Love really must have had a light stroke, because the cardiologist where Love works sent for his records from the veteran's hospital yesterday, and is going to try to get him into surgery somewhere in the area next week, but there isn't any hospital or surgeon that has to do surgery, if there's not any insurance.
I caught my neighbor across the street throwing snowballs into my yard today. trying to get my dogs to chase them, which my dogs did. My neighbor said that he had 'cabin fever', from being laid-off too long. He's been laid-off over one and a half years now, with no hope of being called back by the company ever. He is going to school to learn heating and refrigeration, but there are at least six new heating and refrigeration businesses already started by laid-off people here lately. One year, him and his wife paid one-half on my pool. That year I was having financial difficulties, although not nearly the difficulties I am having this year. I was just between jobs and there were jobs then. The gas and electric company was threatening to shut my service off, but my neighbor told me not to worry, that I could run an extension cord across the street to run the pool filter. In the summer I could live without electricity, except for the pool filter, especially since I've learned how to live without a decent frig with freezer. I got a job and caught up on my electric bills and it wasn't shut off, but that wasn't the point I was trying to make. I have the most wonderful neighbors in the world, bar none! My neighbor used to be afraid of my dogs, but found out the summer we shared the pool, that they are gentle. He said that he had lived across the street from me all those years terrified of my dogs, but that they were just big marshmallows. He developed a special game with my male dog. He would stand in the middle of the pool with a ball and throw it toward my big male, and my male would bounce the ball back to him to the middle of the pool with his nose. My neighbor and my male dog played that game many days that summer. It always reminded me of the seal acts I've seen on TV and was entertainment for everyone, including the onlookers.
My female has tapeworms. I got some medicine for it at the store, and hope it takes care of the problem. I understand that tapeworms are caused from a dog swallowing a flea, and the tapeworm larva hatch while going through the dog's digestive system. We've had a bumper crop of fleas here the last two years. I think I have just recently gotten rid of them from last summer. I have read that Brewer's yeast sprinkled on dog food works, and that a light over a bowl of water with dish soap in the water also works. Maybe I'll try the Brewer's yeast next summer.
My male dog has had an ear infection, but I've been trying to correct the problem by keeping his ears very clean. I also have him roll on his side, tell him to 'stay', pour hydrogen peroxide into his ear and let it bubble for a few seconds. It seems to be working, without having the expense of going to the vet.
