Penny candy

We were in CVS Pharmacy this morning and at one point I turned around and saw this whole shelf of penny candy that was $1.99 and it struck me as funny. A quick snap with the cell phone and here it is PENNY candy for TWO BUCKS. ;-)

Happy Labor Day

Well, Labor Day and we have labored. ;-) We hauled concrete blocks, branches, old posts, etc. out back and threw them in the ruts from the huge tree machine. It is hot and humid and we sweated.

Now we are trying to do a steak on the grill and of course the minute the charcoal was lit, the rain came in buckets. By the time we finished dragging the flaming grill around, it quit. Figures.

Opps, raining again. Maybe this will be enough rain to settle the dust so N. can bush hog without making clouds of dust. He tried it a little the other day to test out the tractor and the dust was bad. The steering on the tractor had broken and he took it all apart to figure out which part was needed. We went to a tractor place and got the tiny little piece and he put the whole thing back together again and it works fine now.

Little Sophie.......

Friday we took Sophie to the vet to get her check up and regular shots, etc. We knew from blood work in the spring that she probably had precursor to Cushings disease. She did not get any shots or any meds for Cushings as the vet found that she is diabetic. Possibly the 2 are tied together some how. She is now on insulin injections daily and will probably be from now on. He started her on a low dosage and we will take her back to be checked before and after food and insulin on Friday or Monday so that he can get the amount adjusted correctly for her. N. is doing the shots and has done 3 so far and it has gone fine. I think she is drinking less water and the vet said she will feel better in about a week. She didn't really seem to be feeling too bad, but hopefully she will feel even better. After looking this up on line N. discovered that diabetic dogs are common and her breed is one of the top 5 for it. If we need to board her it will be at the vet's so they can give her the insulin. She is now eating all light food, nothing greasy, etc. Hopefully this will get on an even keel and be okay. Bless her heart.

Back home yet again.

We're back from north Louisiana where hubby did some work at our niece's newly purchased house which had some electrical issues. He got that taken care of and did a few other things for her too. We had a good visit and really enjoyed getting to see her new home which is so cute. This is her first house so it's very exciting and maybe even a little scary. Many of her friends came on Saturday and had a painting party which took care of the 2 rooms that needed that and it was nice to meet them. I think the furniture is getting moved today and tomorrow so she probably will be spending her first night there tomorrow night. She has a great back deck and a privacy fenced yard so Sophie and Zippy went with us. Miss Ellie Mae went to board again for the few days that we were away which made it so much easier for her and us.

The grass was already needing to be mowed when we left so I mowed for an hour yesterday morning before 9 and got the part around the house taken care of. I mowed another hour this morning and got a lot more done. Another hour tomorrow morning should probably take care of most of it. One good thing was that it rained some yesterday afternoon so I wasn't stirring up dust as usually happens and that was great. I'll be glad to be done with the HOT weather. ACK!

And again the hawk.....

This morning Zippy and I had only been out a minute and were walking down the driveway (rake in hand like a servant following the Maharajah with a fan) when the hawk flew over our heads. He was a little higher this time (maybe 30 or 40 feet) and landed in the very top of a pine tree by the house and sat there screeching at us. We walked on and he was no longer visible to me , as my shift in direction caused the branches to block him from view, but I could still hear him for quite a while. That's why we could not see him the other day when he was in the trees across the driveway. In the dead trees he sticks out like a sore thumb, but the pine branches give him cover and he can just wait there. Most of the time he is not quiet, however I must ALWAYS be alert......

The hawk

We've been back from TN for a couple of weeks. I've been catching up on yard work and sweating. It's been hot. It was hot and pretty dry before we left and now it's hot and humid. We are having more afternoon thunderstorms and I guess that helps while they are happening. It's 7:30 a.m. 80 degrees, feels like 85 with 90% humidity. Ick! With all the rain, the grass really needs to be mowed a couple of times a week where we have St. Augustine.

There has been a big hawk hanging around the area for more than a week. Last week when I went out with Zippy in the morning the hawk flew down the driveway only 10 or 12 feet off the ground. Fortunately Zippy was still on the porch. He is small and looks rather like a little bunny running around. Even if the hawk could not carry him away, he could certainly hurt him terribly and I will not let that happen. I now carry a rake with me and stay close to little Zip all of the time. The hawk usually waits in a large dead pine out in back. Yesterday morning he was in a tree right across the driveway and screeching that horrible, hoarse call over and over. Please go away hawk!!!

Recent visitor

When I went out with Sophie & Zippy Wednesday morning we had a visitor by the stepping stones. Of course the dogs were interested and sniffing around but they didn't bother him. I snapped a picture when Zippy was close to him but the camera flashed, the turtle moved and when I looked at the picture it was just the turtle. Zippy was so fast, that he was there when I pressed the button for the picture and was totally gone just that fast. So, his name fits him perfectly. ;-)



Sophie didn't blaze out of the frame and was fascinated by the little guy. We have seen a turtle in the yard several times in the last few years and I suspect it is this guy. The fencing and gates for the 2.5 acres that are fenced for the dogs doesn't have an opening tall enough for his shell to fit through. There is plenty of underbrush and places for him to go so he is safe here in the yard with us.