Friday, December 29, 2017

Hill Billy Christmas


I've emerged from work long enough to get this post up.  Originally, we had planned on taking a work break between Christmas and New Years but due to complications with our largest client and the fact that hubby has to fly out on business on Jan 1 at 6am (really!) we are doing loads of work this week.  I also had a bunch of year end financial stuff to process before our corporate year end of Dec 31.  

All the local kids here were happy as we got 3 inches of snow on Christmas Eve afternoon as many a snow man got built that day.  As the boys had already safely flew on on the 23 it really didn't effect us but made for bad local roads that day.  


The only hitch in Christmas this year was the fact that on Dec 22 Buddy got really sick as in coming out of both ends of him.  He was so sick I tried to make a vet appt but couldn't get anything until Dec 27th as the vet was closed for 3 days.  They suggested a few things and if things got dire we could always call the emergency vet for twice the price.  Fortunately we have a lot of veterinary clinics around here (vets like to retire here and still practice part-time) and they all belong to an emergency call network.  If your animal gets sick outside of business hours the vet on call will meet you at their vet clinic within an hour of the call.  We had to use this service once when Buddy scratched his cornea as a puppy and were so grateful for the service.

Anyway, I went out and bought some oral unflavoured pedialyte for humans that was ok to give dogs.  Buddy is only 13 lbs and could get dehydrated quickly due to his small size which is what our biggest concern was.  He didn't have much energy but wasn't totally lethargic and still up to chasing a ball so we rode it out.  His worst days were the 22 and 23...he lost control of his bowels before he got to the door, poor thing, thankfully not on the carpet.  I went out with him six times on the 22 and the last one was the worst, needless to say I spent an hour cleaning the mess up and scrubbing the floors.  He felt so bad, this is a dog that never ever ever has accidents in the house.  It happened a second time on the 24th but the throwing up stopped and slowly things got better.  I made up a huge batch of rice and chicken broth and that is what he ate for a couple of days when he felt like eating.  Anyway, today is the 29th and I am happy to say he is back to 100% health and I was able to cancel the vet appt on the 27th.  Having a sick dog is much like having a sick infant as they can't tell you what they need or how they feel.  He has never gotten sick like this and I have no idea what he got into but it was something after he got home from the sitter as he was fine for the first 2 days after that.  Likely he licked the wrong mushroom in our yard or ingested a funny bit of greenery.  He is a picky eater but loves grubbing around in the yard.  


Just before the snow hit hubby had to take S1 to a postal outlet so he could have his military leave papers stamped so they would cover his Christmas flight.  The postal stamp is the proof that he flew where he said he was going to.  While they were gone I saw the first rat ever in our yard after living here for almost six years.  He was having a Christmas Eve feast of dropped bird seed.  At first I thought it was a bird...then hoped for a mouse...but no, it was a rat.  Anywhere there is the ocean you get rats.  When we lived in Alberta they made it a rat free province meaning you were to kill rats immediately and they allowed no pet rats.  Here on the island they lead a pretty cozy life.  Anyway, I went screaming into the yard trying to chase him away.  Not two minutes later he hopped right back to the feeder.  Again, I went screaming into the yard.  And a third time!  I texted hubby the picture above and when he got home he had a look, the little bugger was hiding behind the hot tub. Him and S3 (son #3) went off to Home Depot to try get a live rat trap(hence the Hill Billy Christmas title-who buys rat traps on Christmas Eve?) as we can't use anything to poison the little bugger with Buddy in the yard plus I have a hard time with any kind of poison with other wildlife around.  He came back wih a giant rat trap (like a mousetrap) but we determined that with Buddy still so sick there was no way we could leash up Buddy every time he had to go out so for now the rat trap sits in the garage....and no sign of the rat.  Perhaps he left for a neighbor with better grub.

We had a very nice Christmas with the oldest and youngest boys (now 26 and 23, not kids but we still call them boys).  They eat like horses as both work out 6 out of 7 days and the youngest lifts serous weights as in 315 lbs!  He eats 6 eggs for breakfast every day.  Yes, the grocery budget took a beating this month.  The oldest is in the top 10% fitness-wise in the military so he eats like crazy too.   I am way over budget for the year and am doing some adjustments on the grocery budget for next year.  I felt like this Christmas I was cooking all the time though...something needs to change next year.  

Buddy recouperating with his new Chrsitmas toy
Buddy absolutely loved having a house full of people and he bonded with S3 who hadn't met him yet.  He played with him constantly all three days he was here, even though Buddy wasn't feeling great he always has time to play.

Both boys had to leave on the 26th and on the 27th we went back to work full tilt.  I am ready to take down the Christmas stuff but have no time so likely that will happen this weekend or next week after hubby flies out.

It has just started snowing here and the temperature is hovering around freezing so not sure if it will stay or melt as it hits the ground.  We have nothing to complain about as the rest of North America has had to deal with crappy low temperatures and loads of snow.  I don't miss that at all even though we get the occasional winter weather it is nothing like where we used to live in Alberta.  My friends and family there are freezing their butts off!

I am looking forward to new adventures in 2018 - this year was a good year at the island pad and I hope next year is just as good.  Happy New Year every one!

28 comments:

  1. It got up to 12F degrees here yesterday with more single digits coming for our nighttime highs the next week or so. I am so over it and Winter. lolz
    Poor Buddy. I am glad whatever it was is done with. Chester loves to eat moss out in the yard, crazy dog. No ill effects so far.

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    1. Chester is so cute, but why do dogs eat weird things in the yard?!?

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  2. Glad Buddy is back to normal. We had a dog for 15 1/2 years, so we know all about it...

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    1. He normally is really healthy and spoiled, this really scared us as he was pretty bloody sick and for so many days in a row. Never been so happy to see a firm dog poop in my life

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  3. Glad that Buddy is fine now. Toronto is bitterly cold.Happy New Year

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    1. I've heard you have super cold weather, we are currently digging out all hubby's cold weather clothes for his business trip, can't get rid of them as keep traveling to other cold places in Canada

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  4. Poor Buddy. No fun to be sick for anyone. I've seen rat traps that are like a sealed box with only an opening large enough to a rat to enter. I'm not sure how they work, maybe poison inside or maybe it just traps them and you have to dispatch the rat in another way. We live trap and relocate our woodrats, but they aren't the same as city rats. - Margy

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    1. That's the kind of rat trap I wanted to buy but he could only find the snap down type. I am pretty sure it was a roof rat (looked up pictures on the internet). Cute little bugger, looked like a really large mouse except for his tail.

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  5. 3 inches of snow. We have well over 2 feet of snow in our yard.
    Glad Buddy made a nice recovery.
    Coffee is on

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    1. I know - 3 inches is nothing to complain about :) So much snow in some parts of North America. I hope you don't have to shovel

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  6. Poor Buddy. What a scare. I was surprised to learn that he only weighs 13lbs. Our cat Mister weighs 20! So happy that your sweet boy recovered . I'm sure I would have been a wreck. How unpleasant to find a rat in your backyard. We have so many cats in our neighborhood, I doubt I'd ever see one here, but we do have voles. They're nasty little critters that tunnel beneath the lawn. Hard to get rid of without poison, which we don't want to use. It's been pretty cold here in AL, but yesterday the sun came out which was nice after having a string of wet dreary days. Have a safe, warm and happy new year!

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    1. We have voles here too but I have only seen them on the mainland when I was a kid, not seen any out here. The cat's used to kill them and lay them out on the front porch when we lived out in the country. They would not eat them....not sure why. Yeah, Buddy is long and lean. Often his fur makes him look bigger. He is like a gigantic baby lol. Happy New Year to you too!

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  7. So glad that Buddy's back to his usual bouncy self.
    I really like rats especially the black rats which are vegetarian and as big as cats that we sometimes encounter in India!
    My brother is a fitness freak and was eating a crazy amount of eggs until his body decided enough was enough and he became allergic to them.
    Happy New Year! xxx

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    1. Holy rat! That is a big rat. This guy was the size of a small fat bird. I will have to warn my stepson about eating so many eggs.

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  8. Poor Buddy. Maybe he ate some rat poop outside. Anything is possible. Glad you had a good Christmas despite having to cook so much.

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    1. We were thinking that was a possiblity but hard to say. Fortunately he is better now, all I really wanted for Christmas was for him to be better. Thankfully that happened

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  9. Happy new year to you and yours, looks like Buddy will ring in the new year feeling better. Nice to read that Hubby went to the vet once too, when he was a puppy! LOL.

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    1. Lol that's what I get for not re-reading my posts when I am busy! I've fixed it up although I am sure sometimes hubby would prefer the vet over his regular doctor

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  10. You're absolutely right: a sick dog is much like a sick baby. Glad your Buddy is Ok now.
    As for rats, the best method to remove them is by trap (not poison). If they keep coming back, then it's a community problem.

    Have a Happy New Year with health, prosperity, adventure!

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    1. I am pretty optimistic since its the first one I have seen that he was just roaming the neighborhood for seeds....hoping we don't see him again. I wanted one of those big box live traps but they didn't have any, can't really see us using the one hubby did end up buying.

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  11. Well, we here in Ontario are sure freezing our collective butts off lol! And we've probably had more snow already than all of last year. The Almanac predicted a more classic Canadian winter and they were right!. I've caught and released mice and squirrels but never a rat. I'm glad you've got DH to help with that. Glad to hear that Buddy is better now. My little Lily became dehydrated 2 summers ago and it was so scary! Happy New Year!!!

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    1. Strange since you had such a nice fall. I think that right here on the island where we are is some of the best weather in all the country. We got another 3 inches of snow (the 3 from Christmas melted with the rain) but it is hovering around or above zero. Langley and Vancouver got hit hard with an ice storm, friends from highschool are showing pictures of their vehicles with 2 inches of ice all over them and trees breaking everywhere. Next time you come to the island I will introduce you to Buddy, really such a bright spot in our lives.

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  12. Poor Buddy, glad he's feeling better now. Sounds like you had a wonderful Christmas - hope the weather improves shortly.

    Happy New Year and all the best in 2018!

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    1. It was a wonderful Christmas, although a bit exhausting, kind of glad hubby is away this week so I can get my house back in order and rest up a bit

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  13. I’m sorry about your sweet little Buddy and glad you were able to take such good care of him you got to cancel his appointment!
    Hillbilly Christmas Eve! I love it! Not the rat though! I hate them! I’m sure we have some around here and Louis Dean killed one last year with a hammer!
    Happy to hear about your good Christmas! Talk about eating a lot of food! Wow!

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    1. I told my husband all I wanted for Christmas was a healthy dog again - and fortunately I got it :)

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