"Why we should keep Spaz"

This was the title of a note given to me by my children regarding our special needs dog, Spaz.  It was a plea to keep Spaz and not put him up for adoption.  The best line was:

......to put it bluntly, he is an ugly dog.

His full name is Igor Spazmouseki, he was born the 5th of 10 puppies on July 8, 2005.  During Hurricane Dennis which was nothing more than some wind in the air here in Tampa Bay.

When he was born, it took Luna about 1.5 hours to push him out after #4.  When he came out, he was out of his umbilical sac, the cord was already detached and he was unresponsive.  It did not look good for #5. 

I did what they do in the movies, put him a towel, gently massaged his wet, limp body and breathed into his puppy face.  He did come around and he was memorable over the next eight weeks with his siblings.

He was the runt of the litter, wasn't getting the milk or nourishment he needed.  We fed him separately and gave him separate time with Luna to feed before the other eight jumped on board. 

I found myself needing to take him to my office to feed him goats milk, since he kept getting pushed off of Luna by his siblings.  For two weeks he was with me, in my office, in a box or a toweled off area in by my desk.  Although he was not my or our first dog, in my heart, he was my dog.

We call him Spaz because when he started to stand he had the shakes.  His hind legs were not enough to support him and he quavered whenever he stood or walked.  In addition, his head was not exactly right....right in the way you would say, "something's not right about that one"....He had the look of 'Ed' one of the hyeanas from "The Lion King"....hence Igor (Young Dr. Frankenstein reference).  Mouse, as we are big fans of Disney, so Igor Spazmouseki.  He is a purebred Labrador Retriever.  Purebred and now sick.

He was a vocal one, one that would talk to you, not bark.  One that would tell you something was going on.  One, when he ran or trotted his legs would kick out to the sides instead of a gallop/run.  He can catch and carefully disect a lizard and leave it for you as an offering to remind you he is the best there is.  He would find you at night, talk to you and have you walk him to his cage at night, seeking permission to go to sleep.

He never learned to pee with one leg in the air.  He would try to be the dominant dog of the three, I think Bey and Luna allowed it to make him feel better. 

My dog is going to die soon.  He has chronic kidney failure. He has lost 20 lbs over the past few months.   His kidney's are shutting down, toxins building and there is not a damn thing I or we can do about it.  We can make him feel comfortable and we do.  His diet is changing to not give him as much protein in his diet.  He is beginning to lose bladder control. 

To compound the bad news, his grandfather died last week of heart failure, grandma was put to sleep a few months ago.  Spaz's mom and dad know something is up.  Bey checks on him, Luna has laid down in the cage with him and does not need to be asked to go to bed, as a mother I guess she just knows.

We soon are going to know when it is time to make the trip to the vet for the final goodbye.  I've done this twice before, with our first dog and our first cat.  This one is going to hurt and hurt bad.

When we now look at Spaz...what is he telling us in his eyes....I'm in pain, I'm uncomfortable, I'm tired?  Wish we knew, we could help buddy.

I love my dog Spaz.

Freeze Damage in Zone 9

Morning, learned a lesson this week.  Do not cover your tomatoes with a plastic drop cloth.  However, when you have lemons, you make lemonade (we already did that this week with the our lemons), we are going to make some green tomato salsa with a recipe found on another Zone 9 gardener's blog.

Here are some photos of the damage and product

I'm trying something as this whole garden thing is trial and error, I've pruned back the last two plants, one is a Hybrid Roma, the other is a Hybrid Beefsteak....let's see if anything comes of it.  In addition, I've taken a root string from one of the Roma's and put it in the Earthbox to see if anything sprouts...who know's?

As you can see, quite lot of salsa ahead of us.

Next up is January's planting's and more garden improvements.  On the slate is:

• Chucking the planting table....haven't really used it
• Adding in two more 2x4 raised beds
• Have noticed a real need for an herb garden, so Cilantro, Parsley, Mint and Thyme will be added
• Starting January/February seeds
• Have another couple of sweet potatoes sitting, just waiting on their slips

Enjoy your weekend, if anyone is reading this decrepit site.

Sometimes it just takes some time.....

Happy New Year!  We wish you and yours the very best in 2012 and continue to pursue your dreams and ambitions.

This is our brick from Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park.  We ordered it after the Olympics, then moved from Atlanta and this was the first time we've seen it!  We love it and it was chilly over the holiday.

Brown Thumbs?

Well, we took the plunge, put on the boots and started the garten.  Yes, it also looks like a Bier Garten.  Can you blame me?

This project kind of just 'grew' (get it?) from a raised bed, as seen on the left (below), Right (above).  Got so excited and discovered a source of throw away lumber and acquired a number of 2x4 boxes.  Stacked them together, secured them, and filled them up with rock, compost and soil and we now have several raised bed gartens.

This is on the southwest side of the house and gets good sun the majority of the day.

So, in September we planted tomatoes, bib lettuce, romaine lettuce, canteloupe (listeria free mind you), corn, onions, carrots, green/yellow/orange/red bell peppers, yellow squash, pole beans, watermelon, broccoli and cauliflower.  Potatoes are next, just need to get them from the feedstore.

Total of 60 sq feet of garden.

Due to drainage issues, built a deck along with it so our feet don't stand in the water after a heavy, heavy rain.  Again, recycled pallet material, even reused the nails!

 Started the corn, tomatoes and Romaine lettuce from seed!

Even had some help with the decking.

So all in all, we should be able to get our ROI this season alone, thanks to the 'recycled' boxes and deck work.  More important, it is a place to relax, reflect and feel proud about the work we did and think back on some fond memories of my grandmother's tomato garden and how sweet they were.

This is our first real garden since we have been here, we had some good success in Ohio, but not on this scale.  Thanks to Megan and Michael to really be an inspiration to get motivated and see it through.  Now only if these brown thumbs can turn green!  (sounds like a Elton John song)

On the plate for this week:  Hanging a truss system for the Blackberry plants.  These are the "Natchez" variety of Blackberries.  They were in the 50% off rack at Lowes, I think I've nursed them back from their distressed state and they seem stable where I want to plant them.  My research says, although they are from Arkansas, they will grow successfully in Zone 9.  Can't wait to see if we are lucky to get some fruit.

Next up...blueberry bushes around the pool cage.

Status Check, or how healthy is healthy?

Greetings!  The Frugalmeister was just reading some of the old posts and thought it be best to check in and give an update on some of the projects we have going on the homestead.

1. Summertime is here, as with any school employee, paychecks stop coming for a couple of months.  Time to live out of the freezer and pantry.  We've been doing it successfully and have even gotten a bit creative with our dishes as not everyone is eating the same thing as the person next to them!
2. Looking around the house for projects on the cheap....well Fraulein Frugal is back in college, furnished in no doubt by the free section of Craigslist.  Wonderful tool and timeless energy sorting through other people's crap to get the special item...but hey.  A Broyhill Entertainment center and sleeper/loveseat combo to furnish the newly created relaxation lounge!
3. Homemade Liqueur is a creative process.  Raspberries were on the cheap, picked up some vodka from the mil and now have a distillery in the bathroom.  Raspberry, Cherry, Orange and Kahlua.  Pomegranate will be next when they come in season.  Another batch of wine will be brewing shortly as well.

4. Victory Garden....finally decided to start it, should be ready for plants when the weather cools off in September.  I'll post pictures/video of the project for others to share.  In the meantime, check out Meine Schwester's garden.

Just some of the items we are working. 

For those that are counting, ebay and Amazon flips, are close to $400 net!

Chat with you soon!

What will 2011 bring?

Happy New Year and best wishes for a better 2011 than 2010!

This is the year we are striving to make a lot of progress towards the simpler life.  A thought that has come to our minds regarding excess spending $$ can be to go simpler.....the basic task of picking.  Yes, you've seen the shows on TV with the Storage Wars, American Pickers and the like, but do some research....you will not always find the golden watch in the old suitcase stored away...you need to work for it.

I've added a couple of websites I found during my research that start to explain the art of picking.  Garage Sales, Thrift Stores, Auctions and Craigslist.  What I've learned, is to simply know your items, buy it at a price that you flip a profit on.

Just to see how 'easy' it could be to get started in this craze, I looked up our Craigslist and found a easy 'Free' item for some Ikea Wardrobe Frames...they retail at $100 each and there were four of them still in the box....missed the item by a few hours, but it was there.  The options were simple...use them at home (future Hoarders), relist them on Craigslist for a few $$ or even better, return them for store credit at Ikea.

I've updated my Paypal account as well as our Ebay account and will start the Thrift Store circuit.  There are a number of them I pass on my daily commute.

We'll see if we can make some $$ on this deal as we start to save for Christmas of 2011. As this builds, we'll let you know how we do!

It's been a while......

Well I think we can call it a summer.....we have gone camping, gone to the beach, cooked out on the grill a lot and are now back in school.  Funny, there is more a sense of a new year at the end of summer (Labor Day) then there is on January 1st.

From a frugality perspective, I guess you could sum up daily living by just practicing mindful spending everywhere you go and just about everything you buy.  For us, the savings have been continous.

Bought a car, traded in the motorcycle.  The car I bought is a gas sipper, namely due to the length of our commute each day.  Why get a vehicle you are going to wear out at 17 mpg, while you can do it at 28 mpg?

We are in the process of cleaning out the house, in anticipation of putting it on the market next June.  Simpler house, means simpler things.

We will tell you, going through things you haven't touched in years, really bodes the question, do we really need this?  We have gone through round one, next is round two.

We have been crazy on craigslist as I am moving some bicycles along.  We hope to get a tandem to start out daily riding and possible some overnights in the area....we shall see what the market bears.  It looks right now, there is a wide choice at the $150 level....if only I get them at the $100 level.  We shall see.....

Happy trails and start to look for those Christmas bargains......Black Friday is just around the corner.