Buster’s Blog

Last night it got down to 17 degrees which is very cold for Chattanooga.  I have a remote thermometer in our greenhouse and it showed 31 degrees despite having an electric heater in there. At about 11 PM I took a portable oil stove down and put it in the greenhouse and turned it down as low as it would go so it would last all night and the temperature started up, but the stove went out and when I got during the night I checked and the remote thermometer showed 28 degrees, so dressed in my pajamas and a coat I went down and relit the stove and turned it up higher.  It worked all night, but the begonias look the worse for the experience.  It is forecast to be as cold again tonight.
On top of that Marilyn’s car froze up on her way to the dentist and I had to go get her, but my car wouldn’t even start.  It turned over but wasn’t the least bit interested in starting.  I had to rent a car to go get her.  The problem with her car (we think) is that it used to have water leak and I just kept adding water instead of a water/antifreeze mixture and it just got too diluted for weather this cold.  The leak was fixed earlier and now the system has been drained and new antifreeze added.
I hope tomorrow is more normal.

Sunday morning Buster had a small raw spot on his tail which grew larger all day.  Yesterday I took him to the vet and she said it was probably fleas that he was biting.  I am giving him Revolution (instead of Frontline because it protects against heartworms as well, but doesn’t protect against ticks) for two months and was surprised to hear that.  She rubbed his fur backwards and found a couple of dead fleas and a live tick.  She said that she thinks Frontline kills the fleas faster so they won’t irritate him so much.  I just applied the 3^rd months worth of Revolution on Saturday so next month I will switch back to Frontline.  I also got a tick collar for him since Revolution doesn’t claim to work on ticks and we found a live one.
She also gave me 2 kinds of pills I have to give him twice a day.
Today, he is just moping around and has not even eaten his morning meal (in which I placed the pills).  Normally his tail is up over his back in nearly a circle but today it hangs limply behind him.  I haven’t seen him wag once today.  I hope it isn’t something worse than fleas.

This can’t be blamed on Buster. 

Saturday morning the passenger side window of Marilyn’s car was broken out.  It looks just like when it was broken into with a punch several years ago except it was sitting at our house.  All I can figure is that perhaps a small sharp hard object was thrown at is by the lawn mower.  At any rate it messed our day.  We rented a car for us to use during the weekend and for Marilyn to drive to work Monday.  Monday I will see if any of the auto glass companies will answer their phone.  They wouldn’t Saturday morning.

This happened on 9/12/06 and was the final straw that caused me to have the invisible fence put around the garden.

Buster checks out his handiwork.

 I ask you, does he look even a little bit sorry?

No. He is not sorry at all.  He even takes a bow.

Here is the first real damage Buster has done to the Garden Wall.

Notice that these are not small rocks that he is moving around.  This happened on my birthday.  This is South wall of the SW quadrent of the garden.

This picture is from May, but I felt like I ought to put something in this blog or it may wither and die. I can’t find the pictures of the damage Buster has done to the garden wall, but I will post it as soon as I find it.  Meanwhile, this is what it looked like before he started digging for chipmunks.

While I was in Raleigh, Buster chewed the handle off of one of Marilyn’s favorite baskets.  I’m glad I wasn’t here to witness her rath upon him. (this damage report is about him chewing up the basket, not about what Marilyn did to him)

I found this on MSN where a guard dog went berserk. Buster hasn’t gone this far yet.

Marilyn and I were sitting at the kitchen island eating supper when we heard Buster chewing on the shelf behind us.  He has such a good contrite look doesn’t he? We scolded him, closed the door and now I make sure that there is a rawhide bone for him to chew on instead.

 

Marilyn, Buster and I were out for a short walk around the side yard with Buster on a leash and he was well behaved.  As we returned to the front yard, Buster stopped to mark a small tree but he really isn’t a very good shot.  Actually, I think he must have been voiding since he sensed that we were at the end of the walk.  Anyway, Marilyn didn’t see what he was doing and walked on the other side of the tree to get by us and caught the full stream on her open toed shoes and her pants.  I would have rolled on the ground laughing except it would have been hazardous to my health.  She washed her shoes with 409 and sent her pants, which are washable, to the cleaners.  Even she thought it was funny after the initial shock.  Buster, of course, was oblivious to the whole thing.