All's Well

Bessie Anne was sick as a dog yesterday, poor little girl.  Fortunately, no barfing, but she didn't even want her morning treats.  She slept nearly all day.  The almost funny thing was that her stomach rumbled and growled almost constantly, sometimes so loudly that it would wake her up.  She perked up some in the afternoon, enough to want to go outside with me when Helper Dude showed up.

I had a pretty long To-Do list for HD.  He's been working full time as a much-needed handyman in the area and it's been difficult to schedule hours with him.  First request:  stock the porch rack with firewood.  He'd bring up a wagonload and when he'd go back for another, I'd sneak a couple of chunks into the house.  I'd not lit a fire in days and Stove was on the verge of starvation.  #2:  get a start on picking up the many fallen twigs and branches brought down by days of wind.  Some of the branches were so heavy I couldn't even pull them out of the way.  No wonder they're called widow-makers.  HD picked them up like they were toothpicks.  When I exclaimed about this, he said, "Well, you've got a few years on me."  (Thanks, kid.)  He took a number over to the burn pile, and then suggested his younger brother and sister might come to pick up the twiggy stuff.  "They won't charge much and a job would be good for them."  I'm all for helper dudes in training so said okay, remembering the Dynamic Duo.  HD climbed onto Not-So-Dear John and mowed down the west field.  Gosh, it's so nice not to have to look at or walk through that scrubby patch of dead star thistle.  HD promised to come back and weed-whack along the driveway.  He finished as the sun was setting.  Good timing as I needed to take the trash down to the big road.  I'm pretty sure he's coming back today.  There are plenty of chores left on the list, including changing one of the recessed lights in the kitchen.  As Cousin Sandy and I discussed last night, I don't do ladders or even step stools anymore.  She doesn't either.

In the evening, Bessie was well enough to eat a little of the food she hadn't touched all day.  It was such a relief to see her obviously feeling better.  She's back to normal this morning, and came in for treats like nothing had happened.  Hopefully it was just a 24-hour thing.

All's well that ends well.