First I would like to announce that this weekend is our (hubs & I) 29th wedding anniversary! We started out as a high school couple at the young age of 16 and have been together ever since! I can say it wasn’t always easy but we made it through thick and thin and now have grown children with grandchildren that we enjoy!

**We tied a weather record here in Washington state! As everyone knows summer does not start here until July 5th but this year the sun god blessed our state and we have enjoyed 29 days (let me say that again…29 DAYS) of rainless and sunny days! We have rain now but only for a few days and the plants really need it so I don’t mind a bit.

**PETA…again must be proud of themselves to finally eradicate all forms of animal mistreatment..they are now concentrating on ethical treatment of house flies.. Um…yea, I think perhaps they have lost their focus and need to re-evaluate…really.

**Local Events – In addition to the local strawberry festival events I listed HERE we also have the following going on this weekend:

Edmonds Art Festival
Fremont Fair
Hot Rods & Hog Show

**Without going into great detail our female Bull Terrier had mast cell tumors back in January. We had the tumors removed but due to the nature of this type of cancer she was put on an immune supressant drug (prednisone) to counteract any secondary issues. Because her immune system has been supressed she was unable to fight of a bacteria/fungal infection on her muzzle. After weeks of being on an antibiotic and applying a topical solution to her muzzle we decided to try for a systemic treatment and had a prescription written for an oral anti-fungal that was actually for people and had to be filled at our local pharmacy.

I went to Walgreens (where we always go) and asked them for the cost of the prescription (15 pills) and was told…..get this….
$225.00!

After I picked myself up off the floor she asked me if we had insurance…um…no….this is for a dog not a people. She then told me that Walgreens has a program that if you pay $20.00 per year you can get your prescriptions at a huge discount. Instead of paying $225.00 I paid the $20.00 + $60.00 for the pills for a total of $80.00. Subsequent refills of this drug will now cost us $60.00. I still don’t understand the logistics of paying $20.00 per year and saving $165.00 per refill but I was not going to argue…I just signed on the bottom line.

If you have a pet that needs people medicine go to Walgreens and ask them about their prescription program. It is not insurance but is more like a discount club type of thing. Well worth the $20.00 per year (per animal).

**A few years ago at the end of summer (when you can find the best deals!) our local nursery had a butt-ugly, gold painted (they used it during Christmas) gazebo. Even though the gazebo was a horrible color we could not pass it up (I think we bought it for $100.00+/-) thinking whatever we planted around it would grow up and over it so you would eventually not be able to see the actual metal work.

We took that gazebo and put it in our side yard. Planted on opposite corners are kiwi plants (no kiwis as of yet) and wisteria (one with white flowers, the other with purple flowers) which are now several years old. I took pictures this year of the gazebo and the flowering wisteria so you could see how massive it grows. This has got to be my most favorite spring plant as the flowers are very, very fragrant. When standing inside the gazebo the scent is almost thick enough to cut with a knife. Unfortunately the flowers do not last that long and as of today I think they are pretty much wilted.

Gazebo With Wisteria/Kiwi Vines

Inside Gazebo With Wisteria Flowering

Inside Gazebo Looking Straight Up

Closeup of Wisteria Flowers

**And finally I want to wish all the fathers out there a Happy Father’s Day!

Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
Eco-Friendly Shea Butter Spa Products

www.countrymeadowltd.com