SUMMER IS HERE.

and it's HOT.
but I am NOT complaining.
I said if it would only warm up, I'd be happy.
So...
I've got the fans going and I made some new screens for my front storm door.
A very nice girl at the hardware store told me how.
I'm usually ignored at those stores or else talked to condescendingly. 
It was so very nice to talk to a helpful sweet person.
That motivated me, so she helped me pick out a screen door for the back of the house too,
and the hardware to go with it.
What I really liked about her was that she said to me - "You can do it!".
Yep, really nice to be treated with cheerful optimism instead of bored dismissal.
So today I will cutting down the screen door and sanding the edges and painting it.
This coming week is suppose to be more bearable, only in the low 80's.
I really hate to stick the window air-conditioners in if I don't have to.
But on THAT note, my gang was been getting their summer grooms.
Ping-

Vera- 

Louie-

I always take my Poodles in to be done because I want them to be pretty.
Sadly I do the rest of my little ones myself and it ends up looking like a real hack-job
so therefore, no photos!

I even got Nora shaved down.

She doesn't appear to be too happy about it
and she's terrified to be up on the chair where I put her for this photo.
I'm thinking her previous owners must have not allowed her on the furniture
because she was very afraid sitting there.

None of my other pets have that problem.

Then I gave Blue a good bath. 
I use that bluing shampoo to keep his coat snowy white
and I finish up with a creme rinse that I massage in and it makes his hair drop out in hand fulls.
Then I gave him several good rinses and towel dried him and then blew him out with the high-power blowdryer.
He doesn't mind the dryer like a lot of dogs but I suppose that's because he can't hear it.
I bet it feels good too, all that air blasting his hair free.

He feels SO SOFT!

So, everyone is done except Ruby.
I washed her face the other day and she went into a huge seizure fit thing again.
Her eys bugged out and her mouth and tongue went grey and she was drooling.
I really thought that was it. I thought she was passing as I held her in a towel.
She couldn't walk afterwards, so I just laid in her bed with her paws curled in.
Of course this happened just before bedtime and I sat with her until I couldn't stay awake
and then finally went to bed myself realizing she could be gone in the morning
or if she couldn't walk, well... I would probably have to have Doc release her from her little body.
But in the morning, she was trotting around the room like nobody's business.
Yeah, I might not shave her down
or if I do, just do a little at a time.
Maybe later today I will shave my long haired cats Harry and Charlie.
That's always fun.

I'm Painting

and painting and painting.
I have so many paintings started that you would think me insane if I told you how many.
But they are everywhere.
Stacked on the kitchen table, stove, cabinets and all over the laundry room.
I'm trying not to THINK and just DO them.
I've turned on the ceiling fans and the stove in an effort to get the layers to dry quicker.
But I have nothing finished yet to show.
I've taken breaks between layers and gotten on Facebook but trying not to let myself get lost Internet surfing.
The cats are rattling the basement door but I can't let them upstairs or they will ruin my Art mess.
Actually downstairs is the warmest place in the house so it's not like they are in a dungeon.
The dogs have been pretty good.
I snapped this photo of Ping and Vera sleeping on their big PILLOW.

Too bad I have to work tomorrow.
I hate to stop when I'm on a roll.
More later!

My Numbers and Color

What's my number?

This gets brought up now and again, usually it's someone at work 

or someone who doesn't REALLY know me, and I always feel my back go up on the topic.

Like a cat, my hair feels like it's standing up and I'm backing away.

Because people can be mean and hateful... for no reason.

It's about my numbers.

How many pets I have?

When asked on how many dogs I have, I generally say 4.

1. Blue

2. Nora

3. Jimmy

and 4. My herd of tiny dogs, (who run as a small pack so therefore count as 1)

with a handful of cats.

That's actually why I don't always post about every single one of them,

or if I do, I just randomly squeeze them in.

Kinda hoping they go unnoticed and uncounted

and then sometimes something HUGE happens and I just have to blog about it.

Like the clothesline post falling on Rosie

or when Griff had that tumor and so many old age issues.

but I don't write about ALL of them because either I fear judgement 

or because they are just so good that there is nothing exciting to say.

Sure, anyone with a lot of time on their hands could go through past posts 

or even zip over to my Flickr account

but why?

Why does it matter to people?

Working at a vet clinic and running the boarding kennel I see a lot of dogs who are the only dog in the family and to be honest, they are not always cared for or as happy as my own.

The other day I was talking to one of my kennel girls and she was telling me how a dog came in that reeked of cat pee.

Not dog pee but CAT pee.

She said it quickly filled the air with the odor so she bathed the dog and all of the bedding the owners had brought.

We felt so bad for that little guy.

Now here's the really odd part. The owner is someone who has questioned my "numbers" to me.

I've laughed it off and said Four as I always do but inside I was seething.

I asked my kennel girl if my dogs ever smell bad, I told her to be very truthful and I wouldn't be mad.

She just laughed and said "NO! I mean, your dogs don't even smell like DOGS!"

I felt relieved.

I do wash their bedding, daily.

Yes, it might sound extreme but really, I do it every night.

and I bathe everyone on a regular basis.

Especially Blue. I mean I sort have to because he's WHITE.

and he tends to have skin problems otherwise.

And the ones that need a "haircut"? I am fortunate enough to be able to supply my groomer with chocolate and alcohol in exchange for grooming.

I've also painted her several "signs" for her fruit/vegetable stand that she has at her farm.

Now, to the issue of color.

Yes, my house is mostly WHITE.

(My Blue)

I am trying to force myself to paint some rooms in other colors

source

source

but I like WHITE.

source

People shake their heads over pets and white but it's actually so practical.

You can bleach white.

source

You can scrub white.

source

I don't want camouflage or patterns to hide stains or dirt.

So, yeah. I'm constantly defending my choice of color.

Or lack of it. 

I've been told it's cold.

source

But it's not when covered in critters and Art and toys.

So there! I'm done with this rant

and on that note, here's my Vera.

Vera Wag.

I've had her for years and years and she's a perfect dog.

She too had a horrible story. One about being found running with another dog,

with her coat so matted that they didn't even know at first that she was a poodle.

There's of course more to her story but I'll leave it at this.

Sigh.

My perfect Vera.

Housebroken, loving and who has never caused a problem from day one.

and for those who might be counting, add her to your list.