Checkin' in :)

[journey11]

I sat down to the computer with the intention of starting my taxes. Eh...not in the mood. Thought I'd see what you guys were up to instead!

I've been reading here and there, just not posting much. I don't have much of a garden going this year, so not much to tell of. I did start 4 kinds of tomatoes in wintersowing jugs (milk jug greenhouses). Dad's tomato seeds did not sprout, must have been too old. But I would bet they are Black Krim off of a tomato I must have given him once. Ava started a half a flat of random things, but forgot to water them. We've been waiting and waiting... I bought some onion sets today! Will stick them in the ground somewhere.

My dad is doing ok. He's on a steroid which has helped a lot, but still has a lot of memory trouble. He is more plugged in and conversational now, which is great. He started immunotherapy (Avastin) and will go every 2 weeks for an infusion. I'm praying he does well with it since he's very healthy otherwise. I have heard that some people get 2 or 3 more years on it. My biggest worry with my dad is always that he is lonely and bored at home alone.

Haven't had a lot of time on my hands lately, but I think I'll make it my mission to have really tidy and awesome flowerbeds this year. Those usually fall by the wayside as the season goes on, so I'll just apply my efforts there. The chickens did a great job of killing every scrap of quackgrass in my blueberry patch and beat down all the weeds around the blackberries too. Gonna fertilize and mulch those before it grows back. The dog is killing a lot of my flowers around front. DH is supposed to build me a pen for her around back for when we aren't home.

Marley got to go to Rural King today. Did you know they will give them a free pig's ear every time they visit? She behaved better than the kids. She ate her weight in popcorn though, cleaning up the floor. She is up to 47 lbs now at only 6 months old. She is so sweet, but such a handful and hard to train. She requires more attention than a 3-year-old.

Well, that's all we've been up to. I might start a garden journal later because I am going to plant my raised beds. Just thought it best to buy transplants this year and keep things small.

 

[canesisters]

GREAT to hear from you!!

 

[Carol Dee]

Good morning @journey11 , thanks for the update. Glad to hear Dad has improved some. Marley is pretty. Yep gotta love a loveable and curious lab. My flower beds are suffering from the DH letting his chickens loose in them. We will see what survived them last fall and find a way to keep them out. Hope to see more posts as things fall into place for you.

 

[Nyboy]

I was getting worried about you when I realized you where not posting I assumed it was because of your dad. Your right to be worried about him being lonely, I am very lucky my father has a lot of friends from the senior center. He just got a room mate a family member who is older then him. Is there anyway you can take your father for the weekend, tell him the grandkids wanted to sleepover? I take my father a couple times a year up to country house ( I make sure I have exlarge bottle of Valium) Puppies are a lot of work, at every point you say what did I get myself into. I think the biggest mistake people make with puppies is not using the crate enough. Crate is your friend if you can not keep eye on puppy in the crate. Watching tv talking on phone or on computer is not watching puppy. first 18 months use that crate it will help keep you sane.

 

[thistlebloom]

I was starting to worry about you too. Glad to hear your dad has leveled out. Marley is cute, I recognize that goofy expression, I see it on Larkas face a lot, except her tongue is usually hanging out the side of her mouth for a truly intellectual look, haha.

Do what you can in the garden but don't feel pressured by it. You have a lot on your plate right now, and the good thing about gardening is that it will always wait for you to pick it up again when you're ready.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Just hang in there. Sometimes life gets in the way of doing what we'd prefer. Around my place that's almost a daily occurrence. Whether you post a lot or not, you are a regular.

 

[ninnymary]

I too was thinking about you the other day. I like starts. So much easier and I can plant and spread Sluggo if need be. Sounds like you still will have a garden in those raised beds. That will make you feel better for sure.

I agree with Nyboy. Can you take your dad home every other weekend? It will give him something forward to look for. You can always use the grandkids as an excuse.

Mary

 

[journey11]

You would not believe what this dog did last night. She took a flying leap and jumped up on the kitchen table with all four paws to steal a piece of pizza that Savannah had left behind. Even the cats don't have the guts to do that!

She likes to steal the kids' toys and run behind the sofa to chew them up. Had to block off both ends of the sofa. She is spending some crate time today because Ava and I both had the stomach flu yesterday and no one has the energy to play with her right now. It's is too cold, windy and rainy to put her outside. She'd just go out there and eat shoes and stuff anyway.

The mouthiness has been the hardest thing to deal with for her breed. I am having a hard time breaking her from puppy biting, although I've watched many training videos on YouTube. My other two dogs easily gave up when I would cross my arms, turn away and simply say "no biting". Marley is too excitable. It's hard to train a dog with that kind of energy. There is no point in trying to work with her unless the kids have played her sillies out for a couple of hours or if I've been able to take her for a good walk. I have a doggie backpack I've been putting on her to add a little weight and wear her out better. Consistency, consistency... Some days I struggle with that. My other 2 were easier to train also because I didn't have kids then to add to the craziness.

In her defense though, we have had success in overcoming food aggression (Savannah is in charge of her feedings and pretends to eat her food, sets it down between her feet and makes her wait for it.) And after a little work she's respecting the cats better and not trying to run them down every time the door is opened. She is also perfectly crate trained. If I go to the kitchen and get her a couple dog biscuits, she will automatically make a beeline to her crate without fail. I bought one of these leashes and wear it high on her neck and she heels and walks perfectly for me! I like that it has reflective threads woven into it for night time walks too. In time, I know she'll be an awesome dog.

Oh, and a few of my dad's tomato seedlings came up yesterday!

I took him to an oncologist appt yesterday and he was in such a good mood because of the warm sunshine and the new med has helped a lot and he feels good. He said he wants to go morel hunting with me this year. I haven't gone with my dad since I was a little kid. My dad had always worked long hours and seldom got time off for fun things, so this means a lot to me. The doctor said his improvement is a good sign that the Avastin is working and if his body tolerates it well, he may even get a couple years out of it.

The grandmas get lots of sleepovers, but I don't think my dad would be able to handle that, lol. My dad has never been a cuddly type of grandpa with the kids...he has a very serious, old fashioned, straight-forward personality. But I don't think there's anything in the world he loves more than his granddaughters though. Once the weather warms up a little, I'm going to bring the kids over to his house to go fishing in the creek that runs behind his house. He'll love that. They'll go mushroom hunting with us too, but I figure they'll whine and complain a lot (well, at least the little one will). Dad doesn't care much for complaining either, ha.

 

[ninnymary]

Are the kids to much for him if he spends the weekend with you? I know that kids are for many older grandparents. Their noise and energy is just too much for them.

Mary

 

[Nyboy]

I found everytime I have a puppy I became much neater and a lot better about putting things away could be a good excuse for girls to put away their toys when done playing with them. I find the mouthness one of the hardest things to break a puppy of. Have you tried vinegar in spray bottle ? Everytime she starts using her mouth on you spray mix of vinegar and water in her mouth.Some people use Tabasco sauce instead of vinegar