Can you spot Annie in this photo?
I rarely get pictures of her as she is constantly prowling, running, stalking, herding and hiding, like every other self-respecting collie.
One does have to keep a sharp eye on ones’ sheep!
I have to admit to suffering from acute cabin fever over the last couple of weeks, given I’ve barely left the house, as I’ve been looking after Sam. It’s all been about feeding him little and often, following the poor lad around as he tries to poop, day AND night and shoving pills down his throat five times a day. I have no doubt that Sam has been suffering from cabin fever too, and has had more than enough of me!
Thank goodness for gardens to escape into.
Post surgery, the vet insisted on gentle, lead-exercise only for Sam, light pottering, he said. That didn’t stop him for one minute though, as Annie and Buddy just brought the game to him, inside and outside of the house. There was FAR too much pulling and shaking, yanking, and over-exertion generally. Sighs….what’s a girl supposed to do?
The neighbours must have been sick to the back teeth of my endless hollering. NO Sam, No! BACK Sam, Back! DROP Sam, Drop!
Sorry to digress, but why on earth would any dog sit like this????
And….how shabby and worn is that collar?????
Anyway….
Sam had his final check-up last Friday. While in the vets’ waiting room, he spotted a cone on the floor, written on it was….Wet Floor….so he did! Sam cocked his leg and happily obliged! I was mortified, for there was no stopping him then, as he ran with it and took out the entire, beautifully-bagged biscuit display area too, who knew a dog could hold that much water!
Oh, it was soooooo painful watching the office staff trying to smile while rushing out with mop-buckets and wipes!
Maybe it was his way of protesting! He loathes visiting that surgery, I think he’d just about had enough!
The vet was delighted with his progress, but stressed that Sam must not run or do anything too energetic for the next month as that’s how long it takes his gut to fully heal.
How on earth do I enforce that??? Sam considers himself to be fit and well and is now back to being his glorious, goofy, crazy, zany, under-my-feet, self!
Given how long I’ve been housebound, not a single, tiny bloom has escaped me.
I’m astonished to see sweet peas still in bloom given we have had several severe frosts. Annual lobelia, along with many other annuals, is still actually flowering, now that’s unheard of ! I’ve also noticed lots of rose buds…..this climate! No doubt a sudden, prolonged icy spell will see them all off.
The winter stars at the moment are the dogwoods and hellebores, shooting star is showing off in the cover picture, yet so many are right behind her.
The bulbs are still pushing through and I’m sure I’ll have snowdrops soon, I see their tenacious, tiny white heads peeking through!
The freedom bit? After Sam got the all-clear, hubs, daughter and I shot off for a truly splendid, belated birthday meal. I try hard to ignore the years that have crept up on me, how on earth did I get this old…sighs!
Sadly, I fully intend to age disgracefully!
And….now Sam has his freedom too and has gone walkabout again, how he missed his walks!
And Finally…
So sorry, Claudine, that we didn’t make our London jaunt. Life eh!!!
The gifts you intended to give us, arrived recently, oh, it was like Christmas all over again!!! Thank you, so much, beautiful friend.xxx
I’ve been dying to get to comment to this. We’ve all got the dreaded lurgy doing the rounds and at slightly different stages. Laughing at Sam’s waterfall antics was painful, hoarse but worthwhile! There’s no holding him back now.
I do wonder if the care instructions you are given by a vet are done with their tongues in their cheeks. ‘No exertions’, ‘pita-patter delicately’ around the house or out on field walks. (sigh). The pictures show how glad they all are to be together doing what they do. You can only stop exuberance with huge restraint and distractions, (I think). Sorry about your two or three grey hairs though.
Your winter garden is doing interest things.
xxx
Annie looks as if she accidentally landed on the couch from slightly higher up. She’s not copying curly cat by any chance?
Sorry to hear you have the lurgy, hoping you are on the mend now. It’s been doing the rounds here too. Sam is certainly back to normal, thanks goodness. I’m always surprised by vets instructions, most are utterly impossible to implement and just cause endless stress as animals do their own thing! Re the grey hair….thank goodness for hairdressers!!! It’s Buddy on the couch, he is very cat-like. Thanks Menhir, get well soon.xxx
Wet floor – that’s pretty funny, at least after the fact. And I love that photo of Annie (?) straddling the couch.
Thanks Jason, I thought it was funny, although pretty embarrassing! Annie is the border collie, Buddy is the little jack russell.xxx
Hope Sam gets back to normal soon, so you can get out more. Pretty warm down our way, but I’m sure things will improve for you all up there.
Thanks Peter, glad to hear you have good weather.xxx
Gorgeous hellebores. I’m glad Sam is full of beans again and obeying instructions at the vets. Did you ever find out what caused the blockage? Hector disgraced himself last week by grabbing a friend’s glove and swallowing it. It came out the other end though, but I don’t think she wants it back.
Belated birthday wishes. You don’t need to worry about getting old, I’ve seen your photographs, you are a mere child.
It’s lovely seeing more and more hellebores coming out. Sam had chewed a piece of plastic off one of his toys, it was his favourite, he’s had it for year, we call it his big squeak! Oh….laughing out loud re Hector’s antics, thank goodness it passed through! Oh, how I wish I was a child…..the years are certainly creeping up on me! Thanks Chloris!xxx
Wow, what a huge amount of work looking after a very lively dog – no wonder you’re worn out and have cabin fever, you poor thing! Hopefully a few – ahem – *gentle* walks will soon put Sam and you right.
Ageing ain’t NO fun but we will just make the best of it, won’t we, dear gal! xx
Critters are easy to look after when sickly…..when they get better is always more tricksy! Oh…ageing is a nightmare, but of course we will make the most of it, onwards! Thanks Gill.xxx
I’m so glad that Sam is doing well. You must be relieved. Best wishes for a full recovery when you can get out for longer walks. Meanwhile, a good opportunity to notice what’s going on with the plants in the garden! Wishing you a happy belated birthday. xxL
It’s wonderful seeing Sam back to his old self! Lovely being able to leave the house too…I always stalk the garden on a daily basis, the last ten days nothing has escaped me! Thanks Linda.xxx
Oh goodness, not sure if I should be laughing at the antics … but I am 🙂
So pleased that Sam is on the mend now.
Always nice to see photographs of the garden
Happy Belated Birthday Wishes.
All the best Jan
Thanks Jan, laugh away, I did! xxx
I wish I were flexible enough to join Buddy in that pose. I might be able to attain it, but I’m not sure I could hold it. It took me a while to find Annie doing her thing, but I finally did. And thank goodness Sam is better — I’m sure those workers at the vet’s place are more than accustomed to their patients’ way of expressing displeasure about having to be there.
You’re right that having that beautiful garden area makes things better. Outdoors is outdoors, even if it’s still a little more confining than everyone would like. That little dude with the top hat and glasses peering out of your planter is hilarious. He’s certainly a peer of your realm!
Oh, being outdoors is certainly outdoors, I remember that from from my hip replacement, a lifesaver for sure! Love that you like my little dude…..he enjoys overseeing the daily antics in the garden! Thanks Linda.xxx
Buddy has the right attitude on the couch. Wish that I could have joined in the birthday celebration from up close, but this was a fun post that radiated the right vibes… Best wishes to all.
How I wish you could have been there too! It was a strange Christmas, but all seems well now….thankfully. Buddy is fascinating, you would enjoy his company, he’s so intelligent and learns more by the day! Missing your blog but you are here….how lovely! Hugs to you and the beautiful Nechama. xxxxx
Am happy to know Sam is back to his normal self. You have the funniest and most interesting dogs on earth! They are all super cute. I had a good laugh at the way you describe things. This is no doubt another enjoyable post of yours. Thanks for the wonderful write up!
Perhaps it’s good to be housebound sometimes so you can witness and appreciate the slightest changes in the garden, which can be simple joy?
Btw, happy belated birthday to you!
I do have lively, interesting dogs, some days I think they are too lively! Glad you enjoyed the post and how true re getting to see every tiny detail re plants! Thanks Jade.xxx
So glad you’ve got your freedom back and that Sam is improving all the time, it is so difficult to keep an energetic dog placid as per vet’s instructions!
Love your first photo of your hellebores!
Oh, isn’t it just re keeping a bouncy dog quiet. Thanks Pauline.xxx
Yay! Happy news all around, Dina, except maybe for Sam’s watery experience at the vet’s, but I think he earned the right to express his angst about it all, and vet-people are the best about such “artistic license.” I am sooo happy he’s healed so well thus far and hope Buddy and Annie will go easy for the next weeks…ha!
I love that photo of Buddy; it’s precious beyond words. Malarky has some pretty goofy sitting positions, too. And I can sweet Annie peeking around the planter…what a beauty!
I am so happy to hear that you were able to celebrate your birthday, eventually: hope your meal was amazing. 🙂 Your gifts from Claudine look wonderful, too! What fun!
My goodness, that hellebores is amazing, Dina! All the blooms are stunning. I fear for my perennials…today and tomorrow, it’s raining. Very warm, then way below freezing for a day or two and next week, more rain, unheard of in Wisconsin in January…till now. I don’t know which plants will make it through all the chaos, but I’ll probably be planting more of them.
Your gardens, like your photos and words, are always such a gift! Thank you.
It’s such a relief having Sam back to normal, I felt so sorry for the poor lad, he certainly suffered. How he hates the vets, I always think he thinks we are punishing him for something, it’s awful. Climate change is real, so sorry about your poor plants, it’s the same here, each year we lose more! Thanks Kitty, love and hugs to you all.xxxx
That sitting pose made me smile. After her last op. Tivvy went one better than Sam as we waited to pay which needed more than just a mop bucket.
He’s a one, that Buddy, he really is an interesting little guy! Oh my….Tivvy must have been seriously annoyed!!! xxx
🙂 don’t be sorry, my dear friend! Sam well-being was priority no. 1…
and as you know, I think they (our animal friends) always come first. We will have another opportunity, don’t worry. I’m looking forward to hugging you and the whole family, was over happy that you liked our little gifts… you will keep a part of me over there!
Hugs and love :-)c
It’s a good job it was you! I know how you feel about your animals so that made it a little easier. Oh, looking forward to being hugged! How lovely it is having a little of you here, thanks again. Love and hugs.xxx
Good to see Sam is making such good progress and he is so lucky to have you!..😍 your garden seems to be breaking out in blossoms way earlier than normal.. never mind, lovely to see flowers at any time. One compensation to ageing is being a grandparent.. you will love it..💕
Thanks Gerrie, it’s wonderful having Sam back, healthy and happy. Oh….I sure am looking forward to meeting baby girl! xxx
Sorry but 😂😂😂😂😂 ….. Thank you!
Love the vet visit story, so ‘dog’, our hound (a lurcher, mini-greyhound, all legs and limbs) insisted on sitting on his Daf’s lap and sulk.
The reason you sit on the soda like that is …… Coz it’s comfy!
Hahahaha….you are welcome! Awwww dogsounds lovely! I think Buddy would agree with you re that pose being comfy, ungainly but comfy!xxx
Lovely post and pictures. The one of Buddy on the chair had me smiling. It’s good to see that Sam its well on the mend now.
Happy belated birthday. xx
Thanks Flighty, Buddy does have some strange sitting positions.xxx
Happy belated birthday my friend and I will be ageing disgracefully with you. Very pleased to hear that Sam is progressing, although clearly not an easy time. Just keep saying like a mantra…..This too shall pass…….and it will.
Sending lots of love and hoping that we spend time together this year. janet xxxx
Oh, happy birthday to you too, hope you had a good one. We will catch up again this year, for sure! Thanks Janet, love and hugs to you.xxx
I was chuckling to myself when I saw the photo of Buddy and then laughing out loud when I read the next bit about Sam’s antics at the vet’s, don’t dogs embarrass you right at the moment you want them to behave. Glad to hear that Sam’s on the mend now, he certainly looks well.
Oh yes, animals certainly know how to embarrass us, same with kids! It’s lovely having Sam happy and healthy again. Thanks Jo. xxx
Good old Sam, I’m so glad that he has the all clear. At least the cone came in handy at the vet’s to warn people that the tide was in! I love Buddy’s sitting position, and your garden is looking lovely too. Happy New Year to you and your family – human and animal! xx
Thanks Veggiemummy, it’s wonderful having Sam healthy again. xxx