Jungle fever!

So, I wake right on the dot this morning, knowing the instant I open my eyes that it’s going to be a busy day. The dogs are making a racket and I lay in bed for a moment longer, stretching the kinks out of my back and hoping, against hope, that they’ll calm down some.

They never do, and in the end I roll from under the blankets to head towards the door, scowling my displeasure at the Dane bouncing in front of me. Two other of the pack are snarling at each other, drawing my attention just when I’m bending over the stirring mass of fur to unlock the door.

Sitabah (weimeraner) and Labhana (black Labrador) have been having an ongoing tiff for weeks now, and while I throw the door open, the two of them attack each other, resulting in a fight that has them literally going at it with furor for a full five minutes.

None of my usual attempts to get them loose work, so I give up and just let them fight it out and hope that the damage won’t be too bad. Rather than stay there–possessive dogs fight harder when their master is around–I head back into the cabin, keeping a weary eye on them through the open window.

The growling and hissing finally stops and I step outside to see them whirling around each other, tails and ears held high, trying to put their snout on top of their opponent’s shoulders, now that neither has won the battle, but weariness made them stop instead.

Their paws and necks are filled with small puncture wounds, but all things considered the damage is minor. Thankfully.
With the dogs in tow, the two females still trying to pretend to be the victor towards their opponent but keeping enough distance not to start another fight, I arrive at the house.

Big brother is already in the living area, his dogs making a racket when I open the door and keep Trin Trin firmly on her leash to prevent her from pouncing on the lively Cocker Spaniels that are feinting attacks during our entrance. Another fight this early in the morning is really not something I want to risk right now.

I spend a little time on chores, feeding Yadzia and having breakfast, but then I put the coffee on and set up the computer for the day. My eyes remain half shut throughout the first couple of pages, but the coffee kicks in and allows for proper focus as we set to the task in full.

For several hours we edit, finishing the second chapter, and are pleased with the results of the rigorous changes we decide on. The story is improving every day, bringing the errors down to a bare minimum.
The sibs get up at their usual time–little brother explaining that for the first time in years he actually slept through the night–and after discussing what’s on the schedule for the day, I head on outside with garden tools and gloves to tackle the disaster area of the lower garden.

The dogs rush on ahead the moment I open one of the three gates, and I head down to the old pool with one of four sickle knives grandpa bought this morning for this very task. I stand on the terrace surrounding the old pool for several minutes, wondering where to start, before I sigh and climb down the stairs to just pick a random spot and have at it.

One by one the sibs join me, steadily getting into the task as the familiarize themselves with the handy tools that will literally cut through anything–and are therefore dangerous to use when working amidst a large pack of nosy dogs.

For hours we make a joined effort to cut our way through vines and undergrowth, hacking away and digging in until we’ve created a path that will at least allow us to get from one part of the garden to the other. It is no easy task, working side by side with dangerously sharp instruments, and it shows when, by trying to evade a curious dog, middle sister’s sickle knife slices through the sleeve of my T, and draws first blood.

Another curious dog–things would be so much easier if they could stay at the house, but they love their freedom so much–earns big brother a nick in his upper leg, and middle sister damages her trousers with the sharp device too, when a vine suddenly gives way and sends the point right into the thick fabric.

No major disasters occur, however, and work continues as usual. A job isn’t well done until at least some blood is drawn. Hah.
Blind and deaf Bommel gets lost in the meantime, needing to be fetched by little brother, who literally needs to carry him over where I’m stuck in a massive collection of thorny undergrowth.

The poor Bobtail carefully makes his way towards me–the last few feet that is–and flops down on my shoes, content to stay right where he is no matter that he’s in the way.
Sitabah and Labhana, both injured from their morning argument, sit at a discreet distance from each other, licking their wounds and watching ongoing battle against nature with interest while ignoring the presence of their present enemy.

While big brother uses the chainsaw to cut through the trunks of dead trees, middle sister and little brother help me cut a way through the mass of fines and branches that keep the old tree in place. After a while the trunk is sawed in two and it’s time to wrap a rope around it so we can drag it down the mountain.

Big brother climbs down to a lower level of the terraces that make up our property, taking hold of one end of the rope, while I brace myself halfway to add my bit.
The darn trunk won’t give, however, what with vines and other branches keeping it firmly in place, so both younger sibs begin to hack away at the dead wood while big brother and I literally throw our full weight into it.

Finally the dead tree begins to give way, every muscle in our bodies straining and screaming with every inch it moves from its place. My shoulder blades are burning up by then, abdominal muscles so tight my stomach hurts, but at long last the tree begins a slow slide down the mountain with every vine that is cut by sharp sickle knives.

We breathe in deeply, cheering our success for a few minutes until the next chore needs to be dealt with. Dusk is only half an hour away, and we really want to remove a dead thorny bush as well…even though we know it will be a difficult task with the relentless vines that resemble some alien species trying to take over the world. Hah.
The bush doesn’t cooperate any better than the tree, but after several minutes of dangling on the rope it gives and rolls down to a halt on the terrace where big brother waits for it.

With the sun disappearing behind the horizon we call a halt to our efforts, slowly and wearily making our way back to the house with the dogs in tow and Bommel carried by big brother since the poor old dog won’t be able to find his way.

Since not all dogs enjoy wandering now that age has gotten the better of them, little sister has stayed inside the house with mom, and she has prepared our dinner by the time we arrive sweaty, dirty and more than a little sore from our work. We wash up and then enjoy the pizzas she’s made with exhausted enthusiasm. It always amazes me how good a meal tastes after hard work.

The progress is discussed in minute detail, over the meal. As well as plans for tomorrow, while semi-cheerful complaints are shared about sore joints and muscles, unfamiliar with the industrious labor of the day.

I relax for a bit, watching an episode of “Criminal Minds” and then start on the surprise birthday treat for one of grandpa’s acquaintances that’ll be visiting tomorrow. Ladyfinger pyramids, stuck together with sugared coffee butter and a chocolate cream icing. It’s a task I wasn’t looking forward to, but since I promised, I do it anyway.

Once I’m done, and little sister offers to do the dishes, I settle behind the computer. I find myself to be so physically weary that I can hardly concentrate enough to use the keyboard, but still big brother and I manage to do a bit more editing before the evening is over.

I have to admit that I am rather relieved when the night is through and I can head on up to my cabin to tackle the last chore of the day by feeding my dogs and stuffing medication down the throats of four canines suffering from Leishmania.

A good day. A hard one too, but lots got done and that is always a plus.

Running behind. *sigh*

Late, late, late. It appears to be a constant state I’m in these days and if it keeps up I’ll be forced to change my routine with posts for the Blog since this is getting to be annoying. Every night when I come up to my cabin for the evening rituals, I have no other choice but to hurry through the procedures just to get everything done. Very annoying.

But, be that as it may, today was a busy one.

Two of the younger sibs and mom have to go to the embassy to get their paperwork in order, so they can get their new passports, and a month from now, two at most, big brother and I will have our turn. Hopefully, by then things will have quieted down a bit, and if not…well, we’ll see how it goes.

My day: I wake early, as planned. The dogs were quite restless, starting up a long-distance back and forth orchestra with the main pack in the house several times, when the sibs and mom depart. It took a little while for things to quiet down again, but when they did, I managed to fall asleep until it is time to rise two hours later, and hour and a half earlier than usual.

I’m still in the midst of the morning rituals when the departed family members return, looking haggard and relieved at the same time. They give their report of their exploits and how the silly bureaucrats kicked up a fuss again, forcing them both to get new pictures ‘cause they had to be just so. Aaargh.
Now, the sibs are both attractive young people, but somehow this photographer always manages to make the likenesses look like mug shots. It’s an art, I guess, and not everyone bothers to treat it as such…photography, that is.

While poor middle sister and little brother head for bed to get some much-needed sleep, big brother and I start on our day.
First we start checking out our own pictures, which we took this week, feeling pretty confident that they’ll fit the “high” standard the embassy requires, but it ‘ll remain to be seen. I’ve a feeling that the bastards just made some sort of deal with the photographer and will simply send us (and anyone else needing a photograph) over, no matter what.

After going through our paperwork again, making sure that we’ve prepared all we can, we set up our computers to get more editing work done.
It goes well, the quiet of morning allowing us to immerse into the book I wrote years ago and improving on it continuously until three hours later it is time for a short break, Yadzia’s feed and my own. Hah.

The break doesn’t last long, and we continue with the chore of dots, commas and whatnot until the younger sibs arrive from their very short rest, of just a few hours and start on their day.

It is around this time that big brother and I decide to head outside to start on one of the many chores that need to be done on the property. First thing is the upper fence that the dogs have been attacking for weeks now. What with the new roll of fence we bought recently, we apply a long strip against the old, effectively blocking all the holes in the rusty metal until we’re pretty sure the dogs will no longer be able to break through it.

They’re a smart bunch, though, so we’ll have to wait and see if it suffices. Knowing Prama and Tadayka, the youngest members of the pack, they’ll find a way, somehow, even if they have to chew their way through.

While big brother starts to work on the satellite dish that provides grandpa and our invalid tenant with TV, I head down to the lower part of the property for a quick inspection of all that needs to be done down there.

It is a daunting sight I admit, as my pack rushes down through the under growth with enthusiastic exuberance. Weeds come up to my chest, ivies have grown through, in and over trees and bushes alike, and the old pool looks like some ruin in a horror movie scene. It’s fun, actually. Reminds me of when I was a kid and I was watching “The Secret Garden”.
But anyway…there are many, many hours of hard labor ahead, that much I am certain off by the time I’ve made a list of everything that has priority.

Since daylight is still available, I decide to tackle one of the big jobs immediately. Due to a parasite problem that is raging all along the southern coast of Spain, our three gorgeous palm trees have given spirit and are now limp, composting heaps. One of them, the biggest–the one we were most proud of since we planted it ourselves almost thirteen years ago–has basically fallen over the main path and I spend over an hour removing the nine feet long leaves until we can freely move back and forth.

By the time I’m done–and the desperate escape of three rats housing inside the dead plants–I’m pretty much exhausted and head up to the house in the gloom of dusk. Big brother has finally solved the satellite dish problem by then too–bugs got into the receiver and nested there–and we convene in the kitchen where little brother has just finished making fries and nuggets for dinner.

Famished, I sit on the corner of the counter while I eat, bringing both brothers up to date. We’re all pretty tired, and decide to relax a bit since this is the hour when the best shows are on TV anyway. Chilled now that I’m no longer active, I bundle up in my vest and settle on a chair with needlework on my lap. Might as well repair some stuff while I sit, and after I’m done, Trin Trin crawls on my lap for a much needed petting.

When “NCIS” and “Burn Notice”, both excellent episodes, are over, the TV goes off, and I get the laundry I forgot to take down this morning. Afterwards big brother and I settle behind our computers for another short hour of editing before the night is over and it’s time for me to head up to my cabin for the night.

After I’ve fed Yadzia his special mix of kibble and tuna, and supplied the other dogs with their meals as well, I manage to read a chapter of my relaxation book, before I settle on the bed for my last foray onto the Net.

A busy day for sure, but at least we got some stuff done and have a good idea of what lies had.

Quick flyby.

I really have very little to write about again today, which is a good thing since I’m running way behind and won’t have a chance to dig into this recount even if I wanted to.
It’s not as if nothing happened today, ‘cause it did, it’s just that it really isn’t very interesting to write. It all boils down to the very basics in the end.

I got up reasonably in time, did laundry and the usual chores, was involved in a fierce discussion for what seems to be hours, and then just about when I wanted to start editing, my time was up and I needed to head to town.

Big brother and I waited at our school for half an hour to talk with our teacher and set an appointment for next week to start on the practical part of our “education”. Of course I forgot to take the exam questions with me, so I’ll have to think of those when we do those.

A multitude of shops were visited as we searched for the variety of office supplies we need, and only found half…in the last store, of course.
Then, when we got home after nine in the evening, I made pizza for dinner, after which the evening was pretty much done ‘cause we had to check all the papers for mom, little brother and middle sister, which they’ll need to take with them tomorrow, during their trip to the embassy.
Bureaucracy, it drives me insane!

Since I’ll have to get up two hours before my usual waking time–at least two people need to be up with the dogs when three people are gone–I really have to get to bed in time tonight. All things considered it really is a blessing that I don’t have much to say today.

Better luck tomorrow.

Edit, eDit, edIt or ediT!!!! Insanity.

I feel a little brain-dead after spending more than eight hours of working with the computer and filling in papers, so I’m hoping that I can keep this short and turn in early today.

I am right on the dot when the alarm shrills this morning. Strange dreams visited this night. Snakes, long and short everywhere, they made walking around the house and garden a hazardous endeavor, to say the least, and make me itchy when I wake up. Hah.

Little more than thirty minutes later I walk towards the house in bright spring-like sunlight that actually makes me smile. It feels as if the new season has started, though I don’t think that it officially has, and that there might be a storm or two waiting in the next few weeks.

Either way, it is lovely outside and I’m actually sorry that a long day behind the computer monitor is lying in wait for me. Laundry is first though, and I revel in it with the scent of “green” (I don’t know what kind of smell green is, but it’s the only description I can think of at the moment) drifting under the roof, and the slashes of sun that warm me as I take down the dry fabrics and hang the wet.

Yadzia is still limping, and I can’t figure out why. He’s also dreadfully unstable on his feet and that worries me a bit. I think I’m going to see if breaking the dose in half works better. They’re a new kind, so maybe the vet has prescribed a wrong dose because of it.

He also appears to have an aversion to sleeping for some reason, and will sit beside me for hours on end, putting his head on my leg, and then nodding off, only to jerk to attention and put his head back in place. Sad really, as if he’s afraid of something.

After giving Yadzia his breakfast, and having some myself, I chat with big brother and grandpa while we set up the computers and prepare for a day of editing. We set to it for several hours until the sibs are down and have gone through their own morning rituals.

We all sit down to discuss plans that need to be made. The passport renewal that’s coming up (such a hassle, all those documents to go through), maintenance chores for the house, the garden, the car and all those little things that need to be done in the next few months.

The younger sibs look somewhat troubled, but they do realize that a lot needs to be done and that we’re all going to have pitch in to make it all work smoothly and in a timely fashion.

Lots of plans that feel daunting, by any means…but also exciting in a strange way that makes me alternate between wanting to scream and wanting to crawl into a corner. Strange how that works. Still, I think it is more than just a little sweet that the sisters offer to organize my book files for me, and convert papers to computer files to boot. That is going to spare me so much work and time...that I really should be using for more important things.

Dusk is already nearing by the time we finally get everyone’s paperwork down right, and by then I feel so bloody brain bruised that I decide to put the computer aside for a bit, so I can prepare dinner and eat it during a fun episode of “Medium”.

Afterwards I lounge for a few minutes and then get back to editing, which brings the mind to the present state of deadness. Hah.

A boring Blog for sure. Sorry ‘bout that. I’ll try to do better in the future.