September 1 (Wednesday) 8:20 pm
Funny how on my way home from work today I thought about today being September 1, the day that Germany
invaded Poland in 1939, precipitating the event that we know as World War II. Several of the stories that I
have written have their setting in WWII. I grew up with a keen interest in WWII, undoubtedly due to the fact,
which I often relate, of my father's oft-told tales of his war experiences. The figures are bandied about, but
somewhere between 50 million and 70 million souls lost their lives as a direct result of that war.
Back to earth. Patrice has gotten herself all dirty from rolling around in the dirt. I guess you can take the
size out of the dog, but you cannot take the dog out of the dog.
Speaking of work, I am looking forward to a few days off. We shall not return to work until next Tuesday at
the earliest. I arrived very early to the work site yesterday and did some much-needed maintenance on the
chipper. Among other things, I replaced the worn-out blades. The weather is much more conducive to
working outdoors, and even though the kind of work that I do is not in my usual line, I am still enjoying
being outside in the sunshine and fresh air.
September 2 (Thursday) 9:15 am
My alarm clock is set for 3:30 a.m., and no matter what day of the week, whether the alarm is set or not, I
generally awake somewhere between 3:15 and 3:30 in the morning. Not this morning -- Wow! When I finally
awoke, the sun was bright and the air was warm. I didn't look at the clock, but do I feel rested and
refreshed already!
So far this morning I have been catching up on a few chores: Sasha seems to have ear mites pretty bad, so
I medicated her ears with ivermectin. I cannot find a 1-CC syringe, so I soaked a cotton swab and squeezed
that into each ear. I shall continue to do that over the weekend, and hopefully we can clear up her problem.
Also this morning I administered to the dogs their once-a-month dose of ivermectin for heart-worm
prevention. Generally I soak a piece of bread in .5 CC of Ivomec and cover that with peanut butter. Most of
the dogs take theirs with relish, but Patrice and Grace tend to avoid theirs. So with Grace I have to just
grab her and shoot her medicine into her mouth with the syringe. I hold her and rub her throat, of course,
so that she has no option but to swallow; then I reward her with a big glob of peanut butter, which she then
is not so keen to gobble up. She does so anyway. With Patrice, on the other hand, I have to mix the Ivomec
into a small glob of peanut butter and rub that on her face. She is forced to lick her face clean, thus
ingesting the treatment. I am thinking that shooting a CC of Ivomec into each of the dogs' water bowls
might be a good way to supplement their treatment. Ivomec is great at treating and preventing mange.
I don't write much about it, but I am a big college football fan -- the LSU Fightin' Tigers, especially. Today
officially beings another season with a few games on tap for tonight; LSU plays North Carolina in Atlanta,
Georgia, on Saturday night. Go Tigers! In my lifetime, the LSU football program has won three national titles
-- two in the BCS area, more than any other team besides the Florida Gators, which has likewise won two.
The weather is changing. This morning was rather cool, but it is warming up rapidly.
September 9 (Thursday) 6:00 am
Not much to report on. TVA hasn't worked all week. I have mixed feelings about that: I need the work, but I
have enjoyed the time off and availability to get some much needed chores done. I am about as tired from
working at home as I was working in the field.
The Willow Oak crew continues to get along fine. I have had a laugh or two at the cats lately. I have a large
container of water in their cage, and a couple of cats have taken swan dives into the water when they've
made a misstep or two while walking around above. I have walkways and "catwalks" in the cage so that
they can move around and avoid each other. One of the BK's took a dive, and it was funny; then yesterday,
smoky decided to take a swim: hilarious!
September 20 (Monday) 7:30 pm
A bit of difficulty recently getting my computer to do right, but I think I've got it fixed now. The "dog days" of
summer have passed, and the temps are not nearly as high, and winter makes its inexorable march towards
us.
The cats and dogs are doing fine. Everybody is happy and health, and we hope things stay that way. Ethyl
has really come out of her shell. She comes around for her daily does of "loving," as do Sasha and Boots
and Buddy and Cleo and, ..., well, just about everybody else. Patrice still comes "unglued" if I am gone for
more than 30 minutes, dancing around, screaming and yelping. But I wouldn't have it any other way.
September 23 (Thursday) 5:45 pm
BACK TO THE PAST! Yesterday I was offered and have accepted a teaching position in another state. That
is basically all that I shall say about that for now. I shall be taking all of the Willow Oak crew with me. I start
next Tuesday.
Willow Oak is moving.
September 26 (Sunday) 12:55 pm
Tomorrow is moving day. My plans including an early start -- around 4:00 a.m. -- then a hopeful arrival by at
least noon or earlier. I shall take Patrice along, since she seems to have the most serious case of
separation anxiety. I have "battened down the hatches;" all of the cats are secured, and the dogs will be
secured well enough. Cliff will check on things while I am gone. I am hopeful, and it would be great if I
could return as early as next weekend to retrieve the entire crew.
It is natural and inevitable that changes to the website will be forthcoming -- hopefully, with lots of new
pictures and stories. I don't know when I shall be in a position to update the journal, but perhaps not much
time will pass until then.
September 23 (Thursday) 5:45 pm
BACK TO THE PAST! Yesterday I was offered and have accepted a teaching position in another state. That
is basically all that I shall say about that for now. I shall be taking all of the Willow Oak crew with me. I start
next Tuesday.
Willow Oak is moving.