Almost every day I check Chad and Nicole’s weather because I think about tornadoes so I see what’s happening between here and there and I’m glad it hasn’t been any worse for Oklahoma and the Dallas metroplex. Some of those storms look so nasty.
We don’t have cable so I have no idea what the national news is reporting but I have friends in Tennessee, Indiana, Kentucky and Florida who write me almost every day to say “I’m seeing the news about your weather. Are you ok?” We were at our neighbors two afternoons this week and he was getting the same calls from friends in Arizona and a couple of other places. It was not really funny, because scary weather is never funny, but we had sunshine and not a drop of rain. Our weather radio alarm goes off a dozen times a day. Rita has learned that it means “get in panic mode because I could hear thunder!” Speaking of Rita, the vet gave me some pills for her because she really does flip out when it thunders but the tech said “These are sedatives and they’ll probably knock her out. Watch her and if she has any breathing difficulties, call us!” Hmm . . I think I’ll just hope for the best and not give her any of those pills.
Storm
Anyway, this morning Vince got up and checked the weather. He didn’t want to put on his boots and work clothes. You know the uniform . . red shorts/green shirt, only to go out and get sweaty and have the rain start within half an hour. The forecast said “It’s a great day for working outside!” Rains weren’t supposed to start til 6 p.m. He cleaned the brown recluse web out of his boots, killed the spider, and started digging. Not 5 minutes after he started, it began to rain. We welcome rain any time . . any day . . and even though it didn’t rain long, it continued to thunder and drizzle and the humidity was sky high so he found a project to do inside the shop.
The tree planting will have to wait for another day.
Green Grass
I was trying to capture rain drops hitting the little bit of water left in the bird bath and I couldn’t snap a picture at just the right time but as I was looking at the photos, I couldn’t get over how green it is. Some spots are greener than others but there must be more grass (than weeds) around the bird bath and it’s a very green spot.
It’s so much easier to love this area when we’ve had a bit more rain. We still need more but I did read that our lake rose 1.7 feet yesterday because of the rain that fell on the watershed. That’s great . . water restrictions are still in place and it would surely be nice to see those lifted, though I’m not sure that ever happens. They may get less restrictive but this just may be an area that always has some kind of restrictions on water usage.
Carole says
Just a thought … IF you have any old panty hose or stockings, would they work to slip over the top of Vince’s boots to keep the spider invasions out? The boots would still ventilate but no intruders … unless those spiders are so teeny tiny. I’m pretty sure that stockings aren’t high on your list, but thought you might have old ones since I know how you love to be prepared. They made great garden ties too.
Jackie says
This is just a suggestion for Rita. I have heard weighted vests/blankets help dogs when they have anxious moments.
Toni Wood says
Do they make thundershirts in Rita’s size. Have several friends who swear by them.
Lee says
Was watching the Golf Channel and an ad came on for something I think they called a Thunder Coat. They showed it on a Chihuahua. It’s supposed to fit in such away that is calming and reassuring to your pet during a thunder storm. Said it was it was available at most of the big box pet stores… thought of you and Rita. It may be just another ‘gimmick’, but at the least, something to research.
Linda Mincher says
Our vet gave us valium for our dog several years ago for thunderstorms, so I tried it one afternoon before a storm when I was going to be able to watch what affect it had on her. It didn’t make her sleepy, but it made her very wobbly, like a muscle relaxer…I don’t really know if that’s what valium does or not…I was afraid she would fall down the stairs if she tried to run down them to get to our basement to hide, so we nixed that idea.
Linda Mincher says
By the way…it didn’t calm her down any. She was just a scared wobbly dog instead of just a scared dog.
Deb P says
We have Cairn Terriers and one is just like Rita, a slobbering, bowl of Jell-O during thunderstorms. We have used Melatonin, it is a natural substance in the body that helps you sleep. You can get it at a drugstore. The Vet said try 2(1mg tabs) and go up from there. She weighs 16 pounds. The Thundershirt did not work for her but this calms her enough to get through it and no lasting effects. ….and we can sleep!
Barbara Gardner says
I just ordered a calming collar for my dog. I also got a carsick collar for him. You can find them at calmingcollars.com
Theresa says
What worked for my dog was distraction. I gave him a chewy bone and turned on loud, calming yoga music. Krishna Das worked best. Melatonin also helped. At her size, I’d use about .25 mg.
carol says
Your phones get the weather reports. Plus you can download an app from a local TV station for alerts.
marcie says
I think of you whenever severe weather is mentioned for Texas, but really I don’t have any idea where in the state you are living. Could you give me a little geography lesson? Loved seeing the peaches, just planted my 5 tomato plants yesterday but I may have jumped the gun re: lows expected this week here in northeast Indiana. Marcie