The winter solstice is upon us, days should now be getting longer, unfortunately it’s now all downhill towards winter.
This is the time for soups, soups and even more soups, so not to disappoint, Kelli made a chicken and potato soup, it was fantastic.
We finally sold the white dresser with the walnut stained top and legs, it had been sitting around for over a week. I even had to remove the cover that had been covering it, and just like the Turin shroud there was still an impression of the dresser left on it.
We continued to paint the other pieces for a second time, but with the garage door open it was bloody cold.
We had a walk with the dogs to the corner shop, I should have had my gloves and hat, typical me, trying to be tough and manly.
It was a busy day, but started badly. Kelli had a rough night waking at 3.30 and finding it difficult to get back to sleep. She believed she was still suffering from the trauma of the dog attack and the subsequent injury. She arranged to see a doctor at the surgery she frequents to get herself “ balanced”
Mike and Lesley, our English friends from up the road stopped by and suggested that we meet for dinner at The Boatwerks at 5.00. They like to go early for happy hour, we explained what was on our schedule for the day, and said we would like to join them when we could.
So this was out target. First we had finish paint the dresser and side tables, then do the weekly shopping, then fill Kelli’s mums van with fuel, drive to Zeeland to the doctors appointment, then pick the truck up from the workshop.
Ouch! That was expensive, over four hundred dollars, I think the discs are gold, that almost doubled the value of the truck.
All this was achieved, and we got to the restaurants 5.15, not bad at all.
The rear brake pads had finally shouted that they needed replacing, so as our usual mechanic Larry is too ill to continue working on cars we had to take it to Angel, our higher price alternative.
I drove it round to his shop and spoke to his son about what needed doing. I also told him I had a new set of front pads that he could fit at the same time. However he advised that they would not do that without replacing the discs.
I thought that strange, because I had those replaced the time the front pads were changed.
So I told him not to do them.
I left the truck and Kelli collected me in her mums van that we would used until ours was fixed.
We did a lot of painting in the garage, priming a tall dresser and two side tables and drawers.
It was bitterly cold with the wind slicing across our faces. Even the dogs had to have their woolly jumpers on, not much fun for them.
Today we returned the cage and other items that we bought when we adopted Milly.
Fortunately I had kept the box it came in, but the flap was a little damaged when I opened it.
The store accepted the return and reimbursed me which was gratefully accepted. This really closed the episode, and although it would have been easy to keep everything for when we attempt this again, we agreed that when it happened it would be a clean new start.
There was a little snow today, just enough to leave a white shroud over everything, and cold enough to freeze my arse off.
We did a bit of sanding on the next furniture piece, getting it ready for priming.
Earlier I had to help Kelli remove the old dressing and apply a fresh one.
I always find peeling off the sticky tape is worse than the injury itself, but we eased it off carefully with little outbursts, and applied the new dressing.
After a rough night for both of us, the day dawned. My rough night was because Kelli had a bad night. She had a bad night because she was reliving the day before.
I helped her change her dressing, the first time I saw how they patched her up. I have to say it wasn’t a bad job, a neat “L” shape with nine staples. The surrounding area was bruised and still painful, but carefully we removed the tape holding the gauze. A smear of antibacterial cream, then I placed the new patch over the wound.
I took a couple of pictures for Kelli to send off to the Humane Society to add to their report.
They later sent back a reply that categorised it as a 4/5 injury, where 6 is death, so pretty bad, but not fatal.
I had to buy some medical supplies, so I drove to the nearest pharmacy filling my basket with gauze, antibacterial cream and clear tape, as the dressings have to be change every day for the next ten days.
When I returned Kelli had started icing the cake that she made for Greer’s birthday bash at Kelli’s mum’s house later in the day.
The cake was supposed to be decorated in red hearts that had to be drawn by hand. Neither of us had ever done it, so I had a go first. My first attempt looked like a heart, but one that had been run over by a lorry. Kelli did a much better job although hers looked like teeth, but we agreed that hers was better.
Therefore the cake was covered in lots of little red teeth, but Greer didn’t mind, it still tasted good.
The day began by me letting the dogs out of the small bedroom and Milly out of the cage. They all ran out into the back garden to do their business.
We had our breakfast in the sun room with the three of them sitting around waiting for any scraps that fell on the ground.
Next was the walk around the block, stopping to talk with a couple who had built a huge geodome in their back garden.
Once we got back home again we took pictures of the latest dresser then drove up to Kelli’s mum to collect another to work on.
I could hear a commotion inside and rushed in to see what was happening.
Milly was being a bit annoying, she was trying to get Phoebe to play, but there was a lot of snarling and barking, this seemed to excite Milly even more, so we tried to intervene by getting Milly interested in some toys.
I then went out into the garage to start work on the new dresser whilst Kelli had to make a cake for Greer’s birthday party tomorrow.
Milly had destroyed a rush mat in the sunroom leaving bits all over the place. We scolded her and put her outside while I cleaned up the mess.
Milly was bouncing around barking, I had never seen her in this state, so I went outside to try to calm her down. She ran at me nipping and biting. I turned and walked away, normally this stops the aggression, but she continued. Then Kelli came out to try and help me, but Milly then attacked her. I managed to grab her collar pulling her to the ground, but not before she bit Kelli on the arm, just above the elbow.
Kelli ran inside to grab the leash and we somehow attached it to her collar. She then dragged Milly to the truck and we got her inside and slammed the door.
Kelli rushed back to the bathroom to look at the bite.
I heard a scream and hysterical crying coming from the room.
I ran in to see her sobbing at the sight of a large hole, about half an inch in diameter, and a flap of skin hanging free, it looked horrible.
In that moment Milly’s life with us was over, she was going back to the humane society as soon as I could, but first I had to get Kelli to the hospital.
We had noticed a change in her behaviour that day, her interactions with Phoebe were a little rougher, maybe frustrating her, and her barking at us, was totally out of character, we couldn’t have imagined it would end so violently.
Milly had been locked inside the truck, I had to restrain her, and get her into a cage.
I opened the door and grabbed the lease and quickly wrapping it around the passenger headrest. That held her long enough for me to place the cage in the back of the truck.
Now it was just a question of getting Milly into it.
Fortunately she had calmed down sufficiently for me to load her into the cage and lock it.
After I had taken Kelli into the emergency room and saw she was being attended to, I had to leave to get to the humane Society before it closed.
There were forms to fill out, and a lot of questions documenting what happened and the dog’s behaviour. Then the time came when the girl came out to the car to take Milly away.
As they walked back into the building, she did not look back, she just trotted alongside as if nothing had happened.
I was sad because, although we only had her for ten days I had become attached to her. She had fallen asleep laying across my lap, and I hoped she would become a happy member of our family.
I guess no one knows what happened in her early life, some hidden trigger waiting to be activated, her future lay in the hands of the humane society.
When I returned to the hospital, Kelli was lying on a bed in a treatment room. Her mum was with her, she needed someone that would give her support, as I wasn’t there.
A doctor was busy cleaning her wound. I sat the other side and didn’t see the detail, he was using a lot of big words that I couldn’t pronounce yet alone spell.
He finally finished the job by applying the staples to close the wound. It was then covered with a non sticking gauze, and he was finished.
Her mum was then taken out in a wheelchair, mainly because she didn’t know the way out.
This was confusing for the staff to wheeled out a visitor after she managed to walk in, but they did it with a smile.
Then it was our turn to get wheeled out, we sure monopolised the wheelchairs this night.
We then had to collect the prescription from a pharmacy on the north side, by which time we were hungry, so an order for a couple of burgers from New Holland was placed.
Getting back, and tucking into the food was the best part of the day.
It was a pleasant day for a walk with the dogs. The sky was clear and blue, and I didn’t need a hat. It’s quite different taking three dogs for a walk because they each want to go in different directions or, sniff the same tree. This creates a problem with the leashes, ending up in a kind of macrame. Poor Dhama, the oldest, usually trails behind, a zombie dog. I am sure that if she somehow slipped her collar, I wouldn’t know until we got home.
On route we had to stop at the corner store, and I had the fun of controlling the three beasts whilst Kelli went inside to get stuff. Milly was the only one who wined, the others just stood around not giving a jot.
We still give the new resident a calming medication which is hidden in a soft treat. It takes about one and a half hours to take effect, or so we think. Sometimes she resists, gnawing a sheep’s horn to keep awake. When she does succumb she snores like a docker.
Another no-show customer for our dresser. We should be getting used to this. Sometimes people do not realise how far they have to travel.
This time they lived in Rockford which was forty seven miles away. They asked us if we could deliver it for twenty dollars, what a sense of humour these people have.
We went to the beach for a change, it was Milly’s first time, and she loved it. We dare’t let her off the leash, but I ran along side of her, hoping to wear her out a bit, it didn’t do much for her but I’m sure I’ll sleep like a baby tonight.
We managed to get into the private area down at point west, an enclave of high end dwellings most of which are unoccupied during the winter. We didn’t even come across some old busybody reminding us that it was private. I think I would have gone for their throat rather than Milly.
We set the Christmas tree up at last. Better late than never. We had trouble deciding where it should go as there was an old watchmakers bench now occupying the usual place. As the room doesn’t have any free space along the walls, we’ve had to stick it in front of the furnace door.
I was working on the two desk pedestals preparing them to be painted, at least there is a buyer at the end of it.
Another shopping day, including a visit to a pet store to search out some chewing material, as an alternative to my hand.
Milly has her moments when she thinks she’s gnawing at a bone when in fact it’s me. As I prefer my blood to be on the inside we needed more things to occupy her mind.
Kelli had bought a ball throwing device, but we spent more time learning to use it, we’ve certainly learnt how to hit our fence.
We started on another dresser, sales have been slow again and we are having to reduce our prices just to get interest, but we managed to get a sale of the last piece, so we keep going.
I had an “old gits music” time because Kelli went off to do stuff on her own.
Milli was a bit of a pain this morning, not doing what she is told and annoying the two other dogs.
She was in her cage whilst Kelli was away and I was working in the garage.
I had taken the desk apart and was repairing and making the modification to the pedestals.
It was one of those days when there were bity things that had to be done with little end result.
Once Kelli was back we took the hounds for a walk, Milly continued her attitude problem when we tried to put her harness on, she was shaking her head and growling. There is a technique for putting it on, we’re just not learnt it yet.
Fortunately when she lifted her head, I was able to drop the harness over her nose and quickly clip it together before she had the chance to snap at me. On the walk she was perfect, although she is nosey, and is interested in everything and everyone.
when we got back I put on some dog relaxing music I found on YouTube, yes, there are loads of them. So with that playing we were able to work a bit more on the furniture.
When we finished and came back into the house Dhama and Phoebe were asleep on the couch with Milly nowhere to be found.
She had got back into her cage and fallen asleep, the first time she has done that.
Kelli had talked to the person at the humane society about the medication Milly was on to calm her down during the transition period. She advised us to raise the dose and see how that went.
Well that is what we did, and Milly spent the evening asleep on the couch next to me, she did not stir even when there was food under her nose.
Another Lifetime to go 