happy halloween!

it's been a while - very busy at work with long days, then long walks with pup and full weekends. fall is my busiest time of year, and i do love the weather, since it's now cool enough for pup to be outside without overdoing in the heat. and the walks are better for both of us, because she doesn't flop down in the middle of it to rest, discounting any aerobic advantage.

my sweet pup has been doing well, although a little off and needing a bit of pred here and there. the gutters were installed, and a few days after she needed a boost - she looked draggy and wasn't finihsing her meals. the look on her face is so obvious to me now - she actually gets circles under her eyes, has droopy lids, and has a glazed over expression. then after the pred, she pops back to normal, looks happy and ready to play. amazing stuff and thank the heavens for it! her percorten is backordered through the manufacturer AGAIN, so i'm having to get it from the vet's, again. i wonder what the heck is going on - we need it to keep our babes alive! can't they make it any faster?? i wonder what's up...

the garden is shaping up, and i'm getting the last few chores done before the freeze comes, although i'm sure some things will have to be left for spring. i went to a local home improvement store, and as i walked into the garden center, the bundled-up cashier muttered like a shifty watch salesman, "all the plants are a buck a piece." i stopped in my tracks, turned to her and said "you. are. kidding me." "nope, a buck a plant. everything has to go!" this, my friends, is a wet dream for me - i love to garden, but budgets are tight, and i usualy do a plant swap or divide what i've got to satisfy my planting needs. actual real large plants for $1. amazing

i got a cart and started cruising the aisles - 18" pots and smaller, all $1! clematis, miscanthus, hosta, juniper, blue spruce, cedar - i was in heaven! i decided on 3 huge juniper bushes and 2 gorgeous plants i've forgotten the names of - little yellow flowers, and it sort of looks like giant thyme. whee! that's the time to shop, ladies and gents, post-season! what a coup. my yard is slowly becoming what i imagine.

and now it's halloween! my neighborhood is pretty fun - there are lots of kids, and more than a few houses decorate, putting out our beacons to tell the booguns where the treats are. not much tricking, but most of the kids are young. i bet that changes as they get older and more mischeivious. i remember buying shaving cream and multiple packs of toilet paper, and thinking that no one would know what we were up to! ah, the innocence of youth.... i try to be one of the houses with the good stuff - chocolate, peanutbutter cups, super sour stuff. none of those icky gumdroppy thing in my bowl!

i hope i have satisfied the little devils for another year.

xxoo!

a kind of heaven

not much to report on the pupfront lately, so i guess no news is good news. she does, however, have her very first hotspot, and i've foudn some home remedies to try before giving up and taking her to the vet. ui should have more faith, but with her immune system compromised, anything she gets takes the big guns to get rid of. otherwise, she's been in great health - eating and sleeping and pooping and running and barking like a healthy pup should.

i've been doing more house stuff - new garden fence, tall enough to keep pup from scrambling over to get to the outer fence and the alley full of people and trucks and cars to bark at. the posts are about 6 feet tall, so i can hang lanterns or plants or windchimes. and more space for a bigger garden in better sun.

the new roof protected us well from the latest storms, so that means the bathroom ceiling gets to be fixed. it's very satisfying to get so much accomplished. my home is becoming my biggest, best project. only a few more weeks ntil the hard frost comes, so i have to get a move on with my crocus bulbs, and raking, and cleaning up the garden, and preparing new plots for next year. wouldn't it be lovely to have all the time in the world to do only what you wanted to do? what is that like, to determine one's own schedule, to not have demands of any kind except your very own? i wonder if i'll ever be able to retire and try it out...

sounds like a kind of heaven to me.