Retired Mountain Lady

 Mr. Wilson Report:

Yesterday Willie ventured over towards the neighbors and while he did respond to my recall, when he appeared at our front door it was quite apparent that he had been having a really good time rolling about in some kind of fresh poo.  Oh boy.

He would not be the first dog we've had that liked to roll in poo as Maggie loved to do that, especially in the spring.  

That meant we were now forced into giving Mr. Willie his first bath.  I searched in the basement for the rubber bath mats, doggie shampoo and towels and got everything set up.  

Willie was having nothing to do with hopping into the tub so Jon had to pick him up and put him in.  Once he was in the tub and I started washing him with the sprayer he calmed down, but mostly he was a bit afraid of just what was happening to him.  We reassured him that it was going to be okay and managed to get him washed down and rinsed off.

The problems arose after we were finished as he really doesn't like to be dried off with his towel.  That resulted in a lot of "doggie shaking the water off" in the middle of the bathroom.  Water everywhere, but at least we had a clean dog.  Willie was pretty happy to have that experience over with. 

Mom and dad just had to clean up the mess which included washing all the rugs, mopping the bathroom floor and of course, cleaning out the tub and hanging up all the mats, etc.  We're just hoping that this will not become a daily event. 

When he's not rolling in poo, Willie likes to entertain himself outside by chewing on assorted branches, boughs and bark.  He is pretty polite about keeping his "toys" in one place and has about a 5' wide circle of torn debris in the front yard.  He has added one real treasure which is a black 6-pack planter container that he found somewhere underneath the deck.   Even though he has chewed on it a bit and torn it apart, it's still in one piece but I'm sure it makes a lot of noise whenever he's playing with it.  

The planter made me think of gardening. 

Since we are almost into the final week of February it is time to check my begonia bulbs and possibly take them out of storage to get ready to plant again.  It's also time to think about starting my patio tomato seeds.  

I've been growing Red Robin tomatoes for at least ten years now.  By starting them this early I usually get two big crops off of them.  One in early June and another in August.  I like the convenience of harvesting a few cherry tomatoes from the pots on the deck.  I can just step out the door and pick a few fresh tomoatoes for my dinner salad. 

This is not a small project as it will mean checking all of my 4' flourescent plant lights as there's almost always at least one that doesn't work and it's not easy to replace the tubes, especially if the fixture is one that is hanging at the back of my plant stand. 

I will also need to get out my portable light fixture and my warming mats for seed starting.   At least it will be something to keep me occupied during our below zero weather event next week.

Tonight is the season finale of All Creatures Great and Small.  I love the little Pekingese, Tricki Woo, so I hope he's part of the final episode. 

I'm going to get ready for the cold weather   A beef stew sounds really good.

Have a great day!