It's been a busy weekend.

It's been a busy weekend.

Friday night I deep-cleaned my bathroom and vacuumed my bedroom. Then when I was putting the vacuum away I pulled it sideways over my foot. I have a pretty large bruise and swelling there now.

Yesterday, Shaun worked on cleaning the pool and getting the chemicals right. They're fine to swim in, but he'd like to get them optimal. We also blew up some floaties and started working on making the storage building. Then we got rained out.

That storage building... Phew. It's made of metal, and all of the sheets of metal have a plastic wrap on them that needs to be peeled off. I started peeling while Shaun made the floor. I peeled until I was tired and I did not get finished. 😂

Today I woke up and vacuumed the downstairs. I pulled the vacuum over into the tender back inside of my arm when I was using the attachment to clean crevices, so I'm probably gonna have a bruise there soon. 😅  (Edited:  I do. It's large and purple).

Anyway, after fter I vacuumed, I cleaned (not deep, though) the bathroom downstairs. Then I went back to peeling the metal sheets for the building.  I finished the ones that were in the house (it arrived in 2 separate boxes), then Shaun went out and started leveling the ground where we were going to put the building while I carried 25 heavy square blocks (one at a time) to the area because we needed them for the project.

We were tired after that and could see a storm rolling in, so we decided to clean up and try out the pool real fast. Me and Shaun and Cub went in. We got maybe 15 minutes and then the storm was upon us. But it was nice. Cub came in only briefly on the splash pad. Bear ran around in his life jacket. He came to the edge a bunch, but never got in. The kids are gonna try it out tomorrow.  Maybe Bear will, too. Who knows?

We ordered Pizza Hut and are chilling on the couch now. We've been going hard for days. Bet I sleep great tonight.

This coming week is a mixed bag. Tomorrow the pool cover, Tuesday the landscaper. More peeling and finally building the building. Shampooing the carpet. Bear appointment. Dentist appointment to get my real crown instead of this temporary. Hopefully a couple of cat vet appointments, too. Possibly losing my Balthi this week. 😭 I don't think he's super ok and I'm really sad about it. Fireworks have already started and Cubba's up Shaun's butt, so pup anxiety all week, too.

We'll get through it, though. The good, the bad, and the ugly. We always do. ❤️

It's Monsoon Season!

It's Monsoon Season!

It's so beautiful here, even when it's raining.

I went upstairs and...

I went upstairs and the bottom of the bathtub was covered in diarrhea. My poor Balthi. 😢

He had it on one of his back feet, so I got a wipe to help clean him. Every cat who's foot I've ever tried to clean has pulled away.

Not Balthi, y'all. He spread his toes. 😭😭😭

We are having a bad cat day. 🙁

We are having a bad cat day. 🙁

I don't think Balthazar's prednisone is helping his intestines anymore. His diarrhea is back even while on it. He sweetly bit my toes when I went to bed last night so he's still himself, but I feel like he won't be with us much longer. He seems to be fading very slowly and I won't let him suffer.

Someone peed orange (or possibly blood-tinged urine) on the dining room carpet. Toebean has been running around meowing all day. We checked his butt-end and his butthole doesn't look well. I don't know if those things are related, but our vet does surgeries on Monday and doesn't usually see patients, but they have been great about working us in as a drop-off if we need it. Well, we need it, so we're going to call first thing and see if they can see him (and Ash for her diarrhea).

Fun times. I hope these kittens will be ok. We sure do love them and hate to see them unwell.

Is this my life now? Saving buggy bois from drowning?

Is this my life now? Saving buggy bois from drowning?

I have a feeling that me and Shadow will be constantly saving bugs. Poor kid. He's definitely mine with his soft heart. We can't just watch someone struggle and do nothing if we have the ability.

The pool guys came yesterday and started up our pumps and filters and all that. They told us what chemicals and amounts to add last night. They left some cleaning equipment and showed us how to use it. Shaun vacuumed and skimmed the pool yesterday. Shadow and Kira took turns skimming yesterday evening. Our cover will be installed on Monday, so until then stuff will be blowing in.

Shaun tested the water today and the chemicals aren't quite right yet. I think he's having a good time with all of this maintenance stuff.

At some point in the near future the pool company will schedule a time to come over and do "pool school" to make sure we know how to take care of everything. They will also bring our robot vacuum and teach us about it. So that should be pretty fun.

Supposedly, we are cleared by the pool company to swim this weekend. The pool still has final inspections to pass, but it's basically done. We might test it out later when the kids are ready. Kira wants our first official swim to be as a family, so that's the plan.

A yellow bloom and an orange bloom.

A yellow bloom and an orange bloom.

Also - thanks, Bear. 😑

Better view of yesterday.

Better view of yesterday.

Y'all, I can't help myself in the moment because he cracks me up, but afterwards I always feel like such a jerk for laughing at him. He is clearly impaired, both physically and mentally - at least a little. And I laugh at him.

For what it's worth I don't think he cares one bit, and I would defend him with my life and spend all my money fixing his broken body so he can live his high-energy-drive best life. But I don't think those things exempt me from being a jerk.

I have issues. 😅 A beautiful, weird, janky dog. And issues. 😂

So maybe 10 days ago...

So maybe 10 days ago, Bear bit me on my toe. It only bled a little, but it ached for DAYS.

This child is SO BORED from not being allowed to play for so long that when he lays up under the kitchen table (which is usually where he is when he not with us or crated at night) that he's begun chewing the bars on the bottom of our chairs.

The other day when I was eating cereal and he started chewing my chair I didn't want to get up at that exact moment to get him a toy, so I corrected him and put my foot on the bar as a deterrent. No sooner than I sat my foot down, he bit my 2nd toe with his top teeth and the bottom of the chair bar with his bottom teeth and it wasn't super fun for me. He was biting with back teeth and "chew" force and I really don't think he realized that I was there.

I feel like he's often not super aware of things with the way he's so clumsy. 😂 He's also really stubborn when we try to retrieve things from inside his mouth. Most dogs who's mouths I've had the pleasure of shoving my hand in have tried to back away or turn their heads or something. Not Bear. He continues chewing down hard - your hand be damned. 😂

I don't know why he's like this. There is maybe a good bit I don't understand about him. But I love him and he keeps life interesting and he's my toddler baby, so there's that. ❤️

Not the best quality here; I'm zoomed wayyy in.

Not the best quality here; I'm zoomed wayyy in. But this dog, I swear. I'm glad his life jacket has a handle. 😂

Friday mood. 😂

Friday mood. 😂

(Ignore my carpet. We vacuum on the weekends and this area is where Bear likes to lay.  It's peak furry right now.)

Pool update:

Pool update:

We have most of our equipment installed, but it's not running yet. The muddy, mucky mess was power-washed and cleaned out this week. We have most of the electric done. It's full of fresh water, but also has dirt and leaves and 3 giant, rusty metal bars across it. It also has what I suppose my mom would call "no-see-em's" in it. I don't know what they actually are (besides a type of bug), but I was sitting here with my feet in and they are barely perceptible, but are climbing up my legs and biting me. So. We have a ways to go.

(Shaun Googled and they are thrips. And they were probing me to see if I was food, not biting me. I stand corrected.)

We have a lot more work to do in the yard after the pool is finished. We want our grass back down because the dust blows all over when the wind blows. If y'all didn't already know:  It's windy as fuck here, but not in a dangerous way, so I like it. Usually. Just not in my back yard right now. 😂

On top of that, we have a small storage building to build and other landscaping to do.

The house is also not presentable right now. We have carpet we want remove and flooring to put down, and carpet that needs cleaning. Since Bear hasn't been able to go outside when he wants (due to his surgery AND the yard construction), he's had a few accidents indoors. We've spot-cleaned, but the whole carpet needs a good wash. Also, Ash had diarrhea in it this morning. I guess we'll be taking her to the vet soon.

Needless to say, we're not having visitors for a while. We need to get our projects done and ourselves settled again. Bear will be cleared for normal activity Wednesday (hopefully!) and I really need our pool cover to be installed by then so the dogs can have some freedom and it won't be a waste of time shampooing the carpet.

Everything has felt so upside-down for the last 2 months. I've been so sad about the state of the back yard that I've been avoiding going out there. My plants are all dusty and gross and I know it's fine, but I don't like it. 😂 All I know is that change is hard. Hopefully, the worst of it is over with and we can enjoy the space again soon.

Bear this morning...

Bear this morning after getting his tongue shook by Shaun. Yes, the same Shaun who hates being licked and getting his hands dirty. I don't know what he was thinking. 😂 Bear isn't sure about it, either.

Also, look at my grinning Cub. So damn adorable!

I've been trying to make a conscious effort...

I've been trying to make a conscious effort to eat less sugar. But if you have a Crumbl Cookies near you, try this damn cake. It's similar to a Gooey Butter Bar (like you can get from the bakery section in Wal-Mart [if you live in the south, anyway], but the sugar crystal crunch is SO. DAMN. SATISFYING. I like the icing, too. It's very light.

Look at this Toebean.

Look at this Toebean. He's crashed out. 😂

Bear had bloodwork today and Balthazar was checked to see how he was recovering from surgery. His incisions looked great, but he probably still has pain in his lower teeth, so he's back on pain meds.

We scheduled some re-check appointments and a surgery today. Feels like it's always something around here. We're doing our best we can for these kids, though.

Look, I am not a loser, ok?

Look, I am not a loser, ok? I'm not just out here losing stuff. Even as a kid I don't recall it happening much. I was brought up to appreciate what I had. If I lost something, it was not getting replaced.

So anyway, we were out last year and Kira wanted this bracelet. It was sometime before Christmas, so I told her we'd get it and it could be part of her holiday gifts. It came from a local Hispanic grocer. The person at the checkout handed it back to me after we paid, so when I got back to the car I dropped it in a Walgreens bag that was going in the house.

We got home and I was aware that we needed to put the bracelet up somewhere safe. I told Shaun that it was still in the bag and to hide it (because he is the gift-hider). Then, I assumed that he did.

Y'all, he DIDN'T. 😂

So anyway, Christmas came and went and we couldn't find this bracelet. Kira was like "Find it for my birthday, then." Fair enough, but if we couldn't find it for Christmas then we really had no idea where to look, though we tried. So her birthday (in March) came and went and STILL no bracelet. We eventually just took her back to the market and replaced it since that was definitely on us.

So today - this morning - I found it. Completely by accident.

Guess where it was.

You can't. 😂

It was still in the Walgreens bag, which was now under my bathroom sink.

The bag was under my sink upstairs because it was going to be used as a trash bag. I grabbed a handful of them recently from our bag drawer in the kitchen and I guess it was in that bunch. So last year someone crammed that "empty" bag in the bag drawer without checking and lost Kira's bracelet. I don't have any idea who did that. But we finally found it.

Happy June 24th, Kira. 😂

We went to Los Cuates for a lunch date...

We went to Los Cuates for a lunch date and the food was great, as usual.  But this time, there was live music!  We thought there must have been a stage somewhere and we just hadn't seen it before, but NO!  There was a Mariachi group going from table to table taking requests!  I was wondering why they played "Happy Birthday" so many times!  😅

When they came to our table, they asked what we'd like to hear.  I said to surprise me, and they asked "Romantic, upbeat, ?"  I said something upbeat would be great.  They played "Quizás, Quizás, Quizás" and I loved it!  While they were playing I couldn't stop smiling.  I kept watching them play and sing and I thought it would be awkward, but it wasn't.  I was so happy for the rest of the day.

They gave us a card with their name on it.  They are Trio Jalisciense.  They had QR codes to Venmo and CashApp and their Zelle phone number on their cards, which was super smart.  I wanted to tip them and checked the car, but we had no cash, so I Venmo'd them to thank them for their lovely performance.

I got part of La Bamba on video, and as much as I wanted to video them singing to us, I didn't.  It was so up-close that I felt it would be rude or maybe feel weird to them, so I didn't.  If we go there again when they're around, I will definitely ask if it's ok.

The hole adventures continue.

The hole adventures continue. Cub dug it out more and wouldn't let Bear do any digging at first, but he got distracted (by people, of course), so Bear got to try.

Bear's leg goes janky at one point (I'm glad I caught that on camera for his doctor). He also falls in. 😂  But I love his can-do attitude because he got back up and kept trying. ❤️

I think this video highlights how front-heavy he is. He is so well-muscled in the front half of his body. I really think the vet could have removed his back legs and left him practically unphased. He's definitely using his back legs more since the surgery, but it's pretty obvious that he's skipped leg day for most of his life.

I was contacted by ViralHog...

I was contacted by ViralHog about this video of Bear. After going back and forth on it for a while, I figured no harm in sharing his beautiful self with the world, so here's his official link:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lX_iox4Uq3k

I sat out with Bear for a while yesterday evening...

I sat out with Bear for a while yesterday evening so he could have some outdoor time since he loves it so much. Just me and my Booger.

He got to dig a little bit without Cub hogging the hole.  I guess Bear has not yet figured out that there can be holes anywhere there is dirt, but anyway.

He was already tired from his zoomies, but I think he had fun. And I caught him on camera laying down. It still looks like a bit of a struggle, but he no longer spins himself until he's flat on the ground so I think this is improvement. His back leg muscles are probably not nearly as strong as they would be if he didn't have such jacked knees before. But we'll get him there.

Volume up if you wanna hear him fuss at the hole. 😂

Balthazar seemed SLIGHTLY off yesterday, but...

Bear is panting hard in his crate.

Bear is panting hard in his crate. He's been doing that a lot lately. We mentioned it to his vet when she returned our call about his seizure meds, but she said it could just be side effects from his medications. She didn't seem very concerned.

But the thing is, I only notice it at night and when he's crated. I'm starting to think it's anxiety. He's had a few seizures in there and he also got his paw pinched that time. Maybe he no longer feels safe in there. I don't know. I don't think it has anything to do with being separated from us because he's pretty independent. He sleeps away from us frequently by choice.

We only have 10 more days until we can start to wean him off of his sedatives, so then he'll just be back to his seizure meds. I guess we'll know definitively then if that was causing him to pant. I just hate to think he's feeling anxious or uncomfortable. 🙁 Poor booger.

Bear is only supposed to be walking for 2 more weeks, but...

Bear is only supposed to be walking for 2 more weeks, but he got a little zoomie. I guess holes are exciting dog business. 😂

Cub said "Don't dig my hole!" 😂😂😂

We dug a hole today!

We dug a hole today! Well, Cub did. No one else was allowed to dig. 😂😂😂

I'm working on my nail polish database today.

I'm working on my nail polish database today. I have a goal to get everything added by the end of July so I can be done researching info on polishes and being exposed to more I want to buy...

Anyway, no one is allowed to touch my polish. You want your nails done, I'll do it. But they're not toys and everyone knows not to touch them. Most are in pristine condition, and the ones that have boxes are still boxed. No touchy.

Except for Bear. Bear knows very little, I believe. 😂 So I was in the floor organizing a few polishes earlier and he comes over with his big feet and steps in my drawer and starts rummaging around.

Why am I like "What are you doing with your cheese lips? (I gave him a licky mat with cheese spread on it to distract him. It didn't last long.) Ooh, yes, you have excellent taste! (As he picks one up and drops it back in the drawer.) I like that one, too. (As he takes one away to probably chew on it. [We didn't let him.])"

I love this dog so dang much. He just melts me. I'm definitely the soft parent when it comes to him. When I had my pack I was the only adult in the house so I had to be the tough parent, but there is something about Bear. 😂 I let him walk off with my nail polish, so you know he's got me wrapped around his paw. He's just so sweet. He wants to help with everything I'm doing and it's so hard to not let him feel involved. Thank goodness for Shaun. He gently keeps Bear out of trouble when I have my too-soft moments.

Spent some time with the upstairs cats today.

Spent some time with the upstairs cats today. APPARENTLY, Balthazar is using the litter box again. Not consistently, but he's doing it by his own choice and without any pressure/direction from me.

Weird. I'm SO NOT complaining, but in all of the years I've shared my life with cats I've never had this happen before.

Maybe somehow his infected fangs were messing with his stomach?

Balthazar didn't poop...

So is it...

I love it when any of my plants bloom, but...

I love it when any of my plants bloom, but I'm stupid excited have orange flowers. This one is sneaky. I didn't even see buds before these popped up!

Shaun just got a phone call and...

Shaun just got a phone call and Cub put his conversation lips on. 😂 You know he's about to tell you something when he makes this mouth, and he did. 😂😂😂 He was like "Why are you shushing me? We're talking, are we not?" 😂

So I just found out...

So I just found out that Shaun has never heard of a "lie bump." Y'all know it's just a swollen taste bud (or something like that), right? But they were always called "lie bumps" when I was growing up.

So anyway, I hate those things. I clip them off with a cuticle nipper. Shaun is AGHAST at that information. 😂😂😂 But the resulting little sore after you clip it is so much easier to deal with.

What (if anything) do y'all do about them?

Two more have opened up.

Two more have opened up. They must be having a good day! ❤️

Some blooms from today.

Some blooms from today.

I totally missed the white ones I'd been waiting for, but that's ok. I have some babies showing off this morning. 😊

Gianni, I figured you would know. The old blooms dried up on this one, but they're fat at the base. Does this mean it's been pollinated? Or is something going wrong? I've never had this happen before.

Shaun went and picked up our groceries.

Shaun went and picked up our groceries. He brought in one load and went back to the car for another. A minute later he's calling for me, so I go to see why.

Bear. Bear is why. Bear is laid against the door, butt-first, not letting Shaun back in. 😂😂😂 I had to drag him out of the way.

He's having a sleepy day, I guess.

He's having a sleepy day, I guess.

He barely opened an eye to greet me this morning.

And I just found him sleeping like this. 😂😂😂

I will never get tired of this tongue. 😂😂😂

I will never get tired of this tongue. 😂😂😂

He is PASSED OUT. He doesn't usually sleep this hard in the living room with us. It must have been hard work being a menace today. 😂😂😂

He's been busy ALL DAY.

He's been busy ALL DAY. I had to take him out 3 times times this morning before he finally finished his potty business. He's tried to play with Cub several times. He's got 2 more weeks before the doctor clears him for normal activity, and we are counting down the days. 😅

He's crashed out against the couch for now. Thank goodness. 😂😂😂

I have been literally waiting for months for these blooms to open...

I have been literally waiting for months for these blooms to open, and I think I missed it. I will check tomorrow morning to see if they open back up, but I'm not gonna count on it. 😕

Look at my handsome Gramson, Leon.

Look at my handsome Gramson, Leon. This is Kira's baby. He came downstairs to visit. ❤️

I have updated Bear's Instagram.

I have updated Bear's Instagram. I thought I was just gonna take it down, but I'm gonna give it one more go. I can just have my Facebook posts automatically posted to it, so why not?

It's Bear and the pets, but mostly Bear. This is the current name, although there's nothing there that you won't see here. @BearTheWereWoof

Should I change the name? Can y'all think of something better?

Harley LOVES attention, but rarely will sit still with you for long.

Harley LOVES attention, but rarely will sit still with you for long. He's the "rub you frantically and show you his butt repeatedly" type. But he is actually chilling with me... For the moment.

Blooms from the last few days.

Blooms from the last few days. I'm so excited! I have my first tiny orange flower, and some pretty pink star-shaped ones as well. Also, a super weirdo that has some sort of pebbles/seeds that just dump out.

I love the fuzz that this one grows.

Pebble seeds or something. I don't know. But it's neat.

I just thought it was funny how her piggy tails are wet and lopsided. 😂

This pad I bought from the succulent sale has buds and a bloom.

Bloom from above.

Pretty in pink.

These star-shaped beauties.

My first orange flower!

She's blooming again. I did not expect that.

I'm just now getting in bed.

I'm just now getting in bed. I napped after work, so I was awake for a bit.

I just came upstairs and it's a mess. Balthazar is still drugged and apparently he walked in some poop and tracked it around. He also pooped on the bed. He also missed his pee pad and wet the floor (not carpet, thank goodness). And there's blood. Shaun warned me that bloody drool is to be expected, though, but it's hard to see.

I've cleaned the mess and I'm laying down. Balthi is up here kneading me with his little swollen face and bandaged arm. I can tell he's tried to bathe himself because the white parts of his fur are smeared red. I've had several cats need teeth removed, but I don't remember the recovery starting like this. Usually it's back teeth. Maybe fangs are a bigger deal. I don't know. But I hope he sleeps off some of these drugs and feels better tomorrow.

It's been a stressful, headache-y, rainy day.

It's been a stressful, headache-y, rainy day. I just discovered Tort Baby asleep in the corner, legs all crazy. That's about to be me, too. I need a nap.

Balthazar made it through surgery!

Balthazar made it through surgery!

The good news:  His top fangs were SUPER infected and they were able to get them both as well as do a little more work up top.

The bad news:  He's got a little bit of heart disease and they didn't want to keep him under for too long. He'll need to go back for work on his lower teeth. So, we gotta go through this again in a month or so.

Today's first: I just picked Bear's nose.

Today's first:  I just picked Bear's nose.

It might seem hard to believe, but I've never picked a dog nose before. Wiped them, yes. Literally dug in to clean, no.

We're still figuring out the situation with Bear and the ice dispenser. Unfortunately for everyone, I need ice for my water a few times per day. And Bear just goes nuts every time. He runs, he roars, he chases the cats, he bites us... It's like a switch flips. It's crazy.

We've taken to putting a treat in his mouth before I get ice because then he's distracted. He just chews/licks his treat more aggressively. That is better.

Well, today Shaun tried squeezy cheese in his mouth. It worked - kind of. Bear started licking so hard that he got cheese in one of his nostrils, so we had to pick it out. It felt weird, probably to both of us. But at least his nostril is clear now. 😂

Next time we'll be sure to put it on a licky mat.

My old man, Balthazar, is having surgery today.

My old man, Balthazar, is having surgery today. He's having infected fangs removed (he had an antibiotic injection and has been on pain meds since they were discovered). He's also having a lump under his arm biopsied.

I hugged him and loved him up before he left this morning. Just in case.

I trust his doctors and I know they'll get him done quick due to his age and other factors. But still. Just in case.

This is the sad, sad face of the Bear...

This is the sad, sad face of the Bear who tried to protect me from the ice dispenser, but who instead slipped and fell and seems to have hurt his wrist. He cried. It broke my heart. 😭😭😭

We're waiting for his Papa to get out of the shower so we can tell him what happened. He needs Papa to tell him he's ok. 💔

Edit:  Shaun said he was ok. Bear is not sure if he believes him, but he's hanging in there. 😂

Look at this dirty dog!

Look at this dirty dog!

He must be feeling better because he was trying to entice Cub to play.

He starts a higher dose of Phenobarbital tonight. Bloodwork in 2 weeks. Knees checked in 3. Then we get him on arthritis pain management and hopefully he'll be free to be as wild as he wants to be.

Bear had another seizure around 4 this morning.

Bear had another seizure around 4 this morning. Shaun's been up with him ever since. Poor baby. He still doesn't seem over it.

Shaun has been sleeping downstairs because Bear's been needing to potty in the middle of the night; his schedule is off. I'm so grateful that he takes such good care of these kids.

Bear was panting when he went to bed last night, so I don't know if that was a sign he was off or what. Shaun said it took him an extra long time to settle this morning, as well.

Bear's doctor is in surgery. She will call us today. Hopefully, he just needs his meds adjusted. I think he's grown a bit since they were prescribed in March. 

These boys haven't ever really cuddled, but I think Cub could tell something was off today. Also, look at Bear laying on Shaun's feet. He knows who takes care of him. He knows who his Papa is. ❤️

I posted in a local group...

I posted in a local group to help identify the snake I found. This conversation ensued.

Did I fucking stutter? 😂

Plant pics!

The bloom on this prickly pear is gorgeous! I am so excited. It's such a pretty, juicy pink in the center.

This photo is of my Echeveria Dusty Rose. I got those plants from two separate places. They have the same shape leaves, but the color has never been the same. I don't know why.

This is a cactus that I don't know the identity of. I think it started rotting when we lived in Alabama, but I dried it out, it got deformed, and then carried on! It's a tough little booger. This is the first time it has bloomed.