Time to Bring out the Big Guns

June 9, AHS report

Did what I thought was a routine security escort for mom, when she went to close her greenhouse. (She's now referrin' to it as the "tomater vault". She opens it up durin' the day, but locks all them 'tomater plants up at nite for security reasons). 

 I don't know about your moms, but mine...once she gets outside, she very seldom goes from point A to B. She went into the green house, came back out w/a lil' spray bottle....an' headed back towards the patio. Seems she saw somethin' was makin' the leaves curl on her lil' lime tree.
 
When she got there, I heard a gasp an' some adult words. Then she reached in an' plucked a lime that had been gnawed on. As she held it up to show me...I had no time to look...I spied the perp makin' a getaway...an' I was after him. He ran behind mom's pots, but I headed him off...he ran back the other way...but I was ahead of him (an' yes, mom was still standin' there w/that gnawed lemon in one hand an' that spray bottle in the other an' thankfully stayin' outa my way...for a change).

Once more, I almost got him..but then he ran up a branch an' got on that fence rail.
I ran along the fence as fast as I could....but then...he went up a tree an' sat, of all places...on the tippy top of mom's greenhouse! Just sittin' up there....mom could see him....I backed way up...an' I could see him. 

 Then mom looked at him...got that squinty eye look she gets..an' looked at her lime. That big rat was lookin' back at both of us...He really shouldn't have done that...mom took it as a..."nah nah nah...you can't get me!". I didn't like it either...an' told it so..loudly! But there it sat...right on the top of mom's greenhouse...just sittin' there...starin' at us.

Well, like I said...mom had that squinty eyed look an' that usually means somethin' not good for somebody. She went back to the house, hollared at dad to get her pellet gun..an not to shoot her greenhouse. 

 Dad doesn't even question mom about stuff anymore..he's learned over the years. He just went an' got it, while me an' mom an' the rat had a stare off. (I've told ya'll before about mom not goin' halfway about stuff). When he came outside...mom showed him her gnawed lime an' pointed to the rat. There was a lil' "pop" an' we all watched the rat roll down the other side of the greenhouse. 

 I took off & went behind the greenhouse an' found it. I sure wasn't starin' back anymore. I did drag it out from between the shed an' the greenhouse, so dad could dispose of it. Mom gave me a big chunk of cheese for a job well done. (an' she did tell dad he did a good job, too, especially since he didn' shoot a hole in her greenhouse.)

Where was my assistant, Lexie? Snoozin' in mom's bed...she missed the whole thing!

Mom's got the itchies.....

Well...three times is a charm. Mom took herself over to a big clinic, today. Since the first one didn't do anythin' for her, & the second one was incompetent an' gave her a low dose med that wouldn't do her any good. She tried to go to her doctor, only to find out that since she hadn't been to see him, he dropped her & she'd have to come in as a new patient...an' he's not takin' any new patients. (That don't even make sense to me).  She was kinda upset by this since he's been her doctor for upteen years. She just don't believe in goin' to a doctor if you're not sick....you might catch somethin' there. She can't help it if she's relatively healthy. She said she'd go to a dr more often if they could make her young & skinny....an' actually see you at your appointment time.

 Anyways, she had another terrible night of not bein' able to sleep 'cause of the itchies. Her face...well, she don't look like herself w/all that red stuff all over it an' it all swollen...so's her neck an' still her arms. You'd think she had mange.  She's never been allergic to anythin'...ever!  But guess what....that funny vine in the back corner she was clearin' out...well, it turns out to be some kind of poison ivy or oak.  She say's it must be some kind of mutant strain 'cause of all the pollution....stuff like that's never bothered her before an' she's been around those things before an' they've never bothered her.  

Anyway, so, she went over to the big 24hr clinic, the same one she went to when that cat chomped down on her hand. They saw her right away, knew what her problem was and gave her some strong meds to take. The best thing....the doctor an' the nurses told her that she should be lookin' an' feelin' better in just a couple of days.

 I've been tryin' to take care of her...but she said that when I lick her booboos it makes 'em itch more, but she appreciates me hangin' out on the couch w/her. The way I figure it, takin' care of her is more important then bein' up in my tower watchin' the neighborhood. Even Lexie has been hangin' around, too. An' just 'cause mom has a snack tray set up has nothin' to do w/it, either. :)