New Foster Pup

Here's our new foster pup. His name technically is Mickey, but I think he looks more like a Hershey, so we're calling him that. He's a 6 week old shepherd cross, found abandoned on the reserve. He's a tough little guy! Molly likes him, and they had a good play in the yard yesterday, until he really starts bugging her, or biting her heels. Then she'll growl at him, but she absolutely won't snap, or at least hasn't yet. She just leaves the area. What a good girl she is!

Hershey will probably be with us until he's old enough to be adopted. He's so cute I don't think it'll take long before he is. We're going to try to teach him some manners, although he is generally pretty good. Too much biting though!

Fall-ing

Although we've just had the nicest week of the summer weatherwise, it is still definitely fall now. The leaves are turning. Fortunately, we haven't had a wind strong enough yet to blow them all away. The downtown & south side of the city are gorgeous right now. I'm sure the north side is too, but I haven't been over there! I took these pictures at the park across the street, except for the rose, which is in my garden. The roses are still doing really well

Poor Poodle

Molly has been having a lot of trouble with her back & hips lately, so she was getting injections to help. She must have been feeling better because on Wednesday she tried to jump up on the bed. She didn't make it, and fell backwards off the bed, hurting & scaring herself. Yesterday she seemed pretty good, but today when she woke up she couldn't put any weight on her left leg at all, and wouldn't walk. We assumed it was her back, and Wendy, who runs the daycare, kindly offered to take her to the vet. The vet also assumed it was her back, since that's how I described it, but after examining her, she didn't feel that was the major cause of the problem. She kept looking, and realised that her left back paw was hugely swollen. She took x-rays, thinking she might have broken her toes, but it turns out she has a terrible infection in it (cellulitis), and that's why it's so sore.

So at the moment she's not too happy, but at least it's something we can fix, and her back should feel better in a couple of days. The infection should go down in 5-7 days, and hopefully that'll be the end of that. Poor doggy.

You would think when looking at the picture that it is perspective making her left paw look so much bigger than her right, but it actually is that much bigger at the moment.

Molly is a Nut

Molly was asleep on the couch last night. She had her paws all wrapped up together, and her back leg was right under her nose! I don't know how this can possibly be comfortable.

Although the rest of us aren't, she's really happy with the cooler weather. The injections are also helping her hips/back a bit, so she's friskier on her walks again. Unfortunately she still being a big meanie at the daycare. Apparently she snarled at a puppy 3 times today! She'd better be careful or she won't be invited back.

Another Failure!

I tried again to complete a century today, but failed again. This time I rode 93 miles, then got another flat. I started to try to repair it, but I couldn't get the little screw on the valve off. Now, in my defence, neither could John when he came to pick me up. I couldn't believe I got so close, but wasn't able to finish it. Now I have to try AGAIN! What a nightmare. I'm running out of time to get it done.

FYI, it took me 5 hrs 57 minutes to ride 93 miles.

As usual I took a bunch of pictures along the way, so I might as well post them.

Chief Mountain in the distance.
Many cows
Pivot irrigator

Pivot irrigator in action. They are fully computerized.

My first town outside Lethbridge. It was a horrible ride to get there.

My second town, and first pit stop.
Some boys I chatted with. They were really interested in my bike.
Next town, Stirling
Stirling doesn't seem to have a city sign, but it does have some neat historical buildings, so I took a picture of those instead.

Prairie scenery

Half way!
Coaldale, next stop


The bridge that goes across the coulee. Wind gusts, really?!

I liked the clouds
Self portrait of a tired rider

I was heading to Iron Springs, but I liked the sign for Turin
Getting closer to Lethbridge
Alpacallamas!
3/4 of the way
Next pit stop, Picture Butte

Time stopped due to flat. Hence, another incomplete century
The flat
One tired, dejected rider