The Christmas "Letter" 2019

This year has definitely offered us some emotional challenges. We had to say goodbye to three of our pets; 17 year old Patchyface, 15 year old Aurora, and 14 year old Isis.

We also spent a great deal of time and energy in Ron's battle with and recovery from esophageal cancer. He is doing so much better than he was at this time last year.

We have adopted a new puppy and he is keeping us very busy as well as entertained. We call him our toddler, and he is very much like one. He gets into everything, has no concept of personal space, and loves to play.

We also have a chicken named Henrietta. She's got a portable coop and is a good egg producer in the summer. She's just coming out of her molt and is taking a rest from laying.

I have been struggling with seasonal depression a bit more than usual this year. My motivation has not been great but, I have managed to sew a few small Christmas gifts (slippers mostly) and I have baked a few dozen cookies. Of course, about 4 batches of almond roca have been produced as well.

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. We're praying for a less emotional "rollercoaster-y" year. 

Fall

We had to say a sad farewell to Rhody a few weeks ago. He was just too obsessed with the cats and focused on escaping the yard. The rescue organization we got him from suggested the Nanaimo SPCA may have better luck finding a forever home. We left him there with tears and as much information as possible. He's been adopted now and we're hoping his new family is a good fit for him.

He was such a lover when he wasn't digging holes, jumping over fences, or wandering off. 

Madrone's attitude immediately improved when Rhody left us. He's much more relaxed, eager to please, and happy. He's currently dealing with a minor mite infestation the vet said may have been exacerbated by stress. I think the sibling rivalry wore him down a bit.

Boomer is beginning to come out of hiding, though he's still leary of the 50 lbs of puppy coming at him to say "Hi". So the fence in the house still stays up most of the time.

Isis is hanging in there, she is scheduled for surgery on the first to remove a large tumor on her front leg. Then Madrone will have his two little growths removed on the fourteenth (neutering). Thank goodness for a vet that takes payments and the "pet friends" organization who will also help us a bit with the financial part.

I had a really good bout of bronchitis that was finally starting clearing up after 6 weeks of coughing. (Yes, I went to the doctor at week 2) It has been 8 weeks now and I still have a lingering intermittent cough.

 We had a nice Thanksgiving weekend visiting some of the artist studios on Gabriola. There were 82 studios on the tour this year. We only went to about 20 of them over the 3 days. We had friends from Nanaimo join us on Saturday. Sunday we had a nice dinner with Ron's Sis, BIL, niece and nephew, their girls, and Kaili who was here for the whole weekend.

We are definitely into the gray, cool, wet of fall, punctuated by periods of brilliant crisp sunshine. The leaves are showing their colors. I have the lemon tree tucked away in the cold frame, which is slowly becoming a more permanent type of structure. I was able to add three glass doors this year.

If you look closely at one of the top glass panes, you can see a nasturtium blossom peeking out. There's a tomato plant in there too. It's got a few more grape tomatoes on it, but I'm not sure how long it will last with the frosts we expect to get later in the week.

The Stockade at Towhee Corner

Fall is beginning to slowly creep in. We're getting more gray, damp days with fewer sun breaks. The tomatoes and cucumbers have been quite prolific this year and I can still harvest more for a few days yet. I have collected a few old french doors from the local thrift shop and have started the cold frame construction around the lemon tree and passion flower. A few of the more tender potted plants will reside in there for the winter

I love the colors our hydrangea displays at the end of the growing season.

We have continued to cobble together more and ever higher fencing. The front yard is a virtual stockade with 5-6 foot fences in an attempt to keep Rhody contained. He does multiple perimeter patrols and has kept us busy building, repairing, or strengthening the fence. So far we have 3 or 4 kinds of chicken wire, chain link, stick pickets, logs, 2x6's, deer fencing, tent pegs and etc. making up the barricade. Both of the puppies weighed about 40 lbs at their 5 month vet visit.

Ron had an x-ray last week and we teleconferenced with the thoracic surgeon yesterday. The x-ray looks good and his next test will be a CT scan in 6 months. He has put a bit of weight back on and is looking so much better. He says he feels more like himself again too. We feel very blessed to have his health returned to him again.

Unplanned Yard Reno

The puppies have gotten bolder with their exploring and less interested in coming when called. They are now confined to the front yard unless they are leashed or at the beach with us. 

This means there has been fencing, fortifications, and redesigning going on for the past couple of weeks. Every time one of them has "leaked" out, Ron and I have worked to seal up that particular escape route.

The fountain and plantings have been hit especially hard as every flower has to be tasted and each small rock or stick must be dug up and chewed upon.

The pre-puppy yard-

vs. the post-puppy yard-

Note the diminished plant sizes, increased rock sizing, and wire fencing around the garden beds.

We pretty much ignored Ron's 70th birthday. Kaili came down for the weekend and we heard from all the kids, which was nice. We have spent more time outside, at the beach, and enjoying the markets with the dogs this summer.

Ron and I are both relatively healthy (but sore!). We are so grateful for this! He's getting more energy back every week and his next follow up with the surgeon that did the esophagectomy is in September.

Dog Days 2.0

We have had Rhody in our home since last Saturday afternoon. He and Madrone engage in regular wrestling matches throughout the day. The vet saw them on Thursday and says they are doing great and seem to be pretty well behaved. We're still waiting on some house training accidents with Rhody and minor nipping issues with Madrone. They've been helping Ron and I to get better exercise too, as we normally take them for a 1 to 1-½ mile walk (drag) in the morning. 

Rhody is a serious cuddler and Madrone is REALLY attached to me.

Isis and Henrietta are definitely glad not to be at the center of Madrone's attention anymore. The cats are still keeping a wary distance from the Boys.

This week Ron's sister, BIL, 2 nieces and assorted spouses, children, and dogs were on Gabriola for their annual summer vacation. We spent several warm days playing on the beach with the dogs. (8 in total (dogs, not days)). We're also continuing to socialize the purppies with trips to the various markets. Kaili will be able to babysit for us tomorrow, allowing us to attend church.

I noticed a baby artichoke this week and 2 marble sized watermelons too. The tomatoes, cucumber, strawberries, blueberries, and Patty Pan squash continue to produce. There's even a few pea and green bean stragglers. Madrone raids the pea plants if we're not watching him- he lives peas! The black berries are ripening and the dogs and I sample them when we walk.

Dog Days of Summer

"The . . .  dog days of summer are the hot, sultry days of summer. They were historically the period following the heliacal rising of the star system Sirius, which Greek and Roman astrology connected with heat, drought, sudden thunderstorms, lethargy, fever, maddogs, and bad luck.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org › wiki

Dog days - Wikipedia

Date: Fri., Jul. 12, 2019 – Tue., Aug. 20, 2019

Dog days has taken on a more literal meaning in our home this year. We sadly said goodbye to Aurora shortly after saying hello to a new puppy. It now looks like we're probably getting to bring home one of his brothers next week. I think Isis may be relieved to have Madrone wrestling with someone else. Right now Madrone thinks it's great fun to bite her tail and run circles around her while she snarls and snaps at him.  The cats are still afraid of the pouncing puppy trying to play and they're still mostly coming out only at night.

Ron and I have almost finished with the livingroom floor and are currently working on thinning out the books and closets. If we do get the other puppy, I will have to make more space in the bedroom for the extra large dog crate. . . there's NO way we'll have 2 terrorists loose in the house all night.

Goodbye sweet Aurora Borialis

Goodbyes are so hard. . .

This has been an emotional weekend followed by a tearful Monday today.  Our sweet Aurora had a large tumor behind her shoulder that began to weep last Thursday. The vet strongly suspected cancer. At nearly 15 years old she was almost completely deaf, sore and stiff much of the time, and rapidly losing weight. We made the tough decision on Friday to put her to rest this morning. She is now in repose under a new pear tree in our yard.



She was a wonderful family dog enjoying, and in some cases, enduring many adventures with us. She joined our family in November of 2004 at 6 weeks of age.

You were so small I carried you around in my purse.

Our last road trip together - Tofino for the day.

The classic one ear pose

You gave us so much love and enriched our lives.  I will never forget you, 'till we me again my sweet little puppy. 

July 12- IT'S A BOY!

Ron and I have been talking about getting a puppy for quite awhile now. With all of the medical challenges and resulting appointments we have put it off.  Now that the appointments are dwindling off, we decided to go for it. His name is Madrone and he's 3 months old. We got him from a rescue organization in Ucluelet/Tofino on the West Coast. He's really smart, energetic, and all puppy! His breed mix is Rottweiler, Labrador, Shepherd, possibly Pitbull, and ?  The old girls aren't impressed at all and the cats are barely coming out of hiding at this point. Technically we are fostering him until he gets neutered at about 7 months, when we will adopt him.

Ron's continuing to do better and it's so great to be able to hang out at home. I actually have a passion fruit developing. Some of the tomatoes are being eaten now and one of the cucumbers is just about ready for harvest. I only have a small number of vegetable plants since it's just the 2 of us most of the time. My ornamental oregano has come back and the bees are enjoying it.

We took Madrone to the Wednesday evening's farmer's market. Some of our friends bring their Lab by to play with him. Aurora and Isis basically tolerate him and aren't playing much these days. We took the old girls on a quick trip to the West Coast and neither one of them could move much the next day. 

We're heading to the big Saturday market tomorrow with Madrone and allowing the girls a short reprieve. Our hope is that he will eventually become a therapy dog to visit hospitals and care homes. Right now he's got two speeds; fast and off. He's definitely keeping Ron and I on our toes.

Canada Day weekend

We had another hamster burial at our house last night. The front plant bed has become a defacto pet cemetery.

1- Kamikaze bird

2- Maya hamster

3- Hammie hamster

4- Mia hamster

5- Patchy Face Cat

The Kamikaze bird crashed into the window. After watching the poor thing expire on the deck, I installed colored glass marbles to prevent further bird fatalities.

The remaining remains are former pets marked with a hosta, a ghost fern, and an azalea bush.

We managed to get about an inch of rain the other night, which has allayed the fire hazard a bit.

The girls and Michael came down for a visit this week. Henrietta supplied us with the fresh eggs we had for today's breakfast. Ellie and Michael left this morning after picking up fresh scones from the farmer's market. Kaili will be here until Canada Day on Monday.

I got this cool glass salmon at the market this morning.

Poultry Palace 1.01

Today we made more progress on Henrietta's home. I have attached a wheelbarrow tire on one end and a handle on the other. The tire is hinged so when not in use the pen sits flat on the ground. I will need to put better hinges on it, because it's a little flimsier than I would like.  We also covered the remainder of the roof with clear plastic panels, so if it does decide to rain again, she won't be in a quagmire. While we were doing that, she was in with the fruit trees doing weed and bug control.

Ron's health is continuing to improve slowly, though he's got mild anemia at the moment. I think his allergies are a bit kicked up too with the pollen and dust.

We have been able to enjoy lots of strawberries and peas from the garden recently.

The island is on "total shut down" due to dry conditions now. Which means no campfires, mowing, or chainsaws. Nylon string trimmers can only be used before 1pm each day. Fortunately, the chop saw, circular saw, and brad nailer are OK to use. I still need to get the floor finished and we have another "new to us" door to install.

Dog days already?

Last week Ron was finally relieved of the feeding tube! He has an unrestricted diet other than the amount he  can eat at one sitting. The pacemaker clinic checked him out and said his pacemaker barely had to pace after the surgery,  so she doesn't need to see him for a year.

Friday Ron stayed home with the dogs while I spent the afternoon in Nanaimo. When I returned home, he was having severe shoulder pain. We ended up taking him to Nanaimo Emergency to get it checked out.  After multiple tests, x-rays and a CT scan, we came home mid-day Saturday. He did have an elevated white blood cell count, but was otherwise fine and his pain resolved. We both laid low on Saturday and Sunday- for some reason I don't recover from all-nighters like I used to.

Kaili and a friend came over for lunch on Sunday. They really liked visiting with Henrietta. She's pretty settled in now and regularly provides us with eggs. Bruce and Jan were at Mum's for the weekend.

Monday, Mum, Lloyd, Ron, Bruce, Jan, and I all had Chinese food for lunch in Nanaimo. I don't think I have ever seen Mum eat so much before.

Today was the big visit with the thoracic surgeon in Victoria. He says Ron's white blood cell count is back in the normal range and everything looks good on the CT, so he will tele-conference with us in 3 months. We are so grateful to have the number of medical appointments diminishing so quickly. Now we just need to get the all clear from the hematologist so we can stop the daily injections.

Ron is still fatigued and I am more prone to an afternoon nap, just like the dogs and cats in this house.  The weather was quite warm in Nanaimo today and I think heat records are being broken. It seems to be a little more comfortable over on this side of Gabriola.

Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support.

Henrietta's poultry palace

This evening we welcomed Henrietta to Towhee Corner!  She's a good laying hen who's antisocial behaviour got her moved out of her former flock. Our friend and neighbor offered her to us last week. Since then, Ron and I have been busy building her a poultry palace. The plan is to move her digs around the yard every week or two.

We visited the cancer center last week and Ron was released from their care. He will continue to be followed by the thoracic surgeon for the foreseeable future, as there is always a risk of recurrence with this type of cancer.

The weather has been unseasonably warm so far this spring. We have been harvesting strawberries, rhubarb and greens. I expect blueberries, peas, and chard to be on our table soon.

FAITH: Why Mormons no longer want to be called Mormons

A friend of ours in Kamloops wrote this  : FAITH.Why Mormons no longer want to be called Mormons: Maybe you’ve heard the news. If not, here it is: For almost 200 years, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been called Mormons. This year though, that . . .

Thursday

We have at least one HAPPY occupant in our home! Yesterday we had a visit with Ron's thoracic surgeon in Victoria.  The doc said that the chest x-ray from last week came back clear, the cancer had extended a bit into the muscle, but NOT the lymph nodes. Finally, the doctor said Ron can use his teeth again!

Yesterday's menu included a Wendy's chocolate frosty, yogurt, and gelato. Today's included beef broth (with shredded beef pieces) and a bowl of fresh watermelon, strawberry, and peppermint salad. He has no diet restrictions, other than quantity. He will be eating many small meals each day from here on out.

He's still having some pain where the chest tubes were, and isn't moving a whole lot yet. His feeding tube is due to come out in about 3 weeks when we next visit with the thoracic surgeon.

The weather has been gorgeous! Our garden is blooming and growing like crazy. I'm so grateful we get to spend more time at home so I can putter around out there.

Victoria Day

Happy Victoria Day! The girls came down for the weekend and we had a nice lunch of barbecued chicken on the deck with Ron's mum and stepdad yesterday.

It was quite warm and pleasant. Unfortunately, Ron is still unable to join us in any food consumption yet. He had a chest x-ray last Friday and we will be talking with the surgeon this week about his progress.

I finally got around to doing a sign for the gate on Saturday. I have also made incremental progress on the floor project. I'm trying not to disrupt life too much, since Ron is still not moving very well yet.

The lily of the valley in my shower are blooming (the scent is heavenly) and I have now added a pink/burgundy calla lily to the mix. It has been great therapy to have my hands in the soil and watch the garden come back to life.

Yesterday I saw a bright yellow black headed grosbeak on the feeder- I wasn't quick enough to get his picture. Today it's sprinkling a little bit and there are napping feline, canine and human bodies all over the house. We could do with more rain, but it's pretty hard to complain about the gorgeous weather we've been enduring here.

May 14, 2019

Ron came home on the 9th as planned. He's still moving slowly and on tube feeding. He is supplementing that with non-fat liquids like mint tea, juice, and broths. We'll see his new doctor on Gabriola today for a follow up. Next week will be another chest x-ray and a visit with the thoracic surgeon in Victoria. At that point we hope he will be able to advance his diet and begin cutting back on the tube feeds.

I feel like I am almost caught up with the house and garden stuff. I have planted a few vegetable starts, moved my fig and cherry trees out of pots into the ground, and filled in the flower beds with a few annuals.

I haven't finished the floor project yet, but the house is livable again and I can work on it more this week.

Ron's mum, stepdad, sister and brother in law came over for lunch on Sunday afternoon (Mother's Day). I cooked macaroni and cheese and a small ham on the barbecue grill. His sister, Jan, brought a nice strawberry cheesecake for dessert. We enjoyed it out on the front deck in the sun.

Today we are finally getting some much needed rain and Aurora has staked her claim in front of the heater.