I meant to make this post a couple of days ago on Canada Day, but then Big Brother happened and I got all distracted. So Happy Belated Canada Day to my neighbors to the north, and Happy Fourth of July to all us Americans.
Banjo has been a bit off in behavior lately but I have come to the conclusion he is just hot. It has finally warmed up here. I just went outside to play ball with him and we couldn’t find a viable ball so we were not out there long and I got EATEN ALIVE by mosquitos. They bit me in the face, my ankles and my arms. Now we are back in chilling under the ceiling fan and I am debating going to Publix and getting hot dogs to grill. Maybe tomorrow. I have been making progress in the disaster area I cook in much less gross. That is an accomplishment, right?
That is pretty much the excitement around here. I have been glued to the Big Brother feeds today and it finally feels like summer. In fact there was huge news in the house right as I was typing this and I had to stop and update the comments here with the latest. It’s been a very exciting livefeed so far this season! Please keep the BB comments to the BB posts though so that we don’t spoil anyone here.
I’m keeping an eye on any exciting news. I know TMZ posted something about Eva from ANTM season 3 being on RHOA. Unless she is the person filming here, I don’t have a lot of faith in that. I don’t think they have any open spots for season ten. It was always the plan to keep as many people as possible for season ten. Cynthia is not going anywhere and I doubt Porsha will either. But if either of those two were going to be dropped it would have already happened. Unless they demote Porsha again. Honestly, barring any funny business the peaches are in place for the most part.
The other interesting thing is that Olivia de Havilland turned 101 this week and she has decided to sue Ryan Murphy and production over the way she was portrayed on Feud: Bette and Joan. Seriously? She’s angry that her character said bad words and mean things about her sister. Whatever. You are 101 years old, how is this financially damaging you? IDGI
Also, the Charlotte newspaper this week was recruiting people to be on a show about working in a restaurant. It seems that Peter may actually be getting a show. It’s the same production team that does RHOA. I like Peter more than most people and I still don’t see how this is going to work. Plus, it would be a really stupid thing for Peter to do if he has any skeletons regarding his businesses. Allegedly.
The only other interesting thing is that Vanderpump Rules has been filming on Big Bear Lake all weekend. Scheana’s boyfriend Rob is with her.
That is about all of the things I almost posted about.
What is going on where you are? Big parties? Pool parties? Is anyone else completely sucked into the livefeeds not caring about anything else?
Tamara there is not much going on in my neck of the woods. You are so right about the skeeters being bad as my granny used to say.. you could connect the dots because I was bitten so bad… ugh… on a side note.. does Banjo get freaked out by fireworks? I have two big dogs and I have them on anxiety meds from the vet because nothing else has helped. They just whine and shake.. they are much better with meds. I am staying inside and making a big pitcher of margaritas…
Not much going on here, at least, not at my house. There will be fireworks downtown on the riverfront. There may still be some Essence Fest folks still in town. I’m not even going out to grill in the yard, too hot. I’ll do my burgers in the Air Fryer; I love that thing. Everything I cook in it comes out perfect.
Happy 241 st. Birthday America . Happy 2nd Birthday to my little dog Buster. We both love watermelon so I will give him a big ol slice and let him have a ball. I hope fireworks won’t bother him, they didn’t last year but lightning sometimes startles him. Thank you to all our veterans, past and present,living and dead. Freedom is not free. I love this great country of ours and am feeling quiet patriotic. Wishing everyone a wonderful 4th.
Cheers and happy 4th of July! We are all blessed to live in a country where we can believe what we believe and speak our minds and thoughts freely! Let freedom ring!
Well I have a five day weekend and barley have left the house. My dog bloated while I was at work on Thursday and luckily my Mom had stopped to check in her or she wouldn’t be here right now. The vet told me she needed emergency surgery or to be put down. He also told me her odds weren’t great as she is a 10 year old mastiff, but she’s a strong girl and a fighter so I wasn’t about to give up on her. She had surgery and came out great. She was supposed to spend the night at the vet as it was a huge surgery but at about 9:30 that night I got a call to pick her up as she had ripped out her IV and catheter and was trying to get in cars when they walked her. Needless to say I made the right choice! 🙂 I hope everyone has a great holiday!
phew! What a lucky dog –
Yes! And lucky me! Minus the almost 2k vet bill ?She’s worth every penny, though.
I just took my furminator (it’s an expense gadget to brush your dog’s hair with, which if I actually used my life would be easier) to the huge area rug. It worked like a charm but was very time consuming. It is GREAT to do some cleaning where I can see significant progress from my couch where I spend 86% of my life.
Now there is 96.3% less dog hair floating around in here. My next dog needs to a short haired on. LOL.
Now I feel like I have accomplished something, plus i forced me to take a shower and was my hair. I’m almost like a normal person at the moment!
I thought I was the only one to consider a shower and shampoo a major accomplishment for the day. Once I have the kitchen reasonably picked up, I refuse to cook anything for the rest of the day.
I use my kitty’s Furminator on my carpets too.
I may go downtown and watch the fireworks. I’ll decide tomorrow, keeping in mind I have to be at work early on Wednesday. I usually like to watch the Boston Pops if not in person, then on television (tradition – my grandfather passed away on July 4th in Boston. Several important people in history passed away on July 4th, including a couple of presidents, I think.) It was always a big deal the years I got to go out on my Uncle’s boat and watch them from the water. This year the televised celebrations look to be from NY and the White House. I guess if I don’t go out I could probably find them streaming somewhere.
Sorry for my boring and rambling post. ??♀️
I just had to give Banjo sedatives. It’s 10:30 fireworks are sort of starting. I have a feeling there will be a lot at midnight. I HATE SEDATING MY DOG.
Have you tried swaddling him, like a baby? It seems to help my mom’s dog when there’s a thunderstorm. I use an ace bandage – not too snuck, just the right amount. That seems to quiet him down. Sounds insane, I know.
Try a Thunder Shirt. One of my dogs is really anxious and the Thunder shirt words better than meds.
Yeah, lol that’s where I got the idea, after seeing a commercial. It really is amazing how much it helps.
No plans, I work holidays. But will eat and eat some more. And will try to figure out how to rat / mouse / squirrel proof my strawberry plants. Currently have a wire cage around it but someone has figured out how to get in during the night. This morning looked like a murder scene, strawberries half-eaten and thrown all around. Damn darn phooey!
TT — Are you going to be checking out the latest installment of Famously Single? I am kind of into it, for some insomniac viewing.
Happy 4th everybody!
We go to third of July in Boston most every year. It’s the rehearsal night without fireworks. Always so much fun. But crowds got bigger and security is so time consuming for us. Neighborhood works and cookouts is just fine now. Happy 4th everyone! Blessings and hugs
Yeah, I imagine it’s not like it used to be. Party like a true Patriot for me!! (Just purchased a new, cute Dot Rat T shirt)
It’s still pretty great but from the couch now! We will party hearty for sure. Red Sox, hot dogs and fireworks. Happy 4th…wear that new T!
Went to a party on the lake earlier, came home to finish the food for tomorrow. Giant bowl of salsa and a huge bowl of potato salad. I get to drive to Sea-Tac airport in the morning, will take at least 2 hours, my son is coming home from a mission trip to Haiti. I have missed him so much and cannot wait to see him. After i get him home i will head out the a different party at another lake and spend the whole evening. This is my favorite holiday. Happy 4th to everyone
It’s 10 billion degrees here in the desert southwest and we are ready to spontaneously combust, I’m hoping the fireworks get cancelled because my dogs are going ballistic so far. Oops I was trying to beat the post for the longest run on sentence so far, epic fail. I’m trying to stay positive that we will actually have another July 4th so staying away from the news. BB just can’t get into it, least favorite time of the year for me, waiting for BB to weed out and get our TT back seems to last longer and longer each year! Happy holidays everyone!
Ohhh binged watched OITNB this weekend, great season!
Boys are off to the beach why I work. Plus of not going to the beach I get the house all to myself for a few days.
I love your new site design T. It’s rather eye catching for a ratchet website! I want to thank you and your Tomato Talk for inspiring me to plant a bunch of flowers around my deck. They’re beautiful. But something was missing and I couldn’t put my finger on it. Then it hit me what was missing – a tomato plant! I bought a half price, half dead cherry tomato plant. And I must say, it’s doing rather well in the 90°+ weather here in St. Louis. In my 55 years on this planet, I’ve never ever planted one. Thanks for motivating me to get back to gardening.
It’s HOT HOT HOT here in SE Texas, so I plan to stay inside and watch Wimbledon all day. I am annoyed that my neighborhood’s deed “restriction” against fireworks only seems like a “casual recommendation”, as it sounded like a war zone here last night. I’m sure that tonight will be worse. Ugh. Fortunately the kitties don’t seem to be bothered by them.
Beyond that, Happy July 4th everyone!
Happy 4th of July! I have been a cleaning machine because I found out family was coming to my house on the 4th. It was bad because I have been purging and cleaning out every closet, drawer, etc. So there were piles everywhere. It’s sparkling clean now. Time to get dress and get the kids up. Where I leave they have a golf cart parade and old fashion car parade too. Everyone have a wonderful day!
Happy 4th! I’m forcing myself (and husband) to go on a hike. My default is bed watching tv and we need to get out and walk. Even if it’s short. Other than that, calming my poor dog. I too had to sedate him. Hate it. Swaddling doesn’t work. Poor boy doesn’t stop shaking.
Yikes! My too lengthy comment evaporated before I could hit post!
The gist of my long-winded rant: I’m giving Melatonin (1mg) to my rescue dog Charlie who has an extreme fireworks phobia. Recommended by his vet, I gave it to him last night when some of my asshole neighbors started celebrating early, as usual. It seems to work. Whether sedated or not, please remember to secure your beloved pets inside during the festivities. Fact: shelters/pounds reach their peak capacity on July 5th!
TT and Banjo, and everyone who comes here, have a wonderful, happy and safe 4th!
Agree.. bring your dogs in and turn on the AC tonight … Give them love.. turn on the dog channel
I am in full blown panic attack mode here. Last night I decided to give Banjo sedatives because of the fireworks. That was at about 10:30 10:45 -pm Banjo stayed in his crate this morning which is not unusual. Then around 1PM today I got some crackers to snack on and he got out of the crate to see if I would share.
When he got out of the crate he realized he was wobbly. he took a lap around the rug and went back into the crate to lay down. He sort of fell over. He has been laying there ever since.
I have tried giving him water but he won’t take it. He drinks an astoundingly small amount of water normally and generally only drinks at night. I tried peanut butter on a spoon knowing if he didn’t take that we were in trouble. he licked a few licks of that and then I took it away.
His eyes are glassy and he is breathing slightly heavier than usual. He is not panting. His stomach area looks a bit bigger than usual but I may be imaginging that or it’s just the weird way he is laying.
I am really freaking out. He’s too sedated for me to get him in the car, and not sedated enough to see a new vet. He’s sleeping and breathing now. I really need Xanax or wine but am afraid I will have to drive. I really don’t think taking him anywhere is an option.
So I guess I am just asking for some calming thoughts.
I’ll also tweet a message to see if any vets are around. I’m going to send thoughts and prayers for both of you, and tell you it will be fine. Xo
Oh god, I’m sorry. Calming thoughts…
Maybe just call an emergency vet or poison control and see what they advise. Was it Benadryl? How scary… 🙁
Posted on Facebook for you as well. Lots of animal rescuers and healers. Good luck. Xo
Hope he snaps out of it soon. Sounds like he may have gotten a little too much. Hope that’s it and soon he comes around. Please keep us posted
Good thoughts, TT. If his stomach is big and hard I would get him to a vet asap. That’s just what happened to my dog, but she eats anything so when she goes off of food I know there is problem. He may very well just still be sedated..you know his normal. I’m keeping you both in my thoughts and praying for the best xo
Oh, TT, I’m so sorry! He’s probably just high as a kite but I know how scared I get when Max so much as gets diarrhea so I feel for you. Sending lots of love to both of you.
Had a cool weekend in the Carolina mts. Saw a fireworks show that ended at a decent hour Sunday night. Went to a restaurant and had Vidalia bisque soup that was to die for. Now that we are home our dog Bear will stay firmly at our side until the fieworks stop. With some of our neighbors, no telling when that will be. Missing the 70 degree weather now that we are back in the atl. I need that fur thingy for my dog too. He has more hair than all the Kardashians combined!!
Tennis ball time with the dog is mandatory, every day. Try some Swamp Gator for your skeeter problem. It’s all natural, no DEET, but actually works. Also helps w/ noseeums. Can’t believe I used to love summer, ha. Oh, for some reason fireworks don’t bother my dog. They did when we first adopted her but she’s fine now.
We’re cooking out burgers, double cheese. I’m making fries (real ones), and have cold watermelon in the fridge. I baked a big ass batch of cookies, too. Gave some of those away today, which is nice. Not my usual surly self. Lots of folks at our neighborhood pool. I lost weight recently but haven’t put on a bathing suit in years. Don’t see it happening as I’m an old coot now and everything is swinging in the breeze.
Happy fourth, everyone!
So sorry to hear about Banjo.I called the lady who feeds my cat and dog when we are away. She used to work for a vet. Could Banjo just have gotten a bit too sedated. It will wear off if so. Of course the more water he has the faster it will wear off. I hope that is all it is . Sending xoxo and best wishes to you both!!!
Thanks Margaret. I am hoping that is all it is. Now that he is older it takes longer for the meds to wear off.
Meanwhile some asswipes are shooting guns or more likely lighting firecrackers. UGH.
The patient appears to be sleeping (it off) peacefully.
So happy to hear that!!!
Oh hey! Let’s have some afternoon thunderstorms. I’d love a good long rain to drown out the next round of fireworks. But the patient can do without any more trauma from thunder.
I got up to get the trash to the street ahead of the rain, and he came out of the crate to remind me I am not to leave his side. He laid down in the kitchen, but did not follow me to the front door as he usually does. After I came back in I let him lick the rest of the peanut butter off the spoon, then I made a big production out of giving him fresh water and putting it back in its spot in the kitchen. When I left the kitchen, he got up and drunk walked behind me and stayed by me instead of going in the crate.
Baby steps.
Thank goodness – poor baby and poor you!!
My sister actually asked what is wrong (amazed), she rescues greyhounds after they don’t race anymore and has them rest and age comfortably.Also a network of rehabilitation people. I will let you know what she says. (Really amazing if this improves communicating with her) hunh.
I am kind of back in full blown panic attack again. I tried enticing him to eat, even thous it’s earlier than usual for that, because his water is right next to his food and he usually takes a drink after he eats and I really need him to eat. After calling several times and mentioning TREATS he evenly got up, but he stumbled to the door and I let him out do his thing. He tried to poop but I am not sure that he did, he could not lift his leg to pee but could not, tried to squat and could not balance. I THINK he might have peed sitting down but not sure and then he fell to the ground half on the fence.
I went and got the leash to help guide him back in and managed to get him back in house as firecrackers were popping everywhere. He walked right past the food and water trying to get back to the livingroom but could not make it and dropped in the dining room.
We are all still breathing for now,
Things got noisy again outside and he got up to walk the 6-7 feet to lay down by me.
My sister is at a dog retreat in the mountains or something and said it could be just taking a bit longer. She just asked if there are more fireworks. Think she’s talking with a professional. Keep you posted 🙂 xo
Thanks Cheryl, and if this mends some things with your sis at least some good will come of it.
Thanks Tamara, I will let her know Banjo is eating and drinking. I’m here (and she is), if anything changes for the worse. Which I’m sure it won’t, and everyone will be fine. Xo
My sister asked if you don’t mind what sedative did banjo take?
He’s 80 pounds he took one dose of acepromazine, 25mg with one dose of methacarbonal 500mg. He has taken both meds before but perhaps not together.
He is eating and drinking, but has very poor balance.
I take 750mg of methocarbamol. If same, it’s a muscle relaxer and could mess with balance.
Same thing. It’s an older medication (as it it’s been in his basket a bit past the “expiration date”.
fireworks are starting again and he is getting anxious and barking as best he can.
Banjo: I hope he’s OK! I use something from GNC/PetSmart – 50mg Chamomile, 40mg Ginger, 10 mg Tryptophan (let me know if you want the bottle name). Works much better than the doggie downers I used to get from the vet. It calms her but doesn’t knock her out. Works better than anything else I tried, drugs, thunder shirts, etc. My other one couldn’t care less about loud noises and sleeps through anything. As long as he’s drinking I think he’ll be OK. It might scare the hell out of you but he’ll probably sleep it off. I’m not a vet but I’ve been owned by quite a few dogs in my 65 years.
Mosquitoes: I’ve been using this recipe for years and it really works. Safe for pets, plants and humans. 1 big bottle of blue mouthwash (I use the Walmart brand), 3 cups Epson Salt and 3 stale cheap beers.
I hope Banjo will be better in the morning. The more hugs the better!
I have to write down both your recipes. Mosquitoes eat me alive and drive me mad. Do you just mix your concoction and put in a spray bottle?
So hoping you wake to a recovered Banjo! I would have been a frantic momma!
It is hard not to panic. You might offer him an ice cube or even chicken or beef broth. It does sound like the sedative is taking a lot longer to metabolize. When was the last time you gave it to him and though a longer time frame, are the effects about the same? Hope he gets back to normal soon.
OMG I got him to eat and drink water. Progess is good.
The acepromazine is long lasting(half life 12 hours), Methocarbonal intensifies and can cause dizziness. I’m hopeful that all will be fine. He may just be feeling really weird, lol.
I certainly wouldn’t mind if fireworks were not legal. Just seeing the news and the way animals are so afraid (they showed a bunny), is awful. I could do just fine without them. I’m sure people would be able to still have a good day, and there would be less accidents as well.
Fireworks are illegal in Pennsylvania, but they have been going off since Friday. So annoying!
Happy 4th of July everyone!! Sending positive thoughts to you and Banjo, TT. It seems like he’s going to be fine.
It may turn out to be a blessing in disguise that he is still a sedated a bit. The GHETTO IS IN COMPLETE WAR ZONE MODE.
I just marched over to a neighbors house who was setting off firecrackers, and who I have never met, braless in my GA bulldogs t-shirt to ask how his pit bulls are so calm during the fireworks because my dog is FREAKING OUT. He said they just keep them in the house and they hide under shit.
He says he is done with the firecrackers but has a few big things for a later. As we were speaking we could barely hear each other because of all the fire works. I said, “oh I am not complaining about you, I just thought you might have some way of helping us survive this.”
Went completely over his head.
There is SOFA KING much smoke from the fire works you can’t see across the street anymore
Normally, we too, suffer not the silence of lambs this nite, but for some odd reason the next house is shuttered and quiet. There is a God?
Woke up thinking about Banjo. Hope he is back to his normal doggie self.
We all lived and are back to our normally abnormal selves today. Now we just have to endure the guy coming to cut the front yard.
Yeah, my first thought waking up. So glad pup is okay. And quite nice having my sister acknowledge and be kind. She said anytime, she has access to information regarding dogs. All in all guess we all survived another holiday. 🙂
Thanks Cheryl and be sure to thank your sis for me!
Your welcome, and I emailed her to thank her and she said anytime, she was glad to help. 🙂
Happy to hear Banjo is OK, it’s so scary when our dogs aren’t acting normal. You know something is wrong but they can’t tell you what it is. My nervous girl is in my lap because the guy is here to cut the grass :)… my laid back girl is on the couch sound asleep.
To spk: Yes for the mosquito spray I mix it in a 2 gallon plastic pitcher and pour in a spray bottle. I leave the pitcher in the garage and refill as needed. This lasts all summer but I have a small yard. I got the recipe from an elderly neighbor. Not sure why you have to use blue mouthwash…maybe alcohol content? It really does work. I live in Georgia and we have mosquitoes the size of fighter jets!
Thanks! I can’t wait to try this – mosquito bait case study, party of one. 😉
Yes thanks for that recipe as well!!
Went to look at plants and then it happened. Aphloxalypse. Now there’s more gardening to be done.