Cute N Cool

Sunday, May 31, 2009

What NOT to do with Rat Poison...


It was a beautiful Saturday, the sun was out...and the list of outdoor chores was long, and Caleb's baseball playoff game was later on at 4:00.

The other half was going to go fill the propane tanks for the Barbecue and the Outdoor deck heater, so we would be ready for some wonderful summer days and evenings.

That was until he noticed that the little bar of rat poison he had stuffed inside the door of the Barbecue last fall (when he noticed some mice were taking up housekeeping in there)...had fallen out when he took the propane tank out and put it in the car.


He comes in to tell me that our boy Oscar was chewing on it, when he came back from putting the tank in the car.

Oh boy...there goes my Saturday! I get online and Google: Rat Poison Dogs

1. Make the dog throw up by giving them hydrogen peroxide.
2. Get to vet NOW, as it must be treated before any signs of the illness show.

The first 12 hours are crucial for treating the dog!

I call my vet, and am told "yes" 5 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide should be the right amount for Oscar, and to take him to Emergency vet now, as my vet was closed in 10 minutes. Rats, ( play on words!), now I also get the emergency vet bill, dang there goes my budget for June!



We get the
hydrogen peroxide into Oskie (my term of endearment for him), and than get him into the car. Good dog, he proceeds to throw up! Oh, ugly mess!



The other half feels bad, and off we go to Pilchuck Animal Hospital!



Well, first we show them the remaining rat poison bar, and hand off our boy to be treated for poisoning.

The vet assistant lady comes back and says.."this isn't rat poison, this is birdfood..."

No, the other half tells them, that is rat poison. They come back and say, the vet says it is birdfood, as rat poison has green or blue in it and they ask " can we see the throw up?" Sure it is still in the car (good Oskie for providing the in depth details of his snack). They look, and say..it .sure looks like birdfood?

OK they say, we will treat it as if it is rat poison, but we don't think it is.

Well, the other half had errands (remember the propane tanks needed filling), and ran up to the feed store which is nearby, to do this.

When he comes back, he hands them the package of rat poison he found there.


Hm mm, they take it back to the vet. Both the vet and the assistant come back in 2 minutes, and apologized profusely! They have never seen this particular rat poison before, and even though it was bad for Oscar, they learned something that day and took the details of this brand of rat poison for their records as well. They seemed very shocked that this company did not color the poison bars like the other rat poison companies do.

Well, now we have 30 days of med's for the boy. We expect all to be OK with my Oscar dog, since we got him in quickly!

And I had to kiss $300.00 goodbye, so the idea of a better camera is that much further away!
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Saturday, May 30, 2009

This is one of the best times of the year to take pictures...and how do you decide on the right camera ?



I have been going crazy taking pictures, as the colors at this time of year are wonderful and I cannot get enough of the possibilities!



I have been asking many of you...what kind of camera you are using?
Choosing a camera now days is so hard, as the choices and prices are all over the place.




I was at Costco, and took them up on the "90 day return" if not happy, on a new Nikon L100, it is a "point and shoot", and a pretty good one.



I liked the fact that the screen was 3", and I could change the settings without having my reading glasses on! I don't like the fact that I will need to buy an SLR to get those really great close up shots!



Now...this is where you all come into the picture (haha play on words)!

Do I step up to the camera I will really use for the longest time? Say a Nikon or Canon SLR, or sit tight with this one for the time being. I see I will need to pay at least $300.00 more for a good SLR.

So, tell me what camera you use, or recently bought. Please give me some camera advice on how you decided on yours.. and if you are glad you bought it...

Thanks for your feedback on this topic, which has been being discussed a lot in our family for the last couple weeks!

This is a late PS.

Are you finding you need to also use PhotoShop, or something like it to enhance your pictures?

PSS.

I got my new Consumer Report this afternoon...on the cover..."Cool Cameras"
How convenient!

PSSS.. this Point and Shoot does Videos too, I think I am going to want this on my SLR too...




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Friday, May 29, 2009

VGNO..our last Friday Night Party in May...

Time for the VGNO Sisterhood to come out in force... we are all unique, interesting, very different and much alike!

I must tell you Blogger Sisters, you all Rock!!

Also we want to give credit where credit is due!

Lets all raise the glass and toast lovely Ann, from...

Ann Again and Again
As she has once again been gracious enough to sponsor our wonderful Friday Night Rendezvous. And also gives us an excuse to mosey on back to the computer periodically, to see who all is out and at the party again tonight!

And if you have not noticed... the last couple Fridays I have been jumping the gun on SUMMER, as we are having some summer like weather.... so I choose a little Summertime Music.... as well.

I loved how Fantasia did Summertime on American Idol several years ago.. so I found the video ... I couldn't decide between Fantasia or Janis Joplin's or Mungo Jerry's version of Summertime.... it was tough, hmmm, Fantasia won!


Happy VGNO!



Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Country Temptations






The nice thing about being in the country, and having livestock, is the Feed Store's.

For some folks going to Nordstrom's can be alluring, for others the feed store can also be tempting...

OK, does that kind of surprise you? Have you considered: gates, fencing, medication for dogs, cattle, horses, chickens, dog food and dog toys, horse toys, new saddles, halters, lead ropes, bits, headstalls, horse blankets, sheets, riding pads, saddle blankets, sometimes chicks and ducks and goats... and oh yes...more kinds of feed than you can think of.

How many hay choices, well let's see!


Week of May 18, 2009

Alfalfa 2nd Cutting, 2-tie
$12.95/bale

Alfalfa 3rd Cutting, 2-tie
$15.95/bale Volume discount: $15.50/19 or more

Orchard Grass 1st Cutting, 2-tie
$13.95/bale Volume discount: $11.50/23 or more

Orchard Grass 1st Cutting, 2-tie
$14.95/bale Volume discount: $14.00/21 or more

Orchard Grass 2nd Cutting, 2-tie
$17.50/bale Volume discount: $15.95/21 or more

Orchard Grass Alfalfa Mix 1st Cutting, 2-tie
$14.95/bale Volume discount: $13.75/20 or more

Orchard Grass Alfalfa Mix 2nd Cutting, 2-tie
$16.50/bale Volume discount: $15.50/21 or more

Timothy 1st Cutting, 3-tie
$19.95/bale Volume discount: $18.60/18 or more

Timothy 2nd Cutting, 3-tie
$19.95/bale Volume discount: $19.70/17 or more

To quote my favorite feed store, Dayville:

Different types of hay provide different levels of nutrition and calories. Alfalfa hay, for example, is a legume and is higher in protein than grass types of hay. It is Horse hayoften used in the feeding of dairy and beef cattle, horses, sheep, swine, and chickens. Timothy hay, Orchard Grass and various Mixed hays are frequently fed to working and pleasure horses and are used throughout the race horse industry.




We go every two weeks or so, as we feed Senior Feed (which is a total "feed" in pellet form) to the pony. Since we have been trying to live on a budget, we have bought hay as we need it. This has probably been OK, as the hay prices have come down slightly... for a good Eastern Washington Grass mix.

We are thankful that the girls, Zoe and Betsy, can go out on the fresh grass for periods of time, and not founder. This does help with the feed bills in the spring and early summer.

We call our back field the "Jenny Craig" field, as has minimal grass, and is safe for them when they are watching their diets! They can only go out on the fresh grass fields for so many hours a day to keep from possible problems, including very plump horses!



The scenery to go to our favorite feed store is nice as well, as they seem to be converting some local farmland to grapes...we love the view of grapevines. And wineries in Washington are taking off... so good for them! Though Eastern Washington weather is more appropriate for grapes than our side of the Mountains in Western Washington.

So there is my little ramble about one of the fun things to do, when you have farm critters!
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Monday, May 25, 2009

Memorial Day Memory .....of my Dad

Wesley, my Dad...

5/6/1921 - 1/20/2000

I still miss him.


Some things I remember about my Dad...

He was a very strong personality.. and was the head of our house.

My parents were not perfect, far from it. But when you look back in hindsight, the things that may have been painful fade, and the strengths are more obvious.

My father was of that "Great Generation" ...who did not hesitate to sign up during WWII. He lost many good friends during that war, and remembered them, they were great Americans.

He wrote many letters during the war time, and we have them secure in a precious wood box, to someday be put in a book for us siblings.




When we were young, he knew how to put the fear of dad in you.
You did not want to cross him!

He did not waste materials, he recycled... before it was in to be green!

He also did not waste money, having grown up in the depression, and seeing his father lose everything...he understood how important it was not to waste your money. (For those of you who know who Dave Ramsey is... this was my dad!)

Save up for something you want, don't spend more than you earn, live within your means, save your money!

He and my mother were good with money, and he had made some smart real estate investments.

In the second picture, notice the little sign that said "If you want to retire rich, start raising Rabbits". He had this on his shelf at home, and I scooped it up after he was gone. In our house his rental houses were the "rabbits", some year the rabbits were thin, others they were fat!

He was District Manager for a large typewriter company (remember typewriters??!), that he had been with for many years. When it was bought out by a larger Corporate company, and he was fifty, he was told to let go of some long time employees. He told them it was wrong, and quit.

This ended up beginning his new chapter in life, as he was able to call this "retirement" ( I told you he had been smart with his money!), and was able to change his life direction. They still had a small "late comer" child named Jill, at home when this happened.

Time flew by and as Jill was older and was gone on her own, my parents became world travelers, they were definitely not tourists.

They could fly off to London, or France, or Scandinavia or China, or wherever... at the drop of a good bargain airfare. We would not have a clue where they were on any certain day!




My dad made bread. When he was older he would make bread every Sunday morning, very clever marketing of himself! He would call and say.. fresh bread, right out of the oven.. first come first served..come get your loaf of dad's homemade bread. What he would do to get his kids to come by!

My dad was an eloquent writer, and had beautiful handwriting. He dabbled with painting, he raised guppies, until my daughter Tamis ( the age of 2) turned the heat up on the aquarium..oops sorry dad!

He grew African Violets for a while, they were everywhere in the house!

He dabbled with things in the garden, and to this day there are plants such as Peonies, Poppies and Peach tree's that always make me think of him. I grow most of them in his honor, this keeps him alive for me.

In the picture you will see the funny little glass salt and pepper shakers. When he was a little boy he bought those for his mother. My father loved his mother, and she loved him, he was the youngest of 3.

My father loved his 5 children, and his family. The Holidays, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas, were very important to him, as we would all be together. I have not missed a Christmas Eve with my complete family... ever! Thanks to dad!

If any of us talked of moving away... well that did not sit right with him at all!

He loved our country, and he flew the Flag...proudly. I also fly the Flag proudly, and learned this from my father.

Our Nation is the most wonderful Nation in the World. My father started with nothing and died blessed beyond words, in more ways than one.

Only in America!










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Sunday, May 24, 2009

Quotable Sunday...Memorial Day

I believe Memorial Day should be a day that all Americans, young and old, should observe. We all have benefited from the freedom, paid for by those we remember...



A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. ~Joseph Campbell

We come, not to mourn our dead soldiers, but to praise them. ~Francis A. Walker

How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes! ~Maya Angelou

And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free, and I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me and I'll proudly stand next to him to defend her still today, 'cuz there ain't no doubt I love this land, god bless the USA. -Lee Greenwood

The story of America's quest for freedom is inscribed on her history in the blood of her patriots. -Randy Vader

God Bless America, and those who serve our Country.

I honor my father who was a member of the Army Air Corp, and is buried at the

Tahoma National Cemetery

Maple Valley, King County, Washington


Saturday, May 23, 2009

Corgi.. Eye Candy!




Oscar..aka Trouble's Best Friend...





Milli...aka Trouble !
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Thursday, May 21, 2009

Another Virtual Girls Night Out..

Once again Ann from Ann Again and Again.. is our hostess for the party.. OK, girls and boys, my "Holiday" weekend is officiallly started.. and we are not leaving town this weekend. We can party all weekend, as it is a Holiday weekend, and that means a long weekend for many of us, Whoo Hoo! So.. put on your VGNO party hats, and dancing shoes... oh these old things..just a little "bling" I pulled out of the closet for the party tonight! OK, now lets turn on the party Music...I kinda feel like some of the old stuff.. so bare with me.. now go ahead and kick loose tonight!

Thankful Thursday.. brought to us be The Blessed Country Mom

I just have to say, I am really thankful for a long Holiday weekend, and more warm sunshine in the Pacific Northwest (Yeah!)... and especially for my family.



And hopefully we will have a barbecue with the family in the warm sunshine this weekend!



Now go on over and visit Ali at A Blessed Country Mom... and sign in on her little Mr Linky for your own blessings!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

My New Toy ...a Netbook!



A certain well known Cellular company just rolled out a pretty cool item, that I had to have..



It's a Netbook.. made by HP, and I gotta tell you.. it is pretty cool!

I got mine on Tuesday, and I am still getting used to it, after all my home Computer is a Mac..so going back to Windows XP feels odd.

If you see more typo's then usual (hehe!) I will be blaming it on that funny little laptop type keyboard... (rather than taking responsibility for my own poor typing skills, and typing faster than my little fingers can move)! Actually the keyboard is a good size for such a little "Mini" Laptop, I am so used to an Ergo keyboard that these little straight ones are even harder for me, poor typist that I am.

It is perfect for Bloggers and Social Network types.. not meant to do the biz stuff!

Now to get my Linksys Router and Clearwire all in one accord with it, as the WiFi should work with my home ethernet, to save my data package from being used.
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Tuesday, May 19, 2009

We feed the Hummingbirds..





I apologize that life is crazy the last few days, and I don't have time to sit and talk. So I thought I would share some pictures I took yesterday with my new camera!

This is the view from inside the house, with one of those stick on your window feeders. Why is it these funny little birds always like the cheap plastic feeders much more than the fancy glass ones! These beautiful nasty little birds are entertaining us like crazy right now!

(click the picture for a bigger view)



I 'll catch up soon!



Monday, May 18, 2009

I WON!!! Thanks to "Train Wreck" at Cowboys, Kids and Sunsets

I have to tell you, I was going on over to check in on Train Wreck's blog at ..Cowboys, Kids and Sunsets... and was shocked to see my name as the winner of her 1st Anniversary Giveaway!

I am so excited, you have no idea how excited I am!!!!!

If you have not had the opportunity to visit this beautiful Blog, well... you better hurry on over, as her site is one of my favorites! Thank you dear Train Wreck!


She has a darling favorite Boutique called "Blossoms", and has put together an amazing Giveaway package, with to much to mention!

Here's a peak at some of the goodies...

Am I spoiled, or what?!



Kim.. thank you!





Sunday, May 17, 2009

Quotable Sunday, with the Preakness yesterday. and being one of those "horse people"..well .. Horse Quotes..!


I love the Sunday Quotable Quotes, sponsored by our lovely Toni!


Because I am one of those "horsey" folk, and well...yesterday was the 2nd leg of the Triple Crown.. how appropriate to have horse related quotes!

So here you go!




There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man. ~Winston Churchill


Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people. ~W.C. Fields


Riding: The art of keeping a horse between you and the ground. ~Author Unknown


It is not enough for a man to know how to ride; he must know how to fall. ~Mexican Proverb


The wagon rests in winter, the sleigh in summer, the horse never. ~Yiddish Proverb


Many people have sighed for the 'good old days' and regretted the 'passing of the horse,' but today, when only those who like horses own them, it is a far better time for horses. ~C.W. Anderson


No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle. ~Winston Churchill


People on horses look better than they are. People in cars look worse than they are. ~Marya Mannes


Horses and children, I often think, have a lot of the good sense there is in the world. ~Josephine Demott Robinson


It's always been and always will be the same in the world: The horse does the work and the coachman is tipped. ~Author Unknown


Heaven is high and earth wide. If you ride three feet higher above the ground than other men, you will know what that means. ~Rudolf C. Binding


He knows when you're happy
He knows when you're comfortable
He knows when you're confident
And he always knows when you have carrots.
~Author Unknown

Have a wonderful Sunday!


Saturday, May 16, 2009

The Preakness, in Memory of Barbaro 2006





A very special horse that won the hearts of people from around the world..

Friday, May 15, 2009

It's VGNO..Friday Night..

My this week just flew by.. and I think we are all ready to relax, sip something nice.. nibble on something light.. and take it easy..and enjoy .



I have some fresh fruit and berries to nibble on... if you would like to stay a moment, and just take a look around.

I have some ice cream to go with the fresh fruit as well, I am getting into summer simple mode.


And.. as always.. remember to pop in on Ann over at Ann Again and Again
The lovely hostess of this Friday Evening fun!



I also want to tell you all how delighted it is to read the comments that you all leave ... I apologize if I have not appeared to "comment" as much at your sites...my work has axed the blog access...I knew it would happen sooner or later! But it sure puts a damper on my breaks and lunch time!

Time For A Party Game!

Sweet As Candy

If you were to have a candy bar named after you what would it be called? Just for fun follow the guide below to create your candy bar name. Ex. If your first name starts with an 'A' and your last name starts with an 'H' your candy bar would be called "Sweet Confection". Try it out.

Your First Name
A - C = Sweet
D - F = Honey
G - I = Luscious
J - L = Sugar
M - O = Precious
P - R = Savory
S - U = Delightful
V - Z = Heavenly

Your Last Name
A - C = BonBon
D - F = Tart
G - I = Confection
J - L = Chunk
M - O = Honey
P - R = Blossom
S - U = Bits
V - Z = Buns


Have a wonderful weekend ya all, from "Sugar Chunk"... how appropriate!



Thursday, May 14, 2009

Thankful Thursday.. brought to us by The Blessed Country Mom



I am thankful... because it is supposed to be nice and sunny and warm this weekend, and I can drive around in my convertible like Barbie... in my bikini (well, maybe not in my bikini..) with my best friend... enjoying the Sunshine!



Now go on over to Ali's at The Blessed Country Mom.. and join in on the thankfulness!