Bella visits the Vet

Best photo out of seven this morning

Bella has been panting heavily at strange times, such as middle of the night when it is not hot.

After turning to Dr Google, a vet appointment was made.

During the week, her respiration rate was recorded.

Friday was the day.

As it was the new vet, her latest vaccine certificate and

former test for Cushings were taken along.

The young vet was very nice and thorough:  heartbeat normal, teeth good.  It was decided that Bella should have blood tests

 and  x-rays.

She stayed all day.

$500 later, it was inconclusive.  She does have a slight respiratory infection and was given an antibiotic.

However, for a further $650 she can have further tests

that will probably be inconclusive.

Just once I'd like to visit a vet and have them say

Oh, she/he has such and such.

I'm a bit tired of tests to say what's not wrong.

Thus ends 'rant of the day'.

It's Spring!

Yes, we've been having a modicum of rain each week.  (Still in drought, though.)  Our reservoir dam is now up from only 1% to 4% capacity....lol!  And we continue on Level 4 water restrictions. 

BUT

even the little rain we've had has greened up everything.

Weeds are growing in profusion,

and the sounds of lawn mowers are heard once more!

Everything is bursting out in new growth.

New photinia leaves

Oleander 

the magnolia 'stick' has new leaves

We think gazanias

unknown--plant knowledge has come to an end.

Yes, all over town there are glorious plants.

Definitely Spring!

But someone should tell Mother Nature that

we're in the southern hemisphere--

Autumn begins on Sunday!

We think these are chuckle-worthy

Dui the Ever-ready

And the ain't cats.

Amazing the cooperation when there is a treat in sight.

As you know we have heaps of cats in our 'hood,

And Dui is always in hyper-mode scanning the area

for cats.

Our early morning walks are taken in the dark

lit by streetlights.

Cats usually appear as furry puddles with flattened ears

watching us intently

or sit upright like statues.

They know the dogs can't get them.

Dui always stops, glares and lunges to get them to run.  

(Cats that don't move are useless.)

On later walks,

Dui also stops, glares and occasionally lunges

at ain't cats.*

Ain't cats can be plant pots, water meters, shoes left by

a front door, garden ornaments, bit of rubbish, piles of

garden waste...…..

Dui is always at the ready to Stop, Glare and Lunge.

(and usually tangles the leads.....sigh.)

*Ain't Cats is the term SHE uses based on Stymie (The Little Rascals) who

once ate half a bucket of  Ain't Ice Cream before discovering it was lard.

Ready, Steady.....

GO!!!!

Time to leap into the weekend!

Have a good one!

Update!

Dui is back in action--we are changing vets, but that's another story.

Bella's strange behaviour was just that--strange behaviour.

Here's Dui in action this morning.

Thanks for all your wishes and POTP.

Dui and the Terrible, Horrible...

No Good, Very Bad Weekend.

(which affected everyone)

The first hint of something wrong.

Friday morning, Dui refused to walk around the track at the river.

He found a grassy patch and just ate grass.

He was not himself that morning.

And turned his nose up at dinner--

( it was sardine night!!!)

Saturday morning he was forced to did walk slowly 

around the track on a lead.

But showed no interest in anything.

Though he slept all day and refused all food all day,

 he did eat dinner.

Then exploded during the night from both ends.

(SHE doesn't recommend cleaning floors and carpets at 2 a.m.)

Sunday morning he seemed a bit better,

though still refused food and worse....water.

He slept most of the day.

Monday, he was extremely lethargic, 

only moving to change position.

However, by noon, he did have a drink.

At bedtime he ate a few tablespoons of pureed chicken and rice.

Happy to report this morning he ate more of the puree 

for breakfast, a biscuit, went for a walk--alert for cats--

and two 'good boy' treats!!

However, Bella is beginning to show the same symptoms.

Hope it won't be a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week!

Mud

Our river is very muddy and high at the moment.

Looks like the chocolate river in

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

The Water Dragon (log) is nearly submerged.

And there are lots of muddy puddles around the track.

Yesterday's mud song is the chorus of

The Hippopotamus Song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cGc8Lczn5E

(Sometimes bits of HER Early Childhood teaching leak out.)

Songs

Sometimes you are reminded of a song.

Dui

Mud, mud.....glorious mud.

There's nothing quite like it for cooling the blood.

So follow me, follow....

Down to the hollow...

And there let me wallow,

In glorious mud.

Blog Story

There was a link to WUSA on our blog the other day, about a tornado that hit the town where our auntie lives.

SHE looked at it and realised that the trail of destruction

was very close to her house, but SHE couldn't

enlarge the map and couldn't see how close it actually was.

An email was sent to see if they had any damage, and was assured that there were only branches down and the trash bins were found several houses down.

But a large tree had  fallen just a couple of houses up the street.

SHE sent  another email to our other auntie who lives

nearby, and had sent a few emails after the tornado,

but didn't mention it.

Auntie B also said she'd driven to Auntie D's house, about 20 minutes after the tornado and didn't notice a thing.

Auntie B also thought it was very funny the way the information came to us.

Do you have any Blog Stories?

Tell us, please.

This photo is just a reminder of whose blog this actually is.

A silver lining.....

Though we've only had a little rain,  our water supply dam is currently still at 1%, and we're still on level 4 water restrictions.

We live on the Central Plains--west of the Blue Mountains.

The east coast is flooding at the moment.

But the best news is:

So we're happy with our little bit of rain.

Rain

We've had very cool weather and RAIN.  Not a lot  of rain--not like the east coast which is flooding, but several inches of gentle, intermittent  rain.

Luckily, it has held off until we've had our Early Morning Walks

but then the rest of the days were more like:

It's stopped we'll go for another walk, 

oh no it hasn't, we might try later....

We missed the weekend meetings with our friends,

but were able to get out a bit.

This morning we went to the river.

The big puddle was almost across the track.

Dui had to 'christen' every other pole.

 We didn't want to stop for a photo; but she kept saying 'treat'.

Dui wasn't fooled, he knew there weren't any treats.

He has to see them first.

(Also, he is watching Demi, Buddy and Kenzie  arrive.)

We're expecting more rain, not  a drought buster yet.

The soil is only wet a couple of inches down.

But everything looks green.

And we know that it can  rain.

Thoughtful Thursday....

Roxy                                     Kenzie

Superbowl

Early Ad alert:  Our cousin Nick has another Ad and documentary to be shown in the Superbowl.
Should be on in the third quarter.  So, you announce casually over your spiced chicken wing, that you know the Copywriter's dog cousins.
(We always ignore the other 65 or so people who also worked on the ads....lol)  We did wonder earlier this year, why he was filming in Tulsa OK,.  Now we know!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YyMev6_XZ9s

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dndpFOB4BIo

We know his dog, Olive the corgi, is proud.