Yes, I’m still here.  But I caught you looking.  Some of you have been dropping by just to see if maybe I was gone for good.  (Admit it.  You wondered.)  God’s not done with me yet.

Hubby’s back in San Antonio, dragging soaker hoses to keep the grass alive, painting garage doors, paying a visit to the tax office to renew his Navigator registration, and generally taking care of business down there.

Up here, I feel like I’m not getting anything done, but that’s not quite true.  I’m taking care of 18 year old Dazzle who has some good days and some bad days.  Mostly, she’s a walking mess.  She’s unsteady on her feet.  She has trouble moving around.  She sleeps a lot, so if I hear her up and about, it usually means she needs to go outside.  If she’s just been outside, she’s trying to eat or drink.  Being unsteady means she sometimes loses her balance into her food or water, sends bowls crashing and contents spilling.

I have to carry her up and down the steps into and out of the house.  Thankfully, I’ve lost 30 pounds in the last three months, which makes carrying her 30+ pounds a little easier.  She’s technically well enough to go back outside, and I’ve put her out for a few hours at a time.  I’ve noticed she doesn’t have anything to get a grip with her hind feet to help her stand up, so she tends to go around in circles on the ground trying to get up.  With the heat, that places her in too much risk of not being able to get to water, thus becoming dehydrated.  Yes, at this point in her life, she’s better off inside in the temperature controlled environment where I can hear her if she’s struggling.  It’s pretty easy for me to help her stand up and steady her until she gets her balance if needed.  But she has to be where I can hear her.

I’ve also been digging sticker burs — they are coming into season, and we’re trying to eradicate them from the yard.  That means I need to dig them before they drop their seed pods.   I sweep the yard every morning with weed knife and empty dog food bag.  Dazzle helps.

I got the lawn mowed.  I moved a little gravel.  I’ve been working on Polar Bear on the Loose.  I’m up to Lesson Ten on How To Revise Your Novel.  My energy level is a little down.  I feel as if I should be getting more things done that I have been.  I picked up something when we worked the ranch last week that has given me random contact dermatitis symptoms.  The systemic nature of it could be dragging down my energy levels.  I don’t think it’s anything to worry about for the long term.  Maybe doing a battery recharge?

For those of you with rain that won’t quit, I’ll be happy to trade some of our sunshine for a little of your rain (no tornadoes, please!).