Anxiety Prevention

Not  for me.  I'm rarely anxious.  But we do have an anxiety prone "person" who lives with us.  Beau is normally a calm and laid back canine, but two things will cause anxiety.

One is the doorbell.  And I can't do anything about that one except answer the door to let him see who it is.  And, of course, anyone who comes to visit, has come expressly to see him.  And, he tells them so...over and over again.

The second is a storm.  He's okay with the rain.  Though he really doesn't like to get his feet wet.  It is the other things that accompany a summer storm in Florida.  The loud thunder, high wind, and the lightning strikes that raise the hair on your arms.  Imagine being a little dog with all that fur that feels static electricity when lightning abounds.

And, it's been very stormy around here this summer.  Our aquifer is loving it, but not our pup. Rarely does a day go by that we do not see a storm at some point.  The Thundershirt has seen a lot of action.

It has been a couple of years now since a friend recommended it for Beau and I found it at Dog Lovers here in Tarpon Springs.  Came with a 100% guaranteed refund if it didn't work.  And it doesn't work for some 20% of the dog population -- but it has been a miracle for our little scaredy pup.  He calms right down and, most of the time, he comes running when he sees it in my hands.  July 4th wasn't even that bad this year.

It is September now, and he will need it less and less as the month progresses UNLESS we see a tropical storm of some description.  Peak of hurricane season is still 10 days away.  Those of us on the Gulf Coast will still have to get through October since that is when the Caribbean produces storms we need to beware of.

In the mean time, Beau will stay calm and focused....

I guess you know by now that when he sits pretty for a picture like this, I am holding my camera in one hand and a treat of some sort in my other.  Hence, the "focus" ......

Happy September!  

Monday Macro - Plumeria

Our Red Plumeria has bloomed.

A Little of This and A little of That

Every afternoon lately we have looked out at this:

 Or, this:

And because of that and the sun that shines before and after those tropical rains, everything is  lush and green right now.  We have had true tropical weather all summer causing the flowers and foliage to take off.  I grabbed my camera when I went out to the lanai yesterday to get a shot of the pineapple plant.  It is HUGE.

A light sprinkle was falling when I took that picture.  You can barely see the original pineapple top.  I really don't think it is doing much of anything.  Butch and I are enjoying watching this gardening experiment. That's a good thing since it is going to be at least 18 months long.

Something else that grows really fast in the summertime?  Hair.  I schedule my own appointments every 4 weeks instead of 5.  And the Beau Monster?  Well, I think he will have a haircut on Tuesday.  His mobile groomer calls us on the Monday before he comes so I'll know for sure tomorrow morning.  He is not fond of the experience so we don't tell him beforehand.

Scruffy Beau

He is definitely in need of Lee's clippers.  I took five pictures and this was the only one that caught a glimpse of his face.  He is just like Butch. HATES a camera when it is pointed at him.  I can relate. I prefer to be behind the lens myself. But anyone as cute as this little guy should love having his picture taken!  Not going to happen.

Might as well make it a crafts update, too.  I stayed off the computer Friday nght and all day yesterday so I could complete my latest afghan.

 

And made a card:

  And bookmark.

Today I plan to work on a card order that needs to go out tomorrow.  I have also started a new painting. And I have a little Silhouette Cameo project to experiment with this week.  I really haven't used my new toy much and tomorrow and Tuesday will be perfect days for that.  This week will be a fun week.

Hope yours will be, too.