New Door
It gives a facelift to the rest of the house. The house needs more work, but isn’t it always an ongoing thing? This solid fir door was created by a local artisan/carpenter, and if anyone wants to know more about it, please send a comment to this blog. Lady, my “prop”, dislikes the camera and looks rather put-upon.
We’ve been well, and we manage to keep occupied. There are months of winter left. Gary has gone to Sun Peaks for skiing, with our friend Rob. Though that resort is the one developed by Nancy Green Raine, she is now in Ottawa as a B.C. Senator, and not available as a skiing partner as she usually is.
It was very cold yesterday when Gary left, and warmed as the day went on. Now it is only -6˚ Celcius. The wind blew all night long while snow fell, so I awoke to drifts and a few more inches of the white stuff everywhere. Damn it, I will have to plow snow again.
Here is another picture of the little dog Murphy, who stayed with us a little while ago:
That’s Murphy asleep, and when disturbed by the sound of the camera. This is the “kennel” experience for many pets!
Most dogs who come here do not seem too traumatized. Although we’re aware that it is heart-rending to leave one’s pet behind anywhere, we treat the cats and dogs as if their stay with us is NOT punishment but a positive experience. However, just as with children and babysitters and daycare, if the primary caregiver apologizes and projects all their anxiety, it is hard for the pet (or child) NOT to feel anxious. When Gary and I act friendly and matter-of-fact around our “charges”, most adopt an attitude of ease and patience, simply waiting for their beloved family members to return. Most owners are happy to know that their pet did not suffer or sulk.
One little “feather in my cap” was the incident over Christmas holidays whereby a Belgian Shepherd who had survived a terrible car wreck was brought to us. We kept Sasha until some family members came to pick her up, which was just a matter of a few days. When the Coroner dropped the dog off, she explained that Sasha had stayed in the demolished vehicle for hours with her two deceased owners, finally extracted safely, and then had been placed in the Coroner’s van for quite some time, then driven about an hour to our home. When we met the dog, she looked like a wild animal, her eyes as big as saucers, looking from one face to the other with bewilderment and fright.
I placed a large dog bed in a corner of the kitchen (not isolated, but out of the way), and looped Sasha’s long leash loosely around a table leg… I didn’t want her to feel too confined but also didn’t want her to “make a break for it” when a door was opened. We didn’t know the dog’s name at that point, but kept talking to her, telling her that things would be okay, that she should eat and drink. I can’t recall now if we were able to make her eat anything but some beef from my hands, but she DID drink water and homemade broth, and that’s even more important.
My point to all this story is that, if we could put THAT dog at ease, we can “connect” with almost any. Some dogs clearly just prefer their personal space, and we can accomodate those as well. And even the occasional pet who mopes does survive our care, only to warm up to us, usually, on future visits. I accept it, and I don’t bother lying to owners whose pets take time to adjust.
I finally composed an order for trees and shrubs last week. According to the deadlines set by the wholesale nurseries, I am MONTHS overdue. In other years I have not done much better, and sometimes have taken even longer to make a list and fax it; this late ordering is not ideal, but usually leads to some very interesting substitutions in my order! Since I got that order sent away, two other wholesalers have phoned to ask if I need anything from them… it’s nice to be remembered, but I can only spend so much on our little “mom & pop” garden centre. I get excited for Spring once these orders are sent out… I still have perennial roots to order, for potting up and selling.
In our area, it’s the freight which destroys the potential profits. Last Spring I travelled to Kelowna to pick up my order of trees, and plan to do that again. This resulted in a huge savings in trucking costs, and since I made a marathon trip out of it, I didn’t have to stay overnight anywhere.
I guess I need to get on with my day. I want to catch up to some turns at “Lexulous”, which is a Facebook version of Scrabble. I’ve started many games at once so that I can play steadily for um, hours. However, it looks like I’ll have to plow the driveway, as I mentioned earlier; I’ve plugged the tractor in but am not very enthused. It’s still snowing!
Take care, all. ~ Ann
