Nana-isms

In the James Patterson, Alex Cross series I have been reading, Nana is the matriarch of the Cross family.  She is Cross's 90 year old grandmother that took him in when he was nine.  Alex describes her as an old woman, stubborn, and known for always having the last word.  She generally rules the roost, is lovable but feisty.  Alex fondly refers to her wise thoughts as Nana-isms:









In ending last week's blog post, I was reflecting on how I want to proceed with the rest of my life.  I definitely want to pursue my passion and desire to trail ride much of TN, but I also need to be a lot more engaged with our granddaughter Ava.  I would like her to perceive me as an adventuresome, horseback riding, dancing, fun loving, crazy cat woman, Nana. 



A Facebook post had these 'nana-isms' -
Tips from Grandma:
Don't go where you're not invited.
Don't talk about what you don't know.
Don't open the fridge in other people's house.
Don't call someone after nine o'clock at night.
Don't enter other people's bedroom without permission.
Always, always ~ speak the truth.
Please & Thank You are good words ~ use them often.
Love the soul of people, not their physical ~
     it is what is inside that matters.
Be kind to your fellow humans & all living things.
Give from the little you have, expect nothing in return.
Be conscious of your words ~ they matter!
Wake up, be grateful, and pray daily.

Saturday 8/24 - I was not up as early as usual, since it was so late when I went to bed after the horse show.  As soon as I rolled out of the hay, I started my tea and then headed to the ranch to let the horses out.  The Over-nighters got in late also, so weren't going to leave until later in the morning. 






I put our four on the back pasture so they wouldn't be able to come into contact with the two visiting horses.  Then I hurried back home to have tea and toast while computerizing, and be ready for the 'car detailers.'  The three of them ended up working from 9:00-noon.  But man did they do a good job.  My car looks great!

A fawn sighting while walking the dog.  She makes them very nervous.  I needed to be available to check on the car guys' work when they finished the inside, and again when they were done with the outside.  I wasn't going far anyway, cause I didn't have use of my car.  I had planned to help Karen who was helping me with mucking chores, but we'd had a miscommunication so she ended up doing it on her own. 






After lunch, I was feeling lazy and got sleepy, so went out on the deck to read and nap.  But it didn't last long because I needed to do some things at the ranch.

Just as I was backing out of the drive, Mickey called to see what I was up to.  I invited her to join me, which she did.  She helped with watering flowers while I took care of watering the chickens and letting Blackie out of her confinement.  Then we went down to the barn to mess with the horses.  We ended up taking Amiga on a short little walk down Hathaway and back on my trail through the woods.

Shortly after I got home, Karen invited me over for dinner.  I never say no to a good meal.  The spaghetti and baked chicken were awesome, I brought a salad, which doesn’t really count as cooking, but it was a good compliment to the meal. 

Karen’s kitty (Peanut) was wanting to see what we were having for dinner.  He is so big, he can reach the table standing on the ground.  

I was home by 6pm to feed pets, and then took Maggie on a long walk.





I spent some time on the porch with Stevie, who was so happy for the company and lovin'.  I finished my Alex Cross book while sitting out there on the swing. 

The cats were doing more scratching, and I found some fleas on Monita, but was just too tired to deal with complete combing of everybody and went to bed feeling a tad bit frustrated.

Sunday 8/25 - I was up too early and then soon my frustrations continued, because the internet was down in our neighborhood and I couldn't work on this blog.  Also the cats were scratching away and I knew I needed to do flea control, but I just wanted to sit here, sip my tea, and relax at my computer. 






I decided to flea comb the cats because they were all scratching so much and I couldn't computerize.  I only got two fleas off Styx and Monita, and was wondering if just one flea crawling around on them makes them go nuts like that.  Hopefully if the flea bites, it will die and not reproduce.

Babe has been sleeping and lounging up on the balcony railing lately.  I wonder if it is to get away from the fleas in the carpet and on cloth furniture.

I rode with Karen (in her car) and we spent the bulk of the day at Celtic Rose for the ETS (Equine Trail Sports) obstacle competition.  I wanted to watch and cheer for Betty (who may board at our ranch) as she competed with her horse Dorado, seen in this photo.

I was kind of 'horse shopping' so spoke with this lady about her Rocky Mountain (seen on the left) and got the breeders name from up in Michigan. 

The pony on the right did a nice job in the in hand competition. 





This horse caught my eye.  He is a three year old smoky-black dun Morgan.  So pretty. 

This plank is only 18" wide. 

 



Betty riding Dorado around the scary, evil looking girls with a horse doing the tire obstacle in the background.  


Betty's friend Joann took this photo of me trying to look scary.




Betty displaying the ribbon she won.  Way to go.  This was her (and Dorado's) first time to compete in an ETS event. 



Karen and I hit a subway type place on our way home, for an early dinner.  This was my third afternoon/evening in a row to 'eat out'.  I like this Nana-ism about eating healthy:  'There is a fine line between eating smart to live longer, and boring oneself to death.'  I agree, we need to splurge a little every now and then. 

Because I was going to be late, Patty had picked up Maggie (who had been home alone since 10:00) and took her to the ranch with her.  In this photo, she was dropping her off after having done chores out there.  I was watering plants out front at the time. 
In addition to the usual Sunday chores, I flea combed all the cats and vacuumed the main house.

Monday 8/26 - I ran out to the ranch to turn out our horses and muck.  If I only filled the wheelbarrow ⅓ full it was under 20 pounds and safe for me to push to the manure pile. 

Once home, back here at my computer horse shopping, I happened to see this 9yr old Rocky Mt gelding.  He wasn't for sale yet, but was going to be put on the auction ad in September.  I texted the owner to express my interest and was hoping to go try him out. 

I did more watering of plants, this time the ones in the backyard.  It was still cool enough to lay in the sun on the back deck and read.  It was taking me longer to 'get into' my next Alex Cross book than usual. 

I went to the ranch with Karen to check on Black Betty (video), water some more, and then Karen helped me with hoof care on Zorro and Amiga.
We had skipped Mirror Lake Blast because it was a band we don't really care for.  I did take Maggie for a long walk, going down Peavine past the Grove and heard a few songs.  Yep, they weren't great. 

Tuesday 8/27 - Today was the four week mark since surgery.  I feel fantastic and am ready to start lifting weights, ride my horse, and do heavy duty chores; but need to wait two more weeks.  It is also why I have taken the rest of the summer off from working at the pool, which I kind of feel bad about.

Monita and Styx lounging in the sun after a flea combing and before the day got hot.

Joe arrived home from Iowa mid morning and turned on the air because the day was heating up fast.
 

I ended up not doing much of anything other than some more watering outside.  It's kind of a loosing battle. 

I did spend over three hours at Dorchester pool, exercising (swimming and walking) in the water for almost an hour.  My legs were shaky when I got out. Scheesh.  I also read and sunned for awhile, making a little more headway into my book, but was still not into the 'thick' of it.
 

Wednesday 8/28 - Betty sent this photo of us (including Jan), taken August 2015.  We had a lot of happy trails together, and hope we can have many more. 

I spent the morning horse shopping, which involved lots of internet searches, some texting, and some phone calls.

The wash rack water spigot has been leaking underground so a plumber came to fix it this morning.  He ended up having to replace the whole pipe and spigot because it was rusted out under ground.  (cost - $500.00 = all part of ranch up-keep)  Who knows how old it was.  Hopefully this new one will last for many, many years. 

I made it out to the ranch by 1:30 to check out the plumber's work and take the above photo. 

Patty had sent an early morning photo of Wanda with a medium size bunny she had killed.  She was back at it, finishing it off (eating a 'drum stick') when I got there. 

All that remained of this bunny was two feet and a tail. 😦



I watered all the young trees up in and around the ranch house yard well.  I had a nice (long) conversation on the phone with sister Carol while walking around, pulling the hose with me.

Joe's poker game was cancelled because of a broken air conditioner, so we watched a movie (The Age of Adeline) which was captivating. 
 

Thursday 8/29 - I got caught up on blogging but put horse shopping on hold.  Rose showed up after a week of absence, disappearing after I had sprayed her with flea spray.  She was a bit dirty, but I think rolling in dust helps them with flea removal.

I went to the ranch at 10am.  Joe came out to help me with horse feed bags (that are over my weight limit).  Then I went straight to Dorchester pool to enjoy this 90+ degree day there.





I exercised my arms and then took a break when Micki came.  We had a late lunch (chicken, bacon, ranch flat bread that I've been craving) and then did a leg workout walking in the pool.  We stayed until 4pm.

Babe and Styx playing while I sat at the dinner table enjoying a salad.  Poker Joe was gone and I had the lights out shortly after 8pm.

Friday 8/30 - It seems like I post a lot of the very same photos (cats, deer, and horses), which pretty much they are.  It’s just that the date on them changes because I take them on different days. But for the most part, the things I see and experience repeat themselves daily.  Like this morning's mom and two fawn at the crushed corn. 

I realized that today was the one year anniversary of when Banner arrived on our ranch.  It was exactly a year ago (8/30/2023) that I took this photo of Banner stepping off the trailer.  And we had a meet and greet (for Brooke and Nick) bonfire party two days later, on September 1st, which we actually did tonight with a prospective new boarder (Betty) and her friend Joann. 

Last evening I vacuumed the upstairs bedroom where I had  slept after surgery, and where I first noticed a bunch of fleas on the bed when Mama Styx was sleeping with me, and scratching quite a bit.  This is the first I’ve been up there since I bombed it.  I wore white socks, which is what they tell you to do if you’re looking for fleas in the carpet.  There were about seven on my socks right away.  I gave the beds and carpet and even under the bed a good vacuuming. 
I went back up to check for fleas in the guest bedroom this morning and got one on my white socks.  I guess that's an improvement.  However, just when I think I’m making progress and feeling pretty good about the situation, I’ll find some more on one of the cats. I don’t know where they’re picking them up at, but it’s driving me crazy.

Everyday (and sometimes 2 or 3 times) I combed the cats to remove fleas from them.  The teeth spaced closely together remove fleas, eggs, and flea dirt from the cat.  This is my 'combing' station.  The tub is a 'bath' of a 50% solution of Isopropyl alcohol.  I drop the comb in it and it kills the fleas in under a minute.  I remove cat hair with dead fleas and put it in the zip-lock plastic bag.  I dry the comb on the towel, which also helps me spot 'run away' fleas before they get down in the carpet.  And continue the process until I see no more fleas.  Mama Styx is the only cat that enjoys this, I have to wrestle Monita and Babe. 

Stevie does not mind the combing at all, unless I get the teeth caught in dried fecal matter, stuck to the back of her legs or tail.  I have found very few fleas on her all the times I’ve combed her, so I’m not too worried about it.  Rose will not even let me near her once she sees the comb. LOL.

Stevie actually gets quite playful when I am using the comb on her.  She has been doing/feeling so much better. 




I think the treatment of revolution (which kills round-worms in addition to fleas) that I gave on the eighth of this month, is what really took Stevie down.  For a few days when she had stopped eating and was throwing up and had explosive diarrhea, I thought I was gonna lose her.  Now she’s putting on weight and making it to the litter box with much firmer poop.  However, she still is not dependable because she has little fecal drips and cling-ons.  She will remain on the screen porch until it gets too cold.  I have a vet appointment Tuesday and hope we can take care of her even better.

I went out to water plants because it has been so dry and hot, that they need frequent watering.  My project supervisor was busy, on chipmunk patrol.








Then she got too hot and tired and couldn't stick with the job.  Nana-ism:  "No day is so bad, it can't be fixed with a nap."

Just to show you how bad our drought is, take a look at our once flourishing pond.  I think it's about six feet lower than usual.  It doesn't help that it is also filling in with debris that runs down from several road ditches, into the creek, and into the pond. 

I picked up sticks as I let the hose run on some of the larger trees.  Before finishing, I had to put the dog inside because it was thundering and she was scared.  No rain was in the forecast, but then we got hit with a shower.  The rain lasted an hour, and gave us almost a ½ inch. 

The way I see it, if you want rain, plan an outdoor party and water all your outside plants.










Since the rain ended my watering early and drove me inside, I started packing up to go to the ranch for our party.  We were having our meet and greet for Betty (seen being her silly self in this photo).  Her friend Joann also came since she will be helping Betty with chores.  We had 17 people total and ended up inside the ranch house the whole time because it was too hot and humid outside.

For The Rest Of My Life

I saw this poem (written by: Kris Garrett) last spring when trying to decide if I should sell Amiga and get a younger, stouter horse that had endurance, stamina and could give me miles of trail riding.  After reading this poem, I decided I was going to retire but keep Amiga, and also buy a new horse.  But then with my cancer diagnosis, I wondered if my riding days were over.  Now, I'm shopping for a new horse.

For The Rest Of My Life.
Yesterday, for the first time, I was too tired to ride
Yesterday, for the first time, I was afraid I would be hurt if I was thrown
Yesterday, for the first time, I heard someone say my barn was too shabby
Yesterday, for the first time, I let someone tell me I was too pudgy to ride
Yesterday, for the first time, I realized I was old
Yesterday, for the first time, I had to face that I could no longer keep up
Yesterday, for the first time, I had to let go of my dreams
Yesterday, for the first time, I knew I was done
Today, for the last time, I felt warm, braided leather in my hands.
Today, for the last time, I ran my stirrups up so they wouldn't bang my friends sides
Today, for the last time, I released the buckles on the girth and watched my friend sigh
Today, for the last time, I slowly dropped the bit so it wouldn't hit his teeth
Today, for the last time, I buried my head in his soft, warm neck
Today, for the last time, I inhaled the sun and the dust in his long winter coat
Today, for the last time, I walked hay and horse hair into my house
Today, for the last time, I pulled off my boots and felt the sting of warm blood returning to my toes
Today, for the first time, I cried after my ride
Today, for the first time, I waited for the new owner's trailer to arrive
Today, for the first time, I set my boots in a box to go to the charity shop
Today, for the first time, I sighed at the wear on my riding gloves
Today, for the first time, I had no hay in my hair
Today, for the first time, I did not hear nickering when I opened my back door
Today, for the first time, I felt worse leaving the barn than I did when I entered
Today, for the first time, I had no one to check on before going to bed
Tomorrow, for the first time, I won't have to buy hay
Tomorrow, for the first time, I can stay in bed longer
Tomorrow, for the first time, I won't see the poo pile grow
Tomorrow, for the first time, I won't be able to fly on four legs
Tomorrow, for the first time, I will regret letting him go
Tomorrow, for the first time, I will be angry at God
Tomorrow, for the first time, I will be angry at myself
Tomorrow, for the first time, I will be glad to die
Day after tomorrow, for the first time, I will awaken in tears
Day after tomorrow, for the first time, I will know I was wrong
Day after tomorrow, for the first time, I will defy all the judgement
Day after tomorrow, for the first time, I will ignore my old bones
Day after tomorrow, for the first time, I will return the buyer's check
Day after tomorrow, for the first time, I will bring my friend home
Day after tomorrow, for the first time, I will take my boots out of the box
Day after tomorrow, for the first time, I will be reborn
For the rest of my life, I will have a horse in my yard
For the rest of my life, I will ignore the naive judging
For the rest of my life, I will watch the poo pile grow
For the rest of my life, I will have hay in my hair
For the rest of my life, I will track mud in my house
For the rest of my life, I will bury my face in his soft neck
For the rest of my life, I will let my soul fly
For the rest of my life, I will never be alone

Having a life threatening illness or accident (or if a family member or friend has a 'brush with death') we often are prompted to re-evaluate our life and make decisions on how we want to change our life, or live out the rest of our life.  I have always felt that God wants us to be productive as long as able, even after retirement.  And I also know He wants us to be good and faithful servants.  Because I fail in this area, I didn't feel God had a reason to heal me.  But I have come to realize we don't need to earn his grace and love.  It is unconditional.  But I do seek to know God's plan for the rest of my life and wonder if I can meet His expectations.  So what is the purpose of the elderly?
In Crosswalk.com - As long as we have breath, God has a purpose and plan for our life.  He’s not finished with us yet. That truth is an inspiration and encouragement for every senior to make the rest of their life the best of their life!
I would like to be a more Godly woman.

Other ideas I read - We are called to share our wisdom and knowledge.  Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding? Job 12:12  We are to remain close to God. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. 2 Corinthians 4:16  In all things pray.  Even when old, sick, and tired; we can always pray for everyone God puts on our hearts, especially for the younger generation. 

God wants us to enjoy life.  We still need to remember to laugh, smile, and have fun.  We gotta have something to look forward to, and keep moving!  We should keep physically, socially, and spiritually active.  He wants us involved in areas where He leads us to make a positive difference.  Being around others provides an opportunity to encourage each other.  Hebrews 10:24 - And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.  I am praying about and struggling with my deep desire to get another horse, and how this can/could fit into God's plan for my life. 

Saturday 8/17 - Now that I have stopped taking Tylenol PM, I have had more difficulties falling back to sleep when I wake up in the middle of the night and have gotten four or more hours of slumber.  Last night I was awake from 1-5am and then slept some more till 7am. 

The second time I got up, I still did not feel well rested.  Ughh!  I whittled away the morning and part of the afternoon here at my computer; gaming, horse shopping, and doing some ranch business. 

Finally I got out to the ranch to give Amiga a Previcox, which she spit out and then was really stubborn about letting me get it back in her mouth. 




I decided we could both use some exercise and re-bonding time, so I took her on a short ½ mile walk down Hathaway and then back on our trail.  I had wanted to see how much maintenance work the trail needed.  It was a tad overgrown and there were several downed sticks and larger branches on it.  I spent 90 minutes clearing it, not even making it half way down the trail.  My stamina is not what it used to be.
 

Poker Joe was gone so I had a big salad for dinner. 

I might have overdone the amount of work and roughage, because I started feeling a little crampy (both abdominal muscles and my intestines).  So, I kept my after dinner walk short, only going around the church block. 




Coming down the home stretch, Rose came out from the church yard to meet us.  You can see deer in Brian's yard that were watching us.  Then one doe (see yellow arrow) came across the road to where Rose had been in the church lot.  I was too slow to get all of it on (video).






Rose came right over to greet Maggie and escort us home, where she would then get dinner.

They stopped to watch the small deer herd head behind Brian's, to the golf course.

Joe and I finished off all the recordings left of the Olympics.  Some of the exciting track and field US wins I'd already seen on Facebook.

 

Sunday 8/18 - While here at my computer, I saw this hawk swoop in from the pond and land on our deck railing.  These first two photos were taken looking past the cat tower by my desk. 

I moved closer to get a better photo from the living room, and the hawk took off just after I snapped this third photo. 




Shirley and I met at church.  It was a beautiful, cool morning; almost too cold for the shirt I was wearing.

When I got home, I headed out on the deck for an early lunch and to warm up.  Rose was out there and Maggie joined the two of us. 

It was a bit overcast, and barely warm enough in shorts and tank top. 

We all had a little nap. 









When the sun did come out, these two had to move to the shade and I was almost too hot.  I had been planning to go to the ranch, but then just lost all motivation and desire.  Besides, I was really enjoying the book I was reading.

Rose looks so content, it's almost as if she is smiling.

I did flea control, combing all four cats and actually even did Rose and the dog.  After an early dinner, I took Maggie on a long, just over three mile walk.  

Poker Joe was gone, and I was extra tired, so went to bed early.  But my book was so good, I stayed up past my usual bedtime reading until I finished it.

Monday 8/19 - My bug bites had really bothered me over night.  In fact I was up from 2 to 4am feeling so itchy.  These new bites actually appeared yesterday.  I have never seen a flea on me, and am wondering if I got all these in the woods Saturday and they might be chiggers.  I'd had tight shorts on, and no bug spray.

I had an early morning doctors appointment with my regular physician for my annual blood work/check up so had to keep moving when waking back up at 6:30.

I really thought my sugar level was going to be bad after having such a horrendous diet of mostly carbs, but actually all of my readings were in the normal range except for the iron, which we already knew was a bit of a problem.  But it has gone up since I saw Dr. Davidson a week earlier. 


← one cat

two cats →

I dropped into the wellness center to try to figure out the least expensive way to take a leave of absence.  Joe had froze our account for the month of August, but I was ready to return now.
 

← three cats

As it turns out, freezing our account for the month of August is the best way to go.  If I returned now, they would charge us for the whole month.  So I need to wait until September.  In the meantime, I'll try to start back slowly, working into weights just doing some light ones/easy work stuff here at home. 

The forth cat (Stevie) is by herself out on the porch. 

On the way home from the Wellness Center, I dropped in at the library and turned in the four paperbacks I've read, and I got three more.  I have been reading the James Patterson - Alex Cross series. 




After laying in the sun out on the deck, reading my new book, and taking a much needed nap, I went to the ranch to set up a confinement for Blackie.  She hurt her leg a few days ago.  This way she can eat and drink without having to move around much.  I did some weeding and then chores for Karen, who had gotten tied up at a doctor's office.  I was glad to see that Amiga wasn't too sore after running around with the boys this morning. Patty had sent me this (video).   

Next on the agenda was Mirror Lake Blast.  Joe and I went early to get a takeout dinner from the mall.  We met Shirley, Patty , and Micki there.  Linda came later, after Joe had left. 

Micki and her emotional support chipmunk Lola (photo by Vernon Martin).



After Joe had been up dancing with me, and was going to head back to his seat, Micki gave him her purse, with Lola in it, because it made dancing difficult.  I took this photo later. 

Another photo by Vernon.  This is Shirley under her umbrella.  We had a little pop-up shower, actually it was just some big raindrops, only lasting a few minutes.

The band was pretty good and there was a fair amount of dancing going on.  I felt so much better this week than last week, and was able to jive a little more also. 

I hope I can dance for the rest of my life.



Tonight we got to see a rare Blue Supermoon.  I took this from the Druid Hills parking lot when I was on my way home.

I crawled into bed reading my new book, with Mama Styx down by my feet.  After a few minutes of reading, I noticed a flea, that was very much alive, on top of the sheet up by me.  Shoot!  It's actually the first flea I've seen that was not on one of the cats.

Tuesday 8/20 - It was kind of a do nothing day.  I spent much of the morning here at my computer.  And honestly, I don’t remember what all I did.  Mid-morning I did remove my mesh wound cover (3 weeks post-op).  It had been starting to snag on clothes and itch.  It felt good to have it off and the scar underneath looked nice, well healed.

I went to the pool from 1-3:30 and enjoyed sun, reading, and chatting with friends.  I had planned to swim but the water was too cold for my liking and the air wasn’t that hot.

I picked up Lisa and we met Joe and her husband Nolan at Stonehenge.  We ended up going to Casa Grande because of the long wait for a table at the golf course, and then we couldn’t even get the bartender to wait on us.

Wednesday 8/21 - I woke up itching and feeling miserable.  Babe has been doing so much scratching, she has made sores and bald spots on her neck.  I knew I needed to up my game on this flea problem.

I ended up having a very busy and productive day.  I started a load of laundry and was at the dentist by 8 AM.  No cavities, yay!  I did some much-needed shopping at Walmart getting lots of supplies, including flea bombs for the house.

After stowing away everything I bought and starting a second load of laundry, I did a little catch up here at my computer.  Joe helped me flea spray the cats as I put each out on the back porch with Stevie.  Then I got the 12 bug bombs set up in various spots, and shut all the windows.  Joe left for the ranch, taking the dog.  I quickly went around and set off the bombs.  I had a N95 mask on and moved fast.  I was out of the house in no time.  I spent the next three hours at the Druid pool, reading most of the time.  I was the only one there the whole afternoon. 

 

Per flea bomb instructions, I went back to the house and opened windows, turned on fans, and would return in two hours once it was aired out.

I was off to the ranch.  Banner, as usual, was out in the field all by himself, and our three horses were down in the shed waiting for dinner.  




Maggie was in the ranch house, where Poker Joe had left her.  She then helped me with chores.  I fed her dinner while the horses ate and then (because we had an hour to kill) we went on a walk.  We went the whole trail in the woods along our fence line.  The back half that goes along Jim’s backfield, was very overgrown and there were several branches and a few trees down on it. 

I cleared off sticks and branches as we went.  This one section was really bad (first photo).  The second photo shows it all cleared and Maggie waiting patiently.

This one tree, at 'fern valley' was not movable because it weighed far more than 20 pounds.  So I left it. 







I had observed the ground around this water pump has been wet for several days.  Well tonight I noticed when the pump handle was down, but the spigot for the hose open, water kept trickling out.  Ugh!  It's always something.  


Maggie and I got home after 6:00.  I shut most of the windows, cause it was getting cold outside.  The fans got turned off and I picked up all the flea bombs and newspapers they had been set on.  Any residue left on hard surfaces was washed off and kitchen counters and table were cleaned just in case they had residue on them.  After flea combing each cat, I let them in off the porch (except Stevie).  They were happy once they got fed.

I started a third load of laundry (had done sheets, throw blankets, and pet bedding/fuzzy pads).  I re-made our bed and put blankets and pet bedding back where they belonged.  And I went to bed with the third load running in the dryer.  Finally I felt like I had the flea problem under control.  I hope to never go through this again, for the rest of my life.

Thursday 8/22 - Mama Styx resting on my arm while I was computerizing.  My euphoria over flea eradication was short lived.  Babe and Monita were scratching up a storm, and when I used the flea comb on them, I got a few live fleas off both.  WTH?  Mama Styx didn't have any. 




Again, I spent a lot of time here at my computer.  I'm not sure what all I did, but know horse shopping has been quite time consuming.  I even made a phone call about one, but they don't hold them long at the kill pens nor will they let you test ride them.

Mama Styx and Babe were having a good time playing with this toy, while Monita (in upper right of photo) was watching.  By the time I got my phone, she was jumping down off the back of the couch.  And then when I started to (video) the other two quit playing.
 

I'd had a big, late lunch after reading out on the deck in the sun (well it was mostly cloudy).  And then knew I needed to get moving.  So I took Maggie to the ranch and we took Amiga for a short walk through the woods.

I checked on and fed Blackie, who's leg is getting better. 


Back home to feed the masses and then have dinner myself. 

Mama Styx was back at it playing, while Maggie rested near by, keeping an eye on me while I ate, always hoping for some table scraps (which I rarely give her, and never while at the table).
 

I had eaten enough that I decided another walk was necessary (aids digestion and burns some calories).  This time Maggie and I went farther and faster than what our short little walk with Amiga had been.  Notice, we are experiencing an early fall, partly because of the drought.

Coming home, these four deer were on the women's 17th tee box of Druid.  They were ready to bolt but I said hello when walking by and then they followed us, at a safe distance.  I think they recognize Maggie and I. 

I put out corn for them and then fed Rose.  She also got a little flea spraying which really pissed her off.

I was distraught about the flea problem, perplexed and disappointed that there were still live ones on the cats.  More research said:

Provided the animal has been treated correctly, these new fleas (on your pet) will be killed within 24hrs preventing them from laying eggs.  The adult fleas we see on pets represent only 5% of the total population.  The other 95% are immature stages in the environment.  Each female can lay 27 eggs each day, and these babies will hatch anywhere from two days to two weeks.  But they can remain in the pupa stage for months.  With a bad infestation, vacuum your floors, carpeting, furniture, and curtains daily.  Ughhh!!!

I went to bed feeling fairly discouraged, but reading took my mind off the flea problem, and praying for those on my long list put me to sleep.
 

Friday 8/23 - I went out the front door to take a photo of this deer in Brian's yard, and discovered these two in our yard, snacking on flowers. 

 

 

Catching up on this blog and horse shopping occupied much of my morning.  I also flea combed the three cats currently in the house and only got a few very slow moving fleas off of two of them.  This gave me renewed hope.  However, later when I combed Stevie, she had a few, which surprised me because she hadn't had any after the initial flea treatment two weeks ago.
 

Joe vacuumed before heading off towards Iowa, for Sunday's Villhauer reunion, although with some poker stops in KY and IL first.  And I headed out with Maggie for a hike on the Seven Bridges/St. George Trails.  The creek the bridges go over was completely dried up. 







It was a beautiful, cool, fall-like day.  Stevie on the back porch was enjoying the sunshine.  She had stopped eating (and pooping) for a few days over the weekend, and I feared it was time to euthanize her.  But Monday I tried giving her Greek yogurt to get her to eat something, and she ate it.  And now, she is eating a lot more than usual, including the yogurt, and her poops have gotten a little more solid.  So maybe she is getting better.  I wondered if the flea treatment had taken care of intestinal parasites.
 

A bunch of us 'Saddle Sisters' went to the county fair to watch the horse show.  This very cute Screech owl (unable to be released into the wild) was there.  I didn't realize they were so little.  Precious! 

We ladies (Shirley, Judy, Jan, Joanne, Betty, Jo, Karen and Deanna) had a great time.  We really delighted in seeing each other and catching up.  The horse show and fair food were also quite enjoyable.

This horse threw a little buck during the rescue race, but the back rider was able to stay on.  
And in spite of difficulties, these two kids did a fantastic job as did their little pony (video).   

I didn't get home until after 10:30 and it was 11:15 by the time I was turning out the lights.

At the start of this blog, I quoted a part of this snippet which is from Crosswalk.com and decided to include more of it. 

I went to sleep counting my blessings and thanking God.