It’s raining, it’s pouring…
The humidity affecting every pore.
Poor kitties and puppies experiencing loud scary thunder and lightning.
And yet the downpour drenches us in cats and dogs.
Sorry. Some streams probably need to be dammed. 😏
Tag Archive: dogs
If a day isn’t going well, I can search for a funny and if not laugh, at least feel better.
Besides, that orange cat reminds me of the kittens we are going to adopt as soon as they are weaned, fixed, and wormed. And guess what! There is a black one. So we may again have a black kitty and a ginger! And hopefully we can find homes for the rest. There are always feral cats around here. We are trying to contain what we can.
Others were about losing pets. I’m still sad, yes. But do I dare ask for prayers and blessings as on Thursday we will start visiting shelters. I’m nearly giddy with excitement. But trying to be a grownup. Haha.
Piglet: The Unexpected Story of a Deaf, Blind, Pink Puppy and His Family by Melissa Shapiro
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Oh, my goodness! This book was fun from the very beginning. My eyes have difficulties tracking to read; even since cataract surgery fixed a lot of my issues, tracking remains nearly impossible. I have been an avid reader since I was little. Reading was slow going, but I got through the ten books allotted by the library every three weeks. The heft of the books was unwieldy, but I didn’t ask for help.
So, I began reading this book on my old phone using the Kindle app. It took me quite a while to get through even half the book. Finally, I caught up with the Libby audiobooks I had checked out, and Piglet became my bedtime book. Now, I could use text-to-speech and speed up the reading quite a bit. And give my eyes a rest.
Another reason I got into this book is my own dog, Kali, passed last spring after being nearly blind and having doggy dementia and bad hearing. It was so hard at the end of her life, but we had such a hard time from the beginning trying to learn from each other that the bond for her was strong in the end. I miss her so much and feel the need to help another dog as soon as I can. Meanwhile, Piglet helped me. Now I feel even stronger about getting another dog. I know there is one out there that needs me as much as I need him or her.
I think this book has a couple of other inspirational stories within. Melissa Shapiro is a veterinarian who tells her story of how she and her husband got together. Then, she shares her children’s aspirations with music. She tells of their college experiences.
By the way, one of her daughters and her husband have honest and raving reviews on the Piglet GoodReads page. I was delighted to read these as I felt I knew them from the book.
This book is full of the good feels a person needs these days. I look forward to looking all over the internet to find videos and follow the dogs, Melissa, and her family, and all the good they are doing for disabled people and animals.
When I feel I am floundering, I need to remember the floundering Ms. Shapiro and her husband went through with that one-pound blind, deaf puppy screaming his needs to them. Floundering is how one finds one’s balance. That is what February gives me. Meanwhile, today my turtles got a little more colorful.
Manifesting Monday. I found a pup like I want:
I fell in love with the above pup. Criteria: female, fixed, vaccines, calm but enjoys walks and outings with me. Easily trained, already house trained. Not a fussy eater, but not a kitty litter consumer. Loves being bathed, nails trimmed. Loves being a lap pup. But enjoys alone time. Playful, enjoys toys. Healthy mind, body. Can read the humans. Get along with cats or other dogs. Knows we love her and loves us back. Soft little ears. Cuddles. This or better for the greater good of all of us.
Meanwhile, I finished these:
Good Old Dog: Expert Advice for Keeping Your Aging Dog Happy, Healthy, and Comfortable by Nicholas Dodman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
My dog, Kali, is getting quite old. Her back legs don’t work very well anymore. She can’t get up on furniture or up or down stairs to go outside. She has cataracts, so she can’t see very well. Because of the leg issue, she is incontinent. She was urinating everywhere, even in my bed. She can’t control her bowels well. As much as we love her, this part of her life is difficult for all of us. We finally have a little bed at the end of my bed, so she doesn’t fall. We have wall-to-wall piddle-pads to catch her boo-boos. She gets baths nearly daily as she walks through her boo-boos and gets pooh all over herself and the floor.
I am lucky that there are four of us in this house to watch and care for her and the problems that come up. But we all know what is next in this flow of life. I needed someone to help me know what to do. I’m finding old age is a series of milestones like infancy. Watching the achievements fade is as painful as seeing the accomplishments in the beginning.
But here we are. So this book helped me. A veterinarian writes it, so the advice is given with experience and understanding of what the dog’s parents are going through. I wish we could put diapers on Kali, but she barely puts up with the baths. We need to be patient and give her love while we can. It breaks my heart. I remember when she was too much. Running, jumping, no keeping her quiet. Now it seems we have almost a different dog.
I plan to reread this book as she progresses. It is very useful. Our nearest vet is an hour and a half away, and she can’t handle the trip for little things. It will be the big issue that will take us all over that hill. It will be a very sad drive. Thank you for such a helpful book.
Guardians of the Trails: Secret Agents of the Wilderness Volume 1 by Ron Guiley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I recently went to the eye doctor. Yes, the one that didn’t give me new glasses as he is setting up cataract-removal surgery for me. I can’t wait! It will be so nice when I can read all books again. Until that operation happens, I guess children’s books or Kindle and Audible are my only way to read. As the doctor and I discussed how I couldn’t even see the big E with my left eye, I told him how important it was that I be able to read. “I’m a writer!” I said as I pointed to my 2020 NaNoWriMo winner’s T-shirt. He pulled out his bookmark to prove he not only wrote but actually had published his masterpiece. I couldn’t wait to get it and read it.
Luckily, this book is a wonderful picture book. The poodles pictured in the book are the doctor’s own. He enjoyed taking them on hikes and snapped pictures. A story evolved with the pictures, as with children’s books, the writing is large enough for most of us to read. And the illustrations are adorable. Don’t think for a minute it is just a bunch of poodle pics. The story is fun. The poodles are secret agents solving nature puzzles. I can’t wait to see what they get up to in volume 2!
Hello Love by Karen McQuestion
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
After spending so long time traveling with the Outlander, I needed a light read. This one was free on Kindle Unlimited. And I used a credit to get the Audible because I needed to just relax and listen to the story.
If you are looking for something light, this is for you. It was enjoyable. Karen McQuestion’s writing made a nice story with plenty of character development. It is both a believable story and not. But with all that is going on in the world right now, I needed a bit of fiction to help me sleep. If you have a dog or love dogs, the story plays out even deeper.
Just one little problem. Dan John Miller, the narrator does a good job playing the male main character but like all male narrators, in my estimation, all the woman voices sounded like a male making fun of women. But I think he did his best and he did keep the reader’s interest. Give it a try if you get the chance.
Four adults doing a Sunday. I was cooking, we all were in our own worlds and got too busy.
WE
Didn’t notice this:
Until suddenly we realized she was not in the house. With all the predators around here and her penchant for exploring, we were scared. She was nowhere in the house. No one let her out. (Everyone has THAT family member!) So all of us were running around like crazy shouting her name. Nada. Finally, she came out from under a tree in the backyard. Apparently, she went visiting her friend next door during her adventure.
But look at her now!
Kali, Kali, Kali!
The Litter of the Law by Rita Mae Brown
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I was given this book by a friend who read it on her vacation and left it with me when she visited. It took me so long as the font is rather small so I could only take it in bits and pieces. There was enough dialogue to break up the page so I could read it in tiny doses.
The book kept my interest. I did want to find out more about the farming and life of these farm people. I loved reading about the characters. I found the Native American research interesting though it added to the shame of how our founders dealt with the original inhabitants of our country.
I absolutely loved the drawings. Yay for adult books that have pictures!
What I found annoying and distracting from the story: talking animals. But I suppose that is where the ‘cozy’ comes in for this mystery.
I love Halloween but I never go to ‘haunted house’ features because I worry that real blood could be involved with no one knowing. And I hate things jumping out at me to make me scream or be startled. This book just reinforced those fears. It is what made this a gruesome mystery rather than cozy. But others of you may love it and can read it with the grain of salt that is implied. I’m glad to finally be finished and to pass it to the friends of the library.
Darswords 
You must be logged in to post a comment.