Desert Dog

While I have no idea what kind of life Miss LizzieBelle had prior to last June (other than she was not taken care of and had lots of health issues) I do know that she has had quite a few changes since coming into our lives!

First, she had to overcome her poor health and being so run down.

She slept almost continually for the first month until her tape worms were gone and she had some nourishment in her.

Once the baby heart worms were killed off she began to feel better and started acting more like a dog wanting to play and wanting some attention.

Then, we realized she was pregnant.  Sigh.

She gave birth to six healthy puppies and was an excellent Mama.

She started becoming quite the farm dog having free run of the place and keeping her eyes and ears on high alert when something strange was going on outside (like a squirrel jumping on top of the bird feeder station) and making sure she let me know.

Her favorite part of the day was when we went to feed and water the chickens and ducks.  I would ask her if she wanted "to go feed the chickens and duckses" and she would get all excited and head for the back door.  So cute!

Then, a few months ago, we uprooted her from the farm and took her on a looooonnnnggg plane ride (in which she was excellent!) where she would begin living in a 5th wheel and becoming a desert dog.

It's taking some time for her to get used to the fact that she can't have free reign of the desert.  I would love to let her run around to her hearts content but the desert is too big and there are too many coyotes and wolves, among other varmints, living out there as well.  It just isn't safe.

She loves to go for walks though.  She used to get so excited about going that she would run around the 5th wheel like a crazy dog making it difficult to get the harness and leash on her.  She's finally learning to be still making it much easier to put the harness on her.

We don't always get much walking done because there are simply WAY too many smells out there to be smelled!  And reclaimed.

And then there are other times when I can hardly keep up with her.

She's adjusting well to life in the 5th wheel.  I do think she'd prefer that the cats were not around but, oh well, she can't have everything her way.  OK, most things, but not this one, ha!

I saw this on Facebook this morning and thought it was so cute and apropos!  The dog even somewhat looks like LizzieBelle.

Speaking of Facebook... are you on Facebook?  I caved a couple of years ago and finally joined the social media craze.  (I've drawn the line though... no Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or any other time stealer for me since it already seems like I don't have enough time to do all the things I want to do.)  I have several friends and family members who live in other states, even other countries, and it is a great way to keep in touch with them and their families.

If you are on Facebook would you consider 'Liking' my From City Streets to Country Roads Facebook page?  I post things on there such as status updates, some photos and funny stuff (like the above picture), as well as a link to my latest post so that you don't miss any!  It's easy.  Simply click on the 'Like' button on my sidebar and that's that.  I sure would appreciate it!

Now back to our regularly scheduled post...

We are all adjusting to our new lifestyle and are developing some routines.  (I like routines!)

I think LizzieBelle likes routines also.  The one surprise she does like though is going for a ride in the car.

I went to town yesterday and took her with me.  When I asked her if she wanted "to go byes in the car?" she started dancing around and getting all excited!

It's the little things in life.  Wouldn't it be great if we got all excited like that over the little things in life?  Maybe we should.  Then maybe the larger, more burdensome things in life wouldn't be so large after all!

While I don't know what LizzieBelle's life was like before she came to live with us I do know that her life now is full of love, attention and getting spoiled!

Till next time,

Bundled Up

It's been cold here.  For those of you following my Facebook page you already know that the highs have been in the low thirties the past couple of days and below freezing at night.

We have to leave water running during the night even though we have a heat tape wrapped around the water line and it's insulated.

Just in case, though, I prep the coffee pot the night before.  Gotta have our coffee!

The cold weather is bearable if you're bundled up but the wind here has been horrendous and goes right through you no matter how well you're bundled up.

Here's Miss LizzieBelle all bundled up to go outside and do her business!

Isn't she cute?  She looks like a little Eskimo with the fur trim around her hat!

After running errands yesterday and battling the wind and cold temps I'm staying indoors today.

I've got a project I'm attempting.  First, I have to figure out how to do it though.  I'll let you know how it goes!

Till next time,

Peek-A-Boo

Peek-a-boo, I see you!

It's 27 degrees Fahrenheit here at 6:00 in the morning

but feels like 18 according to The Weather Channel.

I believe them and so does LizzieBelle!

She's snuggled up in her bed and under her blanket.

Poor LizzieBelle.  She wonders why we brought her to this cold desert!

It's supposed to be mostly sunny with temperatures rising towards the mid 40s.

Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph today.

We'll see.

I have to go back in to town today so I hope it warms up and the wind stays calm.

Till next time,

Puppysitting & Purging

This weekend LizzieBelle was reunited with one of her puppies.  Do you remember the black and white puppy?

I'm sure you do as he always stood out from the rest!

I picked him up last night on my way home from my Dad's place where my sister, sister-in-law and I cleaned out and purged Mom's stuff yesterday.  It wasn't as difficult as I had anticipated because we focused on good memories, marveled at the amount of clothes she had but never had anything to wear and laughed about Mom's love for shopping even though she would never admit it and that we found a Kleenex in one pocket of almost every outfit!  No money though, ha!

I also have to say how amazing and generous my family is.  I've heard of horrible things happening in a family after a loved one passes away over possessions.  There was none of that yesterday.  We each got the items that were promised to us by Mom and more.  We even set aside items for other family members that we thought they might like.  There were no squabbles and we all were happy with what we got.  It was a good day.

When I picked the puppy up, initially, LizzieBelle was not thrilled about the reunion.  We were in the car and LizzieBelle was being very protective of me, snapping and growling at the puppy.  I knew this was because she was being protective but the puppy's Daddy was quite concerned about leaving him with me for the weekend.  I assured him everything would be fine.

No sooner than we all got home last night then the two of them were off and running through the house, playing with every toy they could find and wrastling with each other.  It was very cute!

I called the Daddy to let him know that all was well much to his relief.

Puppies sure do have a lot of energy!

We'll be going for several walks today.

Meanwhile, I hope to gather up some more stuff today for the yard sale next weekend.  This is the first day that I will be home all day since I've gotten home last Tuesday.  I need today to catch up on laundry, bills,  find the Christmas cards and begin to address them, and formulate a general plan for all that needs to get accomplished in the weeks before Christmas.  On second thought, maybe I DON'T want to think about all that needs to get done, ha!

On a side note, did you notice how well LizzieBelle's back side is looking in that first photo of her and the puppy?  Let me remind you what she looked like when I first got her...

Most of her hair has grown back in.  There are a couple of spots that are  still bare but her skin is soft and smooth now and her coat looks a thousand times better.  The other day, while looking for calendar worthy photos, I was looking at some photos of her when I first got her and I'm amazed at the transformation.  I didn't notice it because it was so gradual but looking back now she's a completely different dog!  She has a sparkle in her eye, more energy and she's a complete joy to have around winning every one over that she meets (including my brother who's not really a dog person let alone a Chihuahua, heehee!).

They are still playing and it sounds like a herd of noisy horses in the house!

Till next time,

Surgery Update & Priorities

LizzieBelle's surgery went well.  Thanks to all who said a prayer and for your encouraging comments yesterday.  The vet said her pre-op blood work was good and she did fine during the surgery and there were no complications.  She is recuperating nicely and is currently snuggled under her blanket in one of her many beds throughout the house and front porch!  This bed happens to be in the office.  She has to be near me which is so sweet!

The vet told me she was going to clean her teeth as well yesterday at no extra charge, yay!  But, she found three bad teeth so she extracted them.  (I did have to pay for that though, sigh.)

They were front teeth so LizzieBelle will still have no problem with eating crunchy food.  The rest of her teeth are nice and shiny.

We're having a cold snap here and with her thin hair she gets cold easy.  I can't put her sweater on her because it may irritate her incision so I'm going to make her a few more blankets.

I bought some warm fleece and some quilt binding at our superstore and that is one of the priorities for today.

I can't decide if I'm going to make two larger blankets or four smaller ones.  Decisions, decisions...

But, before I can get to that priority (because I can't bear to see her shivering) I have another priority to tackle.  This purging mess...

Why is that a priority?  Because I can't get to my sewing machine, ha!  Can you find my machine in this photo?

Here's a hint...

It's by the window with a small path to get to it.

I'm tellin' ya... serious purging going on.  Anyhoo, I need to finish in this room and get it organized so that I can move on to the next room AND so that I can get to my sewing machine!

Another priority today is preserving a mess o' greens that I picked yesterday during LIzzieBelle's surgery.  (It kept me occupied so that I didn't worry!)  Some friends from church have a beautiful garden full of various greens, cabbage and broccoli.  They called to see if I wanted any greens since they were ready to be harvested.  I said 'Sure'!  I love greens.  Any kind of greens and to have the opportunity to have some homegrown greens is a sheer delight!

We picked mustard, collard and turnip greens and then began the long process of cleaning them.  I was so thankful for their offer to help me wash them.  I think I would still be washing them if it weren't for their help!

After a couple of washing's, we bagged them up and I brought them home.

Two stuffed grocery bags of each kind of greens.   Mmmmm!

I'm going to give them one more washing and then can the turnip greens and then possibly freeze the mustard and collards.  It takes 90 minutes to process the greens so that's why I might freeze the others just for time's sake.  We'll see, though, how all the priorities go today.

I have a few other things I'd like to accomplish today.  While they're not top priorities, they do need to get done in the next day or two.  Things like listing items on my Etsy site, re-doing my blog layout, making sure the check book is squared away, paying bills, burning the trash, start designing my 2013 calendar, etc.

Mercy, if I'm ever going to get even some of that done I'd better get to it!

Till next time,

The Big Day

This morning I take Miss LizzieBelle to the vet to be spayed, sniff.

I think it's going to be harder on me than on her.

I'm having a hard time NOT feeding her this morning.

She seems to be OK with me not feeding her as long as she's in my lap.

And, once I start getting ready to go, she'll be excited to 'go byes in the car'!

While I'm happy that she will be spayed, I'm upset about the

surgery part even though I know that's the way it has to be.

Please pray with me that all goes well.  Thanks.

Till next time,

Boots & Bling

Miss LizzieBelle's got bling!

While I was waiting in the check out line to purchase LizzieBelle's new sweater and leash at PetsMart the other day I saw these adorable tags and I just had to get one!  Her name is on the front and I put our email address and cell phone numbers on the back.

Made with Austrian crystals and a sturdy metal, these can be engraved right in the store at no extra charge. It was simple to do and only took a few minutes.  There's even a protective film that goes over the engraving to help avoid it from being scratched or worn off.

Fancy shmancy!

Now, if she accidentally gets lost, hopefully someone will be kind enough to contact us because life would not be the same without her and we would miss her terribly.  She has carved a place in our hearts even in the short amount of time she's been with us.

While LizzieBelle got some bling, I got some new boots...

I'm very picky about my boots.  They have to be cute AND comfy!  These fit the bill (and my feet!).  And they even have some pink threaded details which is always a plus!

My other boots are fun and sporty (as well as cute and comfy and pink!)...

but I wanted a pair of boots that were more classic in looks.  And, unbelievably, they were one of the cheaper pairs, yippee!  In my shopping history, I usually gravitate towards the most expensive item and then have to look at all the others trying to find one I like just as much because I have a hard time spending a large amount of money on one item.

So, needless to say, I'm pleased with both of my recent purchases for LizzieBelle and I, woot!

Have you bought anything recently that you were thrilled with?

Till next time,

Miscellany Monday

I hope everyone had a nice weekend and now you're ready to enjoy another week!

I had a busy and productive weekend starting Friday morning with a garage sale.

As you know I've been doing some purging lately.  The sale was on short notice so I grabbed things here and there throughout the house, threw them in a box and took them to my brothers place where we held the sale.  I was blessed with some awesome help!  A couple of guys from church graciously loaded the big stuff in their truck and trailer and transported it 45 miles one way to my brother's place while I took several small loads in my Jeep.  Once the stuff was there, my sister and sister-in-law set everything up and even priced everything.  Even a neighbor of my brother pitched in and helped.  Prepping for a garage sale is a lot of work so I'm very thankful to everyone and so appreciative for all their help!  I could not have done it without them.  Seriously.

Most of my family (father and siblings) lives in a huge retirement community and the residents love checking out any type of sale that's going on in the neighborhood.  So, needless to say, I did pretty well in getting rid of a lot of my stuff.  I would say the garage sale was a success, woot!

I am going this afternoon to help pack up what is left.  We're going to have another sale in December.  By then, I should have the rest of the stuff I'm purging set aside, priced and ready to go.

~~~~~

LizzieBelle's feeling puny today.  She has not eaten her breakfast yet and it's late morning.  Her belly's rumbling and yet she won't eat.  She was also shivering this morning.  It was in the low 60's this morning when we got up so I put her sweater on.

Isn't she cute?

The sweater took some getting used to but I think when she realized it was keeping her warm she's tolerating it.  I'm taking her with me this afternoon when I pack up the garage sale stuff.  She loves to go for rides in the car!  Right now she's napping in her bed in the office while I write this post.  I hope she feels better soon.  Poor LizzieBelle!

~~~~~

This weekend, I finally finished designing my tags for my handmade goodies that I sell on my Etsy shop (which is currently empty due to lack of time to take photos and get anything posted on the site even though I have items that are ready to be sold, sigh).  As a graphic designer, I have found that I am the most difficult customer that I've ever had!  Too critical of my own work?  Probably.

Anyhow, after several attempts at coming up with something I like, I'm finally satisfied.  It's a good thing because I have orders to fill and get to the customer.  One such order is for a bunch of crocheted dish cloths where the customer paid in advance.  I finished the dish cloths several days ago but had to wait to get them out until my tags were finished.

They're now complete and ready to give to the customer.  Yay!

That's about it for this Miscellany Monday.  I'd best be getting LizzieBelle and I ready to head over and get packing.

Till next time,

And They Call It Puppy Love

Seven weeks ago today, LizzieBelle popped these little boys out.

So cute when they're sleeping, and yes, even when they're awake romping all over the place and wrastlin' with each other.  (Not so cute when they're peeing & pooping all over the place and wadding up their pee pads, sigh.  Although, they're getting much, much better about using them, yippee!)

Here's a reminder of what they looked like seven weeks ago...

They're quite a handful now but in a different sense, ha!

They've been lots of fun, an overload of cuteness, a joy to watch and quite the experience!

Tomorrow, they are going for their second vet appointment and will receive their first round of shots.  They'll each get a folder that will have all their information in it and I will also purchase a gift certificate for each puppy for neutering when they're old enough.  I will give the folder and the certificate to their new Mom's & Dad's.

Two puppies will be going to their forever homes this week.  I'm going to miss them but will be glad for a little less to clean up.

The other four puppies?  I'm going to have a lady adopt them out.  She does all the homework on the new owners and even checks out the homes which I think is awesome because I want them all to have a good, loving home where they're a part of the family and not just an animal.  She offered to do this for me and I am so grateful as I have a few things on my plate right now, which I'll be sharing with y'all at some point, and having the puppies taken care of is a huge help and one load off my mind.

LizzieBelle has been a fantastic Mama.  She still loves her puppies and will play with them from time to time.  They try to nurse off her, even though she's drying up, and she's so tolerant of them.

Here's Miss LizzieBelle hangin' out in her crate underneath her blanket...

She's a little blurry in this photo but I thought this was so cute I just had to post it!

Till next time,

Four Weeks Old

Four weeks ago, Miss LizzieBelle gave birth to six healthy puppies.

Today, they are little bundles of energy for a bit and then wore slap out the next.

Mama and the puppies have their first vet appointment tomorrow.

I'm hoping they'll be able to tell me the mix of these puppies.

It's so cute how they sleep all over each other!

A few of them are starting to get some teeth so it shouldn't be long before they're weaned.  I think poor Miss LizzieBelle is ready for them to be weaned already!  Their teeth and little claws have got to hurt.

Here's a little video of playtime taken about a week ago...

 

They're getting around much better since this video was taken.  They still wobble and fall over at times but they can actually run now.  So cute to watch!

  



Till next time,