These black grasses produce delicate mauve flowers at this time of the year and are a nice foil to Ray's barn owl sculpture.
What a to-do (and 'quelle horreur'!) this week to find evidence of fleas on Jinks, despite having faithfully treated him to prevent them every month of his life. Although I've seen none jumping on him or in the house we're following the vet practice advice to treat the whole house and have also changed to a tablet form of prevention for Jinks instead of the spot-on solution.
I'd been putting his scratching down to his bristly short new coat he got at the dog groomer and his lethargy down to his age and the heat.
Having phoned the manufacturer of the pesticide spray we bought from the vet I found that the instruction on the can to use in a well ventilated room is wrong and the instruction in the accompanying leaflet to use with all doors and windows closed is right.
So Ray has been doing the job of hoovering, moving furniture, and spraying (wearing a mask for extra safety). Jinks has been running away from the hoover wherever it is, wondering what all the fuss is about! The washing machine has been working for England. (btw a house down the road sports a flagpole in the front garden with the England flag at half mast.)
And if you have any queries, I am now 'la grande expert' on the life cycle of a flea.
I hope you are sitting comfortably and not scratching!!
p.s. this may all sound flippant but that's actually not the way I feel about it!
These grasses are spectacular Hazel. And they do really showcase the sculpture. I feel sorry for Jinks. I hope you can get all of the fleas...it's a horrible problem to have.
Oh dear, we have been very lucky regarding fleas on our cat and dog, but when our pigs came back from their visit to the boar last year I was absolutely disgusted to discover that they were infested with lice (pig lice are not small!) Very easily treated, but horrid nontheless. Sounds like you have been super-thorough with your treatment so you should soon be flea-free.
I love this type of grass, it looks nice against the white of the statue. It sounds like you have done some really in depth research on fleas. I hope Jinks is ok and not too scratchy anymore. I can really sympathise. For a while my middle child (the one I appropriately call number 2) was in a class that seemingly had a child who's parents refused to treat for head lice. I spent the good part of a year continually treating, and going through her hair and washing bedding etc, I am so glad it is over, and I am an expert on head lice now too.
We could form a company!! I remember the head lice stage from schooldays, too, but thankfully brief in our case. Thanks for your visit and comments, as ever.
Your black grass has a lot of flowers on it I have looked at mine and have none. A wonderful capture of Ray's sculpture amongst it.Hope Jinks is OK now and you are all flea free.
Well firstly this is a lovely shot! Secondly - not your fault. Some of the flea spot on things just don't work. We've been ok for the dog but have real trouble with the cat who lives next door. We had to switch to Frontline from Stronghold but I don't think they Hoover enough next door & there are times I don't want her visiting us! Monty does get ticks though - the vet says they are pretty resistant to preventative treatments - I've invested in a tick roving device but probably won't be able to find it when I need it!
We've now got tablets called Nexgard for Jinks for anti flea and tick - cost an arm and a leg for 6 months' supply so they had better work!! (We had Frontline before.)
Great composition and capture of this beautiful part of you garden. Love that statue.
So sorry for you and Jinks for all those trouble you go trough. Hope it`s done by now
David, thanks - we tried that but it didn't work for us - Jinks got a most horrendous tick! We're now on to tablets called Nexgard - which also cost a small fortune!
Were you down on your knees for this shot Hazel? Your black "grass" (actually a member of the Lily family as I found out when I researched ours) has lots of lovely flower
Yes, I just read that - the Nexgard over-stimulates the fleas central nervous system to kill them. Have given Jinks the first monthly tablet around 4 p.m. and he's been going a bit mad scratching and trying to scratch so I hope all will be well. Tried to take him for a walk and he wouldn't go. I guess the fleas bite a lot in the process of expiring - but I've only found one or two isolated ones on him. I do hate anything like this.
Oh Hazel just catching up with this!! What a horror for you - i can understand how you feel as I once had a similar problem with one of my cats!! It makes you feel so horrible doesn't it? I use Advantix which is a flea and tick droper that you put at the back of the nck once a month. I thought that was all that was needed - better check Finlay. I use that one from the vets as it is supposed to stop ticks which are revolting!! He had one when he was quite young and I nearly died!! Hopefully you have sorted out poor Jinks by now - I hate to think of him suffering from the bites!! Photo great by the way!!
Ray & I are both tired! I should have realised earlier that Jinks had fleas but in my ignorance and innocence I thought he would not get them as he was being treated (Frontline, same idea as Advantix which we have also used.) I think it's a prime time of the year for them, especially after the mild winter. Have only actually found two fleas on him (one I drowned!) the main clue was flea dirt at the end of his back near the base of his tail, typical apparently. Ugh - I'm scratching! He's now on Nexgard (tablet form - new med licensed Feb 2014) but I have to phone the vet's to check as 2 hours after the first tablet yesterday he was panicky - it kills the fleas by overstimulating their nervous system. I guess it makes them hyperactive - he's fine now but I was concerned.
My sympathies re your flea infestation. The one and only time I had one was in college. We ended up throwing out the couch. I'd never seen fleas, so I didn't know what I was watching, but I distinctly remember that they jumped really, really high compared to their size. I was both awed and repulsed.
Oh dear Hazel, what a time you have had......you start itching just thinking about it! Poor little Jinks...he could have picked them up at the groomers perhaps? So common but a nightmare to get rid of. Luckily for some reason we have never been bothered by either fleas or ticks on cat or dog. They don't mix with other animals & the cat pretty much stays in so not much opportunity. I am surprised Tui never came back with ticks as we have deer but she never seemed to get any. Our daughters cat is terrible for picking up fleas......they use Frontline. Head lice now there's another story but long behind us! You will be very clean in your house tonight!
June 30th, 2014
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Sam, they'd better be!!!!!!!!!
Denise, thank you kindly on both counts. The spray can is nearly used up and have to get more and also to do the interior of the cars..........
We could form a company!! I remember the head lice stage from schooldays, too, but thankfully brief in our case. Thanks for your visit and comments, as ever.
Thank you - the sort of shot I like, just out into the garden on the day after breakfast but doesn't happen very often!
Hope so - at least we've been free for nearly 12 years!!!
Hope we have, Babs, and thanks - the spray is supposed to be effective for up to 12 months!!
This is the sculpture being installed. Ray spent ages looking for the right one: http://365project.org/quietpurplehaze/365/2012-08-04
I was amazed looking for this shot to realise it's nearly two years ago we got it!
We've now got tablets called Nexgard for Jinks for anti flea and tick - cost an arm and a leg for 6 months' supply so they had better work!! (We had Frontline before.)
So sorry for you and Jinks for all those trouble you go trough. Hope it`s done by now
David, thanks - we tried that but it didn't work for us - Jinks got a most horrendous tick! We're now on to tablets called Nexgard - which also cost a small fortune!
Hopefully you will have some flower on the grass soon.
Hazel, it was the camera on its knees!!!!
Yes, I just read that - the Nexgard over-stimulates the fleas central nervous system to kill them. Have given Jinks the first monthly tablet around 4 p.m. and he's been going a bit mad scratching and trying to scratch so I hope all will be well. Tried to take him for a walk and he wouldn't go. I guess the fleas bite a lot in the process of expiring - but I've only found one or two isolated ones on him. I do hate anything like this.
Ray & I are both tired! I should have realised earlier that Jinks had fleas but in my ignorance and innocence I thought he would not get them as he was being treated (Frontline, same idea as Advantix which we have also used.) I think it's a prime time of the year for them, especially after the mild winter. Have only actually found two fleas on him (one I drowned!) the main clue was flea dirt at the end of his back near the base of his tail, typical apparently. Ugh - I'm scratching! He's now on Nexgard (tablet form - new med licensed Feb 2014) but I have to phone the vet's to check as 2 hours after the first tablet yesterday he was panicky - it kills the fleas by overstimulating their nervous system. I guess it makes them hyperactive - he's fine now but I was concerned.
Sophia, thanks for the sympahty and for your little story! I understand your sentiments but just wished they would go somewhere else.....