LIFE'S BETTER IN THE MOUNTAINS

Friday, October 12, 2012

Fridays Are Golden

Rarely do we take only one dog anywhere.  So Lucy was quite surprised when my husband took Ellie and left her behind.


She looked at her leash hanging there, confused because she didn't go with Ellie.


She ran to the dining room window as my husband backed out of the garage.  He stopped briefly.

Hooray!  He's coming back to get me!


Her smile faded just as quickly.  My husband had stopped only long enough to adjust the rear camera as he backed out.

Oh dear!  He is really leaving me behind.



Her eyes followed as they drove down the street, looking sadder and sadder as they left.

I cannot believe it!


Ellie was headed to the veterinarian.  That morning we had discovered a very small "hot spot" on her right hip.  Goldens are particularly vulnerable to these reactions to irritation or insect bites.  Once begun, the areas can increase at an unbelievable rate and become more difficult to treat.  And given their double coats and long hair, the spots can be overlooked in Goldens until they become quite large.  We were very lucky on two fronts:  1) my husband spotted the area when it was the size of a quarter; and 2) our vet managed to squeeze us in that afternoon.  The area had already increased in size by the time she saw the vet.

The usual treatment...shave the area and apply ointment.  Because she had a mild temperature elevation, She was given antibiotics to take at home.  Fortunately Ellie is not one of those dogs who would continually lick the area so she did not have to wear a cone.



It's amazing how quickly these areas can spread.







Ellie was very happy to be home.  And Lucy was glad we were all together again.



We are still having much cooler than average temperatures.  Fortunately, the Golden Girls thrive in cooler weather.  The leaves are beautiful with promise of better color to come.

Another political debate is over and next week our state will allow for early voting.  There was a time when I bypassed early voting...I love the excitement of being at the polls on election day.  But this year, my vote is too important to risk anything that might keep me from casting my ballot.  So I will vote early.  (And I wish I could vote often.)

I am finding it difficult to understand how there could be undecided citizens among us so if you are one, please enlighten me.  The platforms are so different, the approach to the welfare of others so different, the methods of improving our economy are so different, the energy policies are so different, and concern for the ecology is so different that there should be compelling reasons to vote for one candidate or the other.  I urge all of you to exercise that precious right and vote for the candidate of your choosing.  The stakes are high.  The vote you cast this year may effect the decisions of the Supreme Court for decades to come.

Our political quote this week comes from Voltaire, a man before his time.  During the 1700s, he advocated free speech, civil liberties, and separation of church and state.

...so long as the people do not care to exercise their freedom, those who wish to tyrannize will do so;
for tyrants are active and ardent, and will devote themselves in the name of any number of gods, religious or otherwise,
to put shackles upon sleeping men.



HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND, EVERYONE!!!



20 comments:

Taradharma said...

poor Ellie. glad it was caught early -- I've never heard of this particular ailment.

That Voltaire quote is quite meaningful at this time. I vote by mail, perm. absentee because I want to make sure nothing gets in my way. I drop it off at the elections office. My ballot is sitting here on the kitchen counter, waiting for my attention.

I, too, puzzle over undecideds. Perhaps they just haven't been keeping track at all? Could that be?

The Bug said...

We've been able to vote early for a week now - but they won't have the later hours until next week, so Mike & I will most likely head over to the Board of Elections on Monday. I remember 4 years ago we had early voting & stood in line for a couple of hours for the privilege. It was joyous and festive.

kks said...

I'm afraid to vote early, for fear my vote won't count! did it for the recall and I honestly don't think those votes were counted......
hot spots can be horrible! i've seen some spread like wildfire! fortunately not my dogs, but have seen my fair share!
have a wonderful weekend!!
xoxo

Carolina Linthead said...

Poor Lucy, wondering where her favorite pillow went, lol! Glad you caught that spot on Ellie so quickly. Scary! Yeah, there are times when I miss the 19th century style of elections, with lots of booze and barbeque, very real, dramatic voter fraud (destroying entire boxes of ballots from districts dominated by the opposition, truly voting early and often on election day, etc.), real violence at the polls and violent voter suppression, and real participation (80-90%!), against all the odds. People fought and died for the right to vote back then. Now all we have left is the smarmy, slick-suited types engaging in suppression tactics on the one hand and drumming up completely unsubstantiated claims on the other, all while spending vast fortunes on commercials that at best never really venture beyond half truths. Still, I'll take my party's half-truths and broken promises over the opposition's, and so I vote :-)

Anonymous said...

Really good that you caught that hot spot right away. I'm sure Ellie appreciates it immensely.

We like going to the local polling place and casting our ballots. I remember my parents taking me into the voting booth when I was very young. The levers were so cool and interesting. I can never understand why so many people stay home, don't vote, and then complain about outcomes.

NanaNor's said...

Hi, Happy Friday; so glad you got Ellie in before the hot spot became infected. I appreciated your encouraging others to vote-so many are apathetic and during this time we desperately need all of America to vote.
It is cold here and rain is looming so I'm anxious to just kick back and stay warm.
Hugs, Noreen

Janet, The Queen of Seaford said...

Poor pup, I know when we take just one, the other one is crazed by the time we get back.
As for the undecided, perhaps it is because the other side keeps changing their positions...they are confusing! Glad you are able to vote early, here in SC you have to prove that you are unable to vote on election day. 25 days and counting.

LOVE, MERCY AND GRACE...GOD'S GRACE said...

Bless her! Glad you found the "hot spot" early enough!! Hopefully the meds will kick in real quick. As for voting, last time I voted early and had to wait in line for quite awhile. But I think I will do that again this year.

Ms. A said...

What you captioned looks exactly like what Lucy was thinking!

Glad Ellie is on the mend and that you caught it early!

How Sam Sees It said...

We've been lucky with our Golden's - we've never had hotspots. Could it be the weather here in Arizona?

Sam

Rudee said...

Poor Miss Ellie. I hope she's better, soon. I'm happy for her she didn't have to wear the cone.

I don't get why there are still undecided people, either, but I've never really been of an independent mind. I've had a party affiliation since the first time I voted and for all of the reasons you've listed. These are the things that are important to me, too.

Busy Bee Suz said...

I'm glad that Miss Ellie is on the mend!!! Poor Lucy; it is hard to be left behind. I've had to take Ozzie to the vet several times this summer and Cocoa has such a sad look on her face when we leave her. Oh...early voting.
I AM looking forward to getting my vote in and being done with all the drama. :)
Enjoy your weekend.
XO

KGMom said...

Dogs certainly can convey their emotions, can't they?

Pennsylvania, where we live, does not have early voting. Sometimes wish we had it.
As for undecided voters--while I agree with you, and also know how I will vote, there are some people who are disappointed in Obama, but can't vote for Romney. Now, frankly, for me it is the policies they stand for--politics ever was the art of compromise, and with so little compromise, people blame Obama for what didn't get done. So even if all the policies I favor didn't get enacted, I don't conclude that a candidate should be thrown out.
Maybe that's not the reason for the undecideds, but it is the best I can do. Then again, maybe people just haven't taken the time to become informed, and are relying on nonsense things such as ads, news coverage, and --yes-- debates.

KB said...

I'm glad that you caught that spot early for Ellie's sake! So many medical/vet problems can be controlled if you act quickly. I'm glad that you did!

I also wish that you could vote *often*!

We are also a swing state, and I am going completely nuts with the phone calls all the time. Finally, I decided to make one party believe that I was completely insane, in hopes that they wouldn't call again. I asked them what their candidate's position was on hiking pole use on federal lands. I feigned disbelief that the their candidate had no position. I told them that I'd never vote for a candidate who would allow hiking pole use on federal lands. I managed not to giggle while I ranted about hiking poles and told them that I didn't care about jobs :)

Believe it or not, that party did NOT call today for the first time in weeks!!!!!! I had my husband in stitches as I did my entire telephone act. Maybe it worked!

Folkways Note Book said...

great quote - so true -- barbara

Anonymous said...

You have good windows for dogs! (What are a few nose prints measured against their entertainment?!)

I'm with you about the Undecideds. It's not like their are dozens of choices. There are two. Read about them, think about all the issues that are critical, and choose one.

Oh... and don't forget that even if you choose to vote a straight party ticket, you still have to vote for the Presidential candidate separately.


Anonymous said...

PS... If I understand correctly, early votes and absentee ballots are tabulated early. When the polls are closed at 7:30 and numbers start popping up on your TV screen within seconds, those are the early vote totals being released.

KKS can vote early with confidence.

Jayne said...

Hope Ellie is on the mend and feeling much better. I love the eloquent way you articulate all things political my friend. Wish I could vote often too. ;c)

troutbirder said...

Ouch! That spot looks ugly. So a question, my having GSD with two coats and long hair. How do you spot a "hot spot" in the early stages???

NCmountainwoman said...

Thanks for your comments, everyone.

Donna - I agree that many people are disappointed in President Obama. But if you look at the differences between the candidates and their parties then it really shouldn't be too difficult to make a decision.

merrily - Good points. And you also have to vote separately for the non-partisan positions such as judges, etc.

Troutbirder - I suspect it is even more difficult with a Sibe or German Shepard, but I think you would just have to watch carefully to see if there are any damp spots where Baron might have licked. My husband found Ellie's by rubbing his hands over her back.