These are random musings of my life journey, the people, animals, places, and events which have woven, and continue to weave, a tapestry that is me. We all know there is no real destination, only the ongoing experiences which blend together, creating the trail. Each step gives a glimpse of what is to come, without allowing me to see the end result. It is exciting. I have a home base that is mine, that gives me a place to rest. This is it. This is where my heart is, no matter where I journey...................

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Gloom and Boredom

The sky is overcast. Not completely, but mostly, and certainly enough to get on my nerves. I wish the sun would come out and make my smile wider. OK, enough of that.

The Dogs
Jazi is getting better every day. Her little eye is still not healed, but it is looking much better as we go. I have to do ointment in the eye four times a day, and I have to clean it with saline solution at least a couple times each day or the hair around it gets gunked up so badly that it is tough on us both to get it cleaned up.

She has begun to do something I don't understand. She goes outside and curls up in a clump of the grass that is turning green or in a hole dug in the ground. She stays there for hours. It worries me that she does this at night when I don't know what might be sneaking around outside. I have guessed that she is keeping her distance from me and the dreaded eye medication. I go get her and she curls up in my lap for a while, then out she goes again. Once we go to bed, she stays, but up till then, it is a constant problem.

I have a new training technique for bad behavior. I keep a water bottle loaded with water, and when one of them misbehaves, I squirt just once. They do not like this, and they immediately stop. It works on Max so well that when he starts growling, he immediately looks at me to see if I have the bottle in my hand! He has almost completely stopped the growling. When Sammy starts instigating something, I give him a squirt and it is over right NOW! And now, with Lola, it is working on her grumbling, growling and barking to convince one of the siblings to drop her precious chewies! This morning she was sitting on the couch, having a minor hissy-fit because Joey was chewing on one. She kept growling under her breath while trying to stare him down, something that wouldn't happen, because he is one cool customer who doesn't get rattled often. I gave her one little squirt of water, and she immediately stopped the noise. She sat very quietly for about 20 minutes, when he was done with it. She stood up and sneaked very carefully over to him, and clutched the chewy in her jaws, then walked away. As she sat down with it, she emitted a huge sigh, as if she had held it in as long as she could!

My feral cats are back and eating again. They took a vacation while my guests and their two dogs were here, go figure. Their dogs are medium size, probably around 30 pounds, and apparently, the cats didn't trust that they were kept inside at night. That's when they come to eat. I had catfood out for the entire week, and it wasn't touched so far as I could see. I'm glad to see it is being consumed again.

Well, I guess I will get myself out of the house and do some work in the yard. It will help me if I get busy, and it is cooler with the cloudiness. Actually it is 68°, so it merely looks cool. Good yardwork weather. sigh. I can't seem to talk myself out of this!

10 comments:

  1. Hello dearest friend, just popping in very quickly to say Hi and thank you... for being there for me. I sure need it!
    My neighbors used the water bottles and it DID work!

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  2. Water bottles are a great way to get either a dog or cat to stop doing something you don't want them to. I have been using a squirt bottle with Sophie since I had her and now when I point it at her she lowers her head and closes her eyes. It's almost as if she is saying "ouch" before I even squirt her.

    I am sure Jazi is just enjoing the time outside since it's warming up now. I imagine she doesn't go out at night.

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  3. Water bottles good idea till say peppper ate it. I have yard work and planting that needs done the dr said 4 more weeks then maybe I can get off the loveseat. At least Sarah has the flower beds ready its going to be a long four weeks lol

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  4. Patti, :)

    Caroline, I guess I wasn't clear. Jaz *is* going out at night, but before bedtime. After bedtime, she stays in or at least she comes back in. And she stays out there until I go get her. It just worries me. Yeah, the power of water rocks, doesn't it?! LOL!

    Bobbie, you need one of those little gardening seats with wheels!

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  5. I am going to try the water bottle on my little hard headed friends.

    Jazi could be feeling betrayed. You are her source of comfort, and security. Her feelings might be bruised because you are attacking her with that nasty stuff. You are singling her out and doing mean things to her...... So she is pulling away.... Something similar to going out to the garden and eating worms. "Everybody hates me, nobody love me...."

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  6. I need a training technique for teenage and tween bad behavior!

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  7. Pepper, I thought about that myself. I'm trying to do a lot of loving and cuddling with her. And hey, that water bottle is a painless miracle worker!

    MM-MM, hey, you might as well try the water bottle technique on the 2-leggers! Who knows?

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  8. gee, glad the water works for your kids. mine sit there and wait for more . . .we had to move to the can with pennies in it for the cat . . .

    sorry the weather was cruddy . . .

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  9. Beans, try putting a little bit of vinegar in the water. Not much! But they don't like vinegar in the water. I haven't had to resort to that yet.

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  10. The squirt bottle worked wonders for Sadie. He hated it.

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If you have something to say about it, just stick out your thumb, and I'll slow down so you can hop aboard! But hang on, 'cause I'm movin' on down the road!!! No time to waste!!!