Snazzy Jazzy

Before and AFTER

The before begins here How Do I Begin May7th?

HEY GEORGE WAKE UP! You have got to see THIS! YAWN, OK ok be right there! WOW She looks FAB! "SIGH!" Jazzy said. "Thanks! I feel like a KID again!" WOW fellow flowers did you see what PRANCED by?

"WOW, " George said, "I am going to show her off!"

See she looks so Beautiful!

"OH goodness," said the KOI, "she is STUNNING."

"Heyya Jazz, this way I want to show you around some more", said George

"See Jazz the tree bloomed, just for you, my dear", murmured George ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ All it takes sometimes is just a day for you, a facial, massage, and pedicure and of course a new Coif!

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Just seems to make you walk with a bouncier step, as people turn and look at you!

There are the Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh’s and Oh’ssssssssssssssssss as you begin to sport your NEW SNAZZY LOOK!

Raccoons

No wonder we were going through lots of Cat food! Using our new Game camera this is what goes on when we are NOT AWARE!

What the game camera did not get pictures of, which really was a good thing, was the carnage that we found in the Duck pen.

That raccoon was caught…

We will be using several Have A Heart Traps tonight. I would rather the raccoons eat cat food and leave our ducklings alone…but then the Mom Raccoons are needing to feed their off spring…SIGH The cycle of Life!

The Raccoon (Procyon lotor), also known as the Northern Raccoon, Common Raccoon, Washing Bear or Coon, is a widespread, medium-sized, omnivorous mammal native to North America.

Raccoons are often considered pests because they forage in trash receptacles or eat dog food left on back porches; they are able to open garbage cans with their hands. Raccoons are one of the largest animals to have adapted well to human development. Suburban areas, and many large cities, have significant raccoon populations. Raccoons are skilled foragers who can thrive on garbage and pet food. They have been known to take up residence in attics and garages, and even to enter houses through "pet doors" in search of food. When confronted by humans or household animals, raccoons may be aggressive; urban raccoons tend to lose their fear of humans over time.

Active mostly at night time, raccoons are often present but may go undetected for some time. Control Methods include:

Pet food left outdoors should be removed before nightfall. Pick up fallen fruits and nuts frequently. Never intentionally provide food for raccoons, and discourage your neighbors from this practice as well; it only attracts more raccoons.

If possible, remove woodpiles or other materials raccoons can den in or under. Thinning out overgrown shrubbery will reduce cover. To reduce access to the roof, tree branches that overhang rooftops should be cut back if possible, leaving a gap of at least 5 feet between the roof and the tree. Trellises and arbors attached to homes may facilitate access to the roof and consideration should be given to their removal. While habitat modification is often helpful, it is rarely a total solution.

Raccoons are fairly easy to trap; however, occasionally a clever and cunning animal will be quite elusive. A live cage-type trap is usually the preferred trap for homeowners, although others are available that may be used by professionals to capture the more difficult animals. The single-door trap should be sturdily constructed and its dimensions should be at least 10 x 12 x 32 inches. Larger 15 x 15 x 36 inch traps are even better. Canned tuna or canned fish-flavored cat food make excellent baits but may also attract nontarget cats and dogs. To avoid catching cats, try using marshmallows, grapes, prunes, peanut butter, or sweet rolls. Small pieces of bait should be placed along a path leading up to the trap. The rear of the trap should be covered with 1/2-inch wire mesh to prevent the raccoon from reaching through the trap from the outside to steal the bait. Traps should be well anchored to the ground or weighted to prevent the animal from tipping the trap over to obtain the bait. Traps should be set at night and closed in the morning to avoid trapping nontargets. Remember, raccoons are intelligent and clever animals. They are also powerful and can be vicious when trapped or cornered.

Frisbees, YALE and puppies

The puppies are doing really well as you can see. WE had gotten a Frisbee for Jazzy, a cheap one, because we did not know if she would fetch with it. Well she did and the need now is for a heavier Frisbee…

Meanwhile the pups seem quite interested in it as a tug of war with each other. Quite hysterical how they maneuver it… Of course I wanted to check out the background of this Toy. I found some rather interesting stuff actually. The Frisbie Baking Company (1871-1958) of Bridgeport, Connecticut, made pies that were sold to many New England colleges. Hungry college students soon discovered that the empty pie tins could be tossed and caught, providing endless hours of game and sport. Many colleges have claimed to be the home of 'he who was first to fling.' Yale College has even argued that in 1820, a Yale undergraduate named Elihu Frisbie grabbed a passing collection tray from the chapel and flung it out into the campus, thereby becoming the true inventor of the Frisbie and winning glory for Yale.

Other information at this SITE

Another Great Frisbee Moment: In 1968, the U.S. Navy spends almost $400,000 to study Frisbees in wind tunnels, following their flights with computers and cameras, and building a special Frisbee-launching machine on top of a Utah cliff to test a prototype flare launcher.

One Amazing Dog at You Tube!

New Water Iris [blue]

Regular Iris near Sarah's Koi Pond

Yellow Turner water Iris in the Koi Pond

“YOU MAKE MY DAY” Award!

Upon returning from a fabulous weekend with our daughters and son in law I was totally flabbergasted when I checked my e-mail Tom Wigley awarded me my FIRST Blog Award.

“YOU MAKE MY DAY” Award! WOW was I excited.

Still am ;)

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Bottom Line many People Make My DAY…nice to publicly acknowledge it!

So FIRST and FOREMOST I want my Family know, each and every day YOU MAKE MY DAY!

Bold. Edgy, Modern, Informative, Unique, Humorous… Award Rules ~~A. Award and Link to 5 blogs that make you think and/or make your day.

~~B. Acknowledge the post of the award giver: Tom Wigley at Wiggers World

~~C. Tell the award winners that they have won by commenting on their blogs with the news!

***This is the difficult part, picking just five…

...Here they are in no specific order…

1. Willard is a photographer of Wildlife in Pennsylvania. His knowledge of the wildlife is totally amazing. I have learned so much from his blog. He has been interested in serious wildlife photography since 1974 and had pictures published in The Game Commission Calendar.

2. Ki has two blogs that feature so many flowers, bushes, trees etc, again a plethora of information . Plants, trees and nature photos and MucknMire.

3. Another area of interest to me “birds”. Needless to say I truly appreciate the vast knowledge of Abraham Lincoln. I have learned so much from his postings.

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4. Alyssa has the neatest blog, I think she and her Sweetie are about as busy as us here. Her blog is like talking to a dear friend. She has fabulous pictures, family, dogs and just LIFE in general. ~

Ah Now for the last one… ~

5. Julie is one totally amazing artist. She is so full of energy and so wonderfully talented. One thing I remember when I first visited her blog, was a comment she makes about her self. “I am a butterfly minded, disorganized (non-professional) artist with a love of texture, surface pattern, painting in many media, playing with fabric, fiber, paint, stitch, beads... anything but housework!” Now what is not to love about that comment?

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All of these blogs offer scores of diverse things, they are all EYE appealing, enlightening and just plain pleasurable to visit.

~ Again TOM Thank You!

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I am off to retrieve Jazzy from the boarders…and get on with playing with the puppies, mowing, gardening and just generally enjoying life.

DOG DAYS

It has been a grueling five days. Starting May 16 we discovered our new puppies had PARVO.

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Not only THIS, but it has rained almost daily and the temperatures have been cool. Spirits with overcast, cloudy rain swollen clouds make for LONG days

Gardening and general outside work has been inconstant, but progress can still be measured.

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A mini vacation is clearly in order. With that said blogging SHOULD resume to what ever NORMAL is sometime next week. By then Pictures of the Babies are hopeful.

Mom “Jazzy” is doing QUITE well in gaining some needed weight and getting more active…She and George are becoming fast friends. Parvoviral infection has become a disease almost exclusively of puppies and adolescent dogs.

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This Site has answers to many of people’s Questions! Parvoviral infection must be considered as a possible diagnosis in any young dog with vomiting and/or diarrhea. With proper hospitalization, survival rates approach 80%. Still, there are many myths and misunderstandings about this virus, how it is spread, and how to prevent it. The purpose of this web site is to clear up these misconceptions and provide the public with an accurate information source

WHERE DOES VIRUS COME FROM? ~

WHY ONLY PUPPIES? INCUBATION The virus enters the body through the mouth as the puppy cleans itself or eats food off the ground or floor. A minuscule amount of infected stool is all it takes. There is a 3-7 day incubation period before the puppy seems obviously ill.A puppy that has NOT shown obvious improvement by the 4th Day of treatment does not survive.

OURS began showing Improvement less than 24 hours into the medication routine.

Exercise

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Your puppy should be considered contagious to other puppies for a good month so it is important to “play it safe” by restricting trips to the park, obedience school or other neighborhood areas. If your puppy is less than 16 weeks of age, he/she should not be allowed in public areas until the vaccination series is fully completed.

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Other Pets Cats and humans are not susceptible to canine parvovirus infection. Adult dogs that have been vaccinated are not susceptible, either. Puppies, however, are at risk. If your sick puppy was indoors only, wait at least one month before any new puppies come to your home. If your sick puppy was outdoors, remember that it can take 7 months before the virus is eliminated from soil. (Freezing will preserve the virus so that any time, during which the ground is frozen, that time does not count in this 7-month period.)

Now we can SIT a bit and begin to enjoy our new family ~~

Be back next week with pictures of the puppies in the SUNSHINE!

Tri-colored European Beech

Fagus sylvatica 'Roseomarginata'

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One of last years Mother’s Day Trees…Beautiful tree

Intermittent Blogging Vacation for a few days or what ever it takes… Mowing, weed eating, gardening between rain showers…but first Puppy / Mom/ MANIA… Everyone is doing well.

Primary Election here tomorrow

Voting is KEY!

This will be my first time being a Poll Worker…quite exciting to be part of the process… ~~

West Virginia’s Primary is May 13th (And for the first time, independents can vote in either primary.) My Mother's Day Rose Bush

Secretary of State Betty Ireland would like to remind voters that West Virginia’s Primary Election will be held on May 13th, the second Tuesday in May, as required by state law. Voters will have the opportunity to cast their vote on a full slate of candidates, including presidential candidates, at that time.

Click here to read the full story

THE BENCH ~ out with the OLD in with the NEW

One of my Mother’s Day gifts…

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An old bench that is in SAD need of new wood

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Our wood, timbered here, now adornes this very comfortable bench that soon will be in our "Sarah's Pond Area"!

The best GIFT, as I see it, is one that is rendered from someone’s hands. There are two other projects that are almost finished…it rained, so a slight delay… will post about those when they are finished. Both of the projects are So close to being completed…

BUT Hubby needed new Equipt... soon a better Router... But for NOW

No I was not taken to dinner, I made it, I lucked out and youngest son made pancakes, bacon and scrambled eggs… WHY cause I needed to MOW, to tend to new trees I planted last year…they are doing well… pictures also another time…

Kids called always good… Cold, rain almost all day, ‘cept the 3 hour window I mowed, and weed eated… SO tonight Homemade Turkey soup and ham Sammy’s on toast… brownies, homemade Thanks to my son, topped with ice cream…

So this is a Thank You to my Sweetie for his hard labors to build, make and restore STUFF…He is the reason I am a Mom…

I love him more than Life…

Just one more piece in the middle

TADA

Jazzy PROCLAIMS she is getting better and looking better in the eyes...She adores my Sweetie...Fact is she loves us ALL!

{ There is a story to be told about her later, she is a dear dog}

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY for SURE