New Routines With Dogs And Trees

Fostering 5 puppies is hard but fostering 5 puppies in my bedroom and being sick for 3 days is extremely hard!  I am feeling better finally.  After work yesterday I came home and had to catch up on chores like picking up the yard and watering the trees.  The puppies think it is a lot of fun to pounce on the lantana bush and tear it up so I put some chicken wire around it.  Last night one of the puppies was bouncing on the chicken wire on top of the lantana!  This time I took the puppy fence that they aren't using any more and put it around the lantana.  I think that will protect it.
 
The puppies are almost all well except for some coughing fits at midnight.  I will give them their last dose of antibiotic on Thursday and hopefully they will be able to get their first vaccine soon after.  They are all eating hard kibble but are still nursing too and I have let them do it because they have been sick but now it is time to get serious about this weaning business.  With my last momma dog I put a t-shirt on her and tied it so the puppies couldn't nurse.  The thought occurred to me to put some of that bitter apple no-chew spray on momma and perhaps the pups will decide that the milk doesn't taste good anymore.  Poor momma is losing her hair.  The vet said it is not mange and it is probably from an infection.  She is scratching off clumps of hair but then it starts growing right away.  She seems to be molting like a chicken.  I am hoping that once all of her original coat has fallen out she won't have this itching problem anymore.  The new hair is growing in nice and soft as opposed to the course hair she had.  I just bought some more itchy skin shampoo because I didn't want to use all of my parents' Head & Shoulders shampoo on my dog.
 
Although these puppies are really cute I dearly want a break from them.  I want to take a half day off and then take a nap in my quiet dog-free office.  haha.  If all goes well these pups should be ready for adoption in 4 weeks.  I'll be happy when they are gone but I will miss them too.
 
I am also trying to walk my 2 dogs everyday.  My own dog is so fat because I have given him treats to keep him busy instead of taking him for walks when I am too tired to walk after work.  I also stopped walking because it was hard to walk many dogs at once (including crazy foster dogs who pull on the leash).  It is easier to separate the dogs now and just take my 2 dogs for a nice calm walk which is much more enjoyable.  We go for a short 15 minute walk which is about all my poor chubby dog can handle but hopefully he will regain some of his energy and lose some weight if we keep this up.  It is 105 degrees today but they say it will cool down to the low 90's this weekend.  It isn't too bad at 6pm when I get home but it is still hot. 
 
What else...I planted a total of 5 trees in the yard and now I have the arduous task of keeping them alive through the hot Summer.  I only have to water them until the Summer rains start but that isn't for another 6-8 weeks!  What was I thinking?  The one rose plant that was getting leaves got trampled by dogs and puppies.  My raspberry plant died.  I don't know what it needed, probably a different type of soil.  I should stick to plants that just need water.  The Chinaberry trees are sprouting from the roots left in the soil.  I am pulling those whenever I see them.  I would love to spend time and money on the yard but for now I will just keep watering what I can and see what survives.  Next year the trees will be established and I should be able to water only once every week or two.  There is a drip system but it doesn't seem to be connected to anything.  Maybe I will investigate it some day.  On the other hand, drip systems and dogs don't really go well together so it isn't high on my priority list.
 
So, those are my 2 hobbies right now.  Dogs and landscape.  Keeping the dogs from eating the landscape and trying to get the landscape to grow so it will shade the dogs.  Maybe next year I will attempt some sort of patio extension and grassy area, if I am feeling ambitious.

Down Time

Wouldn't you know it, one of my co-workers was out sick on Monday but came in on Tuesday coughing.  Guess what I got on Thursday?  I started getting a sore throat Wednesday night but I thought it was allergies.  Thursday I was getting worse and by Friday morning I had to call off work.  I stayed in bed most of the day except to groggily feed the dogs.  It wasn't very easy to sleep with 6 dogs and 5 puppies and 3 people in the house.  When the dogs were sleeping the people would make noise and then the dogs would wake up.  When everything was finally quiet the puppies would want to play.  I spent most of today in bed too except that I had to get the puppies prescription re-filled and buy more dog food.

At least it is the weekend so I have more time to recover.  I was looking forward to getting some things done but they will have to wait.  Next weekend is a 3 day weekend too.  Hopefully I'll be well and ready to tackle my to-do list.

Sick Puppies And No Sleep

I'm still here.  I've been so busy lately with my sick puppies and dogs.  Every day I cook special meals for my old cocker spaniel and mix up water, formula, and puppy chow for the puppies.  My old dog was doing well and then last night he had an accident in my bedroom at midnight.  That was not a nice way to wake up.  Luckily I have tile in my bedroom but still.

The puppies seem to have moved from kennel cough on to bronchitus or something.  They were getting better and then plateaued and could not get over the cough and runny nose.  I was able to take one puppy to the vet today and they gave me more of the medicine that I was giving them except in an easier to give liquid.  I sure hope they get better fast because they have learned how to escape their outdoor enclosure and prefer to sleep in my bathroom.  That would be ok except for the pitiful little puppy coughs that wake me up.  I got out the big box fan last night to drown out the noise.  I hope I get a better night's sleep tonight.

Deciding Not To Decide Is Still A Decision

I decided to explore some of my goals a little bit more although I am not any closer to choosing which plan to follow.   I guess my first plan is to wait and see what my parents need in the future.  When their house sells they will have to decide if they want to stay here or if they want to move and buy a place of their own.  Then, will I move with them, will I stay at this house or will I have the money to make improvements on my property so that I can rent out this house and move back there.

My plans are also affected by my rental house.  So far I have been receiving rent every month but I haven't heard if the current tenant will renew their lease or not.  If my rental house is vacant for a while I won't have $1,000 a month to save.

Assuming that I am still getting paid rent and that my parents are still living here and helping me with the house expenses, I have approximately $1,000 a month to use as I see fit.  There are 3 major directions that I could go.

1.  Pay down the mortgage.  $500 extra a month would mean I would pay off my mortgage in 8 1/2 years.  $1,000 extra a month would mean I would get rid of the mortgage in 5 years.  Since the interest rate is only 4.5%, I am not in a hurry to pay it off although it is quite fun and motivating to see the balance decrease so rapidly each month when I am paying off as much as I can.

2.  Fix up the house.  I could easily spend $40k on fixing up this house.  I probably wouldn't get the money back out of it when I sell it but it would make living here more comfortable.

Air conditioning $6k
Landscaping $3k
Turning carport in to garage $5k
Kitchen remodel $10k
Screen in porch $5k
Roof and wood trim maintenance/replacement $5k
Masterbath remodel $5K
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Total $39k

The purchase price was $91k so with $39k in improvements the house should be worth $130k.  That's not too bad for this neighborhood but it wouldn't sell for that much in this market.  Any improvements would really be for me and my parents so if my parents are planning to move then I don't think this plan would be on the top of my priorities.  Maybe a few of the items but not $39k worth of improvements.

3.  Improve my property.  There are $51k worth of improvements that I would like to do to my property.

Build a garage $23k
Add a block wall $10k
Improve electical service $10k
Add plumbing $5k
Add gutters $3k
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Total $51k

I'm guessing at some of those prices.  I could also add just a concrete pad, RV hook up and block wall fence and rent it out to someone with an RV.  I estimate that would only cost me $15k.  I hate to see my property just sitting there and getting run down.  If I am not moving back there any time soon, at least I should get rid of the old mobile home, sell my RV and either tear down or fix the existing gargage.
  

So those are my priorities.  I need to pick something to save for otherwise I will spend all of my extra money on toys for the dogs like this dog backpack that I just bought.  I get the feeling my foster dog doesn't appreciate it.

Dogs and Trees

I say it every time.  I can't believe the weekend is over already.  I'm going to try to get up early so that I can put in an hour at work before I have to leave for the dentist but I don't know if that will work out.  I had one sick puppy on Friday and I had to force feed her for 2 days until she felt better.  Today she ate on her own and was ready to play.  Unfortunately, she has 4 siblings who have also started to cough.  I hope they all eat their breakfast because force feeding 4 puppies is not something I have time to do in the morning.

After taking care of all of the dogs today I was able to get a nap.  It was only an hour but the dogs joined in and we all had a peaceful rest.  My blind cocker spaniel has mastered the dog door but he always ends up stepping in the water dish and leaving muddy footprints all over my bathroom.  I need one of those dog dish buffets that keeps the dishes off the ground.  My new momma dog slept inside last night.  She had been outside but she started barking at 4am so I brought her in.  Luckily the other dogs weren't too disturbed by her presence.  It always takes about 2 weeks for the new dog to find their place in the pack and to find a place of their own to sleep.

It was hot today so I waited until sundown to start digging holes for the new trees that I bought through the Trees For Tucson program.  I bought one chinese pistachio and two more desert willows.  The spot that I picked for the pistachio just happened to be where one of the old trees was so the spot was full of roots.  I was able to pull out some roots and dig a hole but it was dark by the time I got the tree in the ground.  Maybe I should just try for planting one tree a day.  That is probably a little more realistic.

Teeth Are For Buying

My teeth are out to get me or at least break me.  I've always had cavity-prone teeth.  No matter how much brushing, flossing, extra fluoride tablets, and fluoride rinse I used as a kid, I always had a cavity at the dentist.  In fact, the last dentist that I had told me that I had too much fluoride and it stained my teeth.  It wasn't until most of my teeth had fillings that the cavities started to slow down.  I hoped that was the end of it but I knew that my father had shown me his own mouth full of crowns so it was just a matter of time until I had my own set.  I was hoping it would be later rather than sooner but it turns out the fillings don't last forever.  Since I got most of my fillings as a child they started to get loose and more cavities formed.  I don't even know how many crowns I have now.  I think I have 8 but I'm not sure.

So, I went to the dentist on Wednesday and I got bad news.  I need a crown.  There is a cavity next to a filling and although they could try to just do a giant new filling, I would eventually need a crown.  I decided to go with the crown but it is going to cost $1,100.  I was sad because I cancelled my dental insurance a few years ago when I was going to retire early and get my dental work done in Mexico.  Well, I don't feel like using vacation time to go to Mexico twice to get this crown so I will have to pay $1,100.  Luckily, I have a health savings account and my employer contributes $500 a year.  I didn't have many medical bills last year so there is $1,600 in the account.  That is a relief.  I thought I was going to have to use my tax return for dental work.

I did a quick comparison of what I would pay with dental insurance verses without insurance.  Turns out that if I get one crown every 4 years then I would pay the same whether I had insurance or not because insurance costs $390 a year and 2 cleanings plus xrays only costs $250 a year.  It seems like my teeth need something every 2 years but maybe someday they will all be crowned and I won't have any more problems.

I am so glad that I increased my contribution to my health savings account a few months ago.  I put $100 in it a month.  It sure is nice to have that money available when I need it.

Bright and early Monday morning I will be back in the dentist chair.  What a way to start a new week.

May Day May Day

How did it get to be May 1st already?  This year is flying by but I probably say that every year.  Next week I will be 40.  I don't believe it but I guess I must accept it.  I guess retiring by the time I am 40 is out of the question unless I cash out my 401k and move to a very cheap country and live simply.  I have people (and dogs) depending on me so that is out of the question.

This is my newest foster family.  I still have 2 foster dogs and I have been putting off getting more because I have been busy moving and helping my parents but things are settling down now and when I saw that they were going to be killed in 2 hours I decided to set up a kennel for them in the yard.  Luckily it is the time of year when it isn't too cold at night and it isn't too hot during the day.  It is much easier to have puppies outside than inside.  I couldn't do it right now if they had to be inside.  The squealing puppy noises would keep me awake.

They have added new chores to my life, mainly feeding and watering them twice a day.  I have to get up at 6 now instead of 6:30 so that I get everything done.  They are very cute though.  I love watching puppies wrestle and play and the momma dog is very sweet.  I think they will all get adopted easily when the time comes.

I'm going to try to go to bed early tonight.  I was dragging at work and it is only Tuesday.

I've Been Sold

I finally opened my mail from Friday.  I thought it was all junk mail but I decided to open it anyway.  There was one from Fannie Mae.  I thought it was another bogus mortgage pre-payment plan (I've received at least a dozen of them) but it told me that Chase sold my mortgage to Fannie Mae.  How strange.  Fannie Mae is the one that kept me from getting that fixer upper that I wanted.  It turned out to be a good thing because this house is so much better than that one.

I was disappointed that my mortgage was sold for a second but then the letter said that Chase would still be the one collecting payments so it doesn't really matter.  All I want is to keep the convenience of having my checking, credit card and mortgage information all at one site.  Since I get to keep that, I am happy.

After Work Projects

I came home today and watered my flower in the front yard as usual.  I water it in the morning and when I get home from work.  When I turned off the water I noticed the faucet was dripping.  I tried to tighten it and it got worse.  This is a brand new faucet that was just put on when I moved in.  I couldn't leave it spraying water everywhere so I turned off the main water which was attached to the same pipe and headed over to the hardware store.  Unfortunately, I relied on my not-so-great memory to find the replacement part.  Once I was staring at all of the different faucet choices I had no idea what I needed.  I didn't even take a picture and I forgot to bring my phone so I couldn't call my parents and ask them to look at it for me.

I picked one out that I thought looked right and then, as back up, I bought one of those Y attachments that turns one faucet in to two and has a valve to shut them off.  Wouldn't you know it, I bought the wrong faucet but luckily the Y worked like a charm.  I just screwed it on and shut off both valves.  Tomorrow...or maybe this weekend I will go get the right faucet and fix it properly.  I am sure glad I had a back up plan though. I have enough experience with plumbing to know that buying a few extra pieces can save a whole lot of time and extra trips to the store.

Chores Completed And More Chores Created

My weekends have been as busy as my weekdays lately but I actually got a nap this time.  Friday night we watched Labyrinth because my nephew had not seen it and it was one of my favorite movies when I was a kid. Of course, the reason it was one of my favorite movies was because I was infatuated with David Bowie.  I must admit the movie wasn't as great this time.

My old cocker spaniel has been having trouble going to sleep and he started to howl at midnight.  I tried feeding him and then let him outside for the rest of the night.  The weather is very warm at night so he just wanders and sleeps.  For some reason he doesn't howl when he is outside.  One of my dogs didn't like that there was something outside and he got up at 4am and started barking at the sliding glass door.  That was not a good start to the weekend.

On Saturday my nephew and I took my foster dog to dog training classes.  I must admit I was not happy to do it.  More homework and tests was not what I was looking for in a weekend activity.  At least it is not hard homework.  I hope this dog gets adopted after all this.

I was planning to go out to my mobile home on Saturday afternoon but the lack of sleep from Friday night caught up with me and I took a nap for most of the day.  Sunday I tried to take a nap too because I had another sinus headache.  The headache still hasn't gone away but it is tolerable.  I made it out to my property in the afternoon.  It was VERY hot and dirty out there and I found a leak in the water supply for the RV toilet.  I have had a leak in the RV for many months and I couldn't find it.  Well, I sure found it now.  Unfortunately, it is going to be difficult to get the broken piece off because of its tight location.  I hope I don't break something and need a whole new toilet.  I don't know when I will get back out there.  It certainly isn't high on my priority list.  I should try to find the replacement part at Camping World since that isn't too far from my work.

So, anyway, I am doing laundry now (almost effortlessly since it is indoors with automatic water!) and trying not to think about another full week of work although I will probably need to take half a day to take my old dog to the vet.  I've decided that he either has cancer or pancreatitus.  That is what google told me.  Hopefully it is pancreatitus because that is easily treated.

Tax Refund!

I know, I know, I am supposed to OWE taxes not lend the government my money and then get excited when they return it to me but... I wasn't expecting a refund. I am not very good at taxes and if it wasn't for TaxAct online I would have to pay someone or something. I thought TaxAct was supposed to be free but I think that is only for the very basic form and I have to pay extra because of my rental house. It is one of those things that I just throw money at to make it go away. Save my return for next year? Here's some money! File my state forms? Please, take more of my money! I admit that I am not good at saving money in every aspect of my life.

But anyway, back to my unexpected riches. I now have $1,000 for my emergency fund. That isn't the most fun thing in the world but with 2 houses and an RV and a bunch of stuff still out in my crumbling mobile home, I am sure something is going to need to be fixed sooner or later. And if nothing needs to be fixed, maybe I can save up $6k by next year and get air conditioning for this house. I'm pretty sure I won't be able to save that much before July of this year. July is when it gets humid and the swamp cooler doesn't work anymore. We are just going to have to tough it out with window AC units and hopefully those 6-8 weeks of humid time won't be too bad.

For now am just happy seeing my account with a little padding since I used most of my money to buy this house and put in the new furnace.

Sunday Yard Work

I really need to remember to take pictures. I was hoping for a relaxing Sunday afternoon but my dad decided to chop down some cactus so I helped with the cleanup and couldn't help but chop some more cactus myself. Then the oleanders were leaning over the sidewalk so they had to go and the lantana was growing on to the driveway so that needed trimming too. Oh yes, and some weeds near the street had to go too while I was at it. Now I have a headache, of course, and I am not looking forward to getting up for work tomorrow.

The bookcase did not get put together as there was too much cactus chopping going on and we kind of forgot about it in the back of my truck. We brought it in tonight and looked at the many pieces and that is as far as it got. Some people came over to meet my foster dog but I think he was a little too energetic for them. My nephew and I will be taking the foster dog to training classes starting next Saturday. Hopefully it will help him get adopted.

I am going to bed early with the hope that a good night's sleep will give me a better attitude for Monday. I am already looking forward to Friday again.