WW - Taking a Country Nap with "Momma"

Taking a Country Nap

(AF) It's Bubba's First Birthday!

Can you believe it?! Bubba is a year old already! He has turned out to be such an amazing dog. And just the fact that he has turned out so big and sturdy is amazing in itself, since a strange, unknown virus had hit the entire litter (the day I had scheduled to give them their shots, no less) and he was one of the very few surviving puppies.At one point, it looked like there was no way he was going to pull through, but he is a fighter with devoted determination and he did it!

Contrary to popular belief, he has the keenest of hearing.  He is even usually the FIRST one to hear the coyotes when they come up too close to the house. He is sweet, and gentle, and loving, but so ULTRA protective of me, the younger dogs, and everything on the place. He even seems to have an extra sense and knows instantly, when strangers come by, if they are good people or bad people, and I have come to truly value that opinion!

So tonight we are having a Surprise VIRTUAL birthday party for him over at his blog. Yes, he has his own blog! So come on over and join us if you like, and wish Bubba a happy birthday while you are at it. He would love the surprise. The party is HERE. See you there!

(AF) Mind Boggling COOL!!!!

Over the years, junk no-longer-needed things really starts to accumulate. As our needs change, and kids grow up and move out, there becomes many, many things that we no longer need. Recently I decided it was time to do some drastic culling. I have barely begun, but already it is proving to be a far bigger undertaking than I imagined.

And it is extremely emotionally difficult. There is such a multitude of things I must get rid of, but the memories attached to much of it REALLY makes it difficult to part with things. Now, I do have my 'keepsakes that I would never let go of.  But then there are the things that there just isn't any logical reason to keep, not even as a keepsake. Yet they are still difficult to let go of because just looking at them brings back fond memories that makes you smile. One thing I have been doing, though, is taking pictures of these types of items before I let go of them. It really helps.

Today was Flea Market day and I had gathered a box of more junk nice stuff to take with me today. For weeks I had been trying to bring myself to take my kids' old plastic divided plates to the market, and each week when I'd start to pack them, great memories of all my kids' meals on them would come to mind, bring a warm smile to my face, and they would never make it to the flea market. (6 plates - each child had their own color - they loved eating out of them and it solved two problems, fights over favorite plates and different foods 'touching' each other)  But today... I decided that today was going to be the day they left.

A little more FYI to make it easier to understand. One thing I am aggressively doing is eliminating as many culinary plastics from my life as possible and replacing with glass, stainless steel, ceramic, etc. The more I learn about the dangers of consuming foods off of/stored in plastics, the more I want to get rid of them ALL.So this morning, as I was placing the divided plates into the box, I kept thinking how nice it would be to find some that were made out of stainless steel. I didn't know if there was such a thing, but for some uses (such as BBQs) I still liked the big, rectangular, divided plates. And I just kept thinking about how nice it would be to find some made of stainless steel, if there was such a thing.

WOW!!! At the flea market today, not long before I left. I went to drool over dreamily look at a vintage meat slicer one more time, when I realized it was sitting on top of 5 rectangular, stainless steel divided plates!!  Even better, they were so heavy (old army plates), the woman didn't want to keep moving them around and was selling them for $3 for all of them together. Yep, broke or not, I had to get them. It was obviously meant to be, today. My plates still haven't sold yet, but they are at my set-up now, and not coming back home.

Dusty always goes with me to the flea market. Big Bubba is way too big now to sit all day at the flea market in my portable puppy crate, but I didn't want to leave him at the mercy of the cats home by himself all day, either, so I decided to try and take him loose, too. When we started to leave, he ran right out the door with us and right on into the car. It turned out that I didn't have to worry about him running around at the flea market. He stayed close to my side all day. Every time he ventured a few feet then got a little nervous or insecure, he came back and sat on his favorite blankie next to me. And every time I walked away for a moment, he walked right along side me. He is such a loyal dog already! Several people were interested in him, but they either couldn't afford a dog, already had too many, REALLY wanted him but wife wouldn't let him, lived where dogs weren't allowed, etc. Big Bubba had a great time playing with all the kids that came through today and once he adjusted to the different surroundings, he had a blast romping and playing with Dusty and Zoie (the flea market Boxer).

And by the end of the day..... Big Bubba was one pooped puppy!

(AF) A TALE OF TAILS

No one wants me 'cause I have a tail.

 I have one puppy left (Big Bubba). Setting aside our ever declining, horrible economy slowing down calls for puppies (I use to have a waiting list), the biggest reason I am having such a hard time selling them this year (and the vet warned me this would happen) is that I chose NOT to mutilate them by having their tails amputated. There is absolutely NO need to put them through that!

The views of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) run right along with mine. You can read what they have to say about it here.

Currently there is only one reason for docking a puppy's tail (or having their dew claws removed, for that matter), and that is for cosmetic purposes. But there are such a multitude of reasons to NOT dock their tails, that I could never list them here in just one little post, but I will name a few.

When I started out raising Boxers, I always took them to the vet to have their tails docked and their dew claws removed. I was told I wouldn't be able to sell them otherwise. Since I make sure my puppies are the strongest and healthiest possible, in every way, I took them to the vet to have the procedure done. Everyone kept telling me how (simple) it was to do-it-yourself, but that seemed even more cruel, it is an actual amputation, and I wanted to leave no room for problems.

But problems did arise. Even though the tails were stitched, they often popped open, bled more, and looked pretty bad, sometimes exposing a bit of bone. Often times, infection set in, especially into where the dew claws were removed. Those infections are very difficult to fight and, over time, I ended up losing several puppies as infection traveled up the foot, through the leg and into the body/heart .... an infection that no antibiotics seemed to be helping. This was heart wrenchingly sad for me, the momma dog, and especially the puppy. Watching a puppy going through this - an elective, unnecessary procedure done strictly because someone thinks it looks 'cool' - is horrifying!

Then there is the pain issue. They say it doesn't hurt them, they are too little. But it does hurt! (even in the womb, a person/animal feels pain, that has been proven) Each time I sat there in that vet's office, as the tails were being 'done', I was horrified at the sounds I heard coming from down the hall and a few rooms away. There is no describing the agonizing yelps and yipes those tiny puppies made. It hurt them... and it hurt them BAD!!!  And to hear the obvious pain they were in, hurt me to my very core, physically and emotionally. I couldn't believe I was doing this to these poor tiny babies, simply because I had succumbed to societies vain dictates.

The puppies cried, and cried HARD. They WERE in pain! Then there was the momma back at home, frantically wondering where her babies went. Once back home, SHE was horrified at what had happened to her babies! She would try to 'lick' and comfort them, but it hurt them for her to lick their tail, which upset her further. The 'removal' experience was so stressful for some puppies, that just the shock of it killed them. Some puppies were so stressed that, even though they had been eager nursers before, they completely quit eating and either died or were weakened when they had to be force fed. Then there is the bowel issue. A momma dog 'licks' her puppy's hinney to stimulate them to go to the bathroom. After the tails have been amputated and she tries to do this, it hurts them, they cry, and she stops. This often results in them not being able to go poopey, they bloat up, and, once again, sometimes die, or at least, interferes with their development. All this suffering simply for people's vanity!!!

At the sight of the amputation, often times, the hair doesn't grow back, or at best, not fully. And the stub end always stays tender. I also have no doubt but that arthritis sets in as many of these dogs age. I mean, this IS part of their spine, and anyone that has ever had a spinal injury can attest to how painful the arthritis can get.  I, myself, can definitely vouch for that!

Then there is the set-back issue. Yes, this procedure shocks their tiny little bodies! It is an amputation, they are AWAKE and it puts an extreme stress on their bodies, which takes time for them to recover from. These puppies are only a few days old, at a critical stage of fast growth, and it drastically slows that down... temporarily halting, and even reversing, development (physically, mentally and emotionally). But if this procedure is always performed, there is nothing to compare what their actual growth and development could actually be.

So for this current litter of puppies, I decided my puppies would KEEP their toes and tails. With the agonizing sounds of the last litter still echoing through my head, and the heart wrenching pain I still feel just thinking back to the heart breaking suffering of the ones that slowly died of infection, I just couldn't do this cruel, unnecessary, torturous procedure to even one more puppy.

The 'procedure' is usually done between 3 to 5 days old. I knew it appeared to have set them back quite a bit, but I didn't realize just how much until I had a litter I didn't have the amputations done on. Even at just one week old, the puppies were making advances that amazed me. By two weeks, they were doing things that they never did before until they were 3 to 4 weeks old. They grew faster, they walked sooner (MUCH sooner), they played and interacted sooner, they barked sooner, they 'guarded' sooner, they were able to eat solid food sooner (and desired it sooner). These puppies advanced soooo much faster it was mind boggling!!!  But no would would know that if they had never had both types of litters for the comparison. I have told people this, but many don't seem to care. Many are so adamant about wanting a dog to look a certain way that they don't care what it does to the health and longevity of the dog. But those aren't the types of people I want to own one of my dogs anyway.

Many countries have wised up and banned this mutilating procedure from being done on dogs. But the US has yet to see past the vanity to the suffering of the dogs and ban it here. Many people here are totally unaware as to what a horrible procedure this is to put a puppy through, and the lasting affects it can have on a grown dog. They have been 'conditioned' by society to believe that it is harmless and painless. I hope and pray that those people can soon be educated and properly informed, as many of them would change their opinions and help to stop this practice. But then there are those that are so vain, that they don't give a d$%# about what the puppy/dog has to go through so long as they get to own a dog that 'looks cool.' And I would never want to sell one of my puppies to one of those people anyway.

I put my all into my puppies. I begin by making sure my parent dogs have the best possible diet and are in the best of health before they breed. This continues all throughout the pregnancy, to ensure the best of health of the puppies and the mother dog. After the puppies are born, I supplement with colostrum and quality puppy formula, as needed (like when there are too many for her to make quite enough milk), while increasing the momma's milk production, food and nutrition needs. I pride myself in having the strongest, healthiest, smartest, best quality puppies a person could possibly raise. So it greatly saddens (and angers) me when someone is all excited about finally finding the Boxer puppy they were looking for, then refuses it simply because it still has its tail. One man became absolutely irate and obviously furious when he learned that they still had their tails. His attitude let me know that he WAS NOT  someone that I wanted owning one of my dogs.

I take great pains with my puppies to ensure that they are the healthiest possible, and that includes leaving their tails on. If people want one of my beautiful, high quality puppies, they will have to have them with their beautiful, adorable, graceful tails on. (One woman that was initially disappointed that they had their tails, changed her mind when she saw it. She said, "It is so cute! How could anyone ever cut that off!) Their tails are adorable, and they do serve many purposes. They are very useful in chasing flies and other insects away (insects which can cause a dog a variety of ills). A dog also communicates with you through their tail. When they are happy and healthy, their tail curls ever so slightly over their back and gracefully sways back and forth. But when they are sad or hurt, it hangs down and/or tucks under, depending upon what is wrong. This is a VERY USEFUL trait for the owner, as it is often times the FIRST sign that something is wrong with your dog. And we all know, the sooner a dog can be treated, the faster and more successfully it can be healed. When they sense danger, it straightens out, which is also very useful for us to know.
If, in the future, it becomes impossible to sell my Boxer puppies because I have chosen NOT to torture them by putting them through such a needless, painful, quality reducing procedure, I will have to quit raising Boxers, because it just ain't right.

Oh, yes, these puppies bonded to people faster and stronger than any others, becoming more loyal and eager to please than I have seen yet. And I would hope, that is the ultimate a person wants in a dog.

(AF) Storms Weren't Bad Here

I could complain because I did so much storm preparing for nothing, but it really wasn't for nothing. Although the storms weren't near so bad here as they predicted they might be, it was good to have the preparation practice. It REALLY let me know that I am not near ready for a disaster the size that that one could have been. It also got me to thinking that not only do I need to get a bug-out bag put together, instead of just talking about it, but it got me to thinking that, besides one for on-the-go, putting one together in something that is totally waterproof and burying it somewhere close might not be a bad idea. Without a storm cellar, if everything got blown away, I would have several days' worth of supplies safe and sound (so long as I could find where a shovel blew away to.

We did get some storms, but they didn't come in until Sunday morning (once again, just in time to close the flea market, so NO sales all weekend - nor all week for that matter). We had a couple of good, old-fashioned, stormy rounds ... lots of noise, flashing and wind ... a couple of brief, heavy downpours.... but nothing really serious. Then it was periodic small showers throughout the day, all totaling a little over half an inch of rain. It was what I called 'garden planting' storms.... plant a little, rain it in, plant a little, rain it in . . .  In my neck of the woods, it was actually just exactly what we needed. And Dave got even less. As bad as it was in other parts of Oklahoma, we were really very blessed, here!

I actually got to spend quite a bit of time out in the yard in the later afternoon and evening. It was wonderful! The air was so crisp and fresh after the rain. And the fragrance of the fresh rain, mingled with the scent of the damp earth and the strong aroma of the very stirred up wild roses across the road was absolutely intoxicating!!! It's the rainbow after the storm that only your nose can appreciate. And I savored every moment of it as I set out a few tomato and hot pepper plants. I just had to get out and dig in the damp dirt for awhile the moment the storms passed, yet the hearty rumbles of thunder could still be heard.

Just as it was getting dark, my phone rang. It was someone wanting to take Little Rover (aka Honey, cause he is the color of honey and just as sweet) to his new, Forever Home. He will have a great new home, and have a teenage boy to romp, rough house, and play with, but oh, how me, Dusty, Bubba, and Clyde (one of that cats) miss him!!! Bubba has cried more than me, even, and he has tried every way he could to get the cats to play with him, but they slapped him too hard and he had to play with Dusty instead. (Clyde with snuggle at sleep time, but not rough house) My Honey (which is what I ended up calling him the most) seemed to be pretty sad about leaving, too, but I am sure he will adjust to his new family very quickly and have lots and lots of fun. And I will fondly smile each and every time I put on my work pants that are full of tooth holes around the ankles from his and Bubba's energetically rambunctious play. Best of all,  Honey, and the boy that wanted him, were my angels .... literally the answers to my prayers this weekend. Just in the nick of time, it gave me exactly what I needed to pay a bill that would have been disastrous if even a few more hours had gone by.  Honey will always hold an extra special place in  my heart. He is truly my angel! 

(AF) Saturday Ramblings

Today is one of those days where you start out in one direction, but suddenly your direction gets changed and you just veer over and flow with it without missing a beat. The storms aren't suppose to be moving in until later this evening, so I decided to go ahead and set up at the flea market for a few hours. I got up, did my morning chores, changed my clothes, got the puppies down for their nap, filled up the fluids in the car (yep, it's getting old),  then Dusty and I headed for the flea market.

I wasn't half a mile from my house when sprinkles began to appear on my windshield. I was really hoping it was a flock of birds passing over, but of course, it wasn't. So I really hoped it was just a passing cloud and would stop as quickly as it appeared. But it didn't. The further I went, the heavier it came down until I had my wipers cranked up several notches. By the time I reached the first town (flea market is 2 towns away) I had decided I probably wasn't going to get to open after all. I called out there and sure enough, the ones that were already there were closing up and heading home.  So I decided to take advantage of the unexpected 'free time' and walk around browsing at a couple of stores. I am always running in for what I need and right back out, with very little 'browse' time.

I decided to first head downtown and stop in at the Farmer's Market to see if they had any Blackberry Mint. I have been looking for some for a couple of years and can't find any. I love that stuff!  But as I got into downtown, I realized that was a HUGE mistake. They were getting ready to start our biggest parade of the year - the one celebrating our annual Azalea Festival.(beautiful pics here)  So I decided real quick I needed to turn around and head back for the East Side of town. But with every turn I made, they were just blocking that street, the streets were thickly packed with masses of people toting umbrellas, kids and blankets, and I seemed to be trapped in downtown! Finally, a police officer on a bicycle stopped to see what my frustrated look was about. I said that I was trying to get OUT of downtown. He had me wait a moment while he directed some people across, then escorted me out. What a relief! But geez... I went from heading out to open up at the flea market, to needing a police escort!!!

Then I went to see if the bread store had in any of their 'feed' bread. Turned out I wasn't the only one stopping in for the same thing. But we were all out of luck.... they were totally out. I thought I was going to "cheat" and get a cupcake. But I looked at the price and changed my mind. The last time I bought one in there it was about 35cents. They are now 90 cents each and that is for day old! I didn't need the crap in it anyway, so I left.

I went to my favorite little 'hole in the wall' type grocery store and was excited to just get some 'browse' time in there. You never know what new item and/or bargain they are going to have in there, often changing by the day. I was in luck this time as they had just gotten in a bunch of new stuff and put a bunch of last month's stuff on closeout (It is one of those stores where they purchase stock from truck wrecks, insurance write-offs, store closings, etc., and sometimes they get too much and have to clear some of it out to make room)  I ended up getting about 7 bags of groceries for around $23.00!! But telling you what all I got will be a post in itself.  I will say, though, that the best part was the fresh Jalapeno Peppers for 29¢ a pound!  Yep, if the rain holds off long enough, I will have to fire up the grill, stuff them with cream cheese, wrap them with bacon and grill them... mmmmm.....  Oh, and I got my cupcake (59¢)- shame on me. But Dusty did help me eat it.

 One more store (where I ended up buying nothing), then I was about to head home when I got a call that someone was coming to pick up a puppy. So timing was really working out. And Gidget went to her new 'forever' home today. Gosh, do me and the boys ever miss her already! Dusty was whimpering before they got to the end of the street with her! And he is still moping. She is such a sweetheart, but I am happy to know that she is going to such a wonderful new home and will have another Boxer to play with.

I have been taking advantage of what has turned out to be a beautiful day and working outside ever since. I just came in to take a short break and ended up writing this post. Although overcast (sun peeping through now and then) it is hard to believe that it is going to do what they say it is going to do here. The rain stopped long ago (rained just hard enough, long enough, to close the flea market). But, in order of priority, I am continuing to batten things down, a few at a time. I also made it a point to tell the girls (goats) that I absolutely forbid them to kid during the storm! They are good at that, you know. My body is agreeing with the weathermen, so I am moving a little slowly, but still moving. When you quit moving, that is when you stop moving.  Next, I am going to go figure out how to cover my Tater Tub. Then, if time still allows, I am going to pick a big mess of fresh Lambs Quarters while it is so pretty and tender, as hail, wind, and even heavy rain that is followed by strong sunshine, tends to really tear it up. So to all of our wonderful readers... have a safe and wonderful Saturday!  (or Sunday if you are already there)

Puppies!

Little Rover- male (SOLD)

Gidget - female (SOLD)

Big Bubba - male (LAST ONE!)

Suade - male (SOLD)

 This post is for those that have asked to see pics of my Boxer puppies.

To EVERYONE.... HAPPY EASTER!!!!!