Ginger

A November Bath Day and Thensome

Today I had to take the hose set-up from my laundry room to Home Depot where a nice, young gentleman there managed to remove the nozzle from the hose. This has been an on-going sore spot for me. I had set up this slinky-type hose with hot/cold water access in the laundry room, so I could stretch it out on cool days to the dog-wash table for a warm-water bath. But the nozzel broke and I couldn’t remove it. Not with pliers or hammers or WD-40. So the fact that I found a good guy who knew what he was doing with those muscles on his arms was a godsend. Thank you! (And I did go on-line and wrote to Home Depot customer service telling them about this wonderful employee.)

That meant that I could get on a bath schedule again. And being it’s no longer Halloween, and Chirstmas is coming, it’s time for the winter type Christmas season collars to go on clean dogs. Today was Raven Peebody, Lilian Peebody, Luna and Ginger’s turn. Ginger loves to be doted on, so she got a bath just because she likes the attention. Here she is looking lovely drying off in sun.

Shortly after this picture, she found the place she most likes to pee, and rolled in it.

Luna, the sweetness that she is, decided to dry off on the dirty mat we use coming and going from the back door. At least her pillow was clean as of yesterday’s laundry.

Raven thought Luna was particularly fragrant.

Shortly after her sniffs, Raven went into her “Lookie!” stance while Lilian and the Cuz ball got reacquainted.

And what was Raven staring at? Wow! Big bird. Not THE “Big Bird,” but a really big bird flying overhead. Raven’s got a lot of bird friends, though this one looked sort of menacing. Hungrily so.

Lilian decided to run inside and take her beloved coconut to protect it from the big bird. This was not a decision that sat well with the Dobermaid though.

Speaking of, Raven’s new idea of fun is to give the Dobermaid’s friend, the Dobercook, sass, sass and more sass. The Dobertrainer thought it an idea to let the Raven out while food was being prepared so she wouldn’t have to hear the demanding barks from the bird. It works to a point. The point being when Raven’s patience has gone on empty, she jumps into her crate to bark at the Dobercook to move it along…serve dinner already. What happens from here?

Well, the Doberwaitress tells the Raven to shut the heck up or she won’t get dinner. Of course, Raven doesn’t oblige, so the Doberwaitress closes the door, drapes towels over the door and window of the bird’s crate, and the bird then throws a major fit. Doberwaitress then serves everyone else who knows how to behave and waits until the ruckus behind the curtains comes to a complete and utterly stop. And it does. Eventually. That little bird is starting to get it. But the “starting” part still takes longer than the household would like. Our ear plug bill is a bit outrageous.

Birds, Ginger, Lilian, Luna, Raven

10

Nov

2007

Ginger’s First Pain Pill

Helen

Today, Ginger limped on her right front leg for the first time. Her back right leg has been bothersome now and then. Before knowing about the cancer, I thought it was from playing too hard and muscle aches.

I reached down to massage her under her front arm pit, and felt the hard, massive lump there. How fast these ugly tumors grow. When her back leg would ache, I could massage the pain away. But it wasn’t so for this disgusting thing I felt beneath her today. She didn’t get comfort from my massage, so I stopped. Instead, for the first time, I went into the house to look at the two bottles of pills the veterinarian sent home with us. I noticed they were for pain. That’s all I looked at when I put them in the medicine chest. I didn’t believe we would need them. I thought praying, diet, lots of love and visualization would clear Ginger’s body of the cancer. But this cancer is deaf to the tones of healing. It’s claimed her body and is taking it over without mercy.

I read the bottles today, figuring I would have to guess which pain pill to give her. Not so. This veterinarian knew what was coming. I chose the bottle that said, “Give for pain and limping,” and gave her the dose with food.

Ginger still played. She tried to keep up, but she wears out faster now. Luigi is her best playmate. He is my boy, and is the best energy around this house. He played her game, and we are blessed for his patience and fun spirit. No matter who he’s battling wits with.

Bouchard has been the most blessed by Ginger’s adoption. She came home on December 7, 2005. She brought him out of his shell and taught him to play. Ginger is the only red girl in the pack, and Bouchard is a red boy. Ginger validated him. Bouchard was pulled from a shelter when he was under a year old, a skin-and-bones boy who’d been left behind when his people moved. He was scared, water he drank went right through him, and he had no concept of dogspeak. He seemed to think any move towards him by a dog was an aggressive one and he’d react first, think later. He’s much better now, and a lot of credit goes to Ginger who gently got his playful self rolling. I have a feeling Bouchard isn’t doing well with recognizing Ginger’s new scents. The scents from cancer. Tonight, he chose to watch the sunset rather than play.

Bouchard, Ginger, Life

02

Nov

2007

Batty Lilian

Helen

Lilian, a temperamental Doberdiva, did not like her batty headdress. She refused to cooperate for a picture.

Lilian would not lift up her head outside either. Not for a moment. Not for me. Not for a picture. Not with those bats over her head! (Run Lilian run!)

Come on Lilian. Just one picture? Lift up your head and let’s see your pretty face and the bats flying overhead.

No! You’ll regret this!

Raven to the rescue! Raven came out of nowhere, thrusted Lilian’s head in the air, and I got my picture! (Lilian looks like a zombie.) She’s now off somewhere casting a spell over us.

Lilian’s not speaking to anyone currently. She’s still getting over her humiliating experience. Well, it’s all in how you perceive fun.

Ginger felt pretty … and looked pretty too!

Regis thought she looked like a babe, too. He loves those batty boppers on her head, and tells her so.

Annie looks wicked.

She is. Bahahahahahahahahaha!

Annie, Ginger, Lilian, Raven, Regis

28

Oct

2007

Tying up loose ends

Helen

I found Lilian’s bowl this morning. I had needed a bowl to put the old breakfast dog kibble into so I could pour the new bag in. Habit solved the mystery!

Weeks ago, Raven knocked over my papaya tree. The roots were separated from the trunk, but I replanted it anyway, hoping it would revive.

Today my hopes were dashed. When I saw the trunk had tilted, that gave me the clue. The fat lady sang.

Wrapping it up, this evening when I arrived home, I let Raven out and she turned and blocked the door so my Doberdame couldn’t exit. I told Raven to back off, but did she? Noooo. So I threw my empty soda can at her feet. What did she do? Grabbed it, ran with it, squashed it, and when I came back out, spat it at me feet.

Not to be outdone, and still on her “big bowl” high, Lilian grabbed the can and ran with it.

Finally, Ginger got a turn at coveting it, shortly before I put it in the recyclable cart.

Ginger, Lilian, Raven, Trees and Plants

24

Oct

2007

Rainy Day with Mushroom Soup

Helen

Tonight I soaked the Shitake mushrooms I bought at Costco in hot water. Then I added the water and all to Miss Ginger’s squash, chicken, and rice medley. She had issues with the mushrooms themselves, but liked the soup, which is supposed to be where the polysaccharides (cancer fighting agents) end up…and that’s what she needs.

Afterwards, I shut the crate and we were all supposed to move on outside, but all of “we” didn’t. Who remained were a hefty crew staring in at Ginger’s dinner mushroom remnants. When I opened the crate door, of course, Raven got first dibbs and finished the mushrooms Ginger didn’t.

Now shortly thereafter, I went back and read the directions from a portion of a file I found at the yahoo groups I joined – Canine Cancer.

“The way to get polysaccharides from mushrooms is through a hot water extract. Hot water extract also means we can do it at home. Buy shitake, reiki, maitake, and (impossible to find except in Asian markets) coriolus versicolor, whip them up with water in a blender, and bring the puree to a boil. You now have that hot water extract, full of protein-bound polysaccarides and polysaccharide peptides, which can be poured over their food and, hey, even over ours…”

I didn’t do that whip them up in water to a puree part. Thank goodness I went back and re-read the directions, so I can get it right next time.

After Raven ramsacked Ginger’s crate, and others had the nerve to touch Ginger’s non-mushroom stuff, well, Ginger was peeved. She stayed in a peeved mood for minutes snarling at anyone who walked by.

Then she overcame, and decided to be Ginger again.

Meanwhile, today it was very rainy and there was not much outside playtime going on in Fort Doberdale.

The brown blanket hanging off the fence in the above picture is one of the many peed-on blankets waiting for a turn to be washed. I couldn’t wash today being I hang them to air dry. I’ve been finding this pee-on-the-blankets tradition has started up again lately, and I’m getting tired of washing the same blankets everyday, so I’ve gone back to chaining the juvenile pair to the futon when I am not able to watch them. Housebreaking can try one’s nerves!

A November Bath Day and Thensome

Ginger’s First Pain Pill

Batty Lilian

Tying up loose ends

Rainy Day with Mushroom Soup

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