Iowa

Iowa

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Summertime

Boy, it's been a hot one, hasn't it? BUT, for two nights, I have been able to shut off the air conditioning and open the windows to the sound of the cicadas chirping, the birds chirping and the garbage trucks smashing garbage.
Mippy and Bird's air conditioner quit, just stopped. Too much heat for an old unit. So, I'll not complain. Much.
As I mentioned, I am volunterring at an animal shelter. There is a wonderful dog there, Belle. She is older...nine to be exact. And she is the sweetest dog ever. Gently, affectionate, beautiful. BUT, extremely aggressive with other dogs. When I first walked her, she snarled, growled and barked furiously at every dog in sight. I have been working with her diligently to see if we could alleviate some of this behavior. Treats work wonders. I have been watching the "Dog Whisperer", as has Bird and Bean (Monkeyboy, also, I think). So, I apppealed to the shelter to allow me to bring Belle home with me to see if, together, Bird and I could help both Oscar and Belle to become less dog aggressive.
We met in a neutral location...the cemetary. When the dogs spotted one another, they immediately began barking, snarling, pulling going crazy. Bird has a much better handle on this, so we took the dogs to a grassy area and Bird and I both (me with much struggle) put the dogs into a submissive posture. Oscar calmed quicker, it took Belle some time. Once they were both calm, we allowed them to get up. Belle started again, so down she went. She calmed quicker this time, so we began to walk them side by side, but with great distance between them. As they walked, we began to move closer, and they seemed ok. When we turned to walk back, another episode, short lived though. As you can see, by the end of the walk, they did very well. Oscar walked to his home and Belle and I went back to the shelter. Upon arrival, Belle did not want to go inside and had to be coaxed. This is the worst part for me. Later in the week, I took Bean and Monkeyboy out to see the shelter. We wanted to meet Prudence, but she wasn't there...perhaps....could she have been adopted?
Road trip in three days. Two days at the farm and seven at the beach. Today we meet to plan meals. There will be five of us this year. Monkeyboy, Sprout, Bean and Bean's friend, for whom we don't have a name. Each of us has to plan, shop for and prepare a dinner. That will be the plan for today. Love the road trips. We pick up the van on Wednesday and head out around lunchtime. On the road to arrive at the farm shortly before dinner. Then early Friday we head to the beach.
I hope everyone is surviving the heat. It's been a pretty harsh summer. I'm sure, when I was a kid, we had summers this hot. I don't remember them much. We didn't have air conditioning, but our house was surrounded by large trees that helped keep it cool.
Phipps has been very, very, very hot. I am amazed at the number of people who come in and think it is air conditioned. They come out after visiting, in puddles, saying "I thought it would be cooler". Noooo, it's a glass house! And very hot...did I mention that?
Have a wonderful Sunday and try to stay cool.

16 comments:

Jackie said...

I can't believe how hot it has been. And the only time it rains is when it storms. Garden is parched every day, and I am sure my water bill is going to be crazy, so the idea of growing our own produce probably has not saved us much money this year!
We don't have air in our house, but our house, too is shaded a lot. It's been bad this summer, but usually it isn't. We talk about getting it...maybe next year, if it is this hot.
Love the pictures. We always watch Cesar, he is wonderful.

Jen said...

NO AIR???? Oh, no! I fear for that everyday. Jackie, I admire your courage in facing each of these days without air. So hot, and humid! I know, dry heat, but I am really beginning to understand that.
We just got back from vacation. It is always fun to go away, but it is really good to come home! Kids are bored, tired of the pool, tired of TV, tired, tired, tired. We really need to think about this school thing year around with 2 week breaks every so often. Makes sense to me.
Never watched the dog whisperer. We have a dog, she is goofy sometimes, but for the most part, fun and docile.
Keep cool. Hope you get it fixed, mippy.

Ben said...

My dog died last winter, and I have been thinking about a dog, probably one from a shelter. Maybe I'll take a run out to Animal Friends and see what they have.
I have window air in my house, it's too old to get the central air. It's hot, but I'm not home all day, and I work a lot in homes without air here in the city, so I guess I am somewhat aclimated to it. If you are used to it and you have to do without, I imagine it is pretty difficult. Maybe their unit just needs some freon.
I never had to do much training for my dogs..just the housebreaking thing. I run them a lot, so maybe that's why.
No vacation this year for me! Too much work lined up, thank goodness. Have a safe road trip mia and let us see lots of pictures.

Cathy said...

I don't know how long it would take me to adjust to no air conditioning. Ours went out at work last week for a couple of hours and I had a really hard time of it! Baby that I am. Those dogs look wonderful! Are you going to adopt, Mia?

Lori said...

What a beautiful dog, Mia. Are you going to adopt?
It has been a very unusual summer, weather wise. Lots of rain early, then none except for storms, which don't help at all. I hear you, Jackie, we have a garden that we are watering almost daily. I just keep thinking of how good that corn tasted, and how good the tomatoes are.
Hope the air gets fixed in their house. We don't have air either, and it is hot, but we live through it.
Have a safe and wonderful trip, Mia. Send us lots of pictures.

Angela said...

I can't even believe I am saying this, but I am becoming accustomed to the heat. It's supposed to be here for awhile, so I guess I don't have much choice. We keep our air on during the day, then turn it off at night. We have paddle fans all over the house, so that helps.
Love the pictures of the dogs, Mia. I would have a difficult time working in a shelter of any kind..would want to take everyone home!
Have a safe road trip, sounds like fun.

Twigs said...

It's been over 100 degrees here and it stinks! This has been the hottest summer in 15 years, and it's not going to quit. Our air conditioner can't keep up with the heat,and I am just waiting for a brownout. OK, done complaining.
Love the pictures of the dogs, Mia. And I hope your vacation is wonderful.

Tigger said...

It's been pretty hot everywhere, and I see no relief...but it is summer.
Mia, they allow to bring dogs home for a trial run? Or are you fostering her? She is a beauty!
And Angela, I agree, I am not complaining as much, just kind of accepting the fact that it is hot and will be.

Bill said...

Our Pirates aren't looking so good right now. We need you Tim!
Kids are bored, house is hot, and our car is in the shop. Things will get better, no?
We have a really agressive dog in our neighborhood and it scares me to death with the kids. I just envision it escaping and coming after one of them. Perhaps I could suggest the dog whisperer to them. They seem like nice people, and I have heard positive things about this Cesar Milan.
Have fun on your trip, Mia. Keep us posted.

Noelle said...

We got a puppy in the spring from a nearby farm. It is a heinz 57 variety and very, very cute. It's name is puddles, for the obvious reason. I should watch some of his shows, although so far she is not a big problem. Very playful and goofy though.
Have a nice vacation, Mia.

JD said...

Have a wonderful vacation, Mia. Keep us up on what you are doing. Great time to visit the beach.

Jessica said...

We can't have dogs, our son has allergies. Well, I guess we could, but it would have to be the expensive kind. You pictures are great, as usual, Mia. Now, let's see some of the beach! Have fun.

Anyonmous said...

Everyone should grow up with a dog. I'm sorry, Jessica, everyone should grow up with a dog if they don't have allergies. My best friend when I was five years old was a lab named Mike. Not very unique of a name, but that dog was a wonderful friend. Always there, never judging.

SocialWorker2 said...

My dog is still my friend, she greets me when I come home at night and comforts me when I am sad. I think, if you haven't already, Mia, that you should adopt Belle. She is a beautiful dog.

tabela malzemeleri said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ginger said...

We had one dog and she was the best. Never did anything bad in the house. Even when she was ill, she wanted to go out and there she lay down and died. Never replaced her because we couldn't.

WEll,summer will soon be over so let's remember it when the snow flies.