Farmhouse Views

Dad had promised me that I would get to sleep in a bit in Raglan. That lasted until about 7:30AM. A rapid pounding on the door was followed by, "Get up. It's really pretty outside." I grudgingly pulled on some trousers and stepped onto the porch to see this. 

And this.

Hardly seems fair. I wish this was my morning view more often.

Norris gave us a tour of his farm, including the milking shed. The cows get milked twice a day at the beginning of the milking season, just once late into the milking season, then not at all to give them a rest. They currently weren't milking the cows. 

I was impressed to learn about all the different checks that go on at the farm to make sure the milk is of a high quality. 

After the tour we headed back the the house before leaving. The farmhouse had been built in the early 1900s, and later had an addition put on. The wing we stayed in was part of the old farmhouse, which looked similar to how I imagined the manor in Wuthering Heights would look. 

We said our goodbyes. I was especially sad to leave Buoy, the six month old farm dog. He was a sweetheart. My favorite bit was watching him get tangled up in my Dad's shoelaces while Dad was trying to tie them. Buoy just wanted to be part of the action.

Scooter's Surgery

I'd been wanting to add another blog post for the last few days, but I just didn't know quite what to say. There was a big, scary event that was going to happen, and I didn't really want to say anything until it was all over. We'll start the entire story from the beginning. (A good place to start). On Monday we took Scooter to his annual vet appointment. While we were there we pointed out the different lumps and bumps he's gotten just to make sure he was ok. The doctor was a bit concerned about the small lump under his left front arm. Just to be sure it was ok, they took a sample and sent it to be tested.

His day-before-surgery bath. No need to be stinky at the vet's office.

On Wednesday we got a call saying the the test was inconclusive, but the bump looked like it was starting to form spindle cells, which meant it might be starting to spread. Just to be safe, they wanted to take the lump out with a wide margin. So Scooter had his surgery scheduled for Friday. Mum and I got up early to drop Scooter off. We were told to call at 3pm to see if Scooter was ready to be done. Of course we called promptly at 3 and were told that Scooter was ready to come home. The poor guy spent the rest of the day sleeping.

He really could not keep his eyes open after coming home.

It's been less than 24 hours since Scooter had his surgery and he is already acting as if he hadn't even been. We were told that if he messes with his stitches, put a shirt on him. The only shirt that we could find that would fit was one I wore when I was 5. He doesn't seem too phased by his silly attire. And I know this is a sleeping picture, but we knew he was fine because he's been racing all over the house and barked at the mailman. He's just pooped himself out after doing his normal dog stuff.

The only thing to wait for now is a call from the lab to see if they managed to remove everything. I really hope they did because I really love my little buddy.

Scooter's Cologne

My knitting output has been frustratingly low and my creative zen has gone, so here are some pictures of Scooter rolling on a dead worm to entertain you.

First he determines if the smell is worth rolling in. The answer is always yes.

Then he works a back and forth wiggling motion to maximize the smell to fur ratio.

Followed by a good head grinding action to solidify the worm smell in his fur until the next bath. (Those baths have been occurring more frequently as of late)

And one last roll for the sheer joy of it.

He has also taken to trying to roll in bird poop when we are on our walks... as we are walking. It doesn't matter that we aren't stopping. He hurls himself into the concrete for the chance to add Eau De Poo on his shoulders.

Scooter's Favorite Game

Scooter has a new favorite game.

It's called, "Find The Treat In The Grass." It involves me throwing a treat into the lawn. Then he snuffles around until he finds it.

Scooter then runs back as fast as he can and waits for another treat.

He isn't very patient though. If I take more than a few seconds he lectures me a bit. The faster I throw, the less he barks.

If I take my eye off the treat pot to, let's say, focus my camera, he creeps closer. And if I really don't keep an eye on him, he sticks his face in the treat pot and gobbles down as many treats as he can before he gets yelled at. He's quite sneaky.

Scooter Has A New Friend

Scooter has a new doggy friend! Her name is Sassy. They look like they could be relatives. (They even have the same silly eyebrows.) She is half his size. But that is to be expected, she's only 8 months old. It was so cute to see them playing together.

Scooter needs all the exercise he can get. He's gotten a wee bit chunky. It might have something to do with his love of cheese.