For Your Halloween Viewing Pleasure

Have a frightfully fun day!!!

Boo Boo!!!

No, this is not my Halloween post. It's the continuing sage of Little Miss Maggie, the very expensive Scottish Terrier!!!! I knew that she was having trouble with one of her nails, so when I took her to her bi-weekly spa day treatment (I kid you not!) I asked the girls if they would check it out. When I picked her up later in the afternoon, they said that her dew claw was split right in two. I took her right over next door to our vet's office. They own the grooming salon/kennel so it's really handy. Our vet took it right off, wrapped it up and gave her antibiotics. "Keep it clean and don't let it get wet!" Has he seen the weather reports? Anyway, I have to keep an eye on it but it should heal just fine. I read up on dew claws and I guess some breeders remove them and some don't. Since it's really easy to remove them when they are first born and can cause problems later I can't imagine anyone not removing them. If I'm wrong, let me know. It had been so long since we had owned a puppy that I didn't even think to ask about them.

I always used to give her "dental cleaning type green bones" (don't want to give product name here because I have no problems with them per se) but they started making her sick so I had to stop. So now at some point I'll have to take her in for teeth cleaning and they'll put her out for the procedure. When that happens I'll have them remove all her dew claws.


Is this the most pitiful looking little puppy you have ever seen? This certainly has not been her year. I should make her a little cardboard sign, "Will bark for medicine!"

Move over Six Million Dollar Man and Six Million Dollar Woman! Here comes the Six Million Dollar Scotty!!!! Oh, how I wish I could put her on my insurance plan!!!!!

I hope none of you think that Maggie is not well cared for since she has had so many problems this past year. On the contrary, I tend to take her in to be checked even if it's something minor. She eats the best food I can buy her. She is shown lots of love all the time and lives in the lap of luxury. My theory is that if you have a pet take care of it. It involves expenses. If you can't afford to properly care for them, don't have a one. That should be a no-brainer. I'm really black and white on the issue of pet ownership, no gray area! Pets depend on us to take care of them. My daughter just got a rescue dog, Bella. She's the sweetest little thing and sort of looks like Toto from the Wizard of Oz. Whoever owned her really did a number on her. This poor little dog is so very afraid of new people and still hasn't warmed up to me. When I go over there she hides under the bed. I can't let her be around Maggie as she is so timid and Maggie is so, shall we say, out there that she would be frightened. She cringes and hides when you pick up a broom. I get so angry even thinking about what someone must have done to her to make her like she is. But with lots of love and patience, I know she'll eventually come around.

So if you want unconditional love, get a dog. But, that means giving unconditional love in return!

I Love My Dog, However.....

I think all of you know that I love my dog, Maggie. She has turned out to be just a little sweetheart and I cannot imagine life without her.

I love her when she's all grown up and acting like a sophisticated world travelor.

I loved her when she was an adorable little bear of a puppy.

I love her when she's acting like a clown

And I love her when she's acting like a sophisticated little lady.

HOWEVER!!

Maggie has one little idiosyncrasy that I don't like. She does not like to go outside to go potty in the rain. Does not like it at all. As in, won't go outside. "Nope, Mommy! I'm not going out there. I'll get my hair wet!"

I love rainy days. I love them because I can stay inside and snuggle in bed and read or watch a good movie with a cup of tea. Nothing better. But, Maggie is raining on my parade, pardon the pun! So what do I have to do on a rainy day like today? Get out the leash, hook her up, grab the umbrella and take her out front for a walk in the rain so she can sniff the grass and get "inspired". Our first scotty, Marjorie, was the same way. I wonder if it's a Scottish Terrier "thing?"

So, if you are driving around Escalon and it's night time and it's raining and you see some crazy woman in her robe and slippers walking a Scottish Terrier wave when you go by. Yup! That would be me!! What I won't do for my dog!!

Have a wonderful week and if it's raining where you are, stay dry!!

My Front Porch

I thought I would show you what greets guests when they come to my house. This is an old worn desk that I bought here in town at The Green Pea. It has seen better days and won't get wet this winter so it's alright to keep it outside. I can change it up for the holidays.

The quilted piece is a table runner I made with my sewing group quite a few years ago. Like I've said, my home doesn't lend itself to oranges so it looks just fine outside, don't you think

This little pot is just waiting for the orange and black pansies to start blooming.

I wandered out back today and found a paperwhite narcissus blooming along with some pansies. They smell so incredibly sweet, I just love them.

My cold is still lingering so I think I'll go cuddle down in bed with a cup of tea. Have a wonderful day!

Fall Traditions

I'm sure most of you have fall traditions that are much better than mine. I always get sick in October. It's not that I plan it that way, it just happens. Death, taxes, getting sick in October.

Let me start with I love where I live. Escalon is a small town in central valley California. There is no traffic, it's quiet, and we are close to larger towns, like Modesto, if we want to go shopping or out to eat. I live in a track of homes with wide streets and nice neighbors. During the day there is usually no one around except for when the stay-at-home lady next door mows her lawn or the retired man across the street is working on something in his garage. We are in the city limits and just behind our fence is county property. We are surrounded on two sides by fields, horses, and orchards. This is an agricultural area with the main crops being almonds, walnuts with dairy farms thrown in as well.

The beauty of this area in the spring is beyond compare. Green, lush fields and beautiful almond blossoms are everywhere. That's not to say there isn't a down side. Everywhere you would want to live has a glitch. After the first of the year we can have days, months, when we don't see the sun because it's overcast. Then there is the fog. It will hang onto the ground and you cannot see the houses across the street or the cars driving towards you. It can be really scary if you are trying to commute to work. On those days now, I just stay home and wait for it to clear. The summer heat can be oppressing. My garden really starts to suffer by the end of summer so I always welcome the cool days of fall.

But with fall, comes the almond and walnut harvesting. I remember the first time I saw the huge piece of equipment that "knocks the nuts". It's like a tractor "thing" with huge claws on the front. The driver wraps the claws around the tree, flips a switch , and a "whole lot of shaking going on" happens. It was so funny looking the first time I saw it I almost ran my car off the road! Once the nuts are all shaken to the ground another piece of equipment comes along and scoops them up and they are off on their own little adventure.

This is where the story comes back to me being sick. Just imagine all those thousands of trees in those thousands of orchards that have not had any rain all summer (they get irrigated). Can you say dusty, dirty!?! Then imagine shaking all of that dust and dirt back into the air. The entire valley has a haze over it for weeks. Ergo, Jean gets a sinus infection. I don't care how much vitamin c or Airborne I take, I get sick. (We won't even talk about how dusty my house is - that's another post all of it's own!).

Do you remember watching I Love Lucy or The Dick Van Dyke Show when Lucy or Mary would be sick in bed and how glamorous they still looked? Well, that's not happening here. Pitiful, pitiful, pitiful! I get up in the morning and try not to look at myself in the mirror because, hey, I'm sick and vulnerable! I put on my bathrobe, make my tea and then I have to go get the paper in the driveway. I cautiously open the front door. If the neighbors are outside, I stay in. No need to frighten them and make them think Halloween is here early. Then when the coast is clear I make a mad dash out - drat, here comes a truck! Do not make eye contact and limp so the driver knows that I am sick and don't normally look like this.

So that's where I'm at right now. Drinking tea and looking at dust and waiting to feel better. But like the song goes, "I will survive!"

I hope you are all well and have a wonderful week ahead of you!!

Pacific International Quilt Festival

This past Thursday I went to the Pacific International Quilt Festival in Santa Clara. It's a "must go to" event every October. I ended up going alone this year, which is not necessarily a bad thing. I managed to miss most of the commuter traffic on the two hour trip from my house and got there just in time for the doors to open. When you are by yourself at something like this you can pace yourself like you want, miss the vendors who are selling items that are not your style and you get finished a lot sooner than if you are with a group. Not to say I don't enjoy going with other people. Most years my friend and I get a room at the hotel that is connected to the convention hall. We have lots of fun shopping, going back to our room for a quick nap, room service and doing it all over again the next day. There are many, many vendors to see and the show is extraordinary.

This young lady is Sherry Reynolds. She won a first place blue ribbon for her "Christmas All Around" quilt. I couldn't get a full picture of it as there were so many people oohing and aahing at it. Sherry is such a sweet and humble gal and was really taken aback by all the attention. Hopefully if you enlarge the picture you can see some of the extraordinary detail and workmanship she put into this work of art. I chatted with her for a few minutes and found out that she did the design, the piecing and the quilting all on her own. Plus she has been quilting for only five years!!!!! Amazing!!!!! It should have won best in show (no offense to the person who did).

As always, lots of vendors and lots of shoppers.

This was a shop copy of a pattern that I purchased. I hope to duplicate the colors.

Below are pictures of some of the many, many quilts that were displayed. I noticed that there was quite a bit of applique which seems to be a trend. I like the more traditional quilt designs rather than the "art quilts" but to each his own. Regardless of the style, the workmanship is amazing. Can you guess my favorite from the following pictures?

We're lucky here in California to have three great quilt shows. Road To California in January is in Southern California, The International Quilt Show in Long Beach is in July and Pacific International is in October! So many quilts, so little time!!!

Have a great weekend.

Fall Field Trip

My husband and I recently took my Mom, our grandson and Maggie to one of our favorite fall destination spots. It's called Apple Hill and is in the foothills near Placerville, California, about an hour and a half from our home. It's a scenic area with lots of apple farms that are open to the public in the fall. They sell everything apple and then some: mile high apple pies, caramel apples, apple cider, apple cider doughnuts and yes, even apples! You can drive around for hours and visit the farms, have lunch and just have a good old time. We've been going there for nearly 40 years and have our favorite spots. Nothing tastes better than eating a hot fresh doughnut from Rainbow Orchards on a picnic table under the apple trees in the rain. Ahhhhh, my kind of fun! Don't forget the pies at the Apple Pantry or the homemade caramel at High Hill Ranch. The list goes on and on! If you are anywhere near the area you should make a point to go. My advise? Go on a Friday. Saturdays and Sundays are crazy busy!!!

Our grandson and Maggie in front of an 800 pound pumpkin.

Watching the fun and eating a caramel marshmallow.


Everyone brings their dogs and Maggie had so much fun visiting them all.

Maggie trying to pick out a pumpkin.

Maggie making friends!

The fall colors are spectacular!!!

Beautiful apple trees.

Shiny, bright pumpkins.

Fall flowers - this is rudbeckia.

The chrysanthemums were blooming.

Scarecrows standing guard.

A restful spot!

It was a great day. The weather was perfect, cool and a little overcast. I hope you have somewhere near where you live where you can go and enjoy the season!

Help!!!!

I have my fall banner up and I need help! As you can see, the banner is too wide and goes into the side background area. I cannot for the life of me figure out what to change to fix it. I know I got into "edit html". However, I've tried changing different settings and numbers with no luck. Anyone out there know what to do?

Thanks so much!!!

Fall in California

It's fall here in California and we all know what that means. It's Pansy planting time! They are one of my very favorite flowers. The trick here is to get them in the ground while it's still a little warm out. Then you keep them pinched back for a while so they don't get leggy. By spring you will have a riot of color and enough flowers for little vases throughout the house and also for pressing into dried arrangements. You can also plant stock, calendulas, cyclamen, snap dragons, iceland poppies and violas. I tuck a few bulbs such as paper whites and tulips in the pots before planting the flowers. Don't forget to put in your sweet pea seeds as well. Mine are starting to sprout already.

When it starts to fill in I'll show you my fall planter I did out front. Dulce de Leche Coral Bells is a variety with orange on the upper part of the leaves and purple underneath. I put it in a pot with black and orange pansies along with a couple small pumpkins. Sweet!

Since I have so many pots I'm able to rotate what I am planting without having to take out what is still blooming. My vinca, begonias and impatiens are still going strong while my fall flowers are just starting. When they freeze back in a month or two, I'll clean them out and tuck them into my nursery area. Then in the spring, I'll be able to re-plant them early without having to take out the pansies.

For some reason or other I have problems with one pot of pansies every year. Same pot, same pansies, same marauding Scotty digging them out and sitting in the pot. After what we've gone through with Maggie, through, I'm not saying a word to her. She can rest wherever she wants!

Hugs!

Maggie Is Home!!!!!!

We just brought Maggie home from the veterinarian and we couldn't be happier! She's doing just fine and is running around like nothing happened.

We had picked up one of her favorite treats for her, a rawhide chew bone. She doesn't eat them, just carries them around the yard in her mouth and whines until she finds the best spot to bury them. There must be twenty or more of them buried all over. Can you see her little bandage? They had to shave her leg for the i.v..

We cannot thank all of you enough for all the prayers and well wishes on her behalf. The outpouring of love and concern has been overwhelming and very much appreciated. The blogger community is generous and loving and I am so proud and grateful to be a part of it. We'd also like to thank the staff at the Modesto Emergency Veterinary Hospital who rapidly assessed the situation and gave her immediate, loving attention. Her continued care was given by our regular veterinarians at the Escalon Small Animal Clinic. It says a lot when your animals love to go to the vet and are not a bit frightened. They have always treated Maggie like family.

This ordeal has been difficult for us as we are Maggie's caretakers and we feel we let her down on some level. Our promise is to be even more diligent to assure her continued safety and well being as an integral part of our family. I don't know what I would do without her.

Maggie sends her love and thanks as well!!!

Prayers for Maggie

**I just got off the phone with our local veterinarian's office. Maggie has been there all day on i.v.'s. She's resting comfortably and will be spending the night. They will be doing further blood work in the morning and if all is well, which they are expecting, she will come home, good as new! I'll continue to keep you updated. Thank you all for your continued prayers for my little girl!!!

Our dear little Maggie is very sick. Yesterday she ate a large quantity of raisins that had accidentally been left out. Raisins are poisonous to dogs and can cause renal failure even in small quantities. As soon as I realised what happened, I rushed her to our local emergency vet where they pumped her stomach. She has spent the night there on an i.v. and I'm about to go pick her up to take her to our local vet for further treatment. Please keep her in your prayers. She is such a large part of our family and I don't know what I would do without her. I'll keep you all posted on her progress.

If you have a dog, check out this website. It has a list of "people food" that is poisonous to dogs. Make sure you know what these items are and also make sure that your family members know as well. Our pets rely on us to protect and care for them.

Thank you all.