End of summer sads

I've been working all day every day on getting the last of my courses prepped and loaded for our remote-learning format this semester. I think I'm done, though every time I say that, I remember some small thing in the middle of the night that I need to do. It's going to be an interesting semester. We start Wednesday. I'm much more prepared this semester for the remote learning aspect and had the luxury of being able to work on getting my materials and activities created specifically for remote learning this summer. I worked full time on it over the summer (unpaid), and I think the materials and plans are pretty solid and equivalent to the face-to-face learning experience. The big weak point is that it's hard to replicate the interactions and bonding that occurs in the classroom in an online environment. I will really miss the casual conversations and interactions that happen before and after class and randomly on campus. On the other hand, being home with the animals is a huge benefit, especially now that we have Silas who needs a lot of help and supervision (and diaper changes). 

We've had a rough couple of days with Silas, who has a monstrous case of diarrhea. It's the second day of massive diaper blowouts and having to clean the house, scrub floors, ourselves, our clothing, and he's had lots of baths. I switched him over to white rice only tonight, and we'll stick with that until it starts to clear up. He's acting fine and normal, still has an appetite, lots of energy, etc. We're not sure what triggered this nightmare, but I hope it clears up soon. 

He tipped the only uncovered trash bin (in the laundry room) in our house over  and came marching into the family room with his spoils--the empty bag of cat food that I use for the outdoor cats and raccoons.  He really enjoys shredding paper and cardboard and went to work on it.  He had a blast and was so proud of himself for turning the bag into confetti.  He's pretty cute.  He's also the best ball player in the house.  He "runs" so fast to catch any ball that I thrown and unlike the other dogs, he brings it back and lets go of it, so I can throw it again.

My mom turned 70, so we've gotten together two weekends in a row (outside at a distance). Her actual birthday was last weekend, so she and my dad came over and had chocolate peanut butter smoothies. It was pretty hot! This weekend the weather was perfect for an outdoor gathering, so I made brownie cookies, peanut butter chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, and snickerdoodle balls (all Vegan Richa recipes; I love all of her recipes!), and made ice cream sandwiches with the cookies. The ice cream melted too fast, but they were tasty. I'll definitely make the brownie cookies again--so good. 

 We've been enjoying garden goodies recently. I've roasted three huge batches of tomatoes from the garden. Most are now in the freezer, but I used one batch for a super delicious sauce in
tonight's dinner--a pasta dish that also included lots of eggplant and some red peppers from our garden. Our cantaloupes are not ready yet at all, but my friend, Orinda, had a ton, so Mark and I went out to her garden and got some last Monday. We've been eating delicious melon every night with dinner since then. She has always grown the biggest, juciest, sweetest cantaloupe but can't remember the variety. Last year I saved the seeds from her melons (and am doing so again this year), and planted them in our garden, so I hope we'll have our own delicious cantaloupe every year. 

I've fallen behind on weeding with my push to get everything ready for school in the last few weeks. I got a little done today before the rain hit. The zinnias are gorgeous enough to distract attention away from the weeds. They're such an easy, stunning flower. I'm so grateful for them. While everything else looks sad and past peak, the zinnias just keep bringing the beautiful color and shapes. The sunflowers and some roses are nice too, but there's certainly not as much variety as the glorious zinnias.

So long samosas

I've reached the point in the summer, where I'm starting to get a bit depressed, as I know it's dwindling away quickly. The days are getting noticeably shorter, which means all too soon, it will be cold and ugly again.  I'm trying to keep up with the garden, while prepping for the one course (which may or may not run) that I haven't finished, search for jobs, and keep the animals happy and busy.  It's a bit challenging to stay positive and productive right now.

Silas was able to (finally) get neutered on Thursday.  I'm pretty happy about that for a variety of reasons.  About half the time I got him all diapered, I would notice one or more balls peeking out the side, necessitating a readjustment. I won't miss that step.  The vet techs spoiled him, as he didn't want to go into the kennel after surgery, so they made him a bed and let him stay out and get cuddled and babied by the techs.  They sent me pictures of him looking quite relaxed and happy with all of the attention.  He's recovering very well.  He's on antibiotics and I have to do a little more as far as cleaning the incision area, because he's diapered all the time.  Things are looking good, and I am sure he will continue to heal well.  

As soon as we brought him home and put him on his favorite ottoman, Froggie jumped up, smelled him thoroughly, licked his entire head thoroughly, and lay down next to him.  He stayed there taking care of him for the rest of the day.  He's such an odd dog--it annoys me to no end that every time I leave the room he screams unrelentingly, sounding like a goat being tortured, and he wakes me up earlier than necessary most mornings, because he starts grunting and pacing in anticipation of his breakfast.  He's such a good patriarch to all of the other animals.  He really takes his (self-appointed emperor of the house) role seriously and protects, defends, and nurtures all of the other dogs, especially when they're unwell, and that almost makes up for his many, many obnoxious habits.

The biggest downside is that he can't go for walks/runs in his wheelchair until Monday, because it puts pressure on his incision area.  We'll try it on Monday and gauge his comfort level to make sure there's no discomfort or risk of ripping his stitches out.  He gets pretty worked up in the evening when we normally do walks, so I'm trying to make up for his lost walks with some extra sweet potato chews (which he will do anything for).

Zinnias

We have a hummingbird that has been hanging out working our garden every day, and no matter how many times I see them, I still get giddy each time he appears.  I'm never fast enough to get a picture of him, though.  I choose to take it as a gift from the universe, reminding me that life is beautiful and everything will work out.  I haven't seen him yet today, but I'm still looking.

Campanula & Phlox

Fun foliage

Zinnia

Silas' vet visit

 

He loves his bones!

Silas had another vet appointment today.  We're waiting for the results of his blood work. If his red count is back in the normal range, we'll be scheduling his neuter appointment as soon as they can get him in.  He had a great time at the vet visiting with all of his friends who work there.  Today was the first appointment where he was able to walk around himself.  We brought his wheels, so that he could walk around and smell things while waiting to go in for his appointment. It was such a nice day, that Dr. Mike came out and did his checkup and blood draw outside in the lawn.  He got treats, they brought water out for him, and all of his friends hugged him and made a big deal over him, so he was a happy boy.

We have to take a stool sample back to make sure his bevy of parasites is totally cleared out after his three treatments.

He went down the front entry steps, because he wanted to see what was going on outside.

He has been insistent on going down any steps he encounters. We've tried to tell him no and discourage him going down, but he is a very stubborn boy.  At first, he would just try to follow me down steps, so we were gating or blocking the basement steps and I was making sure he didn't see me go down other steps.  Now he's trying to be an independent explorer and just taking off on his own.  I worry that he'll hurt his legs or re-open some of the newly healed wounds.  We have to find that balance of maximum freedom with maximum safety.  The drag bag does offer some protection for his legs, but I'm going to have to try to order some different things that will offer a bit more protection. I'm starting with some thick terry-cloth wristbands, as I think those will stay on his knees and offer protection.  

We're having a ramp put on the back outside steps so he can get in and out on his own.  I thought it would be done this week but in the perpetual contractor hell we live with, we haven't heard anything since he came and measured.  I'm really frustrated by the long delay on his ramp. He really wants to be able to go off the deck and explore and come back in like the other dogs do. He can get down (which I'm not happy with and try to discourage) but not back up.

He didn't seem to be impressed by my lecture about why he shouldn't do steps on his own. Totally ignored my instructions on waiting for someone to carry him down.

We're almost at the point where he legs won't have to be wrapped and bandaged daily.  Once the scabs all come off, he won't need the mummy wrappings.  That does leave his legs less protected, though.  We have some nice padded booties that will help with his feet and ankles. I've tried them for smaller periods of time, and so far they seem to stay on, but we'll have to see if they work for the long haul.  If we can get enough leg protection, I think him going downstairs will be okay.

I Get Knocked Down, but I Get Up Again...

Campanula & Phlox
I love this color combo together!

Sunday and Monday were a bit intense, and it knocked me down a bit.  My very good friend emailed me Saturday night that she wasn't feeling well at all, and as she lives alone with several special needs' animals, she wanted me to check on her in the morning. I called right away to check on her and found she was very nauseated and vomiting and having chest pain but refused to go to the doctor.  She did end up driving herself to the emergency room later, and let me know at 3:30 AM that she was home and had had a heart attack.  I was too worried about her to sleep that night.  She's okay and will be seeing a cardiologist, but Sunday was rough.  No sleep, a headache, and feeling scared for my friend made for a long day.

Nasturtium flower

Monday started with bad news on the employment front.  Enrollments are down in colleges, so that means they'll be cancelling the some of my lower-enrolled classes.  That completely tanked my day--it was the worst-possible scenario.  I've adjusted to the news and the likelihood that the rest of the year is going to be increasingly tough, but we'll find a way to survive it.  I'm feeling a little better about life today.  Yesterday I was so sour, I skipped my workout, which ultimately just makes me feel even worse.  We worked out today, so now I'm rewarding myself with some delicious dark-chocolate mousse (avocado based). The creamy, decadent chocolate is a good way to end my day's food intake.

Pasha

Pasha

Pasha kitty should be here within the next 20 minutes or so for our hour of cuddle time.  She showed up last summer and stayed in our garage over fall and winter. She was already ear tipped. We keep heat lamps and heated beds in the garage so the animals have a nice shelter.  She lived in our garage and showed up each morning and evening asking for food but wouldn't have anything to do with me until 2-3 months ago.  We slowly worked up to a point where I could touch her while she ate.  I've gone out to sit with her for an hour every evening since she let me touch her, and now I can do anything to her. I can pick her up, pull burrs out of her fur, and she loves to lie on her back while I scratch her belly like a dog.  She's not yet comfortable coming into the house (the nine cats and dogs don't thrill her), and she is afraid of every other human.  It would be nice if she'd let me bring her in at least for the winter, but if she's happier outside and in the garage, I won't force making her an indoor cat.

The two young raccoons who come to eat nightly here often join Pasha and I during our cuddle time.  They've grown so used to me that they've started climbing on me and touching and sniffing me.  While I love that and would like to continue to make friends with them, I've been trying to go in when they come. I don't have the heart to be scary and mean, but I don't want them becoming any more comfortable with me than they already are.  Humans are not safe. It breaks my heart to have to put that wall up, but it's for their own good.  I know how weird people can get when raccoons or other wild animals approach them, and I don't want these precious babies hurt because of me!

Sweet Saturday

I spent the day outside weeding the front garden today.  It's almost done!  It was a great day for yard work.  Mark even came out and joined me for a bit.  My mom was out for a walk and stopped to chat with us as we gardened, and it was a nice (socially distant) visit.

Silas ran on his walk tonight for the first time.  No video, because we were all running together. :)  I'm thrilled with his progress.

I took this shot of the five of our 34 birds tonight when tucking them into bed for the night.  They were really loud and rambunctious today.  I could hear the cockatiels singing loudly the whole time I was gardening in the front (and none of the windows were open).  From L-R, T-B, Rizzy, Ada Lovelace, Dawkins (Rizzy loves Dawkins and follows him everywhere and always sleeps near him, though he mostly ignores here), Anais, and August.

Yesterday I mentioned that I made Mac & Cheese, and I feel like I should share the recipe. It's hands-down the best mac & cheese I've ever eaten.  It's so good.  I make the cheese on it's own and use it for a variety of things.  I could really just eat it with a spoon.  I make the following modifications to the recipe:

• I use red lentil pasta (it's our favorite)
• I make a double recipe of the cheese and use 1.5 times the amount called for in mac & cheese (you can't have too much of this cheese), then freeze the rest, so I have some to add to nachos
• I double the topping called for, and since I usually don't have pepitas on hand, I use all walnuts or mix walnuts and almonds.

Mark too these shots of Bea & Silas out sunning on the deck. The go out several times a day to enjoy the sunshine and warm deck.