Thursday, August 22, 2024

the last one, puppies, and a bare hint that summer will end


Bearing down on the end of August and the end of summer as if the end of August is the end of summer here. Alas, not. But next week, the last week of August is also the last week of the summer of medical issues. Hopefully. For a while anyway. The Watchman procedure, the one that will close off the little pouch on the side of the left atria that will get me off the blood thinner, is scheduled for next Thursday. Then one more week of resting and recovering and I will finally be able to be over it all! 


One of my neighbors had acquired two big dogs via family members, a german shepherd and another of indiscriminate heritage but equally as big, and they had four puppies. They are not restrained by a fence or other means and the adult dogs kept mostly to their yard. The puppies however, playful and joyful, would roam and mom or dad or both would follow to keep an eye on them. They often found their way to my yard because I’m not that far and Minnie would go berserk barking trying to chase off them off. The more she barked and ran at them the more they were convinced she wanted to play. Apparently, two of the puppies have found new homes and the remaining two are old enough now that mom or dad don’t follow. And these two puppies are huge. They are going to be very big dogs. 


This summer has been hot and dry lately and they discovered my small kidney shaped pond several weeks ago that was filled with water plants. Was, past tense. The pond is just the right size for one puppy to get in and get soaked, then the other gets in. 


They show up every day, get wet and go romping around the yard while Minnie goes engages in outraged barking. If I let her out she tries to run them off. She’ll chase them off a short way and then they will chase her back. They’re monsters as far as she’s concerned but they’re just big golumping puppies, not even a year old yet. Yesterday when Minnie retreated to the front of the garage where I was standing one of them came up to her, kind of bowed down and whined at her. Minnie was having none of it. I keep telling her they just want to play.


Yesterday evening I tried to get some pictures of them just outside the gate into the little backyard but they were like perpetual motion machines. So this is what I got.


Back to the end of August and the promised end of summer. While we will still have hot weather for the month of September, the crepe myrtles and the tallow trees are starting to drop their old tired foliage. This is usual and a sign of the coming change of season though it will be months before those trees lose all their foliage.






19 comments:

  1. Doesn't seem like you're making a big deal out of those pups but it's not good country etiquette to let dogs roam. Of course I always think of people keeping chickens and how a dog can kill half a dozen in less than three minutes.
    I'm sure that Minnie is losing her mind, poor thing, trying to protect you from puppies.
    It's cooler here today but all I could manage outside was about forty-five minutes. I literally got dizzy. I don't get dizzy.

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    1. I haven't seen the puppies for the last three days but something stole four empty dog food cans and one of my sandals out of the garage Tuesday night before I closed it up, found them scattered around the yard Wednesday morning, two of the cans had been punctured by teeth but not crushed. weird. Ordinarily I don't like it when people's dogs or strays wander in the yard but it's hard to get mad at the puppies because they are so goofy.

      and today it's definitely a little cooler out there or rather definitely not as hot.

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  2. Finally, you are getting to the end of your medical procedures! It has taken WAY too long and I am sure you will be so glad to be DONE! Hope the rest of the year is calm, relaxing, fun and has no worries for you, Ellen!

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  3. It will be such a great relief to have it over and done soon. You had your share of heavy medical events. Good news and good times waiting for you.
    There's usually moment in late August when I remember briefly and fondly that I have woollen garments and how cosy it is to wear them but so far, that moment hasn't happened yet.

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    1. I am really ready to be done with all this medical stuff.This last one is really elective, I could stay on the blood thinner, but considering they way my sister died, stroke and bleeding in the brain, I'll be glad to be off it.

      finally getting a break from the intense heat, highs in the low 90s for the next two weeks but we really need some rain.

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  4. I'm looking forward to your medical stuff being over. Done. Bye-bye. You'll have a good fall.

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    1. me too! people keep asking me how I feel and I feel normal, like I felt before all this stuff happened. highs in the low 90s for the foreseeable future which may not sound like relief but it really is.

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  5. Here in Galveston I spotted a red berry on one of the asparagus ferns, a sure sign that the heat will end sometime. Sometime. Margaret.

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    1. only supposed to get up to 91 today. when I went out this morning it was maybe 79 and it almost felt cool.

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  6. We have had an unusual week of cooler weather, which will be over next week for sure. Glad to hear medical stuff is winding down. Oh my, puppy energy is something that should be bottled and offered to old folks like me!

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    1. those puppies are just do goofy it's hard to be upset that they are roaming around though I haven't seen them for the last three days. and it's cooling off here a bit, highs in the low 90s for the foreseeable future.

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  7. People should not let their dogs roam like that. Sorry you lost your water garden.

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    1. this particular neighbor is usually pretty good about keeping his dogs close but his yard is unfenced. and now that school has started he's not there during the day. I'm not upset about the little pond. it wasn't really a water garden so much as it just got overtaken and I planned to take it out anyway but the plants were so dense and heavy I hadn't attempted it yet so the puppies kind of did me a favor. I think it will be easier now.

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  8. I am sure you will be very glad to see all these health issues behind you. The pups are cute, but I wouldn’t want them invading my garden at will. Is there not an ordinance requiring people to contain their pets?


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    1. I am ready to be on the other side of all this especially since I'm feeling normal, how I felt before all this happened.

      I live out in the county and I'm not sure what the ordinance is. people dump dogs out here and sometimes dogs get loose but it's unusual to have incursions every day. the puppies aren't damaging any part of the yard or my flower beds, it's just been so hot and they found this little source of water to get wet and cool off. and then of course Minnis goes nuts and they just want to play. if she didn't bark at them they'd go back home. and I don't mind about the little pond as I want to take it out anyway and put something else there.

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  9. Yay - glad your last procedure is in sight! My dad has been scheduled for an ablation in November, so of course I thought of you.

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    1. they said it would take about two months for the scars to harden and the afib to stop altogether and they were right. I haven't had any episodes for the last several weeks but that first week or two after the ablation was a little rough. hope it works well for your father.

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  10. I was just thinking today that I haven't yet seen any Chinese tallow showing color, but I've not been out and about where they live. What I have noticed is that some of the ash trees are dropping seeds, and the cypress balls are ripe and being nipped by the squirrels. I'm so glad that we're nearly to September: closer to the end of all that medical stuff for you, and closer to the end of The Season for all of us. We do have some rain in the forecast for the coming week. It looked from the radar that you might have gotten a bit. Funny that after Beryl, we're so dry that more rain would be welcome.

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I opened my big mouth, now it's your turn.