Sometimes it’s not easy to write about ones life happenings and all that goes on. This is one of those times. First off, I’m flying back to Germany on Sunday. Mom is not coping very well with her new situation and this time I am staying a bit longer than I did on my last trip.
Next, we moved the pups.
Our litter of 7 Dachshund puppies has now very sharp teeth and they like to test them on (my finger) and their toys. They are now 5 weeks old. Elsa, their mom, still has lots of milk, but nursing the little pups with little sharp teeth is hurting her, so we are starting with puppy kibbles and supplement it with puppy milk powder that I mix up. The puppies are now very active; wanting to play and run so being only confined to the whelping box became so constricted that we moved them to the garage. Our garage is not like any other garage it is well insulated including the ceiling, doors and thermo paned windows. The walls are insulated and drywall is painted white. It has two windows to let the sun in and two electric forced air heaters keep the temperature at a comfortable 24C/75F. Attached to the whelping box we have a wire cage playpen that sits on a neoprene rubber floor so the pups don’t get cold and it is easy to clean up.
Yesterday Benno had the job of relocating the box and installing the box in their new home. I added a radio playing their favorite station :)) for when we are not around so they don’t feel lonely and for our comfort we have chairs to sit and watch, a table for all the essentials and a dog bed for Elsa and Reggy to keep them company. All in all we try to stimulate the litter when they are awake and with time try to teach them to do their business on the dog pads.
After my return from Germany we didn’t waste any time and used the few dry and still mild days to do some more work on our new lot that we acquired next to our property. Most of you probably are not aware how difficult it is to purchase Canadian land owned by an American. The closing date was pushed off and off. Let me tell you, it takes a lot of paperwork and time and involves the Federal Government in Ottawa. We finally closed on that transaction last week and are now happy to proceed with our improvements. There were a lot of misplaced and crooked trees on that property that we wanted cleared out. The final 4 trees that stood in the way of a planned shed got felled last week. Benno did it all by himself with the use of his chainsaw and our truck. To the towing hitch of the truck he attached one end of a braided nylon rope, the other end of the rope he fasten high up onto the trees and tensioned it up with the truck to make sure the trees fell properly onto clear ground of our lot, preventing them from falling onto the neighbors roof and causing some excitement. Afterwards we made short work of some cutting and branch snipping to dispose of the leaves and wood. In the past months we had to also dispose of several buried tarps on the property. They were underneath dirt and grass and many roots had found their way through them making their removal extra difficult. It seemed the cleanup was going on forever, but it is looking a lot better now.
Every time we drive by the Hike Metal Company in our neighborhood, we look to see if we can spot any vessel of interest. At the present time there is a new Coast Guard vessel sitting out in the yard that does not have its interior installed yet and a completed Police boat. If you recall our post from July 27 of last year we can tell you that the then built Search and Rescue Coast Guard Vessel “Pennant Bay”, which was delivered last year from Hike Metal to Halifax, finally got to her new home port St. Anthony, Newfoundland. The Coast Guard had to first renovate the station with wharf and dock for $1.1 million to accommodate the new vessel. The “Pennant Bay” will service the Canadian and US fishing trawlers and the oilrigs on the Newfoundland banks when an emergency arises. The Coast Guard is adding three new vessels to Newfoundland.
Perhaps I will be able to share some pictures with you from Germany after my return. It is not possible to post them directly from my iPad, which I’ll be taking with me, because I need our laptop for that. So there is something to look forward to. Best wishes to all our friends and followers.
