WTF!

It's Saturday evening as I'm writing this. I should be in Brussels with Clay, but instead I'm home alone with Covid. 

It was Wednesday I guess when I began to think I was coming down with a cold. By Thursday I was pretty sure, but I was also pretty sure that's all it was. Preparations continued. We were packed and ready to go, just knocking off a few last minute items from my "to do" list. The very last thing I wanted to do before jumping in the shower to get ready was to take a covid test so that I could say with 100% certainty that I just had a cold. I was quite confident in the outcome, and quite surprised when the test came up positive. A second test showed the same strong positive result, even faster than the first.

This was to be our only joint vacation of the year and Clay had been planning it for over a year. Clay is an incredible travel planner, researching all aspects of the trip, right down to train schedules and how to get internet access overseas. He had a list of potential places to visit in each city, bars, restaurants, museums, anything worth seeing, but not set on a rigid schedule as to take away the possibility of spontaneity and surprise. Seriously, he's the best. I just have to show up. There wasn't any reason for him not to go, all that would happen if he stayed was a greatly increased chance of him getting sick as well. Besides, I had plenty of canine nurses to see me through this.

The initial feeling that I had a cold morphed into severe sinus congestion that prevented me from sleeping much on Thursday night. Friday was all about fever, chills, and night sweats, but at least the congestion was better so I could sleep in increments of several hours at a time. Saturday the fever continues but I think it has abated somewhat. I had an telehealth meeting with a nurse practitioner who prescribed an antiviral medication that I picked up Saturday afternoon and started on immediately. Between the antiviral meds, Tylenol, Sudafed, and dog kisses, I should be at least feeling better soon.

With Clay away Bailey did not hesitate at all to jump in bed and take his place.

This was the first time she has been in the bedroom at night and

the first night without being crated.

Elvis was out cold after a big day of hunting in the pasture.

Della didn't object too much to Bailey's presence in the bedroom and the bed.

Paisley took Della's usual spot.

Maya and Della on two dog beds on my side of the room.

Baby girl was pretty content to lay around most of the day on Saturday.

Closeness is the key to maximizing the healing properties of a dog.

Bailey, with Elvis and Dodger on the other bed.

This might be interesting. I made a video of the feeding routine to share with our would-be house sitter:

I have everything I need and little appetite for food at this point anyway. I'm going to enjoy this trip to Belgium vicariously, without the stress of actually leaving home.

 

Pasture run

I haven't been walking because I hurt my back last week and I have a lot of stuff to do before going out of town on Friday. This afternoon, however, I took advantage of a period of sunshine before the clouds moved in to take the dogs out for a run in the pasture.

Maya can be difficult to spot in the tall grass.

Paisley, with Della having a roll in the grass.

That's Candace in the background behind Della.

Candace is more outdoorsy than I expected. She enjoys going out there.

Candace and Bailey

Della, with Dodger

Baby girl Bailey

Candace

At home, Dodger is happy and confident, tail up!

The hunting party: Maya, Elvis, and Bailey has now got the hunting bug as well.

His color and his tail sticking up while hunting makes Elvis fairly easy to spot,

and the other two are generally nearby.

Paisley doesn't hunt, she follows me.

Della and Paisley, and Bailey is hidden in the tall grass between them.

Paisley

Bailey

Candace, trailed by Della, heading up the hill.

Dodger is a bit of loner out in the pasture.

I love this picture of Bailey looking up to Della.

Bringing the light

I like the fact that things slow down in the winter. The grass has finally stopped growing so I don't have to spend every free moment with the mower or weedeater. The flowers are gone, but I was growing tired of tending to them. I don't like the look of empty planters, however, and I really don't like the look of darkness that occurs by 5:00 p.m. Several years ago I put our family's old outdoor Christmas lights on the dog yard shed and left them on until the equinox to bring some light and color to darkness. I think all the bulbs had finally burned out, however, so it was time for a change.

We finally had enough rain that it seemed safe to burn the accumulated brush and boxes in my fire pit.

This two-tiered wrought iron plant stand in the garden looked sad and depressingly empty with all the flowers gone, so I turned it into a holiday bush.

We have a plentiful supply of greenery in the yard so I built my own bush on the plant stand using Leyland cypress boughs on the bottom, then holly, and finally boxwood on top. 

I dug out a few of the solar candles I had put away and placed them on top.

And today I added lights.

I ordered these "meteor lights" from Amazon after seeing them advertised on TikTok. They are pretty, but I need many more to produce the desired effect, (see below).

This was the picture that sold me on the concept. I need many more strings of the lights, but I've put them on my Christmas list and this is something I plan to keep up until the equinox.

I got a 50' length of icicle lights and used them to replace the burned out lights on the dog yard shed. That's Della on the front porch of the shed.

While shopping for lights I ran across this little guy. I call him Flaming Frank the Flamingo. After seeing him, I knew what I had to do—Flamingo creche set. Flaming Frank is the baby and I gathered the rest of the flock together to fill out the manger and brighten up another winter garden spot.

Just behind and above Flaming Frank is the only non-flamingo character in the tableau, a concrete dog named Jack.

This will be lit up at night by the same solar lights that lit up the flowers throughout the summer, bringing a bit of color and light to the otherwise desolate looking winter garden.

Flaming Frank - His coming had been prophesized in many different cultures and religions for millennia, only to be realized in a humble garden spot in Fluvanna County in 2023.

What, no dogs? Here's a few from the past few days.

Bailey watching me put up lights this afternoon.

Bailey and Candace

Candace on the boardwalk, trying to decide if she wants to come inside.

Della in her coat on a clear but chilly morning.

Waiting for me at the top of the stairs.

Left to right: Maya (telling me to hurry up), Bailey, Elvis, Dodger, and Paisley

More Dodger

I took Dodger to the Green Dogs fundraiser event at Castle Hill Cidery today. I wasn't sure how he'd do because he's still extremely shy around people and doesn't like to be touched, but he surprised me today, in a good way.

There were a lot of people (bad) but also a lot of dogs (good) so Dodger tried his best to ignore the people and just interact with the dogs. This was a very dog-friendly crowd, however, and many of them would not be ignored. Those with treats in their hands received a positive rating from Dodger. I was surprised that he took treats from strangers, he hasn't done so in the past, so this was a positive development. He really liked meeting as many dogs as he could and he enjoyed sharing my lunch.

All things considered it was a success for Dodger, but he was happy to get back home where he could play with Bailey.

This was a really nice surprise. 

This is Rupert (formerly Mack), one of the Starfish pups from back in the summer).

He looks great and seemed very happy to see me. It was mutual.

Dodger, Rupert, and Violet

I had a double serving of baked beans with my chicken sandwich.

They were very good but more than I needed, so Dodger agreed to help.

This may have been a better bonding session than our hikes.

Lest you think that Dodger never relaxes, 

here he is at home playing and snuggling with Bailey.