A Very Close Call!

This is my Best Bud Cooper.

He is a 6 year old Redbone Coonhound. He is my shadow. He knows where I am at all times if I am around the house. A lot of the nature photography I share is because of the walks Cooper and I take everyday.

Thursday he woke up and started throwing up lots of fluid. After the 3rd time I was very concerned. He was acting strange and breathing a bit harder than normal. I decided to take him to the vet.

Now anyone who has been following me here knows we are having a bit of a financial crisis at this moment so it was (I'm sorry to say) a big decision to go to the vet. Then I had to decide if we should do an x ray since the Doc. thought it might be a blockage.

I had to do that so I knew I was up to $100.00 at this point. After 3 hours waiting for the barium to work and the x ray to be read we found out it was an obstruction and he would need surgery.

Wow, what an emotional decision. I don't have extra cash on hand right now and I'm not sure if they will take payments.

I LOVE my dog and really do not want to loose him. I had to leave him over night and tell them I had a financial cap so they couldn't do all they could if necessary. If it involved the intestines they would just have to put him to sleep right there on the operating table and I would never see him again.

I prayed, along with many other people and they did surgery the next morning.

They were able to do a less invasive procedure to get the corn cob piece (eyes rolling) down to where he will be able to pass it on his own. He did have to be opened up so they could get to his stomach. Here are a few photos of him coming home and at home after I picked him up.

Stoned Cooper! The drive home was interesting. He would not lay down and just sat there staring and every once in awhile he would snap to it and look up like "Whoa, dude what is happening? Where am I?"


Here he is laying on his bed in the living room. Still a bit spacey.


Hello! Is anybody home in there?
It was weird, like an Alzheimer's patient. Poor guy.
I'm happy to say that today he is much better. Still moving slow. Lots of staples and stitches on his belly but he ate, and took a walk around the yard and is sleeping beside me up on the couch like old times :).
Even though he has eaten corn off the cob a bunch of times, this time he decided to eat the cob also. Needless to say this summer treat will not happen EVER again. That was a $600.00 mistake we will not repeat no mater how much he begs. I am so happy to have him home and despite the expense, I had to purchase a new collar on Etsy to celebrate!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/AddisonLogan

Very Manley and cute huh? What's another $10.00's. It was on sale ;).

We girls know, it makes you feel better to buy something new!

I'll post pic's when he gets his new adornment!

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The Eccentric Tea Party. It's finally here!

What a beautiful evening for a tea party!

When I read about A Fanciful Twist's Mad Hatter Tea Party 2010 http://afancifultwist.typepad.com/

I knew I just had to join in the fun with all the other bloggers.

I have a little wonderland in my backyard where I have a little bristo table with a chandelier along with my wonderful swing. I spend many hours escaping life's stresses here in my wonderland.

We all need a bit of fantasy in our lives, don't you think?

Oh! I am so excited to bring you along. Well, come on lets go through here...

Oh My! here is the doorknob...




And the key! OH, look at the cobwebs, I haven't been here for a while.

Look! look over there. Here we are!




Oh, what a lovely setting. Everything is waiting for us. And it is so pretty.

Look at the table cloth. and the chandelier!
Oh the cups are so cute, and the napkins. Ummm, look at the truffles!

Oh Dear, Here I go again, forgetting my manners. Just rambling on and on. Oh, Well, ah, my, here, have a seat won't you.


Look at the lovely cupcakes baked by http://theunseasonedchef.blogspot.com/

they look so delicious! She is so talented. ;)

Oh Dear! What time is it?

Is anyone else coming?

I wonder?

I hope they are not late!

OK Mr. Rabbit, we will have a cupcake and cookies.

Why must you always be in such a hurry?

Well..... there is that Cheshire Cat. He is such a nuisance. Does he look funny to you?

That cookie did have a different flavor. Oh My...


Here, lets have a spot of tea. Tea always makes everything better!

Have another cup cake too. UMMM


The Mad Hatter is hiding but I see his bike.


Oh, there he is. He is sulking because he couldn't find his good top hat, but I like this one with his skin tone. Don't you agree?



"Sigh" I am getting rather tired. I think I will lie down on the swing and take a nap, then I will finish my book about Mr. Lewis Carroll. He is such an interesting man with such silly stories. I just don't know where he gets them.

Good night all, I hope you enjoyed yourselves. Remember to visit all the other parties. Maybe I'll see you there!

A Book about Dogs, Love and Houses

I just recently joined Library Things "Early Reviewers" program.
I thought it might be fun.
Well I got a book my first time choosing and what a perfect book it was for me!
Carol's story of her 42 year marriage and the 10 different dogs they had through the years sounded so much like my life!
I have only had 4 dogs and I hope I am a better chooser of breeds than she was at times. Her quick wit with the stories of her dogs made me chuckle out loud many times to where I was annoying my husband. Which leads me to her relationship with Millard, her high school sweetheart! It is so refreshing to read about a real couple. The things they loved and shared and the things they just put up with. Their love was deep and special and I am glad Carol chose to write about their life.
If you love dogs, fixing up houses, antiques and especially have a good long lasting marriage, I think this book will give you a few good evenings of pleasurable reading!
It's available now at Amazon.com or many other book stores.

(note: the real cover has a Jack Russel on the front)

SNOW!

Yesterday afternoon it started to snow.




My daughter and her girl friends did a no-pants snow dance the night before

(Don't ask, I didn't.) But it worked!




We got over 4 inches and it was soft and powdery. Everything looks so magical.





It was to cold and windy to walk during the storm but this morning I couldn't wait to get out with Cooper and take some photos.







It was still lightly snowing and it was so peaceful. As Cooper ran and sniffed out all the small animals I looked around to see what I could photograph to share with you.



I was a bit nervous to get so close to this groundhogs hole but alas, no one was home. Or at least not ready to come out while I was there.
I spied this cozy nest up in the tree. I don't suppose the previous occupants are actually still here but it did look nice and warm all covered up like that.


And then I came upon this exit from one of the large trees on the golf course. Nature was nice to leave the opening clear so the squirrels could get out later if they felt so inclined.



I took a few more photos of interesting things I hope you will enjoy.

These little snow covered weeds reminded me of Marie Antoinette's hairdo. What do you think?

While my oldest daughter was here for the holidays we made some ice wreaths I saw at http://resurrectionfern.typepad.com/. She has such great ideas! I made matching candles to put on my front porch bristo table.

These were so much fun to make! We never have tempretures low enough for these last but I think they will last for several more weeks this year!

Who says winter is dull and ugly? Just take a walk and look around, there is beauty and wonder all around.

Have a great weekend!

Come Walk With Me

Since I share about my walks with Cooper so much, I thought I share the woods behind my home where I do most of my walking with Cooper. If we go at the right time and the golfers are gone this time of year we will also walk on the golf course. I will share photos from there another time. So sit back relax and enjoy a wonderful stroll through my woods.

This is the path behind my house that connects to the entrance into the woods. Unfortunately, I can't cut through our yard to this path right now because it is full of poison ivy! I barrow my neighbors backyard in the summer to cut across.

Entrance into the woods on the way to the meadow. Isn't this a beautiful site? These trees have to be 30 ft tall.

further on the path to the meadow.

The meadow. There are 2 paths off to the right you can take or we go forward to the other end and left and it opens into the golf course.

Honeysuckle abounds here!

Deer path off to the side.

Side path

Pretty flowers (weeds)

Trees. Love the texture here.

Cooper running through the high grass.

For comic relief I thought I'd include what I am usually looking at!

Wild Phlox are my favorite! I hope you enjoyed your walk today. Have a wonderful Sunday!

Cooper

Did someone say Softball?

My Paintings of Cooper

I thought it would only be polite introduce you to my shadow Cooper, since I will be talking about him at times here. One of my favorite photos of him is with the book that is responsible for him coming into our lives. We had been dogless for 10 years and my daughters had been asking for a dog for awhile but neither my husband or I were willing to take on the responsibility again. Fortunately or unfortunately I picked up a book by Jon Katz called a Dogs Year. What a wonderful book! because of Mr. Katz poetic writing I was persuaded to give in and look for the perfect breed for our family. Cooper is a Redbone Coonhound. He definitely does not live the life of a coon hound! As you can see here he loves to read Mr. Katz and is very thankful to him for his rescue from such a difficult life.

find book Here