First Day in February

[Irmi]

Good morning everyone!

Rabbits!

It's 59 degrees right now and we will get to about 80 degrees later on. We have showers moving in tomorrow morning but the sun is supposed to come out in the afternoon with temperatures around 80 degrees again. Then we have a chance of isolated storms through Monday.

Hopefully today will be another relaxing day, mingling with friends, taking walks and enjoying the beautiful weather. I just took chicken boobies out of the crockpot which will be julienned to go on top of our salads for our dinner this evening. I'll also hard boil some eggs to go on the salads as well.

Have a great day everyone!

[Colliemom]

Good Morning all,

Thanks for starting the Coffee this morning Irmi. Always nice to have somebody start for a change.

I'm not sure what kind of day we are supposed to have here. At the moment it's cloudy, but some areas will have sun. Yesterday we were supposed to have had a cloudy and drizzly day but the warm front pushed farther north, the sun came out and we broke a record high of 46. Traverse City which is about 60 miles southwest of here, boroke a record with a high of 52. Needless to say, there is snow melt going on again. But with at least 10 inches on the ground, it won't make bare ground except in places where it was thin to begin with. I have a bare patch in my backyard where I blow snow for my dogs to potty, and also out under the bigger pines around here. I think snowmobiling season might get suspended again as the trails along the main roads are shot.

Well, for those of you who want to know, Tessa has "kennel cough" which is a form of canine bronchitis for those who may not have heard the term. So she is on a round of anitbiotics for 14 days. Right now I am giving her 8 pills a day which will be shortened to 6 after tomorrow and greadually cut down till the one antibiotic is gone. The other one will last longer. So far she seems to be tolerating them. Poor baby. No walks for a while either as she needs to stay out of the cold air. She can just lay around and be lazy. Spends most of her time sleeping. Had a fairly good night last night with only a couple of hacking espisodes and those were a bit on the mild side. Hopefully the antibiotics will do the trick. This by the way is contagious, so I have to keep an eye on Sassy who so far hasn't shown any signs of it. But she has a tough immune system anyway.

Going to be off to the gym in a bit here. Busy day for the most part as I have an appt. after lunch, so will be staying in town till after that. Plan to eat lunch at Subway in WalMart and then pick up a few things at Wally World while I am in there. Hope to take Sassy for a walk later this afternoon.

Finished my scrapbook yesterday eexcept for some loose ends, so now it's off to closet/cupboard cleaning and working on the Spring Welcome sign. Time is moving right along here and before I know it, work will be knocking on the door again. Was just looking at the calendar and it is only 5 weeks till we change back to Daylight Saving time again. Seems like we just rolled the clocks back. Like Martha said, time flies when you are heading down hill

Got to be off and running here, so wishing you all a wonderful day no matter what it brings. Keep healthy, stay safe.

[Birdie]

Oh Happy Day!! Morning Irmi and those to follow!!

Rabbits!!!

Here in South Central Texas, Choke Canyon State Park, it is a foggy morning. Our visibiity is about 20 yards now was less earlier. Waiting for the fog to lighten up so we can do some birding this morning. It should clear off this afternoon. Probably get a chance to do some kayaking with Liz and Simba . Internet connection is too slow for loading pics.

It has been a great winter so far here.

Spruced up oatmeal for breakfast with a biscuit and cup of French Vanilla coffee. If you are on the road be careful, if you are stopped have fun.

[Carolinagal]

Good morning, Movin' on today. Many friends to visit yet here in Fl. and I must this time, or I might slip off their friends list Not sure when I will be online again. May have to pick a park that has wifi. Right now, am hoping that Maggie and I, can find a nice place to walk and have electric in rig for a couple of days before I boondock in someone's yard. State park, or forest park, come to mind right now, no wifi, but usually good places for our walks and to enjoy being out.

No breakfast here yet, so nothing to share , Sorry. Irmi's Boobies sound good though for lunch or later, they are good, I know that

Take care those on the roads stay safe and those with other situations they are trying to solve, Good Luck.

Have a great day , I'm excited to get on the road, even though only going across this narrow state Plan to go routes I haven't been on in ages to see how the areas have changed.

CArol

[Sandersmr]

Morning - Driving to work was fun this morning with the fog. And it's 71 at 7 am on February 1. Last year we were below freezing... crazy Texas weather!!!

Sue - my dogs get vaccinated against kennel cough, bordatella, every year. Even though we rarely board them, all the kennels around here require it because the disease is so contagious. We have so many dogs in the neighborhood so I like to ensure they stay pretty healthy. I hope Tessa recovers quickly. I know that dogging coughing really sounds bad.

Over Christmas, while at my Mom's in Atlanta, I had a major allergy attack - watery eyes, runny nose, sneezing - lots of sneezing. On the drive home, Jazz started sneezing. Poor puppy, I'm not sure who was sneezing more, her or me. And she would look at me with that "what was that?" look every time she had a sneezing fit. Fortunately, we both recovered.

[Redetotry]

Sorry to hear Tessa has kennel cough, is she the one you took for grooming? If so she might have picked it up there. I give my dogs plain yogurt when on antibiotics and it really seems to help keep them from getting diarrhea from the meds. I hope she will be well soon and that Sassy doesn't come down with it.
Have fun on your visits Carol, safe journey. We had beautiful fog here this morning too Birdie, the kind that came in quickly but you could still see the outline of the trees. It didn't last long but was pretty while it lasted. Enjoy your dinner Irmi, that did give me a moments pause to realize what you said!
I brought LC out to drive around while the weather is nice here, we are having the 15th warmest winter on record and I'm lovin it! the Farmers Almanac says February will bring winter on, I'm hoping it is wrong.
I forgot to say rabbits, the first words out of my mouth every morning seems to be 'it's not time yet Winnie" as she paws at the side of the bed for me to get up.

[AliceM]

Rain showers here in the florida panhandle have nixed my bike riding and auto free plans for the day. Thundershowers are called for later. Hey, I know when I'm defeated..and this time, the weather wins.

All I have to do today is show the doctor's office my negative reaction to the tb test... then spend the rest of the day curled up with a book or some crafts. I plan to enjoy indoor activities to the max while the weather plays out.

For those driving, please be extra careful.

Alice

[dayspring39]

Good Morning everyone... poor Tessa she loves her walks but this will be over soon... I also have the vet give Shadow the bordatella spray every year... you never know when they pass another dog what they will get... I gave him the spray even when we were at home... Dog parks are a place to pick it up even though they post signs about being up to date on all vaccines...
Shadow had his bath last night and his heart worm pill and the ugly stuff on his neck this morning... this new kind smells so good but attracts dirt something awful... by the end of the week there will be a long dark streak where I put the stuff on... yuck
I stayed up way to late last night well it was actually this morning before I went to bed... it was maybe 1 am... got up at 9 so the warm weather had started... ah how nice that is...
It sounds like some are getting spring fever so soon but it is just around the corner... Carol hope you enjoy your short trip... do you know when you will be on the road for good? what a great adventure that will be...
I am not sure yet if I will go to the TN GTG or not my friend in NC has not called back yet... I am hoping she will be able to come down if not I will go up to see her and miss the GTG...
Enjoy today... oh Birdie your intro reminded me of a song...
Kathleen

[bluepinecones]

Rabbits!!!
Mild temps but rain here for the day too. As soon as this last cup of coffee disappears, I have to take Nicky to vet for annual check-up and bath. Bath may be a waste as my back yard is a mix of mud and leaves now - didn't get winter rye planted this year.
A trip to grocery store and paying bills also on todays to do list - nothing exciting at all.
Need to get started back to work on balance routines with my WiiFit. After a tongue lashing for missing workouts in Jan., at least it said I did not gain any weight while in FL - a miracle given all the good food at the FL gtg.
Have a safe day whatever your plans.

[Nasoosie]

GOOD MORNING TO ALL!

I am so sorry to hear of all the rain you are experiencing----even Alice here in sunny FL! However, down here in St. Cloud, the skies are clear and blue, the temperature is in the mid 70s, low humidity, gentle breeze---all-in-all about perfect again. We DO need rain in this and the Orlando area desperately, however, as they are saying we have been over 36 days with not even a sprinkle. Records have been broken for dryness, and the wildfires are again showing up all over the place. I guess this is just about the ideal place for a northerner who has battled below zero temps, snow, ice, and sleet all winter to spend their time!

I have been letting Dinah free on the fenced-in property the past couple of days, and she is learning DINAH, COME! pretty well now. However, she is most certainly a runner, and without this nice confining fenced-in 6 acres, I suspect she would be long gone. She is calming down quite nicely, actually. But she HATES that gentle-lead knockoff collar/harness I bought----absolutely hates it and spends all her time trying to get it off. She sometimes succeeds in doing so. It's a good thing this one has a connection to her real collar as well, as, if she got it of in the Orlando area, I may never see her again without that. Beth mentioned another kind of below the leg type thing? What does "below the legs" mean? On her feet? Behind her legs? In front of her legs? HInd legs, or front legs? If it's just a regular harness type of thing, I think she could pull me all over the place. But I guess I need to search on the web for types of harnesses for heavy-duty pulling dogs. She managed to go for a brief swim in the pond this morning before I could call to her----I wanted her to stay dry for another several days to protect her incision. Oh well----nice clean pond, so I hope it won't hurt anything.

Tomorrow I wil drive Melissa's parents and their dog to the Amtrak station in Kissimmee, after I take out the dog traveling crates and make some space for their luggage in the bed of the truck. I hope I can adequately handle both them (they are both blind) and Fallon, the dog, to get them aboard. And I hope I can find the station! After that, I will be free to go back to Orlando and try things out there with Dinah. I have a doc's appointment on Tuesday----a new family doc, so I can get my meds represcribed and my blood analyzed for cholesterol, etc. I am hoping Dinah will enjoy that house back there without tearing things apart inside. She will be crated for the nights and when I leave her alone. I may stay here until Friday noon, or so, so Dinah and Molly can run a bit more before the confines of the city life.

I hope Tessa is feeling better this morning, Sue. Kennel cough can be picked up anywhere other dogs have been as it's so contagious. I fought against giving Molly the Bordetella vaccine every year, but I am now glad they insist I do it, even though she has rarely had to stay at the vet's.

Sounds as if Irmi is still doing her cooking stuff! How I enjoyed her meals at the GTG!

Enjoy your relaxing day, for a change, Alice.

I remembered to shout RABITTS at about 1:30 this morning! Poor dogs thought I had gone 'round the bend!

[Readytogo]

Good morning everyone, rain here too. Have plenty of library books and one I broke down and bought at Sams. If rain lets up a bit, may go to penneys later. As Beth said, I don't need anything either but want to check out this new pricing business. Also something to maybe exchange at Sams. I just can't stay in all day rain or no. I remembered to shout rabbits this morning. As I said on the other forum, I don't know how I got along most of my life not knowing I was supposed to do this! Have a good day and be safe and have fun. Wendy

[Acadianmom]

It was foggy here this morning but is gone now. I had to turn the air conditioner on, it's getting warm in here. We had some rain come through last night with some warnings North of us. Didn't hear if there was any wind damage. There's a 50% chance of rain which we don't need right now. Wish we could send it to Texas but it's headed East.

I am making it without any Aleve this morning. My pain has moved into my hip. I don't have any pain if I'm still but the first trip in the morning isn't pretty. lol Once I get moving it gets better.

I don't know if cats have allergies but Annie, one of the house cats, is about to scratch and lick herself raw. I can't find any fleas on her. She has always groomed herself a lot but it is getting excessive. Oh great, another vet bill. lol

I got everything to make Liz's Cranberry Chicken. I love cranberries so know it will be good. I forgot I'm the only one that will be here for lunch but oh well. They can have leftovers.

Martha

[HorizonSeeker]

Will all you folks with rain please send it down here to the swamp? We have been teased with little showers here and there over the last month, but it is way too dry here. Have had to turn the water on for the pond to keep it from drying up. Oh and it's sunny. Spent this morning working on clearing the hiking trail that runs along the back of the campground. Lots of briars and saw palmetto. It's had a year to invade the trails so we have cart blanche to whack it all down. Hate to cut down the Carolina Jessamine vines as they are just now beginning to bloom, but some of the vines are old and have become very invasive. Well, it was a good 3 hour workout anyway. There's a beagle that lives on the farm behind the campgrounds and he has found a hole in his fence so when we are out working he comes over to visit. He's very lovable but doesn't know when to go home. The name on his collar says Maddox so we call him Lester. Later this month when the paying guests start filling up the cabins he won't be so cute as I'm sure the owners will not want him around. In the meantime we just ignore ol' Lester.

Spent all day in Lake City, FL yesterday at the VA. Yes, I have health insurance but was having trouble finding a local doctor who took my Cigna or who was taking new patients. Lake City is the closest VA and they took me and welcomed my insurance. Finally got the meds I needed for the chronic bronchitis I've had since back at Amazon but it looks like I may have developed asthma. Will go back next week for Pulmonary function tests and a heart echo to be sure. Got my blood work and a pap smear yesterday. All good except that darn cholesterol of course. Will have to work on that. So now I have to work 2 extra hours today and tomorrow and one on Friday to make up for missing a day. Oh well, I can do it.

[Liz]

Beth mentioned another kind of below the leg type thing? What does "below the legs" mean? On her feet? Behind her legs? In front of her legs? HInd legs, or front legs? If it's just a regular harness type of thing, I think she could pull me all over the place. But I guess I need to search on the web for types of harnesses for heavy-duty pulling dogs. She managed to go for a brief swim in the pond this morning before I could call to her----I wanted her to stay dry for another several days to protect her incision. Oh well----nice clean pond, so I hope it won't hurt anything.

Soos, Roe hated the Gentle Lead over the nose too, and it eventually started irritating his eyes when he pulled anyway. I replaced it with the Gentle Lead harness that you attach the leash in front of the chest area. That worked much better. When he started to pull, the Gentle Lead turned him toward me.

[Bethers]

Beth mentioned another kind of below the leg type thing? What does "below the legs" mean? On her feet? Behind her legs? In front of her legs? HInd legs, or front legs? If it's just a regular harness type of thing, I think she could pull me all over the place. But I guess I need to search on the web for types of harnesses for heavy-duty pulling dogs. She managed to go for a brief swim in the pond this morning before I could call to her----I wanted her to stay dry for another several days to protect her incision. Oh well----nice clean pond, so I hope it won't hurt anything.

Soos, Roe hated the Gentle Lead over the nose too, and it eventually started irritating his eyes when he pulled anyway. I replaced it with the Gentle Lead harness that you attach the leash in front of the chest area. That worked much better. When he started to pull, the Gentle Lead turned him toward me.

I posted a link on the singles forum that shows the kind I mean. Wasn't what I purchased - but you can see how it works. After putting it on Tips a few times, he'd even come to the door and lift first one leg, then the other when I had that one out Smart boy he was.