For a long time before my mother passed I prayed that her time would be peaceful.  I prayed she would be at home and not long-suffering.  Sure, her COPD wasn't ideal, but in the grand scheme when you see people suffer through months of cancer or years of dementia -- I still feel like my prayers were 100% answered.

I find myself saying similar prayers for Saffy.  It's been a bad 24 hours for her and she's really struggling.   She was pacing the room at 5am and didn't go when I brought her down and took her out.  This time she doesn't want to eat, even the  moist food.  I did get some pain meds in her, even though they are supposed to be taken with food, so she is at least resting now instead of trying to pace and slipping/sliding about.

I know it's rare that a decision doesn't need to be made for a pet.  The whole peaceful passing in their sleep thing doesn't tend to happen, but it could, right?  The thought of taking the very best buddy I've had to a vet's office just isn't okay.  I've been through it 3 times.  I watched and tried to comfort Vixen as she fought the sedative.  I sat beside Satin and Danika as they passed, unable to stand up on their own -- Danika in the back of my car thanks to COVID and the vet not allowing people into the building.  I just want Saffy to be here at home.  I suspect a point will come when I know she needs my help and I will of course, do what is right for her so she doesn't suffer, but I hate it.  Here's praying she bounces back like she did this time last year or that resolution comes quickly.  Speaking of last year (yes it was late August), I really thought she was gone then.  Since she's had her struggles, like with her eye and some days were better than others, but she kept pressing on.

Barnabas had his first trip to the vet (under my care) today.  Can you believe he's been here for a full year?  I was worried he wouldn't be the angel that Church is at the vet since Barney tends to disappear if someone he doesn't know comes to the house.  Much like Church, he was willing to walk right into the carrier (the time using the carrier when he was a foster paid off!) and he sang the song of his people on the drive to the vet.  At the office he wasn't quite as chill, but didn't have an issue at all.

I learned he doesn't have a few of his front teeth, which is interesting. We also need to keep an eye on his weight, which doesn't overly surprise me.  So proud of my little black voids.

Saffy has been hanging in there.  Some days are better than others, that's for sure, but she's still walking the stairs on her own with me behind her.  As to not leave him out I will say that Zero is still his crazy self.  My very routine-based nature helps keep some of his insanity in check... unless it's time for dinner.

As to the garden, the tomatoes are all coming in a steady stream now.  The lantern flies are insane here.  They're here and there on the house and also sitting in piles, I can hit 4-6 in one swat of the fly swatter.  Sitting outside you periodically get hit by one that jumps onto you, it's kind of unnerving.  I've probably killed over 100 of them each warm day for weeks at this point.  Tonight I sat out back and noted some large black ants coming and going, so I'm trying to carefully put treatment out for that.  Then I saw wasps going into the brown paper I have hanging on the deck to deter the carpenter bees!

Work is busy.  Time keeps flying by on me and I'm trying to keep up.

Am I making the kid soft?

The past few nights have been cooler, so I have turned off the AC and opened the windows.  The upstairs does get a bit warmer, it's true, but nothing like the heat of the summer when I was a kid and we didn't have central air.  I remember laying in bed unable to sleep from the heat. Run the window AC just long enough to cool it down and then turn it off and try to fall asleep.

Avery has gotten back out of bed 2x so far tonight because she's warm.  She does have a fan running in her room and I would put money down that her room is a good 10-15 degrees cooler than the memories I am reflecting on.

This weekend I started trimming things back as I do leading into the fall.  4 dog food bags full of russian sage, a dead cucumber plant, brown fronds from decorative plants in the back, and dead sunflowers.  There are many more bags where that came from.

The weather has taken a cooler turn getting us into the upper 40s at night.  Hopefully the nice weather can hang on so I can get the rest of my tomatoes ripening on the vines. I also had some lettuce seed itself that is growing nicely at the moment, so I'd like to get something out of that.  I have 3 green peppers out there that could probably be plucked at any point, one very nicely sized white onion, and a good handful of snap peas.  The rest is tomatoes tomatoes tomatoes - and I'm here for it.

With the CSA baskets I've been cooking up green beans and peppers this week. I tried cooking up the cherry peppers .... dang they're hot, I just can't do it.  Hopefully neighbors are willing to give them a try tomorrow.  I also made some zucchini fritters last night that turned out quite tasty.

With the long weekend I finally got caught up on laundry and checked off a few things on the to do list.  We also hit the pool with Avery's bestie - a last minute plan that I'm grateful for.  This was my first visit to the pool this year.

Avery returns to the podiatrist on Thursday, hopefully her wart is gone, I don't want her to suffer the numbing and removal.  She did take the ear piercing like a champ -- and they remain pain free and looking healthy!