Holding My Breath

I'm afraid that my Bayley Baby hurt his back on Friday. He's probably not seriously hurt, but he definitely is not himself. He's walking, doing his business, etc., but he's not attempting to walk or run any more than he has to. That is a good thing, on the one hand, but on the other it's also a huge red signal to me that something is wrong. The other thing is that I'm crating him and he's not objecting to that at all. I have a call in to the vet to see if I can give him some Pred as a precaution to lessen any swelling or inflamation that he may have. He's only four months old, and I just shrivel up inside to think he may have back problems so young. All of you dog lovers out there send up some prayers for my precious pup. He's already stolen our hearts completely.

Computer Challenges

I've successfully spent the last four hours in getting the router to work on our computers. I would rather go to the dentist than have to figure computer 'inner-workings' out! However, I WAS successful and am now composing this new post on MY computer (which has been dialup only for the last 6+ years). :) Now, maybe I will be able to post more frequently, share photos with my family and friends more often, and just in general be more relaxed about time spent on the computer. We've been in the process of switching from satellite to DSL for the last several weeks, and I am so much happier with DSL than I EVER was with Hughes satellite. The Hughes tech support gang were probably as sick of me as I was (am) of them!!! :D Now, I'm downloading and installing Picassa for my photos. I tried it once (a long time ago) on Randy's computer and just about had heart failure because it sorted EVERYTHING (including CSA notes). Decided that would be way too involved to help him adjust to, so I just removed it. Now I'm excited to see if I will be happy with it for just my pictures. edited 8-5-09 Still have computer issues...get one problem solved, and create a whole slew of others. :/ I think I'll go back to 'BC' (before computers).

Happenings at Ships Landing

The biggest, healthiest, full of green tomatoes that I have EVER grown!

Is this not the most ADORABLE photo??!! (Bayley getting ready for his first boating trip)

Nathan Amy Amy and Bayley take a dip

It's Summertime

Sailboats on the lake Scarlet Tanager (I have NEVER seen one of these before and it is BEAUTIFUL) and hot as Hades all over the country. The higher-than-normal temps and the humidity add up to sweltering in my neck of the woods. I really really need to use the weedeater and trim around everything. The weeds have taken over, but that is another one of those things that I just keep putting off. I have the 'Scarlet Syndrome'. :D I can't believe the end of June is nipping at our heels already. Nathan and Amy are coming in on Sunday; that means I have a lot of dust bunnies to run off, clutter to pick up and move from one spot to another, food to think about (I really just don't have time that I want to give to thinking about grocery shopping/food preparation :D--there are puppies to watch grow, plants to coax into hanging in there during this heat wave, birds coming to visit that haven't dined at my house before, etc.). I still have some shrubs in pots that need to go in the ground. I did get four hollies and one maple planted last weekend; now I'm trying to keep enough water on them so they don't die on me. Had I known 92 deg weather was on its way I may have waited til another time to plant them. *sigh* Hey Den, I actually have little tomatoes on my plants!!! Yea!!!! Best luck I've had with them yet! I do have to water my zuchinni and summer squash plants today. They were really drooping last night when I checked on them.

Presenting...

Bayley-Darlin' Shipley, DOB 4-11-09, hand-delivered to the Shipley family on 6-6-09 And he's as much a little demon as he is beautiful! He is totally independent, head-strong, will definitely have to learn the rules of the house, and learn who is 'pack leader'. :)

The month of May has flown by, leaving me wondering how I could have squeezed any more out of it, and yet feeling like there were so many Springtime mysteries that I missed. Life here at Ships Landing has been full of simply living, each day flowing into the next as seamlessly as a creek flows into a pond. I've been outside as much as possible, planting flowers, fighting crabgrass, planting a small garden with some tomatoes and cucumber plants. I finally gave up and put up a chicken wire fence around it since the rabbits were having their breakfast every morning on those tasty leaves. :) My birds are a continual delight to me, although I will admit that I pulled out the trusty .22 today to scare off the cowbirds. I've fed them all Spring, now I've had enough, and it's time for them to go pester someone else for a while. The Swallows have a clutch of babies ready for fledging. Wonder if I'll be outside with my camera at just the right moment (like I was last year :D). Oh I do hope I see those precious little ones emerge for the first time. They are already poking their little heads out of the hole when Mom and Dad are out scrounging up meals for them. :) One set of Bluebirds launched :) babies a couple of weeks ago, and I have another pair that are working on hatching their babies. :) The Goldfinches seem even more vivid to me this year. Must be aging that's coloring my view, do you suppose? :) I took Dewey to a new vet last Saturday. It was time. This past Wednesday he had 14 teeth removed. I just cried. How could a vet that I have seen for a year and a half not have known that he had a massive infection due SOLELY to some really bad teeth. I've gone through the rage (at first at my previous vet who told me numerous times that all of his teeth, with the exception of one back tooth, were healthy; and then at myself for continuing to give her the benefit of the doubt for so long), and have finally reached the point of just being so happy and relieved that Dewey is finally feeling IMMENSELY better. I'm giving serious thought to filing a complaint against her. We finally put the pontoon in the water this past week; now we are trying to clear a day here and there to go out and enjoy the water a bit. Hope everyone is totally immersed in Spring right now, and soaking up every minute of it. Summertime is nipping at Ms. Springtime's heels. :) It will be the 'heat of Summer' quicker than you can blink.

Columbine Lady, do you have any worms for me? I'm just a baby Bluebird and need some help here. I finally got a not-very-good picture of the Mockingbird eating raisins. He has a raisin in his beak. :) I've been trying to catch him forever. :) Mock Orange is starting to bloom--love the shadows Thanks to Tabor, who pointed me in the direction of Orioles, I've concluded that I had a pair of Baltimore Orioles. This is the male. Female Baltimore Oriole--This is a first for me. I've never seen them in my yard before. :) I had it wrong about the Orioles. I MEANT to say I had concluded that they are ORCHARD ORIOLES.