Doggy Update

Since we invited Maxx into our home, him and Colt have become the best of friends! They sleep together, eat together, whine and cry together, play with each other, and keep one another occupied! It's so great to see that they are able to get along so handsomely. I feel better about leaving them home alone while I am at work because I know that they can play fight or wrestle over the rope when they get bored! Here are some photos of them since Maxx has joined the family!

They both literally tear apart my bed to make it comfortable for them...

They always wanna cuddle and kiss you when you're trying to relax...

Lazin' around on the couch...

Spooning on the bed...

Cuddling with Mikey...

Eating outside while trying to keep the kitten away from their food!

Double Trouble!

Yesterday had a weird turn of events for more than one reason - the coolest tho, was that we acquired a new doggy!! It's kind of a weird story!

I was outside with Mikey, and I had attached Colt to his chain which is attached to a tree in our front yard. All of a sudden, the winds picked up, and Mikey and I turned our attention to a tarped garage that we had put up the previous day that looked like it was about to blow over...

All of a sudden, Colt started to freak out, and broke through his chain and ran across the highway and over to the neighbors fence where another dog was hanging out - it was another black lab! Mikey and I ran over to get the dog from across the street, all while our tarped garage picks up and blows over into the driveway! Mikey brings Colt back into the yard, and the other lab followed along! So we put the stray dog in the garage while we tackled the garage that was laying upside down in our driveway, and figuring out how to attach Colt back onto his chain.

The stray dog had a collar with a tag so we tried calling the numbers on it, but we weren't getting anywhere with that... all of a sudden an elderly man drove up and asked if we had seen his black dog! He expressed how the dog had constantly been running away when he would let him go out for a pee, and that he was going to take him to the animal shelter because he couldn't handle it anymore. I expressed that I would like to keep the dog, and the man said I could keep him if I really wanted...

I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to have another dog in the house for Colt - recently he has been extremely clingy, whiny, and just seems to be bummed out! The man said that the dog's name is Max, but to make him cooler, we'll call him Maxx... LOL! He is just a bit taller than Colt, but soooo skinny!! His coat isn't shiny and he has bad dandruff! This doggy needs some TLC!

Last night we bought a new harness and leash for him, even at its smallest fit setting it hangs off of him! He'll fill out eventually! We figure he must still be quite young because he is SO energetic and hyper - non stop! I thought it was going to take forever for this dog to fall asleep last night! Other then one accident in the kitchen, he has been very well behaved, knows his name, knows to sit, lay down, and most importantly... knows what "NO!!!" means!

It brings a smile to my face to see how happy Colt is, and how quickly this dog has adapted to our home!

Colt is on the Left, Maxx is on the Right:

I can't believe it's almost August!

This last month has gone by so incredibly fast! It seems that almost everyday I can go out into the garden and find something new that has bloomed, even my house plants are doing their growth spurt right now! Its such an amazing feeling to see the life around me grow and change, even the kitten I got is getting huge! ... I guess I forgot to tell you, I've been so caught up in the garden!

Mikey and I got a kitten from a friend. We named her Frankie! She's only 2-3 months old! We think she is a Himalayan or Rag doll. Shes very active, and likes to hang out with the dog. In the mornings she likes to cuddle up around your neck. Then when my other cat is around, she wants to play, but my cat isn't very appreciative of the new kitten, so she normally hides or goes outside.

There have been a lot of amazing things blooming in the garden this month, here is a taste:

These are just a few, there are a lot more on the Rustic Gardens Facebook Page!

I also picked a few veggies to see how far along they had come... so far I have baby carrots, baby beets, medium rutabagas, and large radishes! Sounds like a yummy salad to me! OH and Raspberries!

AND.... I have a little tomato that is finally starting to grow! Its a "Lemon Boy". It will be a yellow slicing tomato!

This weekend we have a wedding to go to, and we have family to visit. Then, July will be gone forever, until next year!

My crazy neighbor...

Back in April, I wrote a blog about how I met one of my new neighbors, and how they threatened to shoot my dog. Now that I have lived and worked in town for a while, I have heard other things about this man to solidify my original suspicions that this man is crazy. Here is my own personal example:

After the incident with the dog, I called the Police the next day and advised them about what had happened. I told the Officer everything that happened, and it was all the truth. She said that I had 2 options at that point. That I could charge the man with uttering threats, or I could allow her to give him a call, and find out his side of the story. Because we were so new to town, I didn't want to stir things up too much, and allowed the Officer to give him a call, and find out what he has to say. When she called me back, I was a bit surprised to hear that he stated that he was terrified of dogs. I mean, if its true, then fine. But it didn't seem right to me. The officer also told me that she advised him that he cant make threats or else he could be charged, and reminded him that if he sees an animal in his yard, to call animal control.

Now, it has been a while since this has happened, and I haven't seen him for a couple months. Just recently however, I have seen him out and about, tending to his yard work, and whatnot - but only because I walk to work, and have to walk past his house - although I do cross the street. Normally I see him with his leaf blower, blowing the dirt and gravel off of the road in front of his house... Why? Who knows! (He's crazy, remember?)

Today I work a closing shift at work so I dont leave until the afternoon for work, and during the day, I like to tie the dog up outside so he can have some fresh air, and chew on his bone. Around 10:30 this morning, the dog started barking like crazy, and normally, when someone pulls into the driveway, the dog barks like crazy... So I went to go see who was here - but no one was. I walked outside, and all I could hear was a weed eater... The crazy neighbor was whacking my weeds!

Mikey just finished cutting the lawn the other day, and here is the crazy neighbor cutting the strip of grass between the lawn and the curb... The dog is going crazy!! Then I hear the weed eater die off, and the crazy neighbor is actually barking back at my dog! (yeah, I'm so sure he's terrified, or else he wouldn't have come near my lawn knowing that we have a dog, and he definitely wouldn't be mocking or teasing it) He cant see me of course, because the front porch is secluded by the large tree out front, but I can see him. (I should have taken a picture... shoot!)

I really wanted to walk over to him and tell him to get the Eff off of my property, but with a weed eater in hand - I'de rather keep my distance. he finally walked back, but came back once again with a lawn mower, to mow out the same edge. I don't know what he is trying to accomplish, but coming from him - I don't appreciate it. I don't know if I should call the police again, and ask the officer to give him a call and let him know that he shouldn't be on my property, or what.

What would you do?

Poor Rocksteady...

What a day this turned out to be! I'd say at about 1pm, I came into the house from the garage sale - probably to go to the bathroom or something - and walked over to Rocksteady (the cat) who was laying on her perch in the living room! I went to go pet her, and she kinda rolled onto her side - like she normally does - to get a good behind the ear scratch... but then her front paw came up over her head, sticking straight out, stiff as a board!

I got a bit concerned, and didn't know what was going on! I helped her up from her side, and sat her up a bit. Then both front paws came out from under her, sticking straight out - in the air - and stiff! She was looking at me, and didn't seem to know what was going on either. it kind of sounded like she was purring, and lightly sneezing or something, but not like any purr I've ever heard from her before, and she was also vibrating or shaking....

I freaked out and ran outside to get Mikey. By the time he had come in, she seemed ok, repositioned herself, and went back to sleep. I said "I think Rocksteady just had a seizure!" and explained what I had saw. I was so distraught about what had just happened that I started to cry, so Mikey started looking up Veterinarian's in the phone book. He called around until he found one that was open in Stony Plain, (or was it Spruce Grove..) that had an opening for 2:15pm.

We don't have Rocksteady's cat carrier anymore because we've never needed to bring her anywhere, so instead I put Rocksteady's bed in a laundry basket. When I picked her up off of her perch, she was as limp as a noodle, didn't struggle or even "hold on" to me like she normally does. I put her in the truck, and Mikey drove off to the vet. I stayed behind to run the garage sale and watch the dog. Mikey said that while he was driving, halfway through the ride it seemed as if something clicked, and she realized where she was. She started getting all mobile, trying to jump out of the basket, and was crying...

I thought about it for a bit after they left, and tried hard not to cry in front of the garage sale customers. (reminds me of that scene from "Night at the Roxbury" when all the customers at the silk plant store are depressed...) I remember on Monday or Tuesday, Rocksteady had barfed at least 4 times, mostly downstairs, and then once upstairs. All throughout the week she had looked pretty haggard, she ate hardly anything, she wasn't cleaning herself, she walked around all slowly, and just kinda hid all day! So maybe she had previously had one of these Seizure episodes during the week, that I had not known about?

Because of all these behaviors over the last week, I just figured she had a "cold"... Maybe it was more than that! I called up a girlfriend that works in the medical field, and described the symptoms and what had happened to make me think she had a seizure. She agreed that it seemed pretty possible, and listed a few things that could cause it - such as clotting or bleeding in the brain (Scary!). Mikey called me back shortly after, and let me know that the Vet said the worst possible cause could be rabies... RABIES!? like... foaming at the mouth rabid crazy dog rabies? Yeah... Rabies.

Of course that is the worst case scenario, there are a multitude of others that could be a factor, yet they all still sound like they will have a bad/sad conclusion. Mikey told me that the Vet took a blood sample, and that Rocksteady will have to be watched all week, is not allowed outside for the next 2 weeks (pet quarantine), and that we'll have to get a peepee sample... that will prove to be interesting!

Once Mikey was back home, I brought Rocksteady in from the truck, and put her basket down on the floor. She hopped out, but didn't exactly land right and kinda fell. I noticed the front of her neck was shaved from the blood sample that was taken. She wandered into the kitchen kinda aimlessly,and once there, she flopped on the floor and laid flat out on her side. Then, she got up, walked into the hallway, and flopped down on the ground again. I went to go pet her, but she seemed "out of it" and didn't really have any response. Then she got up again and crawled under the bed in the guest room, which is her usual hiding spot.

Again, I got so upset! She seemed so different, so... unusually "blank". I just sat there and cried. My cat, full of personality, could chat up a storm, and was always so cuddly, didn't want to have anything to do with it. I eventually got myself back together, and went back outside to help Mikey with the garage sale, as well as re-pot my tomato plants into my coir pots. It helped take my mind off of it, and Mikey and I ended up making quite a few good sales so far. I also got some crocheting in between customers - I'm working on an over sized beach bag/tote, I'll put up pics when I'm done.

I came inside to bring in some stuff, and start dinner, and decided to go check on the cat. Rocksteady was sleeping downstairs on the bed in the man den. I went in to pet her, and she seemed very well. She was very responsive, meowed, cuddled, and purred. *sigh* What a relief! For now she seems ok! I kept an eye on her when she got up and left, and followed her over to her food. Seemed like her balance is off a bit. She ate a bit of food and drank some water, also very relieving. Then she tried to run up the stairs,but slipped a few times, so I helped her. Now she's just sleeping, and hopefully she stays well until we get the blood and pee results back.

Lets hope for the best!

I love you Rocksteady!

Spring Cleaning

A little chickadee poking his head out of a hole from the tree in our front yard:


Mikey and I have been on the ball this week about getting our yard into shape for spring, and making some lifestyle changes to be more Eco-friendly. After that nasty windstorm that sent a huge branch into the greenhouse, our yard was covered in branches and leaves and twigs that would have to be picked up before we decided to mow it. I spent one whole day raking up as much as I could (our yard is huge!) and also pruned a few trees.

Some branches on a few trees were so low that they were touching the ground, so I pruned a few pieces off here and there, trying to allow the branch to sit more upright again. Some trees needed more help, I took whole branches off - if they were dead or just too low in general. I like the idea of having some room to maneuver around the base of the tree, and hopefully it will allow the rest of the tree to fill in a bit better.

Mikey and Colt helping out with the yard work:


It was so nice out yesterday, I actually sat out in the sun, and it felt as if I was going to get a tan! I definitely made use of the new patio furniture we got (the whole set was only $200 from Wal-Mart!) which fits perfectly on our front deck! Its a smaller round glass table, with 4 chairs and an umbrella! I was so excited to find this set, because everywhere else I was looking had larger sets, for $700-$1000, and we dont have enough room for a whole dining set on our small deck. Here are some photos: (the green is a lot nicer looking in person!)



Another addition to the house to make out summer a bit more Green, is a clothes line! We purchased a kit for about $40 from Canadian Tire, and hung it up in about a half an hour. Now I just have to master the art of clotheslining! Honestly! You have to hang everything a certain way to make sure it all fits, and that you dont use up all of your clothes pins. You have to time all your loads right so that you dont have wet clothes waiting in the washing machine, and then you have to throw some items into the dryer after they are already dry on airfluff with a wet cloth to remove pet hair, etc... But all the work its worth it, especially when we get out electric bill this summer.

Here is the cat (Rocksteady) walking under the new clothesline:


All thats left now is organizing the garage to have a Garage Sale this weekend! Yay!

Meeting the neighbors!

Yesterday, after Mikey came home from the fire, I will admit that I left the front door open, and Colt (the dog) ran out. Other times when Colt has made a dash for it, we usually find him down the alley hanging out by a fence, visiting with our friends dog Bowzer. Mikey needed to have a shower, and Colt wasn't in the yard, so I decided to walk down the alley to see if he was in his usual spot.

Not our immediate neighbor, but the second one over, was in his driveway watching me walk by, calling for Colt. I continued down the alley until I got to our friends yard, Colt wasn't around. There is another dog down the way, and I could hear him barking, so I thought he may be further down. But just for good measure, I looked back to see if Colt was running back to the house already. The neighbor man was standing in the middle of the alley way, looking at me, so I thought maybe he was waiting to tell me that he has or saw my dog.

I decided to walk back and see what he had to say - if anything. I walked up and he said "Looking for your dog?" I nodded, and he said "My name is Jack, and I live in this house right here." He pointed to his house, and I said "Oh yeah?" and he turned and looked at me, and said "...and if your dog is ever on my property again, I'll shoot him."

I was a bit thrown off guard, but did a quick observation... he was a bit swaggery... and had a beer in his right hand! OK, its Tuesday, noon-o' clock, and he has a beer - so hes probably a drunk. Anyways, I looked right at him, and without even flinching and I said "Why would you do that?"

He continued on saying my dog of attacked him twice in his own yard. I was blown away by these accusations! Colt is a 2 year old Lab, and only wants to be everyone's friends! If you have hands, that means you can scratch his belly, therefore, he's you're best friend. The only time I have ever seen him snap at someone, was when our friends 2 year old daughter yanked on his tail. But he simply warned her, and moved on. So... unless this guy was provoking him or trying to grab him... but I never saw anything, heard anything, there were no marks on this guy, and he was probably drunk.

Anyways, he told me to come into his yard to look at something. (Creep alert!) I asked him what it was, and he replied "Just come here and look!" in the kind of tone as if I were his disobedient kid or something. I said "Why, do you have my dog or something?" and he said no, and pointed towards my house and said "He ran off over that way." I turned and looked over at him and said "Well thank you, for being such a nice a friendly neighbor" and walked home.

When I got in the door, Mikey was out of his shower, and I was getting very upset, I asked Mikey if he saw Colt. He said, yes, that he ran in all scared and then hid a few minutes ago.... I couldn't hold it back, and just burst into tears. I told Mikey that some guy named Jack just threatened to kill Colt. I sat down on the front porch, and told Mikey where I was and what happened. Mikey decided to go over there and talk to him. I went inside and yelled at Colt, he just curled up under the coffee table, and stayed there all night. He didn't even eat his food (weird).

When Mikey got back, I was still distraught. Mikey told me that he accused Colt of shitting all over his lawn, said that when we are gone during the day, everyone complains that he barks day and night, and of course told him about how he "attacked" him. There were a few other crazy accusations/stories. Mikey said to him "We'll, that's funny. Because our dog in an indoor dog, doesn't run free, my girlfriend is always home during the day, and if he is outside, he's always tied up. Not to mention, if we leave, he normally comes with us. Oh, and my dog would never "attack" someone."

Seriously - what a jerk. I was so upset for at least an hour, and we were supposed to go into Edmonton, but we never made it. Instead, we just got to Drayton Valley, and bought some new patio furniture, but I'll talk about that another day! So all in all, I hope to NEVER have to deal with this guy again. If there was a strange dog in my yard (and there has been) I've just yelled at it and it has either run away, or just kept moving on. Colt also has his name and our phone number on his tag. There is no reason (not to mention its illegal to shoot a gun in town) to shoot my dog.


My innocent Colt-eee (awe)