Thank you for your loving and compassionate comments on yesterday’s post. Your words help me in what is a difficult and stressful time. You are the best, my friends.
No walk yesterday for Scout. I wanted her to take it easy. She was tired and sore but she has such a strong spirit, such a zest for life. Later in the day, I went to the kitchen door to see if she was ready to come in from outside and I saw her loping, almost galloping, along as she ran in from the back of the corral.
I shook my head in wonder. That girl is amazing.
And then I immediately called Don to tell him about it.
She has her ups and downs. But she is, and has always been, the most magical, life-filled, spirited dog I’ve been lucky enough to know.
Here she is on her rounds (excuse the view of the toilet):
She has to check out the bathroom; must sniff the trash, the toilet and the bathtub. Several times a day.
This will be a short post. I have to take the car in for some repairs this morning. We’re trying to keep our 13 year old car going as long as we can. Fingers crossed.
Happy Wednesday.
Ahh Scout, quite a doggie. We have a sixteen year old Havenese who has limited vision and hearing, has doggie arthritis and sometimes just sits and moans. And yet he manages to follow me wherever I go. I try to tell him I am just running upstairs to get whatever and he should wait for me, but he always follows. We are retiring to Tennessee and I worry that the move will be to much for him. Whatever will we do without our pals?
Scout sometimes moans, too. It’s those achy joints. But then I moan about mine, too.
I bet your dear dog will be just fine with the move.
She is an absolute beauty and so wonderful to see her little routine. Her face looks so knowledgeable yet fun :)
Fingers crossed for your car xx
She is a beautiful girl.
Hi Claudia,
The pictures of Dame Scout are so sweet. I enjoy the way our “babies” secure the premises when they come in from outdoors. It always make me wonder if something (mice perhaps) has been lurking in the house and I didn’t notice. I’m sure once Don comes home, she will be much happier and maybe not conduct her rounds as often.
Good luck on taking the car in for repair work. Just the thought of having to do that makes me a little sick at my stomach. I never leave the repair place without charging at least $500.00 on the credit card. (A real budget buster) I sure miss the days when my Dad would fix my car for the price of parts and a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies.
Have a great Wednesday,
Vanessa
I’ve never had someone in my life who could fix cars!
Claudia, My husband is trying to get over 300,000 miles on his truck. He has over 200,000 on it now. It’s still nice….but it amazes me. I wish you quick repairs and a low bill. It almost makes you want to cry when you see that your Scout is wanting to feel good again. Blessings, xo,Susie
I think we have about 165,000 miles on the car right now.
Hi Claudia! What is it about bathrooms and pets? All of the cats who have lived with us have always routinely checked out tubs, toilets (usually taking a drink) and sinks. I had one cat who used to sleep curled up in the bathroom sink! I’ll bet Scout is making sure the place is safe for you!! She is such a beauty Best of luck with car repairs (hate them!!). We just donated my husband’s Explorer that was 21 years old and replaced it with the car my Dad had been using which is a 98…so 15 years old. He bought it used and it still only has 75,000 miles on it!! Fingers crossed it will hold up for some time.
Unbelievable that your dad’s car has so few miles on it!
Hope all goes well with your car. We’re in the same boat, so to speak. My car is 13 years old with 132,000 miles on it and Brian’s is around 7 years old but has 145,000 miles on it already, due to his long commute.
Ours has about 165,000 miles on it. We live in the country, which automatically puts on a lot of miles and one of the first things we did when we bought the car was move across the country – so that immediately put a lot of miles on!
Dear Claudia, somehow and I don’t know how I didn’t read your blog yesterday. After reading today’s post I hurriedly read yesterday’s. I sure hope Scout starts feeling better, I know how much your girl means to you and Don. Then there’s your mom, my heart goes out to all of you because I can honestly say I know first hand the ravages of Alzheimer’s. I will be praying for your mom and the rest of you, most especially your dad. I’m glad you’re getting out for a little while today. Our mini van is 11 years old with just under 100, 000 miles on it. We are doing our best to keep it running for as long as possible. Even used car payments are outlandish these days. I’ll be thinking about you today Claudia.
Scout’s doing better today, Janie. She bugged me and bugged me until I took her for a walk.
Her feet are exactly like my dog Lily’s …all that fur :)
I call them Dr. Seuss feet.
Oh so sorry to hear of all your low valleys in your life but God of the Valleys Is the God of the Mountains.
He is there with you.
God Bless!
Thank you, Carol Ann.
Claudia, I’m glad to read Scout has rebounded and wanted to offer my sympathy for your Mother’s condition. You have been in my prayers during this ordeal
Carol Ann
Thank you Carol Ann!
Oh NO!,Claudia you have a toilet? I’m so disillusioned.
Have a frank and productive day! – Judy A- *_*
Yes, I’m afraid we have two toilets!
That sweet face can make anyone’s day. So glad she is feeling perkier today. I hope the car repairs are reasonable. My daughter has an older car and is trying to make it last as long as possible. Making ends meet is already and challenge and adding a car payment just does not compute! Big Hugs!
Linda
Yes, I can’t bear the thought of taking on a car payment in addition to paying for health care and all the rest of our bills!
Good to see Scout up and around! Yes…I totally get nursing a car…we’ve had a lot of experience with that. Thankfully, Jim is a mechanic and can fix it most of the time….so at least our labor is free! ;)
Gosh darn it! Why isn’t Don a mechanic?
Yes , what IS it with bathrooms and our animals? If the door is open to the shower my animals use it as a round about.
Your girl sure has the prettiest foot feathers. I hope Scout isn’t one to mind having her paws touched because they look irresistible!
She, unfortunately, hates having her paws touched, Dianne.
Oh Scout, you are such a wonderful girl! I am so glad you are feeling better! And Claudia, both of our cars are over 13 years old. My husband believes in driving them till they won’t be driven anymore. I don’t mind driving clunkers as long as they are reliable. I don’t care what they look like. If they won’t start without lots of help, its time to send them on. But my husband can fix cars. I can’t tell you the number of times we have had engines on engine stands in the garage in the last 40 years. But with the new computer run cars, those days are over. But we still do a great business of the kids coming over to change oil, etc. Even my daughter can change her own oil.
The problem with our car is that it’s rusting out underneath and that isn’t a good thing.
Oh, I love Scout’s fluffy feet. And her bright, intelligent eyes. What a beauty. Her photographs always bring back lovely memories of my wonderful golden border collie, Beauregard.
My car is 13 years old, as well, with 170,000 miles. I have no interest in replacing it, as long as it gets me from point A to point B.
By the way, does Scout know to strike a pose when she sees you with your camera? She looks very aware.
Have you told her that Daddy’s coming home soon?
She usually looks away and I have to catch her when she’s not expecting me to take the picture.
Yes, I tell her every day that Daddy is coming home very soon!
Beautiful Scout. She will rest much easier when her family is all together again. I laughed at your “excuse the view of the toilet”. We all have them. Yours must be pretty clean if Scouts inspects it several times a day. :-). Good luck with the car repairs. We had to replace our 13 year old truck last year and almost chocked at the prices for new ones. Hopefully this one will keep us going till we don’t need another truck.
Blessings,
Betsy
Or it isn’t clean and that’s why she’s inspecting it….
I love the posts on Scout. I have been watching my older kitty Scooter get around and out on the front porch to sniff the spring air and it makes me so happy! You would never know he has diabetes and could barely walk last year (though that did not stop him from trying) but with daily insulin he is doing great. But I still worry.
I too drive a 13 yr old car. I cannot believe how expensive car repairs have become. Good luck!
So glad your Scooter is doing well, Donna.
Good news about Scoutie. She’s going to fight her darnedest, that’s for sure. While reading the post today, this line from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” popped into my head – “Though she be but little, she is fierce..” A line I know you’re well familiar with. PS – good luck with your car. I keep mine until the wheels fall off too. I’m 57 and have had only 5 cars, the last one for 14 years. Then I had a supervisor who explained the whole leasing process to me. I’d always thought leasing was for people looking for tax write-offs or with bad credit – and nothing could be further from the truth! In fact you need better-than-average credit to lease. I’d strongly recommend checking it out when you’re ready for a new vehicle. It’s a great way to get a low payment and a new car at the same time. In fact I pay more than $100 LESS a month to lease my current car than I paid to OWN my previous one. The only downside is that you need to stay within a mileage range, but if you don’t drive a lot of miles every day or take driving vacations, this is usually do-able too.
She IS fierce, Janet. She’s also full of piss and vinegar today. She demanded I take her for a walk, so I did.
We leased our car when we first got it and then eventually bought it. Whether I’d do it again, I’m not sure, as we live in the country and drive a lot of miles, so it would be hard to keep within their mileage limitations.
here is hoping that today is a bit brighter for you all … my thoughts and prayers are with you.. and i hope that scout is
feeling a bit of relief today… i surely know how it is.. to struggle to just get by each day… at least the sun is trying to shine and
there isnt any snow.. lol so guess we do have things to be thankful for..
i was thinking of you and your thoughts on your mother… i lost both parents… and last year my oldest brother.. and now..
just got a call this weekend from the hospital that my sister is in decline from copd.. sometimes i just wish that we could go back to carefree days… and daydreams..
just wanted to let you know that your blog gives me much happiness and i can live through the things i read.. and you share with us..
thank you for being you…
big ladybug hugs
lynnl
She is feeling better today, Lynn. She demanded I take her for a walk.
I’m so sorry about your losses and I hope your sister can rally. I know how hard it is to lose a sibling. I lost my brother in 1991, and I’ll never get over losing him so young.
I love her fluffy paws. J
Dr Suess paws, Julie!
Isn’t it funny how dogs have their daily routine? I didn’t realize Scout had all of that hair on her feet. I bet she was a muddy mess when she came in from the snow and mud!!
Have a great day.
Judy
She is still a muddy mess, Judy. Tomorrow or Friday I’m taking her for a bath. She has to smell pretty for her dad when he gets home.
Thank you for the great post about Scout. She has such a happy look. She is like her “mother”, finding happiest in the simple joys of life. I think you two keep each other going. Also, thank you for finding the beauty in those mundane ordinary parts of your life. Your views have made me see the beauty in my ordinary life.
We do keep each other going, Sue. Thank you for your kind words.
I love the “feathers” on her feet :-)
Me too, Karen!
Dame Scout, you have the sweetest smile. Makes everyone’s day brighter. Just got our first new car after the Subaru gave up the ghost at 16 years and 275,000 miles. Feel blessed, Having Don home soon will makes things better. Yes, there must be something about pets and bathrooms. All my cats were obsessed about getting in. We used to shut the door because our first cat used it once as a litter box and thought that was swell. Louis we let in because we think that is where the mice hide. He has to do something to earn his keep! Our late cat Fluffy used to sit on the mice until they died. We’d wake up to him sitting proudly next to his flattened prey, and he’d make this odd chittering sounds to announce his victory over his opponent.
Sort of glad I don’t have to see that, Tina! I don’t know what Scout would do with a mouse.
Thanks for showing us how well Scout is doing..we all have good days and bad days when we get older..dogs and people..that doesn’t mean we are suffering or ready to die..I know that you and Don would never let a dog suffer just because you are not ready to let go..Only the two of you will know what is best for your sweet little girl..Good luck with the car repairs..
Amen, Nancy. She has her aches and pains and so do her dad and I! Thank you for your support. Whenever that time comes, hopefully not for a long while, we’ll know.
Glad that Scout has rallied. It is so hard when they get older. My car is 14 years old so I understand the babying it along. xo Laura
We’re trying to keep it going, but it has a lot of rust from salt and many, many tough winters.
I think often of how excited Scout will be when Don gets home. What a happy day that will be for all of you!
Hope the trip to the car Dr. wasn’t too bad. It seems that it is always something!
BTW,,,,, we do have a Winter Weather Advisory tomorrow for snow and freezing rain. It isn’t going to give up without a fight, I’m afraid!! Hope it doesn’t blow your way.
Oh my goodness! You all have been though so much! Hang in there.
Claudia, I love Scouts ears!! So pink and alert. Doris
I love Scout and her hairy toes! Its like shes wearing slippers. I had a chihuahua mix with the same type of feet and as she aged i would shave the bottom of her feet so she had a bit more traction. Do you have her on any supplements? I have 3 senior dogs on Dasuquin and it really helps. Adequan shots monthly help as well. I just love her happy face!
Scout looks “on the job” for sure. What is it with our dogs? Leo has “Grinch” feet as well. No matter how often I groom those feet, the next thing I know, there they are. Don’t you just love it
.Praying for your family. My heart breaks for you, all of you. God send His Grace to encompass your family.
You’re in my thoughts dear Claudia. You and Ms. Scout……you and your mama…you and Don.
Sending sunshine and warmth your way – we are having more than our fair share this week!
Hugs – Mary
I think that Dame Scout needs a little clipboard, Claudia! I have a neighborly cat who routinely loves to come into my house to “check” — ipstairs, downstairs, onto the porch, rubbing her face on chairs and table legs (which someone once told me is Cat lingo for “That’s mine now”). I hope the days are getting sunnier and warmer for you, and that you will soon be three again, and Don can see Scout’s antics in person.
Glad Scout is feeling better..You have your hands full just to keep things going..Hope you made out OK with your car…
Scout is such a sweetheart…look at that face…