Well, They've Been Calling For It...

All week and yesterday we finally did it, we hit the triple digits in temperatures. Today is supposed to be ten degrees cooler and next week is supposed to drop into the 80s with a chance or two of rain. We need the rain.

I Did Something That I haven't Done All Summer

I did something yesterday that I haven't done all summer, I put up new clothes lines.

"Why did you wait until this late in the summer," you're probably asking. Well, the reason is one, I was just too lazy to get to it. It's a pain in the neck to get the rope around the trees I use, and two, I really didn't want to use it until then.

For most of the summer the temperatures have been pretty comfortable, so it didn't bother me to use the dryer, because with the back door being open, the house didn't heat up, and quite frankly, it's a lot easier to just stuff the clothes in the dryer rather than lugging them outside and hanging them on the lines.

What made me finally decide to put up new lines is that all this week the weather people have been saying that we were going to hit the triple digits; it hasn't happened yet, but that's not stopping them, the same thing is predicted for tomorrow.

As it turned out, I still had to use the dryer yesterday because the rope I bought earlier in the year, see I was planning on doing it earlier, was too short. I could have sworn that I was able to get away with 50 feet of rope the last time. Anyway, so I had to run to the store earlier than planned so that I could get more rope. I was going to wait until I got all the clothes hung out.

I have these things on the lines that let me pull the line tighter after it stretches from clothes hanging on it and the rope I bought, one package was thicker than the other, even though they were supposed to be the same. I didn't think it would matter and that they would both fit through the little line tighteners, but the one didn't so I ended up using the two rolls of rope I bought earlier in the year and one of the new ones. I may end up replacing the two 50 footers, but then again, maybe not. It ended up taking me almost three hours, with a little water and lunch break, to put the things up. I didn't get done until almost 4:00pm and with the days getting shorter, I didn't want to take the chance on the clothes not being dry when I took them down. I also got done with the dryer shortly after that anyway. I did have David hang his stuff out today and I'll hang the sheets and quilt from the bed out tomorrow.

I use heavier rope than regular clothes line rope, so it lasts longer and isn't in danger of snapping. With the winds we get out here, that's always a consideration. These should last several years at least. I can't remember how long the others lasted, but I know they lasted a good while.

Dog Days of Summer

You would think they would happen in July, but July was actually quite nice, more like May, except this May it snowed, but, well you know what I mean.

Nope this week is going to be our hottest week yet, not even RAGBRAI was as hot and it usually gets hot during that week; it wasn't nearly as hot. So far we haven't hit the 100s, but we've been close, real close.

It's been dry too which unfortunately put us back into a drought.

Poor Max's allergies are bad too, but I'm trying not to revert to having to give him steroids after what happened to Jake. Apparently steroid use in dogs makes them more prone to Cushings and after seeing the way Jake suffered, I don't want to see Max going though it.

The vet told me to try Zertec, yes the same stuff we humans use. He's only been on it since Sunday, so we'll see how it goes. Hopefully it will help as more of it gets into his system. I hate seeing any of these guys suffer through stuff like this. Max's allergies are just as bad as Jake's used to be, but I don't think his started as early as Jake's did, in age that is. He, like Jake, is affected this time of year the worse. In winter he suffers from dry skin and maybe minor allergies, but nothing like how bad they get now. Apparently they're saying this time it's pretty bad for everyone who has them.

When we bought my Soul back in May, I bought a new Steelers' license plate frame for it. You know, new car so it had to have a new frame, right? Well on the way back to Pittsburgh in June, the letter h from Pittsburgh and the letter t from Steelers fell out. Now I've noticed that I lost the letter r from Steelers, so now it reads Pittsburg Seeles. I really like this one too because the frame is silver, to match the car color and the letters are a bright gold. Dave said that he may be able to fix it. If not, I may either put the old one back on, only the words are all in one and the word Pittsburgh is coming off, but that one would be easier to fix, or I can just go and buy a new one. Maybe I'll look to see what I can find on EBay.

Oh well, I still love my Soul. Someone here in our area has an Alien Green one and I have to admit that I'm kind of jealous, but mine has more features and I have a hamster, so I can't complain. I'm trying to talk Dave into getting personalized plates in November when we renew our registration. I had them in Virginia when we lived there. That one said MICSZU because I drove an Isuzu IMark. We still have it except it doesn't run. I need to donate it. But anyway, I haven't decided what I want mine to say, but I'll think of something.

I found out recently that an ex-boyfriend of mine passed away last year. What a shock! He's the one I went to all of our formals in my senior year of high school with and have quite a history with. He also inadvertently introduced Dave and I. In other words, he didn't expect it to go as far as it did. I always fantasized about running into him and thanking him, but it's sad that it will never happen now and it's even sadder of how young he was (55) when he passed away.  He was married, but they never had any children. My sympathies go out to his family.

I'm thankful to God that I am alive and well for another day.

What Do You Do When...

You have a lot of lawn to cut but your rider mower died? Well, you pull out the push mowers and start cutting.

That's how Dave and I spent our weekend. I used the push mower and he used the brush mower he bought a few months ago to get the real tall stuff, like in the galley in front of the house. Now the grass is again at a nice height and the yard looks presentable. We had about an acre or so to cut. He didn't cut the lower part but instead made a path through it so the ponies will go in and start eating the grass.

Won't happen. They don't like when it's tall like that. What we need are a couple of goats. We really should look into getting a couple. We can even learn to make goat cheese or soap. Yea, okay, sure.

But anyway, at least we got a lot of exercise this week, with cutting the grass and walking all over the Iowa State fairgrounds on Thursday. We had beautiful weather for both too, not too hot, nice breeze and sunny. We even got a decent parking space at the fair too.

A Dog and Cat Food Recall

This one is from Proctor and Gamble for their brands Eukanuba and IAMs.

Pet Poison Helpline has a list of all of the products affected. They also have other helpful information as well. If you buy either of these brands, please look to see if the bag of food you bought is affected by the recall and find out what to do.

Another Dog Treat Recall

Another recall notice from Dogster.com

Dogswell Recalls Chicken and Duck Jerky Treats Made in China

Heads-up, dog people: The treats contain residue of an antibiotic that's not approved for use in the United States.

Michael Leaverton  |  Jul 31st 2013  |   3 Contributions

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Dogswell is voluntarily withdrawing certain Dogswell and Catswell jerky treats made with chicken or duck with a “Best Before” date of Jan. 28, 2015, or any earlier date. 

The culprit is one we've seen before: trace amounts of an antibiotic residue that has not been approved for use in the United States, though it is important to note that this antibiotic is accepted for use in other countries, including the European Union.

The New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets discovered the residue during routine testing of a sample of Dogswell Happy Hips Chicken Breast Jerky. The department notified the company during the week of July 22, and the company voluntarily recalled Chicken Breast and Duck Breast jerky under the following brands: Breathies, Happy Heart, Happy Hips, Mellow Mut, Shape Up, Veggie Life, Vitality, and Vitakitty. 

This recall covers brands that are labeled with a “Best Before” date of Jan. 28, 2015, or any earlier date. The company says the jerky treats were made in China.

The company stresses that the rest of its products are safe, that no animals have become sick, and that there is no evidence that products containing trace amounts of this antibiotic pose a health risk for pets.

 

Interestingly, the company explains why it uses products made in China, which is ground zero in the ongoing chicken jerky treat debacle. It says that most Dogswell products are made in the U.S., but "some" are made in China. Why? The company explains:

"China is a country where dark meat is more popular due to its inherent fat and flavor. Dogswell believes it is less wasteful to obtain our white meat in China where it is abundant, rather than sourcing it domestically, where white meat is less available and held at a premium. Not only do we care about your pet's health by sourcing only the healthiest meat available, we also practice sustainability by reducing as much waste as possible."

The company also explains its treatment of chickens: "Cage-free chickens are kept in barns where they can roam, scratch and perch as they please. Our chickens eat a natural diet, have plenty of room to roam, and live and grow free of stress."

For more information, and to received a full refund for an affected product, you can call Dogswell at 1-888-559-8833. Visit the website here.

Posted in RECALL ALERT, IN THE NEWS, DOG FOOD