He's back!!!!

I didn't know what to do with myself this morning. After another restless night, I sat with baited breath willing the phone to ring.  Willing it to be the vet on the other line.
At last, a loud BRINNNNGGGG!!! and it was my favourite vet telling me I could collect the patient.
He's not completely out of the woods yet, but at least he's on the way to recovery.
As the doc put it, "I don't want to have another patient to worry about, so come on down and collect him. He'll recuperate much faster at home."  Didn't need to tell me twice.
I quickly warmed some baked chicken pieces to take with me....he likes baked chicken....and off I went.
The journey seemed so long, even though just a five minute drive away.
Whenever I travel, the first gift item that is picked up is a lovely selection of chocolates/cookies for the veterinary staff, and this time was no exception.
The vet even made me laugh when he told me that they all said they definitely had to make sure Brownie was still around when I returned, if not they may not receive their gift.....that would never happen however.
Arriving, I chatted with the vet, who was sure it was some kind of (rat) poison that he had ingested.  He was in a serious way, and I believe the quick thinking of my daughter may have saved his life.
He's on antibiotics and Vitamin K which is the only antidote in cases of this nature.

 

 Headed out to the kennels.

You can tell how HAPPY I was to see him, my trembling hands could not even take a good photo.

 

He's been diligently trying to remove the bandage from his right front foot, but has not been successful as yet.

I hugged everyone, and we said our goodbyes (for now).

Returning home, the house and some parts of the garden were thoroughly inspected, and then he settled down into his favourite corner.

After another meal of chicken and copious amounts of water, he had fallen into a peaceful sleep.

I'm so glad that he's back home.

You may read more info here on rat poison and Vitamin K.

I'm back

I'M BACK!!!!
I returned yesterday afternoon, a tired and "glad to be home" traveler.
News of the ill health of my dearly beloved Brown Berts made me rush to the vet before heading home to a restless sleepless night without him.
There he was in the vet kennel with an IV drip in his foot not looking well at all.  He perked up when he saw me, and tried to look happy, but I could see that he was was trying to fake it.
Apparently he had ingested some kind of poison, and when my daughter realised that he was sick sick sick, she rushed him to the vet for care....thank goodness.
Today I went by with his lunch which he gobbled up in a second, and looked around for more.  He looked so much better today.
There was another dog daddy who came by to visit his dog as well during his lunch break, bearing a flask of hot beef soup.
I am not the only one, I thought to myself.  There are other loving caring souls out there who love animals like I do.
After speaking with the vet, my boy should be able to come home tomorrow.
I really hope so.

Friday the 13th

 

Friday the 13th.
Today was supposed to be the start of my yearly holiday pilgrimage, but due to a few folks warning me about traveling on this date, and the fact that the tickets were cheaper tomorrow anyway, I decided to change the date.  I'm not superstitious in any way.  I don't walk under ladders, but only because I wouldn't want an accident to happen like having a  bucket of paint fall on me.
Okay, so I'm leaving tomorrow for a couple of days.  This of course means that there is so much to be done beforehand.
Lots of household chores to be taken care of, and lots more garden chores as well.
For the past three days, the rain decided (without checking in with me first) to start pouring down like crazy, and it's been hard to get the grass cut.

The miniature bamboo that grows along the driveway needs an urgent trim and I need to plant the sweet lime plantlets for my new hedge out front.  

 

With the rains came the army of snails with their voracious appetites, which means  I've got to spread some bait on the perimeter of the property.

 

 Luckily for the master of the house, he has been taken care of first.  He's had a bath, his nails have been clipped, his ears cleaned and a worm treatment administered.  I hope to clean his teeth later today.  He knows something is up, and has not left my side since I pulled my suitcase out of storage.

His meals are all cooked and stored in the freezer....

His menu plan has been taped to the kitchen wall at eye level for daughter dear (to remember to feed him)......

 

 and his "friends" have been through the washing machine cycle.


Brazen and crew are already up to no good....here is what I found in the back garden.

A broken limb and a dismantled nest.....looks like the nest of a small sparrow.  Poor bird...to have to move house in the rainy weather that we just had must have been a task.  I hope she found somewhere safe.

Well it's time for me to get a move on.  I can't sit here chatting with you when I have so much more things to take care of before I go.
Catch you later.

An Attitude of Gratitude

This wonderful flyer popped into my email inbox today, and it made me happy.

I wish we didn't need to be reminded to be grateful/thankful, but it is what it is.

I'm so glad that I was taught to be contented and grateful for what I had.

The voyage of a thousand miles begins with the very first step.

Must be the music

My daughter does not like "my" kind of music, nor do I care too much for hers.
I remember as a child growing up, I thought my father's music was dull and old time-ish. Guess what I'm listening to now I'm all grown up?
Jazz, Classical and some good old big band music especially when I'm cleaning.  Don't get me wrong, there are a few contemporary artistes that I like, and they'll always have a home in my player.  I also like the cool reggae sounds.
I grew up on Motown hits, and some days when my daughter is singing some song done over as a cover by one of "her favourite artistes" she's always flabbergasted when I can sing along with every word.
"How do you know this song?" she asks.
"Oh that's a song from my older days dear," I reply.
"REALLY?" she asks incredulously.
"YES REALLY!!!" I respond with glee.
"You kids need to write your own music and leave the GOOD music alone." I tell her. 
She's not enthused with my remark at all.
But whether or not she likes my kind of music or not, I've got a new convert.

 Oh my oh my, this is great music!

 Can you turn the bass up just a bit?

 

Mr. Brown Berts loves my music.  As soon as I fire up the music system, he draws near and makes himself comfortable to enjoy the vibes.

He doesn't like the high pitch screams of Mariah Carey nor the extra loud bass of some recordings, but he'll soon be singing every tune word for word and tapping his paws to the likes of Benny Goodman and Earth Wind & Fire.

Someone and something made my day

On Tuesday morning, I visited with a local company that fabricates metal roof coverings. I had already had a conversation with a pleasant gentleman about the problem I was encountering with the bats, and wondered whether there was a product that could be used instead of the sponge inserts that were installed with the metal roof covering.  He told me that they were experimenting with a metal strip which would fit snugly against the metal sheet roof covering, thus closing off any small openings that the bats may find for easy entry into the roof.  It was a prototype but he was more than willing to loan it to me so that I could use the pattern to cut out my new fascia boards.  How kind of him.  I will make my own patterned strip from the template and return it to him pronto.  He surely did make my day.  Thank you kind sir, you know what customer service is all about.

Since I was in the area, I also paid my girlfriend a visit, and as I was pulling out of her driveway, I had to "mash the brake" and stare at this gorgeous beauty.

The Crinum Lily,  Spider Lily

What beautiful blooms

With a heavenly scent at night

I think the moths like it a lot

Talk about making my day!!!

Happiness

While running some errands in the city this morning, I came across this sign displayed prominently outside a clothing store.

 Do you think that they knew that someone had recently tried to steal my Happiness?
Happiness is like my treasure chest........and I love to make others happy by sharing and caring, and making sure that they are happy too....spreading the wealth around so to speak.
Yes,........Happiness is contagious.

I want my psyche back

Sometimes, you need to clear your head when you're feeling a bit down and not up to your usual cheery self, or as we say here when you're "offset."  The best way I know how to get my psyche back in shape, is to listen to "my" kind of music, enjoy a lovely dessert, go for a walk along the beach or take a lovely stroll outdoors.

Sometimes, people just make it their business to throw a spoke in your well-greased wheel.
They think because you have a happy spirit that you don't have your own worries to deal with.
You're going along minding your own business and not bothering anyone, when out of the clear blue sky......

....some ignoramus comes along to mess it all up.  The babbling rhetoric that flows from their mouths is unbelievable.
Could one person be so stupid??   YES.  Not care about anyone but themselves?  YES.
It doesn't make any sense to try to show them where they're wrong with their theories (and I use that word loosely here).

You bite your tongue and put up the force field around your ears, and put them on Operation Ignore.  I learned all about Operation Ignore from a girlfriend of mine who works in a high-stressed job.  She has mastered this technique, and it works well in various senseless situations.
You know the saying, "Never argue with a fool, those looking on may not be able to tell the difference," so appropriate in this case.

You let Ignoramus rant and rave until they're exhausted, and until they finally realise that they haven't phased you one bit.

Their words become useless just like the fallen flowers from the trees....
People waste so much energy with such silly folly.  Life is too short to be bitter and angry at the world.  Everyone's lot in life is different. It's what you make of what you've been given that makes it worthwhile.
Heck I have quite a few lemons in my life, but I've learned to make one hell of a good lemonade.

I'm a giver.  It's an inate trait with me. I would give you the last shirt off my back if you needed it.  But please don't take me for a fool.
AND please don't ever try to take my HAPPY away.....you'll lose, and lose big time. 

A stroll around my neighbourhood and a lovely warm slice of freshly baked rum and raisin bread pudding did the trick.  I'm okay again.

What shall I eat today?

Poor Brazen and family.... I really do feel sorry for them....... seriously.
It's been raining so much for the past week, that they're having difficulty finding any fruit to eat.  Most fruit (what was left in the trees) now lies on the ground spoiling after the heavy rains.

 

What to eat?  What to eat?  What to eat?

 The monkeys do brave the raindrops when they abate.  They sit on my neighbour's wall and ponder what to eat.   They then make their way to the only source of food available now.......the many wild River Tamarind trees (Leucaena leucocephala) that grow along the edge of the quarry.
Here on the island, the River Tamarinds are considered invasive weeds, and they are destroyed whenever a seedling is sighted anywhere near your property.   These small trees are very hard to get rid of since they produce multiple shoots when cut back.   I have had some success killing them with old gasoline.  They have a good laugh at all the high strength herbicides.
They are prolific seed producers, with dark brown seed pods about 6" long and about 20 seeds inside each one. 
Lets write that equation down:  Twenty seeds x hundreds of seed pods =  a never-ending battle.

Leucaena leucocephala 

 River Tamarind- Myamosee - Lead tree

 

The white fluffy flowers

 The pods are green at first

Too young for the monkeys to consume

The brown pods which the monkeys devour

Until the fruit trees in the area start producing mature fruit,  Brazen and crew will be having these pods for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The River Tamarind has had the distinction of holding the weed of the month in Florida at one point here.

An interesting article on the river tamarind here.