Two... Four... Six... WAIT!

I am a planner. I like schedules, order, and routine. Boring? Yep probably so, but I yam what I yam - and wasn't it Popeye who said that? Oookay, that's kinda weird - even for me. Must be all that spinach in my morning smoothies. *laugh* I am, most definitely, a creature of habit (one reason horses and I get along like a house on fire ;o) I try so hard to make allowances for glitches, hiccups and/or any of the various and sundry things that can cause a project (please excuse me for swearing) to fall behind. You know what I just can't figure out though? If I have something that should take two days, so I allow four, why then does it perpetually seem to drag out to six? What in the world am I supposed to do with that much time per "ToDo" in a summer that is flying by at warped (ha) speed? I've been in "pure panic mode" for a couple of weeks now. Does this happen to you? As of this paragraph, I have less than two weeks before I am due to return to reality. I have not ridden at all. Not one time. That may, possibly, maybe, perhaps, have been uttered with a teensy-weensy bit of a whine there. Apologies. The almost patio is STILL not finished - though it's getting closer - and DH is going on vacation (so he can drive me bonkers full time, instead of part time *rolls eyes*). Sometimes I think I spend all my time in a constant state of frustration; do you struggle with that? On the upside [photo inset] just look at the awesome fabric I found for the "patio classroom" table our visitors will be using. I love it! I even found some heavy duty clear vinyl to put over top to keep it nice (I hope ;o) I found it at the Carolina Cotton Company on Etsy (click here to visit the shop). Now all I need is to find someone that knows how to sew, since the edges are unfinished (oops ;o)

True to form, DH is indeed driving me bonkers full time (and didn't I say that very thing a paragraph ago? *laugh*). DH's nephew has come for a visit; we haven't seen him for years and years, and we have been thoroughly enjoying ourselves catching up. DD and her canine entourage came as well, so she could see her cousin, and we are fairly bursting (barking?) at the seams around here. At this point I have been knocked so far off my normal schedule/routine I'm not even sure which way is up (mostly because my eyeballs are completely crossed :oP I am hopelessly behind in my blog reading, among a bazillion other things, *grumble, grumble*, but I hope to be back on track soon! Happily, I did [finally!] get to sneak in a ride which went a long way toward helping me unwind a bit after a stressful couple of weeks. Unhappily, Faith [photo right] had six very bad seizures in a row the week before last. Frantic, DD rushed her to the vet where she was diagnosed with "Cluster Seizures" in addition to her Epilepsy (click here for more information on seizures in dogs). Faith could barely walk for the first couple of days following the seizures. Her mental state had regressed alarmingly (e.g. she did not know her name, forgot her potty training, and did not even recognize DD initially), though she is now, thankfully, improving, she still has a long way to go. Strange as it may sound, Diamond's reaction was a shocking aggression toward Faith (who is her daughter); even going so far as to attack her physically, prompting DD to quickly separate the two. Thankfully, after a few days the aggression disappeared as swiftly as it had come. Diamond is reteaching Faith how to play, and hopefully her new medication will prevent such a frightening thing from happening again. [Photo inset: Faith with her, "Can we come inside now?" face - taken this morning.]

DH's nephew came with his own little (and I do mean little) canine entourage. The most adorable and funniest looking little dog I think I've ever seen. "Buddy" is an English Jack Russell Terrier, which is something I've never heard of (the Jack Russell part, yes, but not the "English" version). Click here to read about the distinctions between the Jack Russell breeds. Faith, whose dad is a Jack Russell, towers over him. Even Diamond (who is mostly Chihuahua with a little Russell of her own tossed in) is taller than he is. Of course he's still a puppy; and a pudgy little one at that. Is he not just the funniest little thing? His personality is just as happy as can be. I think Diamond has a crush on him, though Faith seems to think he has cooties. He is just so doggone cute!  I couldn't resist taking a few more pictures of him for you. The one shot I wanted that I couldn't get, was a full-body photo of him sprawled out on the floor gnawing away on one of his natural chews (a beef trachea). He was literally laid out; stubby little back toes stretched straight out behind him. So funny. He had us all in stitches watching him run and play with  the girls (Faith and Diamond), those itty bitty legs going like gangbusters as he gamboled about with surprising speed and agility. I'll say one thing for him; for all his chunky-monkey appearance, that little guy can GO. Gravy, I'm starting to feel more like a DogBlog here, than a horse one. *sigh* Well. Here are a couple more for you...

He has the cutest little face:

He seemed a little tuckered after coming in from playing with the girls outside:

Guess they really wore him out, eh? (sorry for the blur). Poor little man. *laugh*

Next time I hope to have a small slide show with a handful of butterfly photos; I couldn't quite pull it off in time for this post. Though they weren't as good as I'd hoped for clarity-wise, I think they will be worth sharing. Have a blessed week everyone!