Caleigh O'Shea's Blog, page 5

Monkey Fights “The Itchies”

Our downfall as a species is that we are arrogant enough to think that we can control Mother Nature and stupid enough to think it is our job. ~Greg Peterson, 1997, urbanfarm.org

I Monkey here.

Don’t you think not-even-four is too young to be going bald?

I’d show you a picture, but Mama refuses. Silly woman seems to think that hiding her head under the sand is going to make this crisis go away.

And it is a crisis.

Everybody who’s ever seen or felt Sheltie fur knows how beautiful it can be. Sleek on the outside with a touch of poof on the inner coat next to the skin.

But not mine.

Nope, I’ve got BALD patches. Right down my back. They itch something fierce, so I scratch and bite to make it stop. And the hairs just keep coming out.

Poor Mama is beside herself.

She took me to the dogtur, who diagnosed a bacterial infection and gave Mama a spray to put on me twice a day.

It didn’t help much.

Two weeks later, I was back at the dogtur’s. This time, they diagnosed a yeast infection and gave Mama some pads to rub across my spots twice a day.

Who knows if that’s working?

Mama’s convinced it’s allergies. She sees herself as some sort of medical expert because she worked as a pharmaceutical rep for several years. Humph.

And she’s become a one-woman investigator. She switched my food (gradually, of course); washes my foot towels, bedding, and harness twice a week in All Free & Clear; refuses to use a scented dryer sheet; and put me on Benedryl twice a day (with dogtur’s okay).

All that did was zonk me out. I Monkey am still scratching.

When Dogtur suggested maybe my heavy-duty black harness was rubbing my fur off, Mama invested in a new, blue harness that’s a bit more open.

But she fretted our entire walk this morning, certain I Monkey was going to make the great escape.

Dogtur says lots of her patients are having fits with “The Itchies” this year, probably because of that climate change thing everybody’s blaming everything on.

She convinced Mama to try me on Apoquel, but I didn’t do well on it. The next experiment will be Cytopoint, a rather pricey injection that might buy me four weeks of relief.

I wonder if four weeks is enough to grow my coat back.

A Trio of Verses

Put all your faith in poets. You will find few others to share Beauty with you; and it cannot be borne alone. ~Christopher Morley, American journalist, novelist, essayist, and poet

The Toad:

There once was a toad so black
With warts upon his back
He hopped around
With nary a sound
Looking for something to snack.

The Cicada:

Cicadas seem to have vanished
Into the sunset, or wherever they go,
Crawling deep into the earth’s underground
And hibernating for several decades.
Don’t worry, they’ll be back eventually
And announce their presence with loud fanfare!

The Stag Beetle:

When

I was

Out walking

The Monk, we saw

This immense beetle

Chilling on the sidewalk.

I stopped to get his picture.

Shivering at getting too close

To his wicked pincers and finding

Myself captured by those strong mandibles.

Note: First poem is a Limerick; second is Acrostic; third is Etheree.

The Benefits of Water

But I do see the good side of water now. How good it is when you’re really thirsty, how it glitters and gurgles! How alive it is! ~G.K. Chesterton, English author and philosopher

Have you ever seen one of these things? Do you know what it does? Am I just being late to the party once again?

While walking the Monk one day, I ran into one of my neighbors, and we were commiserating over the hot, dry summer we’d had … and yes, I was complaining about having to stand over my newest tree and water it to keep it alive.

Turns out, she’s a Master Gardener and quickly pointed out there was a better way.

A way that was better for the tree … and for me.

It’s called a Tree Irrigation Watering Bag, and she assured me I could order it online through Amazon or one of the home improvement stores.

Which I did.

And she’s spot-on!

Also called a Sapling Soaker, this bag is made of heavy-duty PVC and  when filled with water, holds approximately 15 gallons.

Slow release emitters let the water drip out over a 5-9 hour period, soaking down to the tree’s roots.

You simply zip the bag around the tree’s trunk, insert a water hose into a special slot, let the bag fill, and remove the hose until the next time you need to water.

Easy-peasy, right?

And since newly-planted or transplanted trees need way more water than we realize, this system is ideal. Set it and forget it.

My neighbor has a couple of these bags around some of her “baby” trees, and I’ve got to say, they sure look healthy. My new oak, on the other hand, is still struggling to overcome damage done by Japanese beetles munching on its leaves early in the season.

But at least it’s getting fresh water … and I’ll tend to those beetles next Spring!

Thankful Thursday (6)

The reason it hurts so much to separate is because our souls are connected. ~Nicholas Sparks, American best-selling novelist, screenwriter, and film producer

The nest is empty

My baby bunnies are gone

Successfully hatched!

 

Note: Another in the Thankful Thursday series, in which we focus on things we’re grateful for.

Shh, Bunnies Are Sleeping!

Everything in Nature suggests the infinite. ~Henry James Slack, English journalist, activist, and science writer

I

Wondered

Why my new

Plants didn’t seem

To be growing well.

I peeked a bit closer

And saw a nest of babies!

Bunnies tucked into each other,

Fast asleep in my whiskey barrel.

Eating my snapdragons and my dahlia.

 

What was their mother thinking, I wondered,

As I stood and watched them slowly stir.

Didn’t she smell my Monkey dog

And know he’d be after her

And those babies as soon

As they vaulted free

From their cocoon?

Another

Problem.

Sigh.

Note: Poetry form is Double Etheree.

Thankful Thursday (5)

Gratitude is the memory of the heart. ~Jean Massieu, pioneering deaf educator from France

Finally an end

To heat and humidity.

A welcome cold front

Note: This is another in the Thankful Thursday series, in which we express gratitude for something in our world. While I might not post every week on this topic, I do try to focus on the positive things in life. We’ve had a string of beastly hot and muggy days, but when these clouds rolled overhead, I knew we were in for some relief (and I wasn’t wrong!)

Graduated … Again!

Eighty percent of success is showing up. ~Woody Allen, American filmmaker, actor, and commedian

I Monkey here.

Bet you’ve all been thinking about me and wondering how I’ve been getting along in the second phase of Puppy School.

Wait no more.

I made it! Graduated … again!

Cool beans, right?

Mama was having trouble keeping the stupid hat on me, so I don’t look especially happy (though I was!)

This time, we started class with a rescue hound/lab mix named Daisy and her mom, and another rescue mix (American Staffordshire/pit bull/who knows?) named Sukie with her dad.

I was the only boy, so I figured I’d be the star of this shindig in no time.

If only I could hear myself think.

You see, those two classmates of mine did nothing for the entire first hour but BARK BARK BARK. And the longer we sat in class, the louder their barking got.

Mama says I shouldn’t blame it on the fact that they were girls because she doesn’t yak like that. Sorry, Mama, I’ve heard you get wound up before, and you, too, can talk a blue streak!

Girls. Huh.

So I Monkey sat right next to Mama and refused to join in their gab-fest. And when Teacher determined none of us could hear what she was saying, she dismissed class early, keeping the two girls and their pawrents behind for a little talk.

The next week, I Monkey noticed Sukie and her dad weren’t there. Only Daisy, her mom, me, and Mama. And that’s the way it stayed for the rest of our sessions.

Putting an end to the hen party and letting us get down to business.

Over the next few weeks, we were taught: Heel (walk right alongside Mama’s leg and ignore Teacher when she distracts us with crinkly toys); Switch (transfer from one side of Mama to the other when the sidewalk becomes crowded); Sit and Stay; Down and Stay; Place (go sit in a designated spot and don’t move, even when Teacher bangs on the door and giggles).

We also learned: Tuck (begin on one side of Mama, then scoot between her feet and sit tight for a treat); Puppy Leap Frog (sit down by Mama while Daisy and her mom walk around us, and vice versa); Settle/Chillax (rest quietly in a designated spot); plus reinforcement of the commands we learned in our first level.

Daisy’s mom was afraid I’d be the “A” student and show poor Daisy up, but the girl was trying so hard, and I Monkey didn’t have the heart to best her too much. Still, I wasn’t giving up my title as Teacher’s Pet!

At graduation, we got certificates, a photo with the goofy uncomfortable hat (that we had to give back), and a puzzle toy (that I figured out fast without tearing it completely apart!)

Mama says education is good, and I’m all for more of it. Treats, too. But now it’s Mama’s turn because Band is starting back up again soon, and I’ll have to endure that screechy flute-thing. Sigh.

Signing off, I Monkey your Prudent-Student.

Thankful Thursday (4)

Pink is not just a color. It’s an attitude. ~Miley Cyrus, American singer, songwriter, and actress

At last I’m seeing

A bloom from my Cosmos plant.

Wasn’t it worth the wait?

 

Note: This is my contribution to the Thankful Thursday series, wherein we focus on things we’re grateful for. This Cosmos plant (also known as the Mexican aster) came in a seed packet somebody sent my mom just after she passed. I didn’t think it would grow, but just look at it — it’s nearly waist high! I guess I shouldn’t have doubted — Cosmos is one of the October birth month flowers, and Mom’s birthday was in October.

And … Another Bat

The bat hanging upside down laughs at the topsy-turvy world. ~Japanese proverb

I Monkey here.

Well, it’s about time I got in on the fun.

Recently, I accompanied Mama downstairs for my early morning potty call, and I caught sight of something that looked out of place.

Mama was filling my water bowl, so I didn’t want to bother her, but then I heard her gasp, “What was that?”

Something brown and fuzzy had swooped behind her, and SHE SAW IT.

I’d had my suspicions before, but now I Monkey know she’s got eyes in the back of her head!

Well, she marched right out into the garage and returned with a net attached to a long pole.

“Whatcha got there, Mama?”

She ignored me and flipped on the light in the living room, but apparently didn’t see anything.

I Monkey heard her growling, “How dare you get into my house when I’ve been so very careful?”

“C’mon, Mama, help a pup out here. Tell me what you’re looking for, and I’ll help you find it.”

That’s fair, isn’t it?

Then Mama unhitched the gate to the basement, switched on a light, and stomped down the stairs.

Did she think she’d sound more menacing by making a lot of noise?

By this time, I Monkey had lost all interest in breakfast, so I barked a few times and trotted down beside her.

No way was I going to stay on one level and leave her down there alone. Nope. I’m the Protector around here, see?

Eventually, Mama caught sight of a brown Splotch resting near one of the windows. Quick as a flash, she brought that net-thing into an overhead smash from her tennis days, capturing the Splotch.

Well, I Monkey couldn’t believe what I was seeing!

Then she carried Splotch outdoors (trying — but failing — to corral me inside), gave her net a few shakes, and out popped Splotch!

Which she informed me was a Bat. And they don’t belong indoors. And the next time I see one inside, I’m to tell her about it.

LOUDLY.

I Monkey have read Dallas’s accounts of Bat-Catching around here, and part of me is jealous that he got all the fun. But he never got TWO episodes in one day like I did!

You see, before dinner that evening, Mama saw another Splotch near the laundry room and snagged it, too. She’s quick, that Mama of mine.

So there you have it. I Monkey am proclaiming Bat-Catching a great game, one I want to participate in as often as possible. It’s way better than, say, Trying-to-Attack-Mr. Vacuum.

How about it, Mama? Let’s lure another Bat in tonight, okay?

Note:  Did you know that more than 300 species of fruit rely on bats for pollination? For more Bat Facts, visit the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Thankful Thursday (3)

And it is no little thing to hear a fellow-creature say “Thank you, friend.” ~Barbra Ring, Norwegian novelist

Reach for the ceiling

Bend your arm at the elbow

And pat your own back

Note: On this Thankful Thursday, I want to give a shout out to all my friends — you’re the BEST!! Some of us would write whether anyone read and commented or not, but how much more interesting, special, and meaningful it is to have interaction on our blogs.