The busy:
Clementine went into her first heat cycle, which took me by surprise and has been interesting to navigate. She’s on hiatus from her Canine Good Citizen class, and we’ve tried a few different “diapers” that work but aren’t ideal. The winner by far is the Suitical, which is a soft stretchy cotton cat suit type of garment that you can put a pad in or, safer for chewers, a washcloth folded in thirds. The suit itself seems comfy and while you do have to unsnap it so she can urinate, it really works well.
We finished planting the things I had on hand and with the good rain we’ve had, the grass seed in the back pasture, the paddocks, and the barnyard is all coming up beautifully. The front pasture is another matter, and I think we might need to divide it in half or possibly thirds to do the overseeding. We’ll figure it out.
I have never seen so many acorns in my life. Every oak tree has mass produced this year, covering the ground beneath. I suspect one factor is that the deer no longer come onto our property due to the fencing, and so the only creatures eating the acorns are a few squirrels and a few equines. I need to get out there and scoop them up into buckets so I can distribute them outside the fencing.
Two dear writer friends and I had a wonderful retreat last weekend on the Pamlico River. I got so much done! I’m not sure if I mentioned it here, but I took a 6-week remote writing workshop called The Art of the Fractured in September/October, and generated 4 exciting essays that are either out on submission now or still being revised. I begin a 4-week remote workshop next week called The Visceral Self and I’m very eager to get started. Jeannine Ouellette is the instructor, and she’s wonderful. If interested, look her up at Elephant Rock. She offers a number of workshops, both remote and in person. I highly recommend!
A few shots of writing retreat weekend, from our writing spots in the cottage:
I’m home now, enjoying the daily routine of animal care, laundry, and chores while the soft rain falls outside. Autumn is here.
2 comments:
What a beautiful spot to relax and write. I love anywhere that looks out on the water. I spent a lot of time at the beaches even in winter as I grew up on Long Island and only moved here about 20 yrs. ago. We still live near enough to water and I take the ferry over to L.I. often.
Poor Clementine she must be confused with her diaper. I tried to put one on Ginger when she was having seizures last week and she was so embarrassed she hid under the bed until she got it off.
Sounds like everything is growing and looking good. That's a lot of acorns under that tree (if I'm seeing it correctly?)
A, it was our second time there and it’s a beautiful spot. I love that you see and hear the water from the cottage itself, and don’t have to get out and walk or drive to find that peaceful vista. I would love to see some photos of your favorite places on Long Island, and the ferry!
Clem has done pretty well adjusting to wearing the gear when needed. Thankfully she hasn’t had to keep it on 24/7. The Suitical is like a jumpsuit (in some ways like one of those Thundershirt things) that snaps up on her haunches on either side of her tail, so I think it feels less odd than the diapers do. I had no idea such a thing existed, but I will have one on hand from now on, because it could be useful in a number of scenarios for the Corgis and for Clem.
And yes, those are acorns. A solid mass of them. It’s like that under every oak tree this year!
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