The Dog Lady Blog

The weather has become oppressive. The Ohio Valley heat and humidity comes together and makes my garden wilt. Too much rain these past six weeks have made for less-than-great tomatoes but my berries and melons are luscious and prolific. I spent part of my week picking all kinds of blackberries, gallons and gallons, thus providing parts of my body, namely my ankles and arms, as a tasty meal for the chiggers and mosquitoes. Coupled with the blackberry briar scratches all over my hands and running up and down the inside of my forearms (steeped in prickly persperation)and I now suffer in a constant state of itchiness. I take Benadryl capsules and spray Dermoplast on my afflicted parts, vacillating between a diphenhydramine semi-stupor and numb appendages. I'm not complaining, though, since I'm living in blackberry heaven, purple fingers and all. I'm a sight!

Life is good. I'm still in a financial brouhaha but I'm flailing about less because every month I just make my ends meet.

Since August 9 I've been taking care--good care--of my neighbors house and animals. They get back August 16 and I've baked, cooked and cleaned like Martha Stewart. In all honestly I've really enjoyed it. I haven't had a real home to take care of since 1998 and despite my outdoorsy,
tomboy-ish inclinations, I do love a tidy, fresh home filled with the aromas of good food. The potential for such domestic pursuits keeps me in their home for extended periods of time which their animals love. At just a half mile from my place, it's totally feasible for me to zip back and forth with ease. Plus they've got wi-fi, a bitchin' home theatre system with cable and super cold air conditioning so I'm living large, wondering what the "poor" folks are doing tonight...I'll know soon enough for myself when they come home and I go back to my full-time-amenity-free life. Trust me, though, I'm not complaining. They pay me extraordinarily well. And I love my land. I wake up happy, go to bed serene. All in all I really want for nothing, though if I could teach the dogs how to brush my hair, massage my feet & hands and rub my neck, I'd be light as day.