5C's Que Pasa

The final transition of chicken & rice for Carmeh and kibble for Caeli to canned food has happened and thus far seems most successful.  I did as some suggested to gradually get Carmeh to drink water again rather then chicken broth and it worked for a sip of two.  However once she started on canned food she actually started drinking water again.  I am amazed at the actual amount of food 6 ounces works out to.  The girls seem happy.  I have decided to feed them three times per day as it just seemed the right way to keep their stomachs full.  One day at a time.

Photos of Caeli at 7 weeks on our way home from picking her up in Taber, Alberta in the RV.  She is now 11 years of age.  It took Carmeh about two days to accept her and they have been the best of siblings ever since.

I also started them on a very special organic fermented herbal probiotic made in  Denmark.  This particular vendor has had great success with pancreatitis in dogs and the product generally reduces any inflammation and aids in digestion.  I can’t see how we can go wrong.  The girls have been on it for a week now and it seems to be working fine with no side effects. Don’t ask the price, ouch,  but the product is called Olie Naturals.  I was able to stock up on enough for the winter as it does not have to be refrigerated until opened.

Caeli was a tiny baby girl.  Not so much these days.  We still use this same water dish.

The big problem we are having is getting enough of the canned food to last us till mid April.  All of B.C. now only has 4 cases.  I called several pet stores in the US and they won’t bring it on for me unless I have a local address.  It finally dawned on me to check Amazon.com and yes they have the food at at only .20cents more per can including the 1.35 exchange rate.  So I now have 11 cases on order to pick up at a mail drop shop just as we cross into the USA.

It is dark out earlier and the other night I put the outside lights on for Colin for when he got home. It was nice to see one of our three stained glass window panes lit up in the light.

We awoke to -6C/21F yesterday and today was cool, humid and cloudy.  Perfect ( not really as it was really cold ) weather for me to do yet another big shopping for our trip South but better than rain.  Spent an easy $800.00 on vitamins and supplements at the health food store.  Turns out that some government agency wants to put a stop to supplements unless they have been formally tested.  This could cost us a lot of money in the future so of course I signed the petition.  I also hit up Walmart ( still saving a lot of my purchases for the US Walmart’s ) and Costco.  The trunk of the Lexus was full as well as half the back seat and floor.  Just love my new car not to mention the heated seats as well as the heated steering wheel.  I am so very spoiled.

I discovered that Caeli has a horrific ear infection.  She has had a few of these in the past so I know what to do.  Poor thing she never complains and somehow I got a feeling to check her ears and there it was.  Seems like there is always something happening with one of the girls.  We are seeing the vet on Tuesday for our final checkup before we leave as well as getting our international transport papers, so I will have Caeli’s ear checked then.

Caeli’s first fall way back in 2005.  She was 6.5 months old in this photo.  Carmeh was almost 2.5 years older.

Well it is 8PM and time to start our dinner.  If I do a blog post it makes our meal time later but we do eat late most nights anyway but not quite this late.  Just wanted to let some of you know that I am behind in email replies as we were without internet most of the day.  Colin had to go out so it was up to me to sort it out when I got back about 5:30PM.  My most important job tomorrow is to contact clients about getting their cheques to us before we leave, always an issue just before we leave, year after year, but a very important part of our journey.  We can’t leave without the money.

Every year we print a calendar with 12 photos of the girls.  This is the cover for our 2017 cover.  Maybe  I will post the photo of the month if you are interested?

It has been a cool autumn thus far.  It was 0C/32F this morning and only that warm because it was overcast.  This evening it is going down to -3C/27F and we do have clear skies at the moment.  However we are more fortunate than the prairie Provinces where they have been receiving snow. We have been using our fireplace everyday and sometimes all day.  Best thing I ever bought for this house.

This was taken last Saturday, October 8th, one of those sunset reflection portraits.  The sun actually sets to the right of the house but the reflection was much nicer than the actual sunset.  I wonder if it is a fall thing.

The high here yesterday was 7F/45F with only clouds.  Colin was actually caught up with his photoshop and awaiting some sunshine for a few more jobs so he declared the day ‘fall clean up’.

First thing was to empty our plant pots. We certainly had glorious flowers this past summer and they lasted right to the end of the season.

It took two overflowing golf carts loads to dispose of the plants and the totally root bound soil.

Quite the load. He was off to the compost piles near the garden area here in the park.

I did offer to help but he just kept going on his own.  Once the plants were done, he started to store our patio furniture and the various cutsies we have like our pieces of stone sculpture that we got in Patzcuaro.  Some of it goes under the house and the rest in the shed.  One year he loaded the shed from back to front and top to bottom and forgot to remove the things I needed to bring to Mexico.  This year he emptied the shed first and loaded my car which he then drove to the RV.  He was working full tilt.  Meanwhile I stayed inside doing the things we had to do for the business shut down and our prep for Mexico.  Each time I put my nose out the door I was assaulted by the coolness of the day.  I offered hot tea and such but Colin just kept plodding along.  He was on a roll and in fact did get our yard totally put away for the winter.  Of course once he came in I asked about such and such and he had neglected to do a few things and completed those in a few moments.  Nice to have such a large job completed.  My husband is a real trooper and goes the full nine yards.

We had also spent a few hours in the RV on Sunday where I got everything put back in place and ready for the loading.  I can’t believe that I had not been inside the RV since the day we arrived and unloaded back in April.  We unloaded together for the first day and then Colin did the rest while I started the piles of laundry as well as doing our personal taxes and the company year end once I had opened 5.5 months of mail. As the laundry was completed Colin would ferry it to the RV but it never ever got put away till this past weekend.  Making the bed and putting the linens away and such certainly got me in the let’s hit the road mode.  Only 18 sleeps left.  We were thankful that we had this Thanksgiving weekend to prepare for our trip South.

The sunset last evening taken through the window. No way was I going to head out for a photo, too cold.

Today our gardener came to do our irrigation blow out. One more thing off the list.

Here in the Okanagan it is wine festival time, so many events to enjoy from grape crushing to wine tasting and food pairing and more.  However we are always too busy with our business at this time of year to attend.  Perhaps two years from now.

But I can’t help but wonder why they don’t provide door to door wine tastings?

Carmeh had a small relapse but overall now seems to be holding her own.  We actually had to take her out in the stroller one day but half way through the walk she asked to walk and seemed just fine.  She is still not drinking water, only chicken broth.  I know she is doing this as she loves chicken but I do have to get her back on water only.  Not sure how I am going to do that.  I guess the worst case scenario is that I will stop with the broth abruptly and if she gets thirsty enough she will hopefully start drinking water again.  I have been forcing the broth as I did not want her to get dehydrated plus the broth filled her tummy when she was getting very little food.

We are in the transition phase right now.  Tomorrow will be day 5.  Carmeh is being weaned off her chicken diet and onto canned food while Caeli is being weaned off kibble and onto canned food.

They both have been going around the house as if they were starving.  Both Colin and I feel so guilty going into the kitchen and making something to eat as they are there in a heartbeat and want something to eat.

For the last few years the girls have been getting a heaping teaspoon of this mixed with their kibble twice per day.

Natures Variety Instinct Salmon Formula.  It is low fat at only 4%.  I did not want to put them on a Vet diet such as Royal Canin or Hill’s which are full of fillers and overall bad products.  As you can see per the above ingredients I think I made a good choice plus they were somewhat familiar to the product.

Turns out that feeding time has become quite the production.  The yellow stickies are my various calculations as to who gets what and how much.  Quite the process but I must be doing it right as they seem fine other than being hungry.

They never received many table scraps but perhaps a teaspoon of egg here and there, a bit of peanut butter or a few pieces of veggies off our plate and the odd tiny piece of salmon.  However no more as anything is too much for Carmeh’s pancreas.

We have had a few cloudy days with rain here and there, Yesterday the mountain across the lake showed something we had not seen in a long while.

Snow! Yes snow at higher elevations. The combination of rain at higher elevations and cold temperatures has brought on winter a bit early.

In fact snow has been making and an early appearance across Canada the past few days.  A different perspective to global warming.

This was Saturday on the highway between us and Vancouver.

This is a long weekend here in Canada, our Thanksgiving weekend when many travel to visit family for a few days.  The weather is not making it easy.  Colin and I are sitting here at our respective desks working for the most part.  This is our last push before we head South.  Next Thursday, the 14th, is also a deadline for some builder awards and of course we are getting last minute requests.  However we do need sunshine for some of the shots so we can only take it one day at a time.

I am looking forward to the sun and the heat but find it difficult to grasp that we are only three weeks away from departure.

Meanwhile we wish all our Canadians friends and readers a Happy Thanksgiving.

In case you are wondering at the increased amount of posts, it it because I find it a good break from the stress of the day.  I really don’t have the time but with a glass of wine, I relax.  Tonight it is a glass of the really good stuff.

For two days for certain but possibly three or four Carmeh has been repeatedly licking her rear end.  I seem to have spent those days constantly telling her no and bad girl etc.  I thought that she was simply having gas or wet farts as I like to call them, due to her strange diet and was licking herself to clean herself.  This morning it finally dawned on me to check her anus area just in case.  Colin was home and together we rolled her over and with the help of a flashlight we found a fully engorged tick. She was so very good about just laying there as we tended to her.  I removed it and Carmeh immediately gave me a few huge licks on the nose.  I felt so bad.  I was a failure, I should have figured out sooner that something was wrong.  Poor baby, it wasn’t her fault and I kept after her to stop licking.  Yes I did call the vet and we don’t need to do anything other than make sure the site does not swell up.  What can I say…..there is always drama in our lives.

I was gone by 10AM to do some pre shopping for our trip.  I was trying to take advantage of some sales.  Can you believe that I went to 10 different stores purchasing things like ink for the RV printer that we only buy once per year ( expensive @ $79.00 before tax ),  some canned goods, some gifts for a few Isla residents ( Mexicans ),  snacks for happy hours, cheeses, special condiments and who knows what else.  I got back home about 3PM.

Colin helped me unload and he was off five minutes later.  A meeting about a new job and a sudden last minute photo shoot.  We are always so busy just prior to leaving.  I just wish that our clients would actually put their cheques in the mail.

It is 7:45PM and Colin is on his way home.  We decided to splurge and go for Chinese take out tonight.  He is off at 8AM so I will be up early making him breakfast and lunch to go.  We have to be flexible as the plans change day by day not to mention that it is all affected by weather.

FYI I did post an update plus add to some comments on the travel insurance post and I do have something important to add, perhaps tomorrow.

Off to prepare for dinner .

I know that some of my readers are following Rae on her blog about her trip through the Balkans but perhaps not all of you.  She is on a journey with longer stops here and there to house sit.  Each post is most interesting and at the moment she is in Sarajevo.  Her posts are most interesting and here in Sarajevo heart wrenching.  Have a look here at her blog.  She is off in few days to more adventures with a stint in Spain come the end of the month.  I guarantee that she will keep you entranced with her daily posts.

Have to dash, Colin is pulling in.

I honestly can’t remember when I last saw the sunrise. I mean, I must have at some point?  It was a bonus start to the day.

Haven’t seen the geese for days but now as I type at sunset, about 50 are coming in for the evening.  I so love being able to hear them.  I suspect that some have already started their flight south as we are mostly seeing ducks during the day.

I am being reminded that it is time for breakfast and that they desire to be fed ASAP.  Caeli is really going white on her muzzle.  Poor sweet Carmeh is looking like she is has lost some weight.

Time for a Caeli solo.

This bit of color caught my eye late this afternoon.

I could not decide which photo I preferred so you can chose.

I am amazed that my flowers are doing so well at this time of the year.

I think I might just plant the same assortment next spring.

This is what I see when standing on my front porch as I look to the top of our street.  Such a glorious time of year.

Oh, another squadron of geese just flew in, in perfect V formation.  They must have been out practicing today.

A Charlie Brown sunset, not perfect but still pretty special.