba wanted to be in the house with me, so I let her lie on my bed while I got other things done. If she lies still, she doesn't cough.

I was answering emails when the doorbell rang, that got Sheba stirred up, so she started coughing again. It was Jay, and their neighbor. Jay was back from Houston, and said his Mom was coming home, so he had come to pick up MaeMae. So my little black poodle boarder is gone, for now.

I was just going to groom little Jakey, as he is looking straggly, when the phone rang. It was Kenya asking me to bring Snack and Pepper to Petco in the next town. A professional photographer had offered to take pictures of the fosters awaiting adoption, so that their pictures, and history, can be listed on Petfinder.com. Once they get on there, folks ask about them, and the pets can be brought in for Adoption Day for viewing, so that is a start in the right direction. I quickly took all the dogs out again, counted noses twice as they came in, and got myself ready. I called Jay to see if he wanted to go, and he did.

I got the two carriers ready, and Jay helped me load them in the back seat of the truck. Snack didn't want to leave her big cage and get in the smaller carrier, so I had to do the upside down trick....... Put the carrier with the door facing up, and put the cat in, feet first, and shut the door. Works every time !

At Petco they didn't want to pose. Pepper wanted to be away from the Christmas setting they were using as a backdrop, and chase around the room. Snack just glowered in front of the camera, with her eyes as big as saucers, and wanted to slink away to a corner. Neither of them got their way. I think they got some shots that will be OK.

There was just enough time to get to a couple of thrift shops before they closed at 3.00pm. I found a couple of comfy dresses. Jay got a long sleeve T-shirt and a cutting board. We hadn't had any lunch, so we stopped at McKenzies BBQ, and had chopped beef sandwiches.

By the time we got home, it was time for me to start all over again with 11 little dinners.

Another busy, sunny day.

Porch Didn't Freeze. Boarders Coming

When I got up it said it was 40 deg. on the porch, but according to the Weather Channel, it was below freezing outside, so I think the plants will be fine out there. As it is all enclosed now and no wind, Bobcat wanted to be out there for a while, until it was her breakfast time.

These are the five aloe plants that I brought in from the outside aloe trough yesterday, look how well they root out there !

Here are parts of the porch, with the vinyl installed. I can see out, and it is a comfortable temperature in there. It took Ray and me quite a while to get everything put back in order. It didn't go much over 50 deg. but it was comfy out there.

We made Bobcat this little wooden bed, so that she could sit in her usual corner. She is watching the birds at the feeder in the first picture.

We set up the big German Shepherd kennel in the grooming room as I have a mess of boarders coming tonight. At least 8 of Mindi's dogs, and also her neighbor's two, while they all go to Vegas. The neighbor's dogs haven't been around Mindi's dogs, as they are separated by acreage, so I will keep them away from Mindi's, in the kennel cage until I know that they are all going to get along.

Pepper and Snack (cats) will have to stay locked up in their big cages in the middle room for the couple of days that the dogs are here. Snack will be quite content, but Pepper will be very upset, as he loves to run the whole length of the grooming room and middle room, when the dutch doors are open. He runs so fast that the area rug in the Middle room is always in pleats, I think he has his skidding techniques all worked out. He is a little character !

A sunny, busy day.

Getting Ready for a Freeze. URRGH

It is early for us to have to get ready for winter, I hope that this isn't an omen for a hard winter.


MaeMae went to play at her "Mom's" neighbor's house, and as she was going to be outside I put this little coat on her. As she is so tiny it is difficult to find a coat for her, but this one is made out of a baby's sleeper. He let her in her Mom's house, so that she could see that her Mom wasn't there, and maybe she could understand why she was having to stay with me.

It is supposed to freeze tonight, and so Ray and I have been getting ready for it. This morning we wrapped the long trough full of Aloe Vera for winter again. It goes all along my back fence and into another part of the yard behind Ray's. (Top right, first picture.) Some were so tall that we couldn't wrap them up properly, so they were uprooted and brought onto the porch to be potted.
Then we had to do something with the screen porch. Normally I just try to cover the shelves of plants, and bunch the rest on the table and cover them up. But even though I haven't brought any more plants onto the porch, there seemed to be so many more this year. First we stapled some plastic on the inside, and it looked horrid.
The screen porch is in front of my living room, and I knew that plastic would block the view, as well as look tacky. I called Target, and made sure they had several heavy duty, mildew resistant, clear vinyl shower liners in stock, and off I went to the next town while Ray had his lunch. I have used them before on some lattice, they have been up for years and haven't aged a bit, so I wanted to get some more just like them. I really wanted to put up acetate or Plexiglas removable panels, but this winter being a month or so early, caught everyone off their guard.

We moved the shelves, actually baker's racks, off the porch into my living room, and stapled up the vinyl with screen molding, in that corner. Then we had to move the tables, chairs, and BBQ cart, to do the front and the other corner. Fortunately it was in the 60's, and sunny, while we were doing all this. It took quite a while, up and down ladders, and by the time we had it done, it was 6.15 pm, and our knees and backs were telling us to quit. So my living room looks like a green house until tomorrow.

And tomorrow is another day.