Gives "Sicker Than a Damn Dog" a Whole New Meaning!

Ramses was sick this weekend.

I mean really sick.

I mean, "Oh, God! Please don't die" sick.

I have no idea what he got into. If I didn't know better, it was almost like poison. Certainly, it was something he ate. But, since he doesn't have access to anything not given to him by my own hand, it's a mystery.

It started on Friday night / Saturday morning in the middle of the night. I've heard horror stories from friends about their dog having to go out several times during the night. That's not Ramses. He's all about going to bed when I do and getting up when I do unless I get up early in which case, he opens one eye, groans, rolls on his back and goes back to sleep. I guess he's hoping it's just a bad dream and I'll be back in bed soon.

By mid-morning on Saturday, he was throwing up ~ a lot! Every time he ate anything he pitched it right back up. He was keeping nothing down. Oh, uck! He was unsteady on his feet. He had no energy. His clown spirit was broken. The worst part was he kept looking at me like, "I feel like hell. Do something."

By Saturday night, he was keeping water down. But, he looked like hell. His hair was all askew; a rumpled mess. A nauseous, disheveled mess. It was hideous.

On Sunday, I was in tears with worry. And, then it hit me. Chicken soup!

I made fresh chicken rice soup for Ramses on Sunday morning. I gave it to him in one cup servings. By Monday night, he was on the mend. He was still a little unsteady on his feet yesterday, but this morning, he semi-bounded up the stairs.

His clown spirit is back. His eyes are sparkly. And, his grin in working order and back where it belongs.

A girl and her dog! All is right with the world!

Chicken soup! Miracle cure, par excellence. Three thousand years of mothers can't be wrong.

Day 61 Everyday Grateful ~

Cool this morning.

Ramses is better.

All is right with the world!

Perfect Seattle Early Spring Weather ~ Oh, wait! It's Almost July!

I refuse to turn the heat on in the summer! But, yikes! It's been cold and damp here for several days. Perfect napping weather. Hard to get motivated weather.

This weekend, I smoked a bunch of wild salmon. Got them all sealed and into the freezer.

At the bottom of the image,
the 5 thicker pieces were from my friend
Mary's son's Washington coast fishing trip!

This morning? The perfect breakfast!

And, while I was making the perfect breakfast, Ramses was taking a morning nap. Oh. brother! That dog! He keeps forgetting his is not allowed on the sofa. The worst part of that? He matches so well, he's practically in camo!

Back to work.

Day 55 Everyday Grateful ~

Rainy. Really rainy. Cold. Damp.

 Sheesh, it's June for God's sake!

Don't Read This ~ You've Been Warned!

A while ago, I told you about what a hairy hound Ramses is. Well, the last few days have been very warm in Seattle and ~ how can I put this delicately? Ramses has started to blow his coat. If you recall my blogpost of May 16, I discussed His Supreme Hairiness in (I'm sorry) excruciating detail.

Today makes that post read like Ramses is a Mexican Hairless! Especially because I'm having friends for dinner and he's a complete shedding fool. Professional, even!

So, here's what is happening. This evening, my exchange student from China who stayed here last summer while she interned at Microsoft is coming to dinner with her mother. Eme graduated from university a little while ago and her mother came to see the ceremony. Eme is starting work at Microsoft, has rented her apartment and is ready to go. She wanted us to meet her mother before she goes back to China the first of the week.

My neighbor Chuck is particularly fond of her. His hectic travel schedule sometimes makes coordination of festivities difficult. But, good news! He and his girlfriend are available tonight to see Eme and her mother.

So, I've been doing all the things people do who are having others over for dinner ~ blow off the driveway, the courtyard and back decks, mow the weensy patch of lawn, make the shopping list for dinner and hors d'oeuvres and vacuum.

Good thing my napkins are ironed (God, that Heidi! She's such a little overachiever! :-), but . . .

Whoa! What the hell is Ramses' coat doing? As fast as I vacuum it up, the more the hair literally blows off his body. Oh, jeez! He's blowing his coat. I know, I'll give him a quick brush/comb. Oh dear God! It's time to go nuclear. A major attack is required. So, for the last hour, I've been brushing/combing Ramses. The horrifying thing is I have this mondo pile of feather-soft apricot undercoat (see above) and he could really benefit from another hour of combing. But, if I spend another hour combing him, I won't be ready for dinner at 6:00.

So, I'm going to call it good (that's an optimistic view ~ read fairy tale) and get back to work.

Mmmm, I wonder if there's a cottage industry in constructing hairnets for dogs?

"Oh, I can't think about this now! I'll go crazy if I do! I'll think about it tomorrow. I'll think about later . . .  when I'm at Tara" . . . right now, it's shopping, preparation for dinner and another quick vacuum.

I'll report in later . . .

Day 51 Everyday Grateful ~

Such a gorgeous sunny day. Warm, still, bright. 

Friends over for dinner.

Logan is in rehearals for Rent!

Happy!

http://www.amazon.com/Gone-Wind-Margaret-Mitchell/dp/0446365386

http://thefairhero.blogspot.com/2012/05/wow-what-great-dog-does-he-shed-much.html

It's Flora, Fauna and Merryweather 24 Hours a Day Around Here!

So, I've been working on a couple of projects all day and have been out of the studio. Usually Ramses goes in the car with me since he thinks we have a collegial relationship and not an owner/property one, but I left him home to read the Great Books or whatever dogs do when you aren't around.

I had taken him out to potty just before I left for my 10:00am meeting. When I got back about 3:00pm, I took him out again. Well, he was very interested in a spot of ivy. So much so that I decided to have him leave whatever he was interested in alone. As I grabbed him collar, the something he was interested in moved the ivy leaves.

Upon closer inspection ~ bunnies!

Another nest of baby bunnies in a new place in the garden.When my friend Zen likened my backyard to Northwest Trek, I scoffed. But, now, it feels a little like Flora, Fauna and Merryweather are leading tour groups through my yard! Very alive, alive oh!

Yes, I know bunnies are nothing but dinner for something larger and in some places are considered vermin, B*U*T, I love having bunnies in the garden. There is something kindah tender and sweet about them.

Day 42 Everyday Grateful ~

Drizzly in the morning,

Bright in the afternoon!

Worked on lots of small projects

Bunnies in the garden!

Lovely.

Wow! What a Great Dog! Does He Shed Much?

You know how when you're listening to the radio and the announcer says, "this next story contains subject matter which may be distressing to some listeners?"

Well, this blog post may be distressing to some readers who have a low tolerance for eeeeuuuuwww things. If you do, stop reading now and tune in tomorrow.

More about Ramses:

As you know, he's a massive dog. Not in the 200# variety, but in the 140# variety. Ramses is a Leonberger. It's an old German breed from Leonberg, Germany. It was bred to be the town mascot ~ the Lion Dog. Lion City, Lion Dog. Get it?

Bred in the middle of the 19th Century, Ramses' forebears were Newfoundland, Great Pyrenees, and St. Bernard dogs. Noble, hairy dogs all. They actually only have one flaw. They drool. Not just drool, mind you. They are professional droolers.

Their drool can be found on lampshades, on the ceiling cornice moulding, on the ceiling fan as it spins over the dining room table, across the Dutch master oil painting you found for $5.00 at Goodwill, on the seat of your pants, down the inside of your thigh, running down the windows in your car.

While I consider myself an evolved person, I'm sooooo not into drool.

Leonbergers don't drool. Ramses is the perfect dog. Well, there is one thing. He sheds. Leonbergers "blow their coats" a couple of times a year. This is where you have to really love euphemisms. When I say blow their coat, I mean sacks full of hair, vacuum canisters emptied three times full of hair; I mean, when they got up from the floor, they leave a dog body print of clumps of hair on the floor, the carpet. The carpet in my bedroom looks like a terrifying pilly sweater.

They are professional shedders.

And, their hair is like cashmere. Ramses' undercoat is this wonderful apricot colour. Every time I'd throw out a giant bag of hair, I'd think, "this is so wonderful, it's a shame to pitch it out."

Well, over the years, I'd watch my good friend Grita turn fibers of all kinds into glorious needlecraft. I asked her if she spun. Yes, in fact, she did. I told her about Ramses' hair. And, she allowed as how she'd like to give spinning it a try. She pronounced it lovely.

I now have an outlet for all the hair produced by my big hairy hound. Of course, it is beginning to feel a little like taking straw to the miller's daughter to spin into gold, but, so far, she doesn't cringe when I bring her a couple of sacks.


Over the years, I've given her enough of Ramses' hair to spin the wool for a Russian army officer's great coat with matching trousers and vest. Bales!

A while ago, she presented me with a scarf woven from Ramses' hair. Wow! It's fantastic. The warp is linen ~ sort of a deeper than cinnamon, lighter than oxblood red. The weft is all Ramalator! It's gorgeous.

There's only one problem . . .

When people comment on how pretty my scarf is and ask what it is made of, I always wonder what the right answer is. "Dog" feels like a bit of a conversation stopper. I'm working on it.

Day 32 Everyday Grateful ~

Sunny, bright, still. Happy.

More Babies in the Garden!!!!

A little while ago, I think I mentioned my little bird housing development on the wall just outside my kitchen window.

Did I mention Mr. and Mrs. Neat Black Cap coming by to check out the accommodations?

OK, OK, I admit it ~ I loved the romantic idea of having baby birds just outside my window.

Well, over the last week or so, every time I'd go out onto the back deck or take Ramses out to the backyard, there is a flurry of LBB (little brown birds) fluttering into the pink dogwood or up onto the beams supporting the roof. Vigilant. Minor birdy scolding.

This morning when I was out on the back deck and started to walk back to the dining room ~ bingo! Mr. or Mrs. Neat Black Cap flew out of the little bird house. On closer inspection, there was much nesting material flowing out of the little house on the left.

Shhhh ~ Babies!!!

Day 27 Everyday Grateful ~

the doors open to the back deck,

baby birds in the garden,

the air is still ~

a sunny beautiful afternoon.

Thankful.

Perfect Seattle Weather

Oh, it's been cool and drizzly and misty and even a little foggy for the last few days. The riot of daffodils is beginning to whisper. They are nodding their heads and just about to say, "see you next year."

Ramses and I have been doing little garden things. The cobalt blue pots on the path from the bottom of the garden have been rejuvenated, the soil tossed about, fluffed and fertilized. Annuals have been added to the perennials for a splash of light. The path is a lovely curve and in the evening, the motion detector lights the way.

I have such a romantic notion of what a garden is. Certainly, it's fragrant. The blooms on the lilac hedge along the low front fence are abundantly copious. Fragrant as all get out.

I was reminded again of the importance of garden art and handsome colourful pots in the garden ~ empty or full, they are like accessories on a very plain dress. They add spice! On the way up the driveway to the mailbox, I love the little black iron window grates with the silhouettes of dancers suspended in them.

I like looking through them to see the large glazed terra cotta architectural salvage cornice pieces leaning up against the trees in the corner of the yard.

Quiet and beautiful.

I like the large turquoise glazed terra cotta urns by the hot tub. The wonderful terra cotta elephant is losing his glaze, but I like him all the more for it. The reclaimed teak duck is from the Bear and Laura. The whole grouping is just such a festive, cheerful tableau.

The volcanic stone pot at the end of the pergola has such a wonderful ancient quality. I love it in the winter with small lights in the privet. Friendly.





I picked some greens from around the garden for my entry table. In a couple of days, I'll bring in an armload of lilacs. But, for now, I love knowing they are out there being fragrant and inviting.

Ramses has been doing his dog-job ~ guarding me. And, it's a lot of work requiring frequent naps.

Day 23 Everyday Grateful ~ Quiet day. Snoring dog.

Misty morning. Thankful.

The Old Tree

It's a blustery day.

The sun is out. The shadows are long.

The wind pushes the branches around.

The branches sigh.

The tall grass in the field bends to the ground.

The dandelions nod.

The clouds race across the sky.

The sun is behind the clouds.

The shadows disappear.

The old maple outside my studio window stands silently.

It's seen seventy-five years of blustery springs.

Sunny summers.

Warm falls and rainy wet Seattle winters.

It's old limbs are clad in thick Pacific Northwest moss.

When the sun is out, the moss glows with shannon green.

Now . . . a mysterious deep olive drab.

The old maple doesn't care.

Ramses doesn't care. This summer he will lie in the cool grass under the shade of the old tree.

All's right with the world . . .

Day 22 Everyday Grateful ~ Quiet day. Snoring dog.

Bunny hopping off to bunny-work. Thankful.

Holy Mackerel! It's a Gully Washer!

Today, I've been working on a project from early when I got up. When I took Ramses out to leave his card, the air was misty and warm. The birds were 'cha cha cheep, cha cha peeping' like crazy. My kitchen garden was happy with all its little herbs coming up. My Italian and curly parsley wintered over and are getting robust, green and happy. I did laugh when I noticed that every one of my pots had several kinds of mint in it. Talk about the life force! My pot of mints from last year have invaded the other pots. Little thugs. It's even crowded out my sages. These guys mean business! So far, my basil has escaped the invasion. But, I must be vigilant!

Then ~ about fifteen minutes ago, a giant thunderclap!  Followed immediately by a professional gully washer. How fantastic! In Seattle, we don't usually have hard rain, rarely thunder storms. We're famous for not using umbrellas much. Mostly we keep our "bumbershoots" in the closet for guests when they visit. Yes, around here rain is usual a gentle drizzle. But just now? Mais non!

Stunning! My street looked like a river. The water on the road actually had a current, forgodsake! And, the rain was pouring off the roof so hard and fast, it was running off the sides of the roof because the drain spouts were overwhelmed.

Kindah exciting.

Though I did walk around the house to see if there were any leaks in the ceiling. I have a mid-century house with a tongue and groove car decking pine ceiling. It's notorious for leaking. So far so good.



And, now it's over. Back to work . . .

Day 19 Everyday Grateful ~ What an amazing rain!

My little kitchen garden is looking damn fine!

Wonderful new project. Excellent! And, very  happy!

Ramses' First Book ~ I Wish I Were a Wolf

Day 16 Everyday Grateful ~ Sunny!
Cleaning off the conference
table in my studio;
French doors open;
music from the speakers in the courtyard.