Pets Archives - Life with Dee

Shiloh Says…

October 27, 2015 By Deanna Piercy 5 Comments

Hi, my name is Shiloh Beauregard Piercy but you can just call me Shiloh (Mom sometimes calls me Doodlebug but that’s kind of silly). Mom asked me to tell you a little about myself. I don’t really like to think about my life before Mom and Dad adopted me so let’s just talk about the three and a half years I’ve lived with them. You can read about how they rescued me here.

I now spend my days following Mom around the house, taking naps on the sofa (training them to let me on the sofa is one of my finest accomplishments), letting Dad pet me while he watches TV, taking walks with my cat friends and helping Mom and Dad with the leftovers after dinner. I love cheese, chicken, Cheetos and gravy. Sometimes I overindulge and then Mom gives me pumpkin to make my tummy feel better. But perhaps that’s TMI for our first conversation. Who knows? I’m just a dog and still learning social graces.

I’m usually a really good boy. Mom says I’m the best dog ever. Once in awhile, though, I get the urge to explore. I know I’m not supposed to go in the woods or leave the property but you know how it is. Sometimes adventure is calling my name and I have to answer.

I’m not exactly sure what Mom’s plans are for me here on Life With Dee. She said something about me doing some freelance work for her and I think there was a promise of gravy as payment. Sounds good to me. So watch for my upcoming posts. I also have a Facebook page so my fans can keep up with me. You can follow me there, too.

Until next time, remember to spay and neuter your pets. (Mom told me to say that.)

Peace out,

Weekend Catch-up

March 25, 2013 By Deanna Piercy 4 Comments

The past three days have been a whirlwind of sorts. Friday was an absolute roller coaster of emotions. David and I spent the first few hours of the day providing emotional support for a couple of friends. It’s not my story to tell but I will say I was reminded of how difficult it is for me to remain even slightly detached from the pain of others. This trait made me a compassionate hospice nurse but really takes its toll on me at times. I hold it together when I need to and then fall apart in private. Even though the outcome of Friday’s situation was positive, I had to hear things I’d rather not have.

Before I knew what Friday had in store for us, I had purchased some really nice filets at the local meat market and planned an at-home date night for us. Despite the change in plans, I still fixed us a nice dinner of steaks, baked potatoes, wedge salads (topped with crumbled bacon, diced red onion and bleu cheese crumbles), and roasted asparagus.

Chris and some of his friends wanted to play Cards Against Humanity with us. I am ever so grateful that our kids and their friends enjoy being with us and actually choose to hang out with the “old folks” on a Friday night. Justin (our son-in-law) was busy working on a university course he is taking but Lisa was able to join us.

As soon as I knew our plans had changed I whipped up a batch of “The Best Brownies – Ever!”. The house was in decent shape already (thankfully, because I didn’t have the emotional energy to do much cleaning) and besides, I knew this group wouldn’t care. We ended up with Lisa, Chris, Kadi, Kadi’s sister, and two other friends. We had an absolutely hilarious time playing the game and eating brownies. It turned out to be just what I needed to lift my mood. Besides, Shiloh LOVES company.

On Saturday, David had to work a few hours and I just piddled around at home. He got home just in time to observe Earth Hour with me. I cooked up several veggies (zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, asparagus, potato, red bell pepper, onion) in some butter, chicken broth, and white wine which I served over brown rice and topped with grated cheese. We ate that and a salad by candlelight. We took our time, enjoying each other’s company. My phone and Bose docking station were fully charged so we were able to listen to music while we ate. Even though Earth Hour was officially over by the time we finished eating we left the lights (and computer) off. I put away the food and cleared away most of the mess in the kitchen by candlelight and then left the rest – something I almost never do! We then took our bottle of wine and candles to the family room. David had built a nice fire in the fireplace just before dinner and we spent the next couple of hours playing Scrabble and sipping wine. It was such a nice way to spend an evening that I’m hoping to do it more often.

Yesterday was Palm Sunday. We had a lovely service. I always enjoy watching the kids process in waving their palm branches.

Afterwards David and I went to our favorite Mexican restaurant for lunch, picked up an anniversary card for my parents (52 years today!) and then went to Orscheln’s, a farm and ranch store. David wanted to get some type of divided container for all our pirate jewelry and I was more than happy to go in with him. Because of this:

Baby chicks are here! Well, not here. But hopefully next week it will be warm enough to kick the cats outside because we need the laundry room for the baby chicks. I’m so excited about having chickens again. I’ve really missed them…and the eggs.

And finally, I have to tell you what Shiloh did Saturday. We have a very large balcony across the front of our house and our bedroom opens onto it. Shiloh was being sort of pest-y so David let him onto the balcony. We’ve had this discussion about how I don’t trust him out there so David was keeping an eye on him. That is how he happened to see Shiloh stick his leg through an opening in the railing (to look at it, you wouldn’t think that big dog would even fit through it) but before he could stop him, Shiloh went through it and fell to the ground! We both raced downstairs, hearts in our throats. David got to the door first and there was Shiloh. Dirt on his face but otherwise fine. He must have tumbled and rolled when he hit. Fortunately he landed in the spot where he had dug himself a place to lie in the dirt rather than the concrete walkway.

I have no idea what possessed him to do that and can’t believe he escaped a nine foot fall without the slightest injury. He doesn’t even act sore anywhere. Goofy dog. I think he must have a guardian angel. It did, however, provide a bit of humor for his Facebook page:

“Okay, so I didn’t fly. But I stuck the landing and the cat gave me a 9.7.”

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

March 18, 2013 By Deanna Piercy 2 Comments

Our pitiful attempts to get a picture of Shiloh in David’s leprechaun hat:

I think I need to get some dog training tips from Dooce.

Happy birthday, Shiloh!

March 13, 2013 By Deanna Piercy 3 Comments

Shiloh is a rescue dog so we don’t have any idea when his birthday is. I decided we should celebrate it on the day we brought him home which was a year ago today. I can’t believe it’s been a whole year!

This adorable dog has brought so much joy into our lives. I never would have thought I’d have a big (hairy) indoor dog but he’s my shadow. I vacuum a lot more often and am forever brushing white dog hair off my mostly black wardrobe. But he’s totally worth it. As I type this he’s asleep on the floor by me. I woke him to take this picture but he’s snoozing again. He’s had a good day but then, every day is a good one for this sweet dog.

If you’d like to wish him a happy birthday, here’s the link to his Facebook page:

Shiloh Beauregard Piercy

Happy birthday, Shiloh! We love you.

Here on Apple Tree Farm

July 9, 2012 By Deanna Piercy 2 Comments

I’ve got a busy, busy day ahead of me (Meals On Wheels, hair appointment, errands and a meeting of our city’s Multicultural Committee) so I’ll just share a few pictures this morning:

My tomato plants are loaded and that makes me happy:

I took this Sunday morning while walking Shiloh before church:

And this one. It’s hard to tell from the picture but that’s our pond just beyond the grass (which needs to be mowed again):

My buddy, Fitzgerald:

And of course, sweet Shiloh:

Finally, a picture of the pirate ship Chris and Kadi bought for us at a garage sale Saturday morning:

And now I’ve got to hurry up and finish getting ready to leave. Have a great day!

Oh, and feel free to check out our menu for this week on Dee’s Kitchen, as well as my “Music Monday” post on The Well-Groomed Hippie.

Hanging out at Apple Tree Farm

June 22, 2012 By Deanna Piercy 3 Comments

I had intended to plant some colorful flowers in this large bowl on our porch table but I think these are way cuter:

Shiloh getting an early morning drink from the pond:

There are homegrown tomatoes in my near future:

We had a nice rain shower yesterday morning:

Peace in the rain:

I’m picking up David at the airport today at noon. Yay! I always miss him when he’s away.

HMF is going to the dogs

June 5, 2012 By Deanna Piercy 3 Comments

Not only do people enjoy Happyland Music Fest (HMF) but the dogs have a great time, too.

This is Herman and this was his second year at HMF.

(I wish I had taken one with a human next to him for size comparison. He is HUGE!)

Calla is a veteran. She’s attended all five HMFs.

This was Panches’ second HMF.

Huck was a first-timer but after a bit he was runnin’ with the big dogs.

(I should have edited this to include a modesty patch. But I didn’t.)

And Shiloh LOVED all the attention!

Herman’s owner also brought Lola (I think that is her name) for the first time but she was shy and overwhelmed by it all and he had to keep her away from all the commotion. Unfortunately I didn’t get a picture of her. I had been concerned about how our tiny kittens on the front porch would do but they were fine. The dogs left them alone and nearly every time I went in the front door someone (or often a circle of several) would be sitting there playing with them. Needless to say, by the end of the weekend we had some extremely well-socialized kittens.

Happyland Music Fest – Part I

June 1, 2012 By Deanna Piercy 1 Comment

We are still trying to recover from Happyland Music Fest last weekend. I did get my kitchen clean and I moved all the stuff left in my family room to the exercise room and closed the door…which is my latest excuse for not getting on the treadmill. The house is basically back to livable standards. On Wednesday David had to make a trip to the city so he took a truck load of glass to the recycling center up there (we still don’t have glass recycling here in town). Yes, I said a truck load. The incredible thing is that there is still more that wouldn’t fit in his pickup. Most of the trash has been picked up and disposed of although I’m still picking up bits of streamers, bottle caps and cigarette butts each time I go outside. And the back patio is still a bit of a disaster zone. But all in all, we emerged from our annual crazy fest unscathed. Nothing was broken and no one died or even had to go to the E.R. so I consider that a win.

Chris had asked me to try to take a lot of pictures during the weekend and I did. So many, in fact, that I’m still trying to get them sorted. I’ll be sharing some of them over the next few days, a few at a time so as not to overwhelm those (like me) with slow internet service. So here we go:

Cas Simmons, one of our attendees, designed this gorgeous poster. Click on it to see the list of musicians and bands which played during the weekend. These posters (and t-shirts) will be available for purchase soon.

Casey Howard, Anne Capshaw and David Winchester

Shiloh had a blast! So many people to love on him.

Some of the decorations (those white wire things are lights)

Blowing bubbles

Everybody is happy at Happyland.

Nice wig, Aaron.

“Bonesaw” returns!

Yes, that’s my boy.

Okay, enough for now. In a future post I’ll share some of the great comments being left on our Facebook group page, “Happyland Survivors Club”. It does my heart good to know that everyone had such a good time and that new friendships were formed as a result of this event.

AND…I’ve been reading something which has given me a great idea for a blog post series so stay tuned for that.

In which I embrace my inner crazy cat lady

May 18, 2012 By Deanna Piercy 2 Comments

Just a wee glimpse into our life here on Apple Tree Farm.

First up, a close-up of our sweet Shiloh’s precious face. He looks rather serious here:

But he usually looks like he’s smiling:

That last one was of him in all his furry glory, just after having the pins and external fixator removed from his leg. A couple of days later, David took him to our local Petsense store to have him groomed. They have been amazing. When Shiloh was first found with his shattered leg and needing major surgery, they held a car wash fund raiser. They also made special tags for his collar – one with his name and another with a fleur de lis – which they gave us free. They had told us to bring him in for grooming after the pins were removed. They spent THREE HOURS on him and did it for free. Good folks.

Here he is after his grooming, totally wiped out:

Yeah, he looks a little ridiculous without all that hair but he’ll be much more comfortable in our 100+ degree summer weather. I must admit, however, that I’m looking forward to seeing him all big and fluffy again. Oh, and that rather disgusting-looking thing on the porch in front of him? The remains of a HUGE bone David bought him as a treat. He thought it would give him something to gnaw on for several days but Shiloh had it pretty much gone by bedtime.

And then there are the cats. Lots and lots of cats. A couple of months ago we “acquired” this fella:

At first he wouldn’t let anyone come any closer than 10 feet from him. As you can see, he got over that nonsense. I will hug him and pet him and name him…Fitzgerald.

Aren’t these the absolute cutest little things?! These are the kittens from our first litter and are sweetness personified. They are also getting rather antsy in the laundry room but at least two are spoken for and will be indoor cats so we are keeping them inside for now. I never know what I’ll find when I walk in the laundry room. A couple of days ago I washed a full load of the towels and small throw rugs I use for the pets. I folded their Downy-scented freshness very neatly and stacked them on the counter only to find most of them scattered on the floor the next day. Oh, well. Who can get mad at these faces?

And then there are the “balcony kittens”. Dharma had her kittens on the balcony just before we went to New Orleans and they resided peacefully up there in a laundry basket. Until they decided to explore the greater world. I saw the first one climb out. I wasn’t sure what to do with them. The two moms aren’t great friends so I didn’t think putting them all together in the laundry room would be a great idea. Plus, Dharma was afraid of Shiloh since she’d never been around a dog before. That’s why she was pretty much living on the balcony and had the kittens there in the first place. I thought about moving them to the front porch but again, since Dharma was afraid of Shiloh and that’s where he hangs out most of the time, I just wasn’t sure how that would work.

David and I talked it over and he convinced me that they wouldn’t be so stupid as to fall off the balcony. Well, I can’t say I was totally convinced but I did make him promise to handle whatever happened as a result of this laissez-faire approach to kitten rearing.

And then it happened. I checked on the kittens early Sunday morning and one was missing! I told David and he went downstairs to see what happened. I feared the worst. But in just a minute he came back upstairs holding a perfectly fine kitten. He had found it asleep on Shiloh on the front porch. We are guessing that it scrambled down one of the vine-covered stone pillars but when it couldn’t go back up, decided to make the best of things with the sweetest dog on the planet.

So now they are living on the front porch. The kittens adore Shiloh so their mama decided he must be okay. I occasionally see them nose to nose, even. He hasn’t *quite* won over Berkeley, Dharma’s brother who is the only other cat here who had never seen a dog before Shiloh, but he’s getting close.

Now tell me that isn’t just the sweetest little face:

Dharma and a couple of her babies:

Oh, my! That cuteness is almost too much:

Shiloh and one of his kittens:

Yeah, I know…crazy cat lady and all that.

And then there were nine…

April 11, 2012 By Deanna Piercy 2 Comments

I had been planning to get Dharma spayed after we get back from New Orleans. However I noticed this past week or two that she looked a little, um, broad? I was hoping she was just fat but this morning she presented us with five kittens (plus one that didn’t make it).

Along with Tillie’s four cuties…:

…that makes nine kittens.

And here’s a picture of the chicks my cousin is raising for me along with his until they are big enough to be outdoors:

Then of course there is the incomparable Shiloh:

When we get back from New Orleans I will have three raised beds to finish weeding and then plant:

Yeah, I think I will have plenty to keep me busy here on Apple Tree Farm.