Tereza Okava

Coydon Wallham wrote:Is there a problem with just dropping lots of paper into a RMH? I don't have that much so just use a few sheets crumpled up to start fires, but if I had that much I'd make a tight roll about 1" thick (50-100 sheets?), tie it up with jute, and drop it in with a bunch of other sticks...

I would love to know this too. we have access to ridiculous amounts of old office paper (white printer paper from our old accounting documents we have been required to keep for 7 years), and if i decide to build a stove in the back it would be a great free fuel source.

Welcome Mike! I'm also a master of the Cat Scan!! (scan, identify, and go pick up the hose, at which point cat scampers over the rooftops to find another bathroom, while the rabbits stamp and snort)

this weekend my dog had really bad vomiting and bloody diarrhea. Of course, over the weekend, so I watched his hydration, fed him pumpkin, and gave him 24 hours and a pill for belly cramps. By Monday things were improved enough that I didn't take him to the vet, and by Tuesday all resolved for him to go to training. but the weekend was bad, in terms of cleanup and canine unhappiness.

he only eats kibble and i just figured it was maybe a virus from his training school, lots of dogs interacting.
Til this morning, I was outside fooling around with a solar panel in my front yard when I saw a caterpillar fall off my passionfruit vine onto the patio and the dog catapult over there to eat it, and then begin the bite-cough-spit-heave dance. These caterpillars are very hairy and spiky and I know from experience that they will burn you badly. The fact that he saw it and immediately considered it a hairy candy bar makes me think that these caterpillars will also do a job on your GI tract if you eat one.
He was very unhappy that I removed the caterpillar from his reach and now he's locked up inside until caterpillar season is over.
He also considers bees a great delicacy. What is it with these dogs???

my dog also cannot be outside our yard without a leash.
He can open the door and go in and out into the front yard by himself to relieve himself, drink water, and occasionally scare off people putting things in my mailbox, but he prefers to stay in my office with me most of the time.
The days he does not go to dog school/daycare I take him for a long walk. Days when it's pouring or work doesn't permit, I'll try to do a training session inside the house instead. Last year I had a few months when I couldn't use my hand and so we didn't go out for walks, and he was fine.
I learned the hard way with this dog, more physical activity makes him more anxious. There was a time we were walking 10k+ a day to "tire him out," but I learned that with a Belgian Malinois this is a losing game....

reminded me of this summer fair classic.... glad to see they're still around!
Robinson's Racing Pigs

I'm so sorry Eric. I hope you can give Gracie a couple of great last days and spend good time together.

We were just remembering the same situation in our house - I had to do the same with my old boy last year, who at 14 had a good last year with a new little brother but then his bones and his spine caught up with him. I also had to choose a day (my vet comes to my home, but had to schedule a week out) and I agonized over when to do it. He'd have good days and bad days with hind end paralysis, arthritis, and then toward the end diabetes and heart stuff.
The vet and I decided on a day and we had a week of "good days", even though he couldn't do much- i'd let him sit on the grass in front of my house and sniff, and cast threatening looks at the neighbor dogs (even if he couldn't do much beyond that), skipped his kibble and made soup out of our food for him. The day before, was so energetic and I almost called to reschedule, and spent the whole day second-guessing myself. The next day Nacho couldn't get up, and it was clearly time. He was also my daughter's dog, grew up with her, and I made sure she was there too. It was probably one of the hardest things I've ever done. He was definitely one of those "once in a lifetime" dogs that I don't expect to ever see the likes of again.

Gracie was lucky to have you during her life, and to make sure she doesn't suffer more than she has to now. Take care of yourself too now, as you obviously know she's going to leave a big hole in your heart for a while that will sneak up on you when you least expect it.

"Top to bottom" sounds a bit intense! To me that level means washing the curtains and dusting the tops of the doors, decluttering the cabinets and scrubbing the ceilings; we do that maybe twice a year, once when we are hosting a party or something and then usually again at the end of the year (we usually maintain the Japanese tradition of "big cleaning" before January-- also a time to fix and resolve all the things we've been putting off around the house).
I do a basic clean twice a week, Tuesday and Friday evenings at the end of my workday. We keep up with things around the house and my house is very small (those things mutually help each other-- in a place this small everything needs to be in its place), so it takes me literally no more than 15 minutes. Dust and spray down surfaces, take out all trash cans, vacuum, mop the floors and switch out the throw rugs and dog blankets.
This level of cleaning isn't super intense but it's enough that if I had unexpected visitors drop by for tea and cake and take some pictures, it would be okay.

Burra Maluca wrote:
So now we are cackling to ourselves and plotting what to put in it.

I think alcohol would be the ideal use!!! Stick it to the man!!

I love the transversalism here-- the "federal law" is a US law (post-prohibition), on a bottle of spanish liquor, that ended up in Portugal. Probably a story that isn't that complicated, but how interesting.
You could always sell it as a "rarity"- https://en.todocoleccion.net/antique-bottles/botella-licor-43-federal-law-forbids-the-sale-or-reuse-of-this-bottle-n-letras-relieve~x14210983#:~:text=Description%20of%20the%20lot,See%20conditions%20of%20service.

as mentioned- aprons, slippers/sandals, and also sleeve gaiters. I learned that last one in Asia, where women often wear waterproof ones for messy jobs, but I cut them out of kids' tights just for protection and/or extra warmth.

I'm glad to hear the doggy is eating again!

Tyler Grace wrote:I like how you put "(To Dogs)" at the end of the title. Just in case people were thinking...

To be fair, I've opened up cans of dog food before and started salivating from the scent.

I am reading a book right now ("Gulp, adventures on the alimentary canal" by Mary Roach) that took a detour into dog food to talk specifically about the process of making dog food palatable. To dogs and to humans, since it's the humans who decide which ones to buy. It was a very interesting chapter and perhaps worth a trip to the library!

The poster above mentioned freezing broth cubes. When my old boy was having arthritis we made "slop" out of chicken feet in the slow cooker for 2 days to get him lots of collagen and keep him eating, I put about 2T on his kibble every meal. Sometimes i would use pork knees or cow feet as well, depending on what i could find.