Rhea's Corner Cafe

 Bathroom: Strange set up, Toilet is in separate  part of bathroom with a separate door so it can be occupied while someone else is showering. The picture is being taken from that doorway into bathroom. A remodel is in order but it's usable

Bedroom needs pickup and general cleaning, other bedroom not shown, Bigger, cleaner

  Kitchen..has new range and stove, clean and paint , and has sm dining area with hardwood floors

Living room hmm... lift boxes, clean carpet, paint..

SOOOOOOOO.... What do you think is "22,000" too much? ROFL  oh yeah on 1/3 acre good size lot.

Ya just gotta take stock of what the dog does...And mine has been digging! He has dug huge holes, buried his bone and dug it up to move it to another hole. And then another and another... (okay, a slight edit, right here)  I realise maybe my thoughts weren't clearly said... The reference to the dog and digging is...sometimes you gotta just keep digging until you get it right.....Right?

   So, I finally called an ad that I had been ignoring... Said she would consider Contract for deed, maybe?  I  passed on her ad more times than I could count..And one day when all hope had left..I called her. Apparently she had lost hope as well... Her and I have been waiting for each other, I think.

The house was posted without pictures, I thought it must be a scam or a real dud. She assured me it wasn't, and said she wasn't interested in a down payment, just someone to make payments and take it off her hands..Okay, scam scenario just went out the window...Must be really ugly...right?  She said, it's really dirty and It'll be a while before I can get it clean..Ohhhh no...I thought... But, I said I'll clean it. She said she'd take 5000 off the asking price, if I would clean and paint it myself.  Sure...

Now, I still haven't seen pictures, just going on trust....Getting scared..

Okay, new siding, windows and doors outside....a little clean up! Oh no, that means the inside must be trashed...She is giving me 5000 off the cost...I'm freaking out, now....  More photo's coming...

I had been so excited. I found a contract for deed house. Someone was going to sell it to me for payments only. No Deposit, even.. I was making plans and then wham! he changed his mind. I was so dissapointed.........I couldn't believe it..  But I had told another online friend that I felt uncomfortable with the job offer and accepting it.  I told her I felt like there was something else coming for me.  Here it is....

I have just purchased a 3 bedroom 1.5 bath home on 2 acres. I will have 2 decks, a 10x12 shed, a 2 car garage, a full concrete basement, and is a 2 story farm house trimmed out in a victorian style scrolled trim along the eaves.  It comes with all appliances and new carpet and flooring. I had to put 1500 dollars down payment and 250 a month. Beginning after Jan 1st....And the total asking price is 15000. Yep fifteen thousand.....Drawback...... town of 52, soon to be 53. I love it...books and candlemaking. Peace and quiet.In Sd and only 200 miles from my family in Minnesota.

Isn't that a beauty? It is related to the mint family. My dad gave me a start of it in July, and look how it's doing! Lemon Balm has so many ways it can be used, but my favorite is tea. It i such a delicious tea. I pick some leaves crush them a bit and put them in a tea ball. And a lovely lemony flavor and fragrance carries you away. Ummmmm.

Thought I'd share a bit about the plant.  I think herbs are a great way to treat yourself and your ailments, But remember, I'm not a physician. This is Herbal folklore.

Anxiety has been treated with 2 cups a day, morning and night.

Insomnia, this tea can help restore balance to the nervous system. And its safe for children.

Stress is always helped with this.

A gassy stomach will be settled with this tea, if it's lower in the gut try ginger tea.

Indigestion or churning stomach, same thing.

Painful menses...tea of Lemon Balm

And about 100 more uses

This plant has so many uses and yet can be container grown and moved indoors in the winter. and easy to take care of. The more leaves you pick the more it produces. And it is so yummilicious!

This is Buan. (Boo-un) It means steadfast and everlasting. He is a Border Collie and Mtn dog cross. I was told he was 2 yrs old. However, the fact that he has no tartar and is teething indicates about 5-6 mo's. I thought he had some serious issues for a 2 yr old dog.

   Housetraining didn't seem to go well, he was chewing everything and seemed fearful of everything. Bad anxiety, I thought. However, being 5 mo's old presents a certain amount of relief. He's a puppy. he can't go all night without relieving himself and presenting about 20 different chew toys and teething items has aleviated the chewing problem. I guess, I'd be anxious if I was a baby and everyone expected me to behave like a grown up. and it sure explains why he is hungry all the time and is already 60+ lbs.lol

He is definitely my dog. He never leaves my feet. He is never any further away than 6 inches. He growls and acts ferocious if I am alone at the house and someone shows up, and smiles, wagging his tail if he's told it's okay. If Mark comes through the door, he growls until he can verify who's in the house. Then the tail wag comes on.

He is happy and a caretaker. Yep, you heard me right! Caretaker.....He chases the cats..playfully! Jumps over them, like he's a champion jumper! Licks and cleans Ricky's face and ears. Lucy is too prim and proper for his bath's and hisses when he tries...lol   He gets very concerned if I cough. And he herds all of us like we're livestock. He gets between me and the walls, insists on going ahead of me on the stairs. One day I was having some problems on the stairs, and he walked sideways up the stairs, I think he expected me to use him for support..lol He has a big heart, but not big enough to support my weight!

He will never be Chloe, but he has won my heart I am glad I could provide a home for him, not matter how big he might get...Winters can be tough in the Dakotas, maybe he can pull a sled to town and get groceries....hehehe

This is my pride and joy. Chloe has been my constant companion for 5 yrs. When I moved, I chose to take my dog and cats and leave behind belongings. She is what I wake up to and go to sleep with.

Last night, she started choking and clearing her throat. I rushed her to the Emergency Vet. Clinic. The vet said some larynx swelling, seemed responsible. She said I would need to take her to another vet, today. But for another problem. Seems her lymph glands are swollen. All of them. She thinks, she has Lymphoma.

I found another vet to see her today. He thinks her choking problem was due to an allergy.Probably the freshly chipped cedar , I had brought in yesterday. But, again same idea on the Lymphoma. He's a little bit more optimistic. We are going to wait 10 days. I have to check her lymph glands daily. If they enlarge more, to the size of an egg, then no need to do more expensive testing.(I'm without an income until commission kicks in) He's trying to save me money on testing something that will be evident in a few days if that's what it is. After explaining that lately she didn't want to play much, seemed lazy or something. He pointed out, that it was most likely the Lymphoma..

I hope it isn't. But, I won't let her suffer. And that decision is cutting me clean through the heart, right now.

The Italian Tomato Garden

An old Italian lived alone in New Jersey.  He wanted to plant
his annual  tomato garden, but it was very difficult work, as the
ground was hard.

His only son, Vincent, who used to help him, was in prison. The
old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament:

Dear Vincent,
I am feeling pretty sad, because it looks like I won't be able
to plant my tomato garden this year. I'm just getting too old to be
digging up a garden plot. I know if you were here my troubles would be over.

I know you would be happy to dig the plot for me, like in the old days.
Love,
Papa


A few days later he received a letter from his son.


Dear Pop,
Don't dig up that garden. That's where the bodies are buried.
Love,
Vinnie

At 4 a.m. the next morning, FBI agents and local police arrived
and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies.  They apologized to the old man and left.

That same day the old man received another letter from his son.

Dear Pop,
Go ahead and plant the tomatoes now. That's the best I could do
under the circumstances.  Love you,  Vinnie

A friend sent me this, and I did not know this. So, I decided to post it and if it saves the life of one animal it was well worth the post...

WARNING!
To all dog owners pass this on to everyone you can

Last Friday evening, I arrived home from work, fed Chloe, our 24 Lb.
Dachshund, just as I normally do. Ten minutes later I walked into the
Den just in time to see her head inside the pocket of Katie's
friend's purse. She had a guilty look on her face so I looked closer
And saw a small package of sugar-free gum. It contained xylitol. I
Remembered that I had recently read that sugar-free gum can be deadly
For dogs so I jumped on line and looked to see if xylitol was the
Ingredient. I found the first website below and it was the one. Next,
I called our vet. She said to bring her in immediately.
Unfortunately, it was still rush hour and it took me almost 1/2 hour
To get there. Meanwhile, since this was her first case, our vet found
Another website to figure out the treatment. She took Chloe and said
They would induce her to vomit, give her a charcoal drink to absorb
The toxin (even though they don't think it works) then they would
Start an iv with dextrose. The xylitol causes dogs to secrete insulin
So their blood sugar drops very quickly. The second thing that
Happens is liver failure. If that happens, even with aggressive
Treatment, it can be difficult to save them. She told us she would
Call us.

Almost two hours later, the vet called and said that contents of her
Stomach contained 2-3 gum wrappers and that her blood sugar had
Dropped from 90 to 59 in 30 minutes. She wanted us to take Chloe to
Another hospital that has a critical care unit operating around the
Clock. We picked her up and took her there. They had us call the
ASPCApoison control for a case number and for a donation, their
Doctors would direct Chloe's doctor on treatment. They would continue
The iv, monitor her blood every other hour and then in 2 days test
Her liver function. She ended up with a central line in her jugular
Vein since the one in her leg collapsed, just as our regular vet had
Feared.

Chloe spent almost the entire weekend in the critical care hospital.
After her blood sugar was stabilized, she came home yesterday. They
Ran all the tests again before they released her and so far, no sign
Of liver damage. Had I not seen her head in the purse, she probably
Would have died and we wouldn't even had known why.

Three vets told me this weekend, that they were amazed that I even
Knew about it since they are first learning about it too. Please tell
Everyone you know about xylitol and dogs. It may save another life.

AROMATHERAPY

1.Lavender

2.Sage & Citrus

FRUIT

1.Sweet Cranberry

2.Cucumber Melon

BAKED GOODS-  3-way tie

1.Apple Dumpling

2.Pumpkin Spice

3.Warm Orange Gingerbread

CLEAN

1.Country Clothesline

2.Honeydew Melon

FLORAL

1.Southern Jasmine

2.Lilac 

Thank you for all the help and wonderful compliments. I appreciate the time it took to do this and I hope I can return the favor to each of you, one day.

Footnotes...Vanilla didn't get included, because it already holds the #1 place for alltime favorites.

I am currently looking for a source for a high quality sandelwood, oatmeal, and choc-chip cookie fragrances. Some of the fragrances have sandelwood in them, but I want a plain sandelwood.

I found these pictures of Ravens that were so detailed and beautiful.I am directing you to a link that shows my favorite shot. This Raven is in the air with a full wingspan exposed! You really need to go and take a peek.

http://www.pbase.com/paullantz/image/94355521/large