7 August 2008

Back home again



I've been looking forward to today ... Thursday is the first day of the week when I'm home all day. Being at work since Monday has working away from my home, socialising and being in the midst of many people and all that busyness out of my system. Today, and the next few days, I will concentrate on my family and my home and getting my house in order. Yes, friends, I'll be fluffing my nest again.

I want to do some sewing today. I have a few bags of fabric to go through, given to me by daughter-in-law Cathy. What I don't need, I'll give to our sewing circle. I want to work on my pin cushion swap today and hopefully get that finished and ready to send. That sewing room needs to be tidied too. It always amazes me how quickly a sewing room can look like a cyclone has whipped through it, when only the most gentle and calm chores are done in there.

Hanno is taking the Centre's mini bus into Brisbane this morning to pick up our Foodbank stores. The Foodbank supplies food and groceries to charities for a very small amount of money. We buy a lot of the Centre's staples at our local IGA and when we supplement that with what we get from the Foodbank we are able to make up a good parcel of food for people who need it.



I won't bake bread today but there are plenty of other chores to keep me busy. The floors need sweeping and washing, the kitchen looks like it needs a good going over and the front verandah is covered with leaves. A basket of apples is waiting to be turned into a pie and I have several lemons to be squeezed and frozen. There are a couple of loads of washing to be done and hung out to dry.

If I have time later I'll plant some lettuce and beetroot seedlings. It will do me good to get into the garden again. It's always the sweetest of pleasures to be out there on these cool days of late Winter, and when I look around me at the lushness of a garden that provides so much of our food, I know I'm really at home, and this is where I belong.

Rosie is still sick. She is good for a day or so and then is unwell again. We've had her to the vet twice but I'm not sure he knows what he's doing. Tomorrow I hope to take her to a specialist terrier vet in a township about 30 kms away. I thank you all for the thoughtful wishes you are sending us for Rosie's recovery. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure she will survive this. She's lost more weight - she's lost more than a third of her weight now, and she's still not really interested in eating. I hope the new vet will make some progress with her.

For the ladies who asked about the washing soda, here are photos of my supplies. I have two brands of washing soda here - Prepact and Lectric.



Washing soda is Sodium Carbonate, nothing else. So if you look on the back of your package, find the ingredients list and if it says sodium carbonate, you have the right product, no matter what it is called. It generally comes as a white powder but it is also sold in crystal form.



Good luck with your hunt. Here is the Cedel Lectric website for more information.

And finally I want to welcome back an old friend. Jewels returned her wonderful blog to blogland yesterday and it's a real pleasure to see her again. Welcome back, friend, your new home is absolutely beautiful! If you don't know Jewels, her blog, Eyes of Wonder, is on my side bar. Do yourself a favour and visit.

SHARE:

20 comments

  1. This might have been said already, but I can find Arm and Hammer brand "Super Washing Soda" in the grocery store. We're in the States. Besides pool supply companies, this seems to be the ONLY brand available.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bless Rosie--My childhood dog was an airedale named "Mopsie"--Her mother, "Rags" lived near my elementary school and visited all the children at recess on the playground! I had begged for a dog of any kind and had given up when one day after walking home from school, I spied a curly furred puppy in my window--it was one of Rag's puppies--Such a wonderful dog! I caught a glimpse of her last year on a old home movie along with my "young" mother and my dad who is gone now. We lost our beautiful Alaskan Malamute, Brenna, a couple of years ago--she had been extremely healthy all of her 13 yrs. (very old for a large breed!) - did not seem to age at all like most dogs--then one day she could not get up- arthritis--then-that was in winter (Jan) and she weighed 92 lbs. at the vet- then the next week she seemed fine- went on a long hunt with my husband- then in March, her appetite fell off- took her back in and she was in renal failure-- weighed 75 lbs. under all that fur!--disappeared a month later after much treatment and expense. Still miss her- We lost our precious gentle-spirited 16 yr. old cocker mix, Prince, also-- but he had been decrepid so long it was almost a relief. My then 21 yr. old son, told me he could not stop the tears as he and his dad buried Prince. We have two lovely rescue dogs now, Dudley a chow/labrador mix and Wendy, a beautiful terrier mix. Love them all. They have enriched our lives so much I never want to be without a couple of dogs- even though it is so painful to let them go. Hoping or the best!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Rhonda Jean :) I hope that you have a lovely day at home - productive, joyful, restful. It's so nice to have those days! I was just thinking about that this morning, praying as I walked through the house with such a thankful heart for the privilege of being here.

    Thank you for the update on your dear Rosie. The children and I will continue to pray for you as you try to help her. Love and hugs, Q

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Rhonda,
    Ask the vet to check Rosie's kidney function. This can cause malaise, loss of appetite. Hope she is ok. I love how your dogs look. They have very sweet expressions. Enjoy your day. Barb

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hello Rhonda, sorry to hear Rosies's not making good progress - I really hope she pulls through. Sending much love and positive thoughts for your dear girl, and hugs for all of you. Diana x

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Rhonda-I agree it could be kidney failure-it is very common in older dogs and cats. We hope for the best for Rosie.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Have the vet check for a bladder infection. Our dog had lost a lot of weight recently and the vet at first thought renal failure but thankfully it was just a bladder infection. He taking medicine twice a day and I've been making him your dogfood recipe so he's feeling better. I pray that Rosie gets better soon.
    Cynthia

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh so sorry about your dog.. the same thing happened to my little Cavalier and by the time he'd lost 1/3 of his weight, the vet finally took an xray and found out a peach pit was lodged in his intestine and he couldn't eat.Major surgery had to be done.He is fine now and hope Rosie will be soon too.
    Hoping the vet can figure out what is causing Rosie to lose weight. You must be very worried.
    Also thanks for telling us Jewels is back. I already went over and read her update, and now back to tell you thinking of you with the Rosie illness.
    Take care
    Mim

    ReplyDelete
  9. its funny you should post about the washing soda, I just bought my supplies for making laundry detergent, however I am trying to find a container to put this in. It cost me just over $14 for the supplies, so I need to figure out how many loads of laundry this will make.

    Gill from Canada

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thinking of your sweet Rosie girl and you all will be in my prayers. Such a kind face and nice disposition Rosie has. Thank you for sharing that the "eyes of wonder" is back.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Prayers for Rosie! One thought that came to mind is to see if her thyroid is working right. I ask this because my mother has a dog with a slow thyroid and a cat with a fast thyroid. Both take medicines that are easily obtained. I pray it is something simple.
    Hugs,
    Nancy

    ReplyDelete
  12. i smiled when i read your remarks about how quickly sewing rooms get messy... i scratch my head over this idea several times a week as i pick up my sewing space, yet again. ;)

    keeping your rosie in my thoughts, poor girl.
    heather
    beauty that moves

    ReplyDelete
  13. Best wishes with Rosie tomorrow at the specialist. It is so hard when they get sick and can't tell you how they're feeling (like babies, really).

    ReplyDelete
  14. Dearest Rhonda,
    I am praying very much for your Rosie. I sure hope all will be o.k.
    Wishing you a wonderful day and thanks for letting us know about Jewels. YOu and her have the best blogs ever.
    Blessings to you,
    Cathy

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi Rhonda
    Best wishes for your trip to the vets, I do hope he finds something for Rosie.

    Thank you for pointing me in the direction of Jewels wonderful blog.

    I have plans to move my 'workroom' at the end of the summer and have been sort all week. So suprised how much 'stuff' I have collected that I don't need and have several large boxes to pass on.

    Pippa xx

    ReplyDelete
  16. Rhonda,

    It's so hard when a pet is ill. I do so hope and pray she recovers quickly. Our pets are such important members of our families!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Good luck with the special vet for Rosie. There have been some helpful suggestions in the comments here as to other things it might be. I do hope it will be something he/she can sort out. I hope you have enjoyed your quiet day at home being busy indoors and planting in the garden.

    ReplyDelete
  18. As I have been away this comment is on Wednesday's post, the cityI live in has a few neighbourhoods that banned closelines but the provence has stepped in with an energy conservation plan that makes that illegal. They are running commercials with a will known scientist encouraging all sorts of ways to cut back, one add has him hanging laundry from a power line, and telling a child that closelines are in. It's too bad that has to be legislated and the children have to be taught some things that should come naturally.
    Kym

    ReplyDelete
  19. I'm so sorry to hear that Rosie is not recovering well. I hope the specialist will be able to get to the bottom of things and get her on the mend.

    For anyone in the U.S. having a difficult time locating washing soda, Natural Home Magazine has a washing powder recipe that uses baking soda instead - http://www.naturalhomemagazine.com/Inspiration/2000-05-01/laundryrecipe.aspx

    ReplyDelete
  20. So sorry about Rosie.

    Your laundry soap-what do you store it in?

    ReplyDelete

Blogger Template by pipdig