An artichoke that has flowered.

We have been tantalized here in Georgia with the possibility of rain almost daily for weeks. We did get a little over an inch of the stuff last week and then it was gone. The plants I planted in the spring are hanging on but just barely. We have the potential of rain today and an even bigger possibility tomorrow.

The heat is bad but after three summers, I'm getting used to that and know how to cope. First of all, if you are a walker, do it early. preferably before 10 o'clock. Gardening? Well, not in the noon-day sun. Walking in the afternoon is better done in the mall.

I've been getting a lot of weaving and sewing done during the dog-days of summer. I finally got around to taking pictures of some of the things I've completed and include them in this post. They will eventually turn up for sale on the Etsy.com website. More details about that as the plan to sell them firms up a bit. Click on any picture, by the way, to see the bags (or Bailey) full screen. Then back click to return to the blog.

Made of handwoven sari silk with denim sides, it is lined and has a pocket for a cell phone and a wallet or compact.

This little bag is so pretty. It is made of silk which I spun and dyed. It is lined with cotton, has a lot of little pockets. It is bound in natural colored linen.

I knitted this bag of sari silk. It has lots of pockets inside and is lined with cranberry colored embroidered corduroy.

This bag is also made of handwoven cotton and silk. It too is lined and has pockets to hold all the little things we all carry around.

This is not handwoven. I found this upholstery fabric and thought it would make a pretty bag.

Our other news has to do with our favorite pup, Bailey. He is super sensitive to loud noices and gets very nervous whenever they happen anywhere near him. Thunderstorms are almost impossible for him. We thought, since we live a good distance from the park where the Fourth of July fireworks were to be held, that leaving him home alone would not be a problem. We thought he wouldn't hear much anyway. Wrong. We got home to find a whimpering, shivering, terrified dog, a dog who had developed what sounded like whooping cough. We thought he'd calm down once he was with us but that didn't happen.

By morning he was coughing and wheezing and having a bit of difficulty breathing. Off we went to the vet and Bailey cooperated by demonstrating just how bad he could sound. X-rays were taken and tests performed. The results showed that he is in excellent health except that he has a collapsing trachea. When he gets stressed he hyperventilates and that causes his flawed trachea to crimp and not open wide again until he breathes out, hence the coughing. He coughs, the trachea opens, air is expelled and as he breathes in the trachea closes again.

There is no cure but he is on medication to heal his throat and something to calm his nerves. I think it is vallium. He seems a bit better and certainly mellower.

I mentioned to the vet that he has become the most nervous dog and he wasn't before. I was curious to know if the loss of our cats a couple of years ago and our move to a new place had caused this change and she said it certainly could. Perhaps he misses the companionship of the cats and is more uncertain and fearful without them.

A possible fix for his nerves might be another pet but that is a tough sell. I really don't like outside cats and think they live longer healthier lives inside. My husband prefers outside cats and doesn't relish the thought of another litter box. And, Bailey gets along better with cats than dogs so another dog here would only complicate his already nervous little life. Doesn't sound like this will be resolved anytime soon, does it?

Until the next post, enjoy.

A subdued and sleepy Bailey. Drugs have helped.