The Other Side of the Hedge

On the other side of the hedge from us, hay is being cut.  I love the sweet smell of fresh cut hay that is filling the air. I wish I could bottle the scent and use it as a home air freshener during the winter months. For me, it's kind of like the summery version of the smell of pine needles in the late fall.

In back of us, the work on the house continues.  It was supposed to be done in April.  But when I last spoke to the owners in early April, they were hoping for the middle of May.  But looking at the progress, or lack of it, my guess is the end of June.

On our side of the hedge, I'll start by thanking everyone for their healing thoughts and remedies on my latest bout with poison ivy, that by the way is really improving.  I really do appreciate your voices of experience in helping me to find the cure, because I think those remedies are always the ones that work the best!!  Many, many thanks to you for sharing them!

Speaking of cures, I have heard back from my vet about Cissy.  Her test results were returned and they showed that the last of her infections has cleared up, and she is now finally finished taking antibiotics!  She is still bothered with an ongoing rash on her stomach, and she chews her feet more than I'd like her too--But we're managing it, and there's no doubt at all that she's feeling better and feels totally at home with us. She certainly looks better.

I think her "inner spark" is fully ignited!  

The other dogs are doing well.  All of us are beating a summer heat-wave by staying inside where it's cool.  

I hope you are doing well, and I hope you enjoy your Friday!!

The Dreaded Leaves of Three!!

Our three day weekend was spent at home catching up on yard work while the dogs watched.

Since Carl is unable to do the trimming around the fence and trees, this meant that I had to do it.  As a result of all the trimming, yesterday I woke up with a bad poison ivy rash. I wasn't all that surprised, because I saw it as I was cutting down the weeds, and I just hoped that changing my clothes, washing afterwards with soapy water, etc., that I'd be okay.

~Annie~

The last couple of years I've gotten to be pretty good at identifying poison ivy.  Even when it's at a distance and mixed in with other plants, I've gotten a little fanatical about avoiding the dreaded "leaves of three" because as some of you will recall, I’m so allergic to it that I can get poison ivy almost from looking at it too closely.

~Cissy~

But I've got a rash on my hands and face. One eye is so puffy my eyelid is drooping and I bear a slight resemblance to Quasimodo. I really, really, hate poison ivy!  Yes there are some people like Carl who are not allergic to poison ivy at all and instead have seasonal allergies to pollen. He'll go through periods where he's all stuffed up and red-eyed.  None of that affects me at all, and I just go about my life.  Carl says that allergies are worse.  I have to disagree with him because right now I'm really feeling pretty darn itchy and his allergies aren't bothering him at all and from the looks of the photo below, nothing is bothering Sheba either!  

About 6575 days or 18 years

~One of my peonies~

This weekend marks about 6575 days or 18 years that we have lived in Virginia.  We left our very comfortable life in Alaska and came here because of Carl's job and because I wanted to at least live in the same time zone as my family did.  We arrived here with very few belongings, one car and one very stressed out 15 year old cat named Lucy and with no idea what the future would hold.

In 18 years we've had six different cars and I've worked in six different dental offices.  I even took a sabbatical from dentistry and a good friend and I worked together at Office Depot.  But "teeth are my life" and after a few months of working in retail, I returned to what I knew.

~Annie~

While we may have gone through cars and I've changed jobs a few times, we've also lived at 3 different addresses and had 3 cats. Our first dog came to us in 1996, a handsome Golden Retriever named Tod. And in June of 1999, we added our second dog named Wendy, who as you know, is our treasure, and is still with us. She was our first 'rescued' dog, and after her came the dogs we fostered for the rescue and placed in new homes.  I don't know exactly how many we have found new forever families for, but I know it's around 50. Carl and I have "officially adopted" 15 Goldens from the Golden Retriever Rescue, and that does not include the 11 Goldens that became "long term fosters" or Sam, Charlie and of course Todd who found their way to us.

A favorite picture from the past, our first Golden, Tod, and our second cat, Drifter

Through the ups and downs, additions and subtractions and changes in the past 18 years, we have had a busy and full life.  With Carl's nearly 2 hour long commute each way we have seriously thought of moving closer to where he works.  But each time something stops us and for now we are going to stay put and enjoy our life in this peaceful place that we call home.  Nowhere else feels right, because our lives and Golden Pines, despite our long commutes is perfect for us.

I hope you have a 'perfect' weekend!

The Flock

We arrive at the middle of the week with severe thunderstorms moving through the area this evening.  The 5 chicks that have been occupying our time left yesterday.  They joined a bigger flock that were hatched in the classroom of an elementary school and we figure they are a little more than a week older than "my chicks."  The children at their new home were excited to meet the new additions.

Taking care of the chicks was a good experience, and I am looking forward to having my own little flock when the time is right. But until that right time comes, I'm content to read about yours, and care for my flock that has 4 legs.

~Sheba, left and Annie~