The Bulldog and The Peanut Butter

On Sunday, Mr B. was patting Otis (our english bulldog) and felt a lump under his left jaw.  We're talking huge.. gumball sized.  By Monday morning it had grown to jumbo egg size... Poor Otis.  It must have bothered him but he was still romping about, eating and hanging off Pamunky's neck and collar as usual. (Pamunky is our very furry chow/rott mix)  Needless to say we had Otis at the vet that afternoon.

Otis LOVES his vet.  Dr Sherri, (yes Otis is on a first name basis with her), took his temperature and attempted to aspirate the lump with a giant needle.  Otis let her do it all without complaint.   Dr. Sherri couldn't withdraw anything from the gland.  She says often something gets compacted up in there.   When inspecting inside Otis' mouth, she pulled out a big clump of dog fur and held it up, looking at it as if to say, "what the...?"  Mr. B. shook his head and said "He hangs off Munky."  "Of course he does.  Poor Munky."  replied Dr. Sherri.

You have to know that bulldogs are much like chipmunks.. they can hide things in their mouths.  Otis picks things up off the ground he shouldn't eat constantly and when told to drop it, stops chewing, pretends to drop it and then waits until you look away.  He starts chewing again.  This will happen a few times, then we go in physically holding his mouth open and searching that huge mouth with all it's folds.  Can't find anything... hmmm maybe he did drop it.. look away.. he starts chewing. This repeats until the item is finally found glued to the roof of his mouth or under the corner of his tongue where you checked the last time you checked.  Mr. B. had pulled some fur out of Otis' mouth when they left the house.. I guess Otis was keeping this clump of Munky fur to chew later.

The diagnosis was an inflamed, compacted salivary gland, which sure sounds better than lymphoma, although if it doesn't clear up we'll have to biopsy it.  Three shots later Otis was on his way home with two bottles of pills that he has to take twice a day.  Otis doesn't mind though, because Dr. Sherri said to give them to him in peanut butter.

Otis loves Dr. Sherri.  Otis loves peanut butter.  Otis loves Dr. Sherri.

The lump shrank to jawbreaker size by Tuesday morning and has been shrinking ever since.  So it seems the medication is working, or maybe it's the peanut butter.  Otis thinks it's the peanut butter.  He thinks he should get peanut butter everyday from now on.  Peanut butter everyday keeps the vet away, he says.

The Bliss of A Cooler Day and Other Things

My Little Bliss List (Remembering the things that made me happy this week, because it's so easy to forget them.)

It rained!  We had a wonderful day of rain on Wednesday, and we needed it.  It washed away the humidity and has brought twenty degree cooler temperatures.. it only got up to 84 today!  I never thought that I would say that was cool, but it is.

Today brought blue skies and big white fluffy clouds and cool breezes. I had the windows and doors open from early morning to about two in the afternoon, letting the breeze blow through and freshening everything after being closed up tight for air conditioning.  It was wonderful.

A Perfect August Sky

I'm happy that it has been so hot though, because our chicks were able to move outside, last weekend, at three weeks of age.   They were ready for it and because chicks like it warm, they are comfortable outside, in their mulberry tree shaded spot.  They come running to meet me when ever I go out to check on them.  Sometimes I go with a treat for them and I think they were wondering where it was when I snapped this.  Can you guess which one is the rooster?

Where's The Treats?

I've had a wonderful time with art this past week.  I am participating in Jenny and Aaron of Every Day is A Holiday's Art Journaling Class.  The first class was this week and I thoroughly enjoyed the class and making my art journal pages.

She Wore A Hat Art Journal Pages

If you want to know more about the classes (there's still time to join in the fun) and how I made my pages, hop on over to my art blog for the whole story.

Now, maybe you would like to get a cup of tea and a cookie or two and get comfortable for this last little blissful thing that I will leave you with.  I was looking at a little video on YouTube and I looked to the side and spotted this wonderful treasure.... The Secret Garden, 1949 (full length version ) starring Margaret O'Brien.  I've seen this version and probably every other version of this story, because it's one of my favorite books.  The movie is an hour and a half long, but you have the luxury of hitting the pause button if you need to.  Enjoy!

What made you happy this week?  Share your bliss.

I'm linking up with Liv Lane's Little Bliss List.

Almost Wordless Wednesday - What I've Been Up To

Our new chicks are getting their own special area to the west, behind the house, complete with mulberry tress, which I'm sure they'll enjoy come next spring.  I'll have a good view of it from the kitchen window.

The chickens area is an area that was completely overgrown with brush and blackberries.  Guess what we've been doing for the last week...

Before and After Brush Clearing of Chicken Pasture Area

Armed with machetes, an axe, rakes, pruning shears, a pruning saw, Mr. B. and I have it mostly cleared.  There are still a few stumps left, but their numbers are dwindling every day.

Otis had to check out the newly cleared area.

It's fenced on three sides.  We'll add the front fence and gate, after we've finished building their run, or as I call it their "safe house".  The run will enclose the coop and be their safe area and protection from predators at night, and for when we aren't at home during the day.  I really want them to free range, so I don't expect them to spend a great deal of time in it.

The coop is built, but not in position yet.  We'll move it when all the stumps are out.

Our Chicken Coop

Who knew that eight little chicks could cause so much work!

The chicks are growing like crazy and because it's been so hot, they've been coming outside with us since they were a week and a half old.  They enjoy scratching around and catching bugs while we work.

The chicks first day out.  They grew so fast and now they're twice the size they were here, just a week ago!

We use our smallest dog crate as their home base, using cardboard to shelter them if it gets breezy or the sun is too hot.  They stay in it most of the time, making short little runs out and back occasionally.  As you can see we don't have grass left because of the heat.  There's even less green this week.

When we take a break from working, we sit down with them and they run over for a little handful of oats.

Chick Picnic.  The pretty little star of this photo is one of our Speckled Sussex chicks, Henny Penny.  Ringo , our Plymouth Rock rooster is sitting on Mr. B.'s hand.

Lacey, our one Silver Lace Wyandotte chick

I'll keep you posted with our progress on the run and of course I'll have more pics of the reason for all the work.

Linking to The Barn Hop

Another Little Bliss List

My Little Bliss List (Remembering the things that made me happy this week, because it's so easy to forget them.)

It's been a very blissful week.

1 - It was my Mom's birthday this week and we had a lovely visit on the phone.  The next best thing to being there.

2 - I discovered this wonderful site, Tagxedo  which will take the words used on your blog or website and turn them into a word cloud.  You have your choice of fonts and shapes and colors.  I simply loved this teapot, made with words from this blog and had to share.  I had so much fun making it.

Tagxedo Teapot  - Click to see it larger

3 - Our chicks arrived at our post office, from My Pet Chicken on Tuesday morning.  All were healthy and happy after their journey through the postal system, which brought immediate joy and relief.

How fast they're growing!  I can't believe how much they change from day to day.  They have brought endless smiles and chuckles with their antics this week.

I really adore the "chipmunk' markings of the two Speckled Sussex girls, Henny Penny and Bonnie.

Chipmunk Markings, Photo by Tori Beveridge

The chicks are definitely not shy anymore and will jump up on our hands and arms.  The black and white girl is Pearl, a Barred Plymouth Rock and the red girl is Lady, one of our two Rhode Island Reds.

Pearl and Lady, Photo by Tori Beveridge

We think the chick below is our rooster.  The markings are different than on the other two Barred Plymouth Rocks.  He, I'm already calling him he, loves to be up high and was the first to be able to hop up onto the little roost we made.  We've named him Ringo because of the white ring around his head.. sure hope he's the rooster.  If any of you chicken experts have any thoughts on whether he may or may not be a rooster, I'd love to hear them.

Ringo, Photo by Tori Beveridge

Mr. B.'s favorites are the two Rhode Island Reds, followed by Ringo.  His very favorite chick is this one, Lady.

Lady, Photo by Tori Beveridge

4 - The weather has continued to be hot and dry here.  We had a power outage this week, (common here in the summer heat) which gave me the opportunity to sit and read for a couple of hours before the power came back on.

Ohh.. must give credit to the "hand model", Mr. B. himself.

What made you happy this week?  Share your bliss.

I'm linking up with Liv Lane's Little Bliss List 

Baby Chicks & July Notecard Party

Two occasions coinciding.. A Haven for Vee's July Note Card Party and the arrival of our chicks!  One of the photos of the chicks should work for a note card.  The others have appeared on my blog previously.


Yes, the chicks arrived yesterday.  They weathered the long, stressful ride through the postal system without any adverse effects and are settled into their brooder.  Mr B. made the brooder from a Rubbermaid storage container and it's perfect for them.

Mr B. making the brooder

There's eight of them total:  two Rhode Island Reds, two Speckled Sussex, two Barred Plymouth Rocks, one Silver Laced Wyandotte, and one Plymouth Rock Rooster.  The Plymouth Rocks are by far the leaders of the flock, all of the others follows their lead.

Having a look around.

Mr. B. making friends.

I think the picture below will make a nice notecard.

Not shy once they realized he had ground up oats in his hand.

Now for the rest of my note cards.   I decide to go with an animal theme this month.

Otis' "you talkin' to me" face, Photo by Tori Beveridge

Good Morning photo by Tori Beveridge

What!?  You've never seen a cat in a frying pan before?  Photo by Tori Beveridge

Visit A Haven For Vee's Note Card Party to see all the lovely photographs chosen by others to be Note Cards, and maybe join in the fun yourself!

Tasty Tuesday - Cheesy Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breast

From the moment I first saw and pinned this recipe, I knew it would be one of the first I of the recipes on my Pinterest Delicious Board that I tried.

The Cheesy Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breast recipe is originally from Artsy Fartsy Mama.  She includes step by step instructions and photos.  It's really easy to put together and looks like you really fussed over it.  Your friends and family will be impressed.

Cheesy Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breast

I made it following her instructions, with the following exceptions:   I used garlic powder instead of salt and four slices of steak seasoned, thick sliced bacon instead of six slices of bacon and omitted the seasoning salt.

It was delicious!  The combination of the cream cheese and the bacon was just a little too rich for Mr B's and my tastes though.  Next time we're going to leave out the cream cheese and instead add a little barbecue sauce to the grated cheddar cheese, along with some finely chopped onion, then wrap in the bacon.. yum!  

Tasty Tuesday - Saltine Toffee

We were in the mood for something sweet today.  Mr B. likes chocolate.  I like toffee.  Solution?  This delicious and easy candy, made using ordinary saltine (soda) crackers.

Saltine Toffee

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Line a cookie sheet with tin foil, shiny side up.  Fill the sheet with a single layer of saltine crackers.  About 40 should do it.

In a saucepan melt 1 cup of butter.

Add I cup of brown sugar.

Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes.

Pour over your crackers and spread to completely cover them.

Pop in the oven and bake for 6 minutes.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with 2 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips.  Wait for about two minutes until they begin to melt and then spread the melted chocolate over the top with a spatula.  You'll probably want to rush the waiting for them to melt part, you can't.. just wait..they'll melt.

Sprinkle with finely chopped pecans.

Let cool completely then break into pieces.  

Enjoy!