It was a hot week!

Happy Sunday everyone! It's a rainy morning for us. A good day for Russell to watch some exciting NFL games this afternoon. 

Last week was very low key. With the extreme heat that we had, we literally did nothing. It was too hot for doggie walks. The only time we spent on the deck was late afternoons with the fan on. Normal temps returned on Friday. It was nice to eat dinner outside again! 

Cooper had a bit of an unsettling week, as a result so did we. For the first time, he had a couple of night time coughing episodes and we noticed that his resting respiratory rate was higher.  After a few discussions with our vet and more RRR measures, we decided to make an appointment with Dr. Javard, Cooper's internal medicine specialist. We see him this coming Wednesday at 9:15. If an adjustment to Coop's medication is to be made, Dr. J is the one who will do it. Until then, we continue to monitor his resting breathing rate. It is higher than it's been but still below 30, unless Coop sleeps on his side, then it is much higher. Something to discuss on Wednesday. I am so grateful to Gerda who suggested using the video on my phone to record the breathing rate. I then replay it a few times, count the breaths and record it on the app. It is so much easier than trying to focus on one spot for 30 seconds. 

On Friday, we were without water for a good part of the day due to a water pipe that broke at the end of our street. We were given the notice the day before so Russell filled up the bath tub so we could fill the toilet tank as needed. Flushing was not an issue 😂

Yesterday, Russell cold smoked cheese on the Big Green Egg for the first time, cheddar and gouda. It took about two hours. The smell of the smoke was to die for. We are letting it mellow in the fridge for two weeks then we will give it a try. It should be delicious. 

Our birds are busy and happy with their feeders. Russell got a suet feeder and Woody Woodpecker has been having a feast! It will be wonderful to watch the birds in the Winter. 

We should be able to resume some walks with the pooches this week. Spicy gets her rabies on Friday. She will come with us to DMV Hospital on Wednesday. We could leave her at home alone but we'd rather have her with us. She will provide us some comfort while the Coop is in the exam room 💗

That's my blog for today. I leave you with a potpourri of photos, some taken on our deck last evening. It was a lovely night to sit out. Have a great week everyone! 

Snug on the TV room sofa...ready for an NFL
game or two perhaps.

On the front porch, waiting for daddy to come
home.

Backyard gate brigade...what is 
the password to enter?

Spicy inspecting the trug.

Cooper catching a nap as the sun
sets.

A lovely pink sky at sunset last night.

The mandala pattern, a glow from 
a candle, outside last night.

The Squirrel Buster suet feeder
and Woody the Woodpecker 
seems very content.

Gouda and Cheddar emerging 
from a 2 hour applewood smoke on
the BGE.