Preparing for Ostara

The Spring Equinox is called Ostara on the Pagan Wheel of the Year.  One MUST have a fire to celebrate!

There is plenty of scrap wood on my lawn down by the river.  Thanks to some heroic help from Sarah and Christina, every bit of those limbs and twigs are lying on one of three bonfires, waiting for the match to be laid.

That means we have one for Ostara, which we are celebrating this Sunday, one for Beltane a.k.a. May Day, and a third for Litha a.k.a. Summer Solstice.  By the time we get to Lughnasadh, there will be enough new wood downed in storms or from pruning and cleaning up around here that we will have plenty for that bonfire as well.

So we are all set!  Yard looks so much better.  When we walked down there to start the task, I really feared we would not be done before sundown, but we did it!  Wish I had taken a "before" picture, but use your imagination - all of that wood spread out over the front of the yard, and many pieces ten or fifteen feet long!  We used a hand saw and nippers, and got the job done.  :)

Too much to do . .

Income tax - still not done.  I have promised myself and my accountant that it would be in her hands by close of business tomorrow.  Maybe . . .

Leaks - there is now a hole in the ceiling of my powder room downstairs because of a leak in my shower upstairs.  We are still not sure that the problem is in the drain.  I plan to take a long shower with a bucket under the drain.  If there is water in the bucket, then the problem is the drain.  If there is none, then the fix that the guy who tiled my shower did this afternoon is the whole solution.  I'm betting on water in the bucket.  Either way, there will have to be some drywall repairs.

My booth at market - good news, bad news.  For winter, business has been surprisingly brisk.  I am working to get caught up on inventory, but I seem to be having a hard time reaching the finish line.  Are people having more sinus problems than usual this winter?  One might think so.  I have several products to address them, and I keep running out of them.

Dog - Figgy, actually.  While he is a very smart little guy, he still hasn't cottoned on to going out the automatic door to relieve himself.  Is he housebroken?  Well, sort of.  More like his mama walks him so often that the indoor mistakes are few and far between.  I long for the day when he is as good as Tashi is - and Ayn Chee was.  All of those walks are taking their toll on me.

My foot - I have tendinitis in my right foot.  Ouch!  The first three or so walks are just fine.  By the fourth, I am in pain!  How am I going to walk the streets of Paris in pain?  

Speaking of Paris, my second language - right now, I am sick to death of French!  French Meet-up at Barnes and Nobles every other Thursday, conversational French at Forever Learning every Thursday, French Canadienne Radio in my car, meetings with a tutor every Monday and every other Thursday, and Pimsleur lessons on my smart phone.  Je suis tres, tres fatiguee!  

Speaking of smart phone - really?  What is smart about a phone that loses calls in the middle of South Bend.  AT&T informs me that the phone I bought last September is already out of date, and they basically didn't promise me a rose garden.  It can't keep up with the updates, or so they say, and so it is failing.  I still owe $580, and now I get to buy another one!  Or go to Verizon, who will give me $650 for switching.  Not a hard decision.  

The other stuff - what do I do about internet, TV, a home phone (which I need in order to call myself when I lose my cell phone)?  

I just do not have time to deal with all of this.  Another time.  I'm going to bed.

Super Dog!

Last night I sat down and wrote a thank you letter to the two women who facilitated Tashi's meeting with Figgy.  If it hadn't been for them, if they hadn't shown wisdom, love and patience, Tashi the Terrible would not have gotten her new friend.  After Tashi's meetings with three different dogs, each of which ended in her lunging at them and letting all know in no uncertain terms that she didn't want them anywhere near her, these two women were the miracle workers who made it happen.

A little background - when I lost my terrier Ayn Chee to cancer in January, Tashi went on a hunger strike.  As she was just recovering from a serious bout of SIBO (having lost 30% of her body weight before it was properly diagnosed and treated), she needed every bite of food, but she would only eat if I sat on the floor with her and literally spooned it up to her mouth.  After a few bites, she would walk away.  She lost three precious pounds in two weeks.  How do you get a mourning dog to eat?  Maybe Super Dog?

March 3, 2016

Dear Molly & Kristen,

I just have to tell you how much I love Figgy Pudding. He is Super Dog. First, I truly believe that he saved Tashi's life. They play together. Tashi lets him eat out of her bowl, while she is eating! They even play, batting at each other and doing fake growls while wagging their tails. She is finally putting on weight, and she eats all of her food with gusto. No spoon feeding anymore.

Here are a few of my favorite Figgy stories. The other night, he pulled his blanket out of the kennel. I put it back in and didn't give it another thought. About an hour later, there it was on the floor again, and he was at his kennel, trying with all his might to pull out the bed. He couldn't, of course. He isn't big enough to tuck it through that little door opening. I thought, “What is going on?” I smelled the bed and blanket. He had peed on them. The little tyke was just doing a little housecleaning. I washed and dried them, put them back in his kennel, and he went to the door and sniffed before he would go in. I burst out laughing! He's Mr. Clean!

He never gets tangled in his leash. He has this little skipping step he uses to unwind himself from the leash. I have never seen another dog do this.

He dances. Tonight, I know he stayed up on his tippy-toes for at least six feet while he greeted me when I got home. So cute!

After just a couple of weeks, he was completely housebroken, and today I let him stay out of the kennel while I went to market. No messes, anywhere! Good dog!!

He bites his nails. My Ayn Chee did the same thing. Maybe it's a terrier thing? I never had to trim Ayn Chee's nails, and it looks like I won't have to do Figgy Pudding's either. I am thinking about training him to make my morning coffee. I do believe he could do it! He is the smartest dog I have ever had!

He has adjusted to the electric fence. That was a hard one for me. But after having him dart out the front door and make it all the way to Lincoln Way, I just didn't want to take any chances with him. He is a fast one! And he has TOTAL RESPECT for those flags in the yard now.

Thanks to both of you, from the bottom of my heart, for helping Tashi to adjust to Figgy that Sunday. He lights up our life.  

Sincerely,

Susan, Tashi and Figgy