
So the cold is slowly getting better and this morning the sun shone, which it wasn’t supposed to do and there as frost on the vegetation so we had a short walk in almost perfect weather. Β It was so nice to finally be breathing fresh air again π Alma almost behaved so that helped a lot π The coughing has started to annoy me a bit but it is at least only while I’m awake and not while I’m sleeping. The sleeping leashed to Malkolm works much better than I thought it would, when he does try to walk away towards Alma I notice it immediately, pulls him back and he just goes back to where he’s supposed to stay.




Even though the walk was really nice it still felt like I had run a marathon when we came back home π π So I had a nap as soon as I sat down but can’t say I feel anything from that now, I’m just as tired as if I hadn’t napped π π We’ve also been outside in the garden a lot, I continued the cleaning after the dogs at the same time I kept an eye on the dogs π The Himalayan Cedar looks really good and so do the two small stems on the English walnut tree.




The hardy Rosemary has some frozen leafs but looks fine otherwise. Some frost damage on the red mulberry tree but that one is still much better than the black mulberry and the white mulberry. The pawpaws look amazingly well since they are the least hardy trees I have, much better than the Persimmon tree. I think that if we don’t get any more cold cold periods that all still has survived this winter. I won’t buy anything more when it comes to trees because now I must think where to plant all the seedlings I have in the cellar π π




I have at least six small pear trees, five or six apricots, two red mulberry trees and one peach. I really don’t have that space but since when has that stopped a gardener π π π




Have a great day!





i’m glad you are feeling a little better. it’s so nice to see snowdrops in your garden. mine are just starting to bloom. they always give me hope that spring is coming. i love your hardy rosemary. i have one that’s a creeping variety that’s very tough. it’s planted beside my front gate, beside my english lavender. “lavender for luck, rosemary for remembrance” beside a front gate is an old tradition.
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Hi mandolin mama!
These snowdrops are so late but better that than the rest I had who were early but died, all of them.
Yes they do bring hope of a spring even though they often show up already in late winter the year before π π π
I never thought this Rosemary would survive the winter here but it does look really good so far, spring is the big killer here so I can only hope π
We don’t have that tradition here, mostly because none of them tends to survive winter in most parts of this country π π but I can imagine the wonderful smell from them both when passing by!
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I spent 5 years watching my old dog Tegan when she was in heat. It was a lot of work. It wasn’t so much the worry about unwanted puppies as it was the very frequent trips outside to pee. That’s when she acquired one of her nicknames: Pee again?!? π I had her neutered after 5 years because I wasn’t going to breed her. We were both relieved.
Rocky has frequent urinary urges. Every 2 hours all day and all night. He wears a belly band so I’m not worried about him going in the house. The problem is that he sleeps on the couch and after he jumps off to pee, he can’t jump back up again because he’s old and a bit stiff. So he goes to the front hallway and makes his growly whine that means I’m supposed to do something for him. If I’m asleep and don’t respond, he’ll use the special bark he has to get my attention and that wakes me up. I feel like I’ve got an infant: lots of “diapers” and not enough sleep. π
It’s good to read that the cough is not bothering you too much.
Yes, after looking at that frosty windshield, I’d be glad I didn’t have to go out too. It’s been extremely cold here all winter but it’s warmed up the last few days. Not quite spring warm but much better than arctic cold.
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Hi Caryn!
Thankfully Alma still have no bigger wish to pee here π π π It is so bloody expensive to neuter her, at least $ 2500 US and with no job I really can’t pay that and still have a chance to fix my car if it breaks down. Malkolm would cost $ 800 US and that’s too much at the moment as well.
Poor Rocky! It isn’t easy to become old. Could You use something so that he can walk up on the couch? They do make sure they won’t suffer in silence π π π You must be exhausted but what don’t we do for our old friends π
As long as one can sleep through the night I can take the coughing during the days π
We had our cold spell earlier this month but I’m so glad that it’s only nights that might become a bit chilly now. I really don’t understand those people who must have it nasty cold and lots of snow during winter, must be something wrong with them π π π
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Yes, it is tough to get old. I’m finding that out. I have considered couch steps but I suspect that Rocky won’t use them. He stopped doing stairs some time ago except for the two steps into the front door. The other problem is that he has reverted to a behavior he had when I first got him. He wouldn’t come in a room unless invited. He’d hide at the edge of the doorway and peek his head around to watch and wait until I called him in. He’s gone back to that but now I have to walk over and get him.
That is a lot of money to spay/neuter a dog. Here it would be under $1000 US for a female even if you don’t have pet insuranc. If the dog is from a rescue organization all or most of the cost is covered by the adoption fee which can be $500 to $800 US. Are there any rescues or humane societies that offer low cost or free spay/neuter clinics in Sweden?
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Old habits has a tendency to come back in older days for dogs and cats.
Pet insurance doesn’t cover spaying/ neutering at all here, not a single company does that. Also vets don’t do any other spying/ neutering that the most complicated one either. They remove everything and that costs. Back in the days they could just make sure they were sterile but not any longer. To be honest it isn’t that long ago it was forbidden to actually do any of those things at all on healthy dogs.
No, we barely have any rescues. We have three big places I think and those have such high demands on new owners that it is almost impossible to even get a chance to adopt a dog. I guess that’s a good thing π Over here it’s mostly foster homes.
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I thought I remembered something about spay/neuter being illegal there. In my part of the country, the Northeast, rescues get most of their animals from the southern part of USA, Puerto Rico, or overseas. There are a lot of rescues up here and they do co-ordinate with local vets to provide that service at a discount. Most rescues require proof that it has been done or they take the animals back.
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Until a few years ago we really didn’t need any rescues but with covid and everything else people can’t have their pets any longer. Plus for some reason people think it’s a good idea to import rescue dogs from other countries as well and they have to stay somewhere until they are adopted as well.
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