what's cooking?

It was actually the entire day around here. 

Have I mentioned that ever since the pups and I got caught in that huge storm a couple of weeks ago that Sunshine has been having "issues"?  Poor thing is so scared of the wind, the cold and the snap in the weather that she has been having some "accidents" (you know, the kind that are on purpose). 

Take Monday night, as an example:  I fed all three pets, took the dogs out to do their business.  Lucky did a lot for a 6 pound wonder dog.  Sunshine did a brief squirt and ran (without touching the ground I might add) back to the security door to be let in.

Okay.  It was 44 degrees, high desert winds and dark.  I could understand her trepidation about spending even a few more seconds in that howling mess as I wasn't enjoying it either.

Came in and deciding that since Steve was working late, I'd go take a nice hot bath and warm up my rather aching joints.  I plugged the tub, poured in the Epsom salts and had just put my hand on the hot water tap when I see Sunshine begin to squat!!!

I said, "NO", rather harshly I fear, and picked her up and put her outside as fast as I was able and said, "This is where we go potty!"

She looked up at me and went, looking very sad and tears welling up. 

Sigh.  It's always the mom's fault.

Sunshine has also made a habit of waking up at 4 a.m. (again, since the storm) to throw up.

Steve went to visit his sister and mom for a few days and I was left to keep getting up for each incident of both ends coming out where they weren't supposed too.  After I dropped Steve off at the airport, I stopped at our vet's to ask for some help here.  There is also a third problem that is rather disgusting that I let her know about-let's just say she's been very good at keeping Pepper's litter box clean.

"It's a small breed thing to do the litter and it sounds behavioral with the regression in house training, but I am concerned about her nightly vomiting." Next morning I dropped off Sunshine to see what was happening.

Lucky and Pepper were not happy-where was she getting to go and why weren't they being given a car ride?

8 hours later I went to go pick her up.  The diagnosis?  Acid reflux, a very possible UTI and she's just plain freaked out from the storm and it will take some time and patience to get over it.

I was told she'd need to have some Pepcid with her food and meds and report back how things were going.  I hid the doggie K-flex and antacid in a greenie pill pocket.  Guess what?  For the first time in two weeks Sunshine didn't throw up.

She also didn't sleep through the night.

Not her fault.  When I let the dogs out at 10 for their last bathroom break, there was a whole pack of coyotes on the other side of the block wall howling, yapping and again, freaking out my two little "snacks".

Then I locked up, turned out the lights, turned out the security system and all four of us snuggled down for what I hoped would be the night.

Nope-those coyotes were barking, howling and I figured they had decided my front porch was the perfect place to keep warm and out of the wind for the night.  The four of us were lying there listening to all that noise.

By morning 3 a.m. they had stopped enough for us to get some sleep.  Then at 6:30-my fur babies decided that they wanted to potty and be fed.

Sigh.  Thankfully we no longer heard the pack literally at our door.  When I met my friends they were gone. 

To make sure I don't forget my last 24 hours, as we were rounding the corner to get back to home, we all saw one of the coyotes just wandering down one of our streets.

I know we're safe here inside the house, but it is very unsettling to know that all those neighbors are that close by and willing to claim my porch as their shelter.