Fleur, thy name is ...

Cut showing on the back of Fleur's left arm below elbow.

Cut below left eye on Fleur



Yesterday while at work, Fleur decided to go under the office desk to pull a dog blanket out .After a few seconds, I saw that she had spraddled her front legs out to each side of her body, and she was very slow to get her stability back.  I thought that she was just needing to make room for herself under the desk, but a few minutes later she walked up to me, and I saw the mark on her face.  I thought it was a piece of eye matter, so I got her to come closer.  When she got close, I could tell it was a cut!
I decided to look for any other marks, and found that she had  a small cut on her left front leg, on the back side of the area between her elbow and her wrist.  Neither of these cuts was bleeding, but she acted like they were tender.
As the evening proceeded, I was going about my normal business, and Fleur acted normal, until later when Power wanted outside.  Both dogs went  outside, and then as they were ready to come back inside, Fleur hollered and barked.  I thought she was being her usual bossy self and telling Power how to behave.  It didn't seem as if she was in pain.

Then I realized that Fleur was holding her right front foot up in the air.  I leaned over to look at it and saw that the foot was bloody between the toes on her right front foot.  Fleur didn't want me "messing" with it, so I decided to delay my examination and leave her to rest.  She settled on the sofa and licked on her foot for several hours.
This morning she is still licking the "cuts", and acts like she feels fine otherwise, so I am trying to decide if going to the vet is necessary.

 I called the vet's office and make an appointment for this afternoon. I am going to go to town with laundry this afternoon, and will combine the two trips.  The Vet's office is about 25 miles from the state park, but with the cost of gas, I make the trip only when really needed ( to make my retirement money last better).

This morning, (the day after the cuts were found) I found another big cut on her right hind foot, between two toes.  It looked about 2 inches long, and the on in her right front foot seemed 1 1/2 in to 2 in long!  I cannot figure out how these cuts occurred.  I already have an appointment at the vet, so we proceeded to their office.  The vet said that he really needed to anesthetize her and operate on the two large cuts between her toes, so I had to leave her overnight, and tomorrow I will be picking her up.  

Fleur is not putting any weight on the right front foot.






Fleur is putting some weight on the right rear foot.


I gave her a half aspirin, and see was able to get some sleep after we came home from the vet.

And the name of the crocheted greyhound is............!

Pearl

I got name suggestions from several readers, and I decided on Pearl, which was suggested by
Bunny!

Pearl

Bunny suggested Pearl because of the stitches in knitting, called "knit" and "purl".  Since this hound is crocheted, purl doesn't really apply, but the color of pearls is like the color of this hound, so I decided to go with it.

Thanks to all who added suggestions!

No more thin skin (instead it is crochet) Part 2

This pup needs a name!

A few weeks ago I put some pictures of this greyhound in progress!  I think now that I've done as much as I can to make her or him look good.

I wish you would help me think of a name for her!

The sky's the limit!

 I am not afraid of heights, and have never minded climbing ladders, roof work, balconys, cleaning windows on top floors, or the like.  Adding height to the equation of life seems to make it more exciting. Since living in the motorhome, I've realized that roof work is an essential part of maintenance.
I could hire it all done, but enjoy seeing for myself that things are in good condition.

I decided that it was time that I installed the vent cover on my motorhome roof!  I'd been procrastinating, and thus I could not leave the vent open during rain.  I ordered the vent cover a few weeks ago, and it's been staying in the shipping box for about two weeks in my yard!  I got the cover out of the shipping box, and put the pieces together, then rounded up all the tools that I thought I would need.  All these supplies were placed in a Walmart bag( not a very technological solution for jobs), and tied to a piece of rope.  My theory is that I need both hands to get up the ladder, and then I can pull on the rope to get my tools up.  I always hope that I won't fall from the ladder and/or roof, and so far, so good!  I wore an old broad brimmed hat, and knee pads for comfort, and I am glad to get it done.

After getting up there, I realized I forgot the putty knife.  I didn't want to go down and back up, so I asked my neighbor if he would loan me one , and would put it in the tool bag.  The putty knife turned out to be essential, so I did peel off the putty type caulking and install the brackets that the vent cover was to be attached to.

I had taken a battery operated screwdriver to the roof, and I was so very glad that I did, because the old screws ( they had to be removed) were a doozy to get out and the new screws were really hard to get into their place.  I think I would have tired out too soon if I'd been using a hand held screwdriver.  As it was, I nearly gave out from the effort!

Once the vent cover was installed, I got off the roof and collapsed into my comfortable chair.  Done at last!

Someone said I should train my greyhounds to do those jobs, but I don't think the ladder climbing is in their repertoire!

Fleur working hard!

Power working hard also!

Thanks for the help, guys!

The government can deny it all they want to..... but I saw it with my own eyes!

Some of you may know that I am camping in New Mexico, the headquarters for many strange things, such as the Roswell New Mexico "UFO" crash in 1947, the test sites for the first atomic bombs, etc.Not all unique happenings are so far back in time.

UFO landed on beach

Yesterday, I was exercising my dogs before going to work, and saw the above sight from across the lake.  I took a photo, and then a second photo, with a closer view.

Closer photo of UFO

I'm so thankful for my camera which has a built in 42x telephoto lens.  While examining the second photo, I could see the wheels under the" spacecraft" and the "extraterrestrial beings" exiting the craft from the top hatch.

I had so much fun looking at the craft that I then showed the pictures to the Park Manager, and he decided to investigate.

At the end of my workday, I was pleasantly surprised to have the male and female "extraterrestrial" come to my office and request help in getting the motor of their "spacecraft" started ( they needed a jump start)!  It turns out that they couldn't get the Ford econoline van ( the wheels under the spacecraft belong to the van)to start due to having left their headlights on all day!  Also, they couldn't fold up the fabric of their spacecraft inside the econoline van without the motor running, to operate the topside hatch.

So my conclusion to this whole thing is that we earthlings don't have to fear UFOs because they leave their headlights on just like we do!

Actually these nice folks were part of a project called highdeserttestsite.com.
It has something to do with art projects, and getting them photographed.

Interesting people I meet...tenters, and others

Day visitors:  They all ask the same question:  "Can we have a campfire? "  Somehow they can't read the large sign at the park entrance!

Tenters camp

Tenters:  They have a hard time getting tent pegs into this rocky area.  They seem to be younger, but I met one senior fellow who walks with a cane and a limp, camping in a small tent, out of his car. After Easter Sunday there was a large mount of trash to be picked up, and while a host was picking up trash in the campsites, this gentleman offered to help!  Most people who needed a cane to get around would not make this offer.

Motorcycle campers have nice lightweight tents in their saddlebags, and usually have a loud rumble from their motorcycle engines.  As the groups arrive the loud rumble from their cycles sounds like a giant airplane landing.  It's great.

Pickup truck campers:  They want a level spot and a water faucet to fill their tanks.

tent stays on car and opens for use.

Travel trailer campers:  They want a pull through site so that they dont have to back in.

Solo campers:  Sometimes are single women, and I always like to hear their stories of how to do things by themselves.  Men travelling solo always have good but different ways of taking care of themselves.

Military campers are always welcome in my eyes.  I respect their dedication to do jobs that are often dangerous.  They are usually so pleasant to be around and I enjoy the accounts of their lives in the military services.

Pet owners:  Leashes are required but  many pet owners think it doesn't apply  them. They leave the dog loose and want help to find the dog when it runs off.   Likewise they don't want to pick up the poop from their dogs.  Of course many pet owners are great and take full responsibility for their pets.  So I hope that the many responsible owners set an example for the others to learn from.

I don't want to be petted, so I'm moving!

Club campers:  Groups of people from various RV clubs arrive over a days time.  They are usually not well informed about the area and all ask the same questions.  They are usually very nice people though.

Group campers:  For example, Boy Scout troops, church groups, school groups, clubs.  They are almost always really interesting and fun people.  Our park has a group site that can be reserved.  The site includes a large shelter with picnic tables, multiple tent sites, and a slight isolation.

Foreign visitors:  We get many foreigners-Germans, Swiss, French, Swedish, Icelanders, Spanish, Venezuelans, Mexicans, Canadians, Chinese, Japanese, etc. Such nice people, speaking some English, smiling a lot, and enjoying the sights.  We have some of our brochures in other languages to accommodate them.

Primitive sites near lake's edge

sites on beach

Co-habitation

2 greyhounds on my sofa on a 22 degree night

After I started letting the hounds get on the sofa, I wondered how long it would be before they would peacefully share the sofa.  The first time it happened, I took this photo with my phone.  I figured that if I got up to get the camera, they would move off the sofa and ruin the picture.

I put the red sleeping bag on the sofa to keep dog hair from getting all over the sofa, and it has been a godsend!  Nothing sticks to the nylon surface.  I have since added a second sleeping bag to enclose the back cushions.

see second red sleeping bag on sofa back cushions

If I were more dedicated to this photo session, I would somehow figure out a way to have the sleeping bags perfectly neat and even spotlessly clean so that the two red colors would match exactly!  However, I usually have a cat on my lap, and the laptop resting on one leg, and don't want to disturb the baby(cat), nor do I want the hounds to wake up and leave the sofa.  So this is the best that it will be.

Fleur has always been a personality that complains if the other hound is touching her, so when she started sharing the sofa I wondered if she had killed off the old Fleur!

The sky is falling, the sky is falling!

Yesterday evening I noted that the sky was darkening, and my hounds were more alert than comatose.

The sky got even darker, and finally we started having lightning and thunder.  Fleur got off her bed and tried her best to get completely under my La-z-boy recliner.  Power looked very alertly at me to ask "What is going on?"  The cat jumped off her bed on the motorhome dash and climbed up on the back of the La-z-boy.

The wind started blowing, the thunder and lightning crashed and hurled itself at us, the rain was not rain, it was torrents of water, and as Power put his head back down for the rest of his nap, Fleur was cuddled up to the base of my chair for emotional comforting, the cat (Chica) came down on my lap and tried to dig a hole to China.

Chica

After the storm was over, I took the dogs out of the motorhome, and closed the gates to the maintenance yard (where we camp) and turned the dogs loose to run off some of their energy.  They ran like crazy until about 15 minutes had passed and they were exhausted.

Fleur returning to home base after chasing after Power for 15 minutes.

The tall guy in this picture threw tennis balls for the dogs to retrieve, and Power outran everybody.  He was so much fun to watch.

After tiring themselves out, I noticed that lying in the swimming pool seemed really appealing to the dogs!

Happy Dogs!

Pageviews exceed the 19000 mark!

I was very surprised to find the pageviews numbering over 19000 today!  I thank each of you for sharing your time to check the blog.

I also found out today that KF-in-Georgia(one follower) has a web site and blog, and I had not realized that before.  I am now imagining that many more of the followers have sites, and I have been too inexperienced to realize it!

I wish each of you would share your blog address with me so I don't stay so ignorant! I feel that I learn a lot from others.  I appreciate the sharing that you each do.  I think I've learned more about greyhounds since blogging than I have in the many years of having greyhounds but not being in contact with other owners. My greys thank you for "smarting" up their mom!

Flooding rains change the lake life

American white Pelican  taking off

American White Pelicans fishing for supper

Rainbow at Bluewater Lake State Park, after flooding rains.

Water level rising after flooding rains

Great Blue Heron checking out the higher water levels

In the picture above, note the boat ramp in the right side about 1/3 the way down the picture.  After these rains, it is now under the water instead of high and dry.

The young horses are enjoying the eating and playing.

These plants are covering nearly every foot of the beach area.!  I don't know what they are, but they look like a member of the nightshade family.

Lots more horse sightings since the beaches are covered with these green plants 

No more thin skin ( instead it is crochet)

Some months ago I read a blog in which the lady was going on a trip and was packing her stuffed greyhounds to take with her. The photos were really cute! I checked out the website where she purchased hers.  They had small ones and life sized ones, and were quite a lot of money. (However, the cost was not too much for the amount of work involved in making these crocheted beauties.)

When checking out the website, I also noticed that they sold the patterns to make the dogs.http://www.etsy.com/shop/AerieDesigns

Long narrow head partially finished

I had not crocheted in many years, and was quite surprised that I could follow the instructions in the pattern. The dog starts appearing quickly.

Body section after stuffing with polyfil

The pattern was a big surprise.  It is a very easy to understand, and a beginner can follow it.

When I started on the legs, I found that I had to know a little more than before, because the legs required a single crochet stitch and a half double crochet stitch, a slip stitch, and double crochet.  I had never heard of a half double crochet stitch and had to look in my crochet instructions book to figure it out!

So far, I have ripped out the leg twice and started over, and am still having a bit of a mess, so I am thinking I need to consult with another person to get it done correctly.
 I did consult with Anita https://sparemomentstitching.wordpress.com/

She got me straightened out and I was able to finish the first hind leg today.
The second hind leg is started!

Two weeks later... after starting this post. 

 In following the instructions I stuffed each section as I went, and so I ended  up with one hind leg three inches longer than the other.  I took the stuffing out and reinserted it, and came out with legs about the same length!

Hind legs are sewed in place

Hind legs are too far back on the body, and will have to be redone!  The toes are going backward as well.

The first time around the neck came out way way too thin,

Note the extra skinny neck!

See the extra skinny neck

so I recrocheted the head and neck and finally got them in proportion.  I realized I needed to put the eyes on so I pulled the stuffing out of the head and neck and placed the eyes where the pattern said to do so.  

Second crocheted head and neck, in better proportion, with eyes in place

The eyes seem way too large and a bit too low on the side of the head.  

The front legs turned out to be different lengths after being stuffed, and the toes were wanting to turn to the outside, so more work is required.

Front legs with toes going in the wrong direction, and the length is different.

So I hope that you have enjoyed seeing the steps and mistakes of this project.  I had a lot of fun and in a few days when it is finished, I will show photos of the life sized greyhound.

Collars and Leashes

Ribbon  to make a new collar

Studded leather to make collar and leash

I so enjoyed the last collars and leashes I made, that I bought some more supplies today to make a couple more.  I got so excited at the fabric department at the Gallup Super Walmart, that I also bought some interfacing, some fleece, and a pattern to make a hat for my sister in law.  She loves the color turquoise, and I found a yard of beautiful turquoise fleece.  Her name is Erika, and she lives in Germany.  Her area has very cold winters, and I think she will enjoy having a warm hat in her favorite color.

I plan to use some beads to embellish the hat.  I also think it might be possible to make a coat for power from this fabric.

Power showing off his new coat

Fabric for Power's coat

Comfort

During our very recent heavy rains, these horses stayed in the park, standing out in the rain and acting like it never bothered them.

Mare and yearling stayed with us through the flooding rains.

Since then even more horses are enjoying the lake and the wild grasses in the park.

Two of them wandered into the maintenance yard and checked it all out , munching on grass as they went.