A Busy Week!

We took a few days off last week.  Rather than kicking back and doing nothing, we drove to Brenham to buy roses, spent the better part of a day working in the church garden, and participated in a bicycle ride for breast cancer.  It was a busy few days, but very very nice! 
Click here to check out our update from this year's Mamma Jamma ride for breast cancer.

I've been sewing and crocheting and will post some new 'project' pictures soon.

I'll also post some pictures from the sanctuary garden soon, but for now, here are some from the prayer garden.  It has been lovely even through the summer heat!

Teaching Oscar Charity

After I wrote the post to show my cake decorating, I realized that I did have something of else of interest to share (at least for you dog lovers out there.) This week, we took in a loose dog who was wandering around our front yard. He was a beautiful, sweet-tempered miniature dachshund. He was a dapple--a lovely black, silver, and brown mix.

Well, we couldn't leave him outside, so we tried to let him spend the night gated in our guest bathroom. Mark, Oscar, & I went to bed in our room as usual. After about an hour of barking & whining in stereo (our guest & Oscar), we gave up and let him out. Oscar settled down in our bed as usual and our guest slept on Oscar's bed beside us. Then, we all had quite a restful night.

Oscar was pretty clear with this guest that he was not exactly welcome. Oscar didn't really do anything mean, didn't bite or anything like that. But, he did seem to find other ways to make it clear that the food was his, the toys were his, the house was his, etc. I patiently explained to Oscar that we were just sheltering this dog temporarily; that we were being charitable neighbors and that we would want someone to take Oscar in if he were ever temporarily lost (Oscar's response was that he only lets us out of his sight to go to work & church and we pretty much have a curfew, so how on earth would we ever misplace him--I actually think he was mortified at the thought!). Oscar also reminded me that he makes a donation once a year to Central Texas Dachshund rescue and as far as he's concerned, that should be good enough!

When all was said & done though, the two dogs got along fairly well. They mostly slept during the heat of the day (Oscar on my lap & our guest on the dog bed on the floor--according to Oscar, both of them exactly where they belonged). We found our guest's family the next afternoon (through Craig's List), and reunited him with them. I think I heard Oscar sigh relief when I brought our guest (Sammie) to the door. As Mark said, Oscar did okay as long as we treated Sammie like furniture, but the minute we talked to him, touched him, or gave him any attention at all, Oscar reminded us that we belonged to him and to no other dog. Isn't it nice to know you're loved?!?!

From farm animals to roses!

I haven't posted in a long time because there hasn't been much to share until now. This weekend we celebrated Hunter's (our great nephew) 1st birthday. At his mom's request, I made the cake a barnyard scene (complete with a farm dog--a dachshund of course)!

I had left over cake batter, so I made cupcakes. Since I was still in cake decorating mode, I practiced making icing roses. I have never been very good at making them, but I thought these turned out quite well!

Pet Blessing

Every summer, our church holds a service in the park followed by a picnic lunch. This year, a special 'Blessing of the Pets' was held prior to the service. Mark & I took Oscar to the park early so that he could get in a good walk, look for squirrels, and take a dip in the creek--all of which he enjoyed immensely. I really enjoyed the Pet Blessing and appreciate the pastors' willingness to do this. Oscar got to stay for the church service in the park & the picnic, because he behaved reasonably well--not as well as I had hoped but certainly better than I expected (he barked here and there, but never too long or too loud at one stretch!)

The service was lovely and we enjoyed visiting with friends during the picnic. I don't think Oscar knew how much being blessed & having to be quiet would take out of him--he has slept ever since we got home!

Now we're on to the work week and the month of July.

How to Tell When Your Dog Needs Therapy

Words can't really describe this. Click below to see what Oscar thinks of the pillows that came with our new sofa.

(By the way, you'll thank me that these are mere snippets of episodes that went on & on & on & on....)

Convalescing Oscar

As is often the case with long little doggies, Oscar somehow suffered a little back injury recently. As part of the recovery, we've re-introduced him to the crate (which we call his 'den'). He hated this idea as a pup, so we were a bit skeptical about trying it again. But as good dog parents, we decided to persevere knowing that it was good for him.

This all started out pretty iffy. During the first few days, he'd go in to get a treat, but clearly had no intention of staying. We took him to visit Mom & Dad and endured 2 hours (1 hour each way) of non-stop barking & whining since we made him travel in the 'den'. While in Temple, we very cleverly decided to leave him in the back bedroom with only the floor & 'den' as his napping choices, accomplishing this by removing all of the chairs from the room. Upon our return, Mark spied through the window to see which choice Oscar had made. The good news--he chose the 'den'. The bad news--he was ON TOP of it rather than inside it. Obviously, this dog doesn't know what is good for him.

But, we all persevered. By the first weekend, we could put him in the 'den' and leave for a few hours. By the end of the second week, he was choosing to stay in the 'den' most of the time--especially while I worked from home.

Now, several weeks later, he seems quite improved physically(though he's not sure why we won't let him jump on anything and have severely curtailed walks and lizard hunts), and his 'den' is his new favorite spot! So, you can teach an older (8 ) dog and his owners a new trick!

And, as you can see from the pictures below, he's quite content.

Trust me, he's in there!

Family Visiting

We just made a quick trip to Lafayette and had a great time visiting our niece & nephew & great-niece & great-nephew! Audrey is 14 mos now and is as cute as can be (just like her mom)! We enjoyed getting a chance to visit with her & Ana and also enjoyed meeting Ana's boyfriend, Daniel. We were lucky to get 2 visits with Chris & Heidi--and I sure enjoyed holding Julien (adorable one month old) through most of supper Friday night! An added bonus to our trip was coffee with my aunt Suzie, her Mom and her brother.

Our friends & neighbors checked on Oscar for the one night & day that we were gone--we always appreciate how good they are to the boy. Unfortunately soon after our return, Oscar apparently injured himself so we're trying to help him convalesce this week (more on that later). I'm convinced he's trying to guilt-trip me into NEVER leaving him alone again.

While Oscar was resting yesterday, we met my uncle Terry and friends, Paul & Jean, who were motorcycling in the hill country. We took them out through Willow City Loop --the day was a bit warm, but the view was spectacular! Then we enjoyed lunch, a little window shopping, and some visiting in Fredericksburg!

And while we have been visiting and Oscar has been resting, the garden has been growing! Here's a picture of the carrots and onions we harvested after our trip to Lafayette. I'll add some new pictures to the 'Armadillo Pfarms 2010' slideshow later this week--check there if you'd like to see the progress of our corn and other veggies.

We rounded out the family part of our week by spending the day with Mark's folks. Then we ended our vacation week with the 14 mile route of the Armadillo Hill Country Classic--a great annual bike ride in Liberty Hill.

Smokin' Spokes & More!

I've let long lapses occur between blog posts, and every once in a while I consider discontinuing the blog. However, just about the time I'm convinced no one is reading, someone will mention that they've enjoyed a post or a photo album. So, on the outside chance that someone out there is reading from time to time, I'll keep posting from time to time.

I've a few things to tell about starting with a great bike ride in Salado at the end of March. If you enjoy bike rides, Mark and I strongly recommend the Salado Smokin' Spokes ride benefitting the volunteer fire department. It is a well-organized, well-supported ride through a lovely area--and it starts and ends in Salado so what more could you want? We were happy to have much better weather this year (cold & windy last year), and because of that, I finished the ride in much better time this year. We did the 16 mile route and followed that up with a cup of coffee at Roy T's. Roy T's is a great stop for coffee & a beignet or other pastry--it's just off IH35, so you don't have to be a cyclist to enjoy a break there. The ride was also held on the same day as the Salado art show. We enjoyed the fine paintings, pottery, etc. but I was mostly delighted to come home with Billy. (Doesn't he look great in our herb garden?)
You can see more pictures from the ride by clicking on the 'Smokin' Spokes 2010' album at the right.

Speaking of gardens, our 'Back 40' ('feet', that is) is jam-packed this year. We are starting to harvest our carrots and the onions shouldn't be far behind. Our grape tomatoes, bell peppers, and jalapenos are growing nicely. As you can see from the picture of Billy above, the herbs are coming along too. We have both strawberries and blackberries starting to produce and corn (yes, corn!) is growing along the back fence. It truly is amazing to see what you can do in a small space. You can see more garden pictures in the 'Armadillo Pfarms' album at the right.

Making life easier

Well, I don't usually write about disability stuff, but have decided these three items are worth mentioning.

First is the handcycle. If you know anyone who can't ride a regular bike but wants to get out and enjoy cycling, a handcycle is just the thing. My lean-steer Freedom Ryder is one of the best investments I've ever made. It's great for long bike rides with Mark, but also great for neighborhood walks. For folks who don't have a lot of trunk stability, pivot steer handcycles work great too.

Second are foldable forearm crutches. I use the wheelchair for work or long distances and the crutches for short distances. I don't like being too far from my crutches--you never know when you might need to leave a place in a hurry, right? But, then I don't like the crutches being in the way either. Well, I found these foldable crutches--Mark and I went to a play the other night and instead of my crutches being stored in the box office or being placed in the way of other patrons, we simply folded them and stored them under my seat! 'Nifty' is the word.

Third is my new sewing machine. I used to sew like this: Put the foot pedal on the table; place elbow on the foot pedal; use hands to hold material while sewing and at the same time use elbow to control the machine speed. Now I sew like this: move the lever to the desired speed and push the 'Start/Stop' button to sew. So, my hands can manage the material while I manage the speed and starting & stopping with a simple push of a button--and the foot pedal is still in the box! Now that's nifty! Perhaps no one else is surprised that you can get a machine with a start/stop button, but I only found that out recently, and in case some other person with a disability is looking for an easier way to sew, I thought it worth mentioning. I have the Janome AQS2009 , but Brother also has a machine with a start/stop button.

If anyone with a disability runs across this post, let me know what you think!

A Mitchell pFamily Vacation

The three of us visited Canyon of the Eagles this past week. (It's great that they allow dogs, but we recommend this place to everyone!) As usual, we had a great time there—enjoying the peace & quiet (except for when Oscar was barking at buzzards or other wildlife). I always enjoy seeing the variety of birds--black-capped vireos & an abundance of cardinals. Oscar was quite excited at seeing a LARGE raccoon (through the window, thank goodness!) A highlight again this year was seeing the bald eagles. Mostly though, we enjoyed the relaxed setting. On the way home, we detoured to Colorado Bend State Park. We took at rather lengthy hike there and have decided this would be a nice place to camp some time--it is lovely.

We spent the second half of the week at home, enjoying leisurely mornings and afternoons in the garden. We worked in the garden some, Mark played the mandolin a bit, I crocheted and sewed--basically, we hit the right mix of doing nothing and doing something! It was a nice week off and we're already talking about how and when we'll spend our next break from work.

Well, they say 'a picture is worth a thousand words', so if you’d like to see some pictures from our week, you can Click Here

Upgrading our Rain Barrel!

Well, it's finally finished! I painted our rain barrel and, though it isn't great art, I had a great time with this project. I'm looking around for other things to paint--Mark's volunteered the metal trash cans in the yard, so I'm thinking about design options. We also have some yard gnomes (all grey) that need some sprucing up, so they're on the list too! (Chris, I'm taking your advice and staying away from Uncle Mark's truck--much to his relief!)

Before you set a trap, read this....

I haven't put up a post in a long time--and even though there have been a lot of good things in the interim (e.g., Thanksgiving, Christmas with family, great nieces & nephews growing up, etc.), I'm NOT going to write about something pleasant. They say writing can be therapeutic, so I'm going to give that a shot and write about the rather disturbing events that have occurred here...

It all started a few days ago when Oscar was alerted to a rustle in the jasmine. Then I had a 'sighting' of something furry--and was too realistic to hope it was a bunny. We are in the suburbs, but aren't that far from the creek and fields--so field mice & rats, yes, rats (can you say 'ewww') do come through the yard. Well the 'rustle' came and went, and it was outside afterall, so nothing happened for a few days. Then as we were retiring for the night last night, we heard the 'critter' again. Mark was really tired, and probably could have just gone on to sleep. Oscar was pretty excited at the prospect of a 'critter' to hunt (dachshunds are hounds you know!). But I was more than a little upset, so my loving husband went out into the dark & cold and set out both our live trap and the rat trap. I point this out to make it clear who has the responsibility for this incident--I guess I made Mark an 'accessory', but I have to admit that it was really my doing.

Again, great husband that he is, Mark checked the traps before he left for work and found them both empty. Oscar and I went back to bed and were awoken about an hour later with the snap of the trap. Other than a lot of relief and a little guilt, this should be the end of my story. But alas, things are never easy... This was not the end of the rat, so it isn't the end of my story. Now I needed to find a way to put the rat out of his misery (and my misery too!) Oscar volunteered (rather enthusiasticaly!) to take care of the rat for me, but I watched him murder a squirrel a few years back and honestly that's a hard thing for a 'mom' to take. Plus it seemed really wrong to let him go after a trapped critter. I considered hitting the rat with a broom and even went outside with the broom in my hand. But it all seemed too brutal, and I just couldn't see myself beating this rat to death--even if now my motives were good (it seems a kind thing to want to end the rat's struggle--until you remember that it is your fault he's struggling in the first place!)

So by that time - I was crying, I am pretty sure the rat was crying, and Oscar was crying too (The rat and I were crying because neither of us wanted to be involved in what was happening; Oscar was crying because he was being left out!). In the end I dropped a rock on the rat (which in immediate hindsight didn't really seem less violent than whacking him with a broom). Then I wondered if he had a wife, kids maybe... Then I thought about how hard it had been for me to watch Oscar kill that squirrel, and I wondered how he was feeling now after watching his 'mother' murder a rat! Will have to watch for signs of doggy trauma.

Is my story over now? Well just about. But I need to tell you that I didn't think this all the way through from the time I sent Mark out to set that trap. And I tell you this so that you can learn from my mistake. It is one thing to order the kill--another thing altogether to have to finish the job yourself! And then comes--disposing of the body. Well, luckily I've had a little practice in this.... When Oscar murdered the squirrel, Mark put the critter in a paper bag and disposed of him that way. So, using the grabber that I use to get to things that are out of my reach, I stood as far away as possible (took my glasses off so that I couldn't get a clear picture of the poor rat body) and put the rat & the trap (did I tell you that he was stuck in the trap through all of this?) into a paper bag and then threw it all (including the grabber!) in the outside trash can.

So other than the lingering guilt--this is the end of my story. The rat is dead & disposed of. I'm feeling bad for his little rat life that I cut short--and for his family. I've checked the front yard a couple of times to be sure the PETA protestors haven't arrived yet. When they come, there'll be no denying this--I feel far too guilty.... and then there's the matter of the evidence in our trash can.