On Tuesday, Aug. 14th Bill
got up with the sound of the alarm at 5:30. It didn’t fit into my dream so woke
me too but once I realized what it was, I drifted off again. After his shower,
I woke again and knew he was eating breakfast. Clemson was curled up near me,
on top of the sheet but under the lightweight bedspread. I think I must have
done that after Bill got up.
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| Walking with my buddy today |
The one thing we had to do together
before he left for London was give Clemson his liquid medicine. Short of the
straight-jacket, we managed to get it down but feel like real bullies doing it.
In bed was a good spot because Clem was still in prone position with his eyes
barely open. Bill squirted it into his mouth while I held him still. The vet
said it wouldn’t taste too bad but to see our pooch afterwards, shake his head
back and forth, I beg to differ!
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| But this buddy is goofy |
Bill was out the door by 6:30 and
within minutes, Clemson was patrolling the edge of the bed so I lifted him
downstairs and watched him jump up on the couch. I closed the door and tried to
go back to sleep. I guess I did because it was 7:30 when I got up and slipped
out the door for my walk. Clemson was sound asleep. It was 59F when I left with my windbreaker and at
least 65F when I returned with it wrapped around my waist.
It was going to be another hot, humid
day so I’m glad I left the a/c on. It didn’t come on after 8 pm last night but
by 10:30 it kicked in to keep the Suite to a comfortable 75F. That is 23C for
our Canadian readers on the metric system. There was still some morning dew on
the grass so I came inside after my walk and made my tea. I sat at the laptop
and read to see what our blogger friends are up to.
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| So, this part of the lawn got cut today |
I make no commitments to my friends
that I can and will read every day. I try to but sometimes I just don’t get to
it. I will promise to pop in every few days to catch up though because I do
enjoy your daily writings. Bill contacted me at 8:35 that he had arrived safely.
That must have been a good drive as it only took him 2 hours. Hmmm. When I
finished my tea, I put my shorts on and my hat and cleared the lawn area of chairs,
etc.
Bill had plugged in my lawn mower
battery last night so there should be a good charge on it. Starting at 9, you’d
think you were well ahead of the heat but no, by the time I finished around the
flower garden, bunky and front area, it was 10 and I was done in. The heat was
heavy and my back and hair under my hat was wet with it.
That’s enough for
today. Tomorrow morning, I’ll try and start earlier to finish down the corral
hill at least. I doubt the trimming will get done until Thursday or Friday.
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I was sitting in the shade trying to cool down, admiring the look
of no tall weeds |
I had the pertinent blinds pulled
down to keep the direct sun out but also put both awnings out for a while.
There is a breeze but it is coming from the southwest. I’ll keep an eye on them
in case they start flapping.
My next project was to make tomato soup from my
stock pile of fresh tomatoes. Some are getting soft and we can’t eat them fast
enough. This was my plan anyway, since last year the soup turned out so good.
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| fresh tomatoes |
The soup will stay good in the
freezer for 3 months so I can at least take some of my garden offerings across
the border that way. Same with the carrots. I’m hoping that they turn out so I
can blanch and freeze them. I washed 2 lbs. or so (about 10 or 12) of tomatoes
and quartered them, cutting out the stems and harder core pieces. In oil, I
added some green onions and a couple of small carrots, cut up. Once
cooked, I added the tomatoes and 5 cups of soup stock.
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| onions and carrots tenderizing |
The only thing I goofed at (again!)
was with the 2 bay leaves. It says to break them and add to the pot. I
neglected to count the pieces and when it came time to fish them out, I didn’t
know when I had them all. With my green onions, the green floating pieces weren’t
always bay leaf. Darn! I like jigsaw puzzles, right? So, I pieced what I could
find together. Hmm, still missing some so I’m bound to get some bitter taste
down the road. Now, I’ve made an addendum to the recipe; “count the pieces of
bay leaf”.
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| Hmm, I'm missing some of the puzzle pieces |
I blended the soup after it simmered
for 25 minutes, ooh, it smells good! I have about 8 cups of delicious homemade
tomato soup to put into freezer containers and plenty more tomatoes on the vine
and in the bowl on my counter.
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| Nice and creamy tomato soup |
Maybe spaghetti sauce is another recipe I can
make. I’ll google that too! We don’t eat enough salsa to make that but we do
like lasagna and spaghetti. I needed to make some more feed for the hummers.
They have been thirsty and plentiful this summer so have to keep them happy. It's in the fridge cooling right now.
Clemson is much better today; the
head tilt seems to have diminished to almost non-existent. Even though he isn’t interested in his
food, his treats or cheese today again, I managed to slip the ½ pill into a
teensy piece that did go into his mouth and didn’t come back out. When he is
outside, I let him wander and it is like he’s experiencing a brand-new place.
There is still some circling as if something pulls him to the right but he is
doing really well.
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| Clemson follows me to the Ridge Restroom |
Once I’ve seen him jump up onto the
recliner a few more times, maybe we can open the bedroom door. He loves
sleeping up there on the bed shams and pillows but I won’t try that today. It is challenging me, being with him alone. Before
I slip outside I need to make sure he is comfortable somewhere. When he jumps
on and off the couch and stands at the door,I have to determine if he is just curious about where Bill is or if it is just his
disorientation. He doesn’t always want out to piddle.
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| I like it when he sleeps, I have a bit of freedom |
Today his tummy seems upset so he
wants me to sit with him. Now that I’ve made what I wanted to make and swept
the floors, I’ll give him some of my time while I catch up on my post. Don’t we
all want that special attention when we’re feeling out of sorts? Someone to rub
our tummy, whisper sweet nothings in our ear? 😊 You get the picture and Clemson
wanted it all this afternoon. Before long, we both dozed. That got in the way of
me reading my book.
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| Still a bit confused and walking slowly |
Clemson and I went outside and with
him on his leash, we walked down the lane. The leash is necessary right now
because he tends to want to walk the very edge of the lane. The problem is that
the very edge of the lane is also the edge that drops down to the pond. I
really had no intention of slipping down to get him if he fell in. He walked
pretty good but it is obvious that his tummy is still not settled. Back inside,
we sat in my recliner and he finally laid down and slept again.
I turned Bull and NCIS on at 4:30 and
sat once more with my book. I chatted back and forth with Rob and Pat about
some of our winter plans and with Donna about what they were up to. The good
news today is that our 3 girlfriends from London have confirmed definitely to
coming on Sept. 8 for the clothing exchange AND staying overnight here at the
Ridge. An offer of a lovely fifth wheel will be here on the property for them
to sleep in. That will be a fun weekend!
At 5:15 I wondered if Clemson would
eat anything so removed the hard food in his dish and cut up a Cesar pack. He
seemed interested and yet only ate about 4 small pieces, if that. That was
better than nothing but still not going to sustain him for too long. At 5:30,
it was time to get my own supper. It isn’t exactly a day for soup but since
I’d made it, I was interested in seeing how it tasted. I mixed up a Caesar salad,
toasted a small piece of rye bread and warmed up a bowl.
It was actually very good. Success!
After cleaning up dishes, I poured some of the hummingbird food into the feeder
and tried once more to sit and finish this post. Up and down, in and out, I’m
worn out with the little bum. I had a brain wave and put him on a long rope so
I could leave him out there for as long as he wanted and I could come back
inside. That worked like a charm and I
knew when he was ready to come in. The air outside felt cooler and the breeze was coming in the right direction even though it had calmed down. I pushed the a/c up to 78F and opened the windows until bedtime.
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Clemson asking another question
Will you come sit with me? |
The rest of the evening went quietly,
well, with the same repetitiveness. Bill called around 6 and later, before bed.
He has had a busy day, which is always good. Sure beats standing around. I hope
you’ve had a pleasant day with whatever you got into.
Thank you for taking the time to stop
by. It is always nice to hear from you.
