Thursday, August 31, 2017

Thursday, August 31, 2017

This is one of the days of the year I dread. I so look forward to the summer, to July and August, so I am always sorry when August draws to a close. Some folks think of September as the start of a new year, but for me it is always the end of the only season I like and the beginning of the cold that just gets worse until it finally ends in about 10 months!

I was off today and Nick left around noon to do some errands. I cut the grass which took about 2+1/2 hours and I puttered around doing little things like filling the duck's kiddie pool with water and making a video of them going for a swim and taking a bath. It was a lovely day, sunny and warm. I picked some beans and tomatoes and then I came inside to vacuum and clean the bathrooms, tidy up the kitchen, empty the dishwasher, nothing too strenuous. I tried to read outside with a glass of wine because I wanted my dog Sam to have some time outside today but the bugs drove me mad so I gave up and came inside after about 20 minutes. I had multiple spots bleeding from scratching and I wasn't keen on making scars haha.

My dear dog Sam has really gotten old over the last few weeks. He was 10 in February and his breed's life expectancy is 10 to 12 years. He fell backwards trying to come up the stairs a couple of times about 6 weeks ago so I took him to get his nails cut because the stairway is hardwood and I felt he was 'skidding' on his nails. It did seem to make a bit of a difference but about a week ago he stopped eating his dry kibble and I have started giving him canned food instead. He will eat some of it but then decides he has had enough. The same with treats and biscuits. He is very pleased with the first one but quickly loses interest. Last evening he slid backwards down the stairs as he tried to come up to bed and I got Nick to carry him up. He slept all night in one spot and didn't get up at all when I got up and got dressed. When I went over to the other side of the bed to check on him, he had gotten himself under the bed and of course, couldn't get up or out. I just pulled him by his legs and slid him clear, the floor is hardwood. But he made no attempt to get up. I had to lift him up under his rib cage and coax him out of the bedroom and down the stairs. And then he went and laid down on the tiled floor in the main floor bathroom. There he stayed until about 3pm when again I had to coax him to come outside and go for a pee. He didn't want to go for a walk around, he just turned and headed back for the door. That is when I decided to grab my book and a glass of wine and I tried to get him out into some fresh air.

Nick has come home while I was typing. It was getting late so I brought the horses in and fed them and the calf and finished in the barn for the night. I shoveled the stalls quickly but not thoroughly and I threw some extra hay down for the calf as bedding for the night. It would really be nice if Nick would shovel the stalls before he disappears for the day. He must know by now that he almost never gets back in time to get out and shovel before I bring them in. In fact, the other night as I arrived home from work around 915pm, Nick hustled out to the barn just as I was coming down the walkway. He must have heard my car and realized how late it was. I swear he has absolutely no concept of the passage of time when he sits down at his computer. But doesn't the time show in the corner somewhere?

I put our last horse Zack, for sale online and there have been 4 or 5 people interested in him. Two of them are planning to come out on Monday to see him, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. A couple of others have yet to decide on days or times. I asked Nick when the boarder is moving his horse and he said he is looking for another place now, so I really hope that it so. It would be so not fair to have that poor horse here by herself all winter.