WHATCHA DOING TODAY?

[Christy]

So nice to read what you're all doing in the world.

 

Yesterday I removed two trailerloads of scrapwood from someone's garden and the day before one load.

I'm aching all over and too tired to do anything today.

Will saw it all to oven-stove-length pieces over the weekend but today my body is on strike.

 

Sure can feel I'm not 18 anymore!

[Jeepers]

I've been a sloth all week. It seems like all I've been doing is sleeping and sneezing which makes me really grumpy. Sounds like I'm working my way through the Seven Dwarfs.

[The WE2's]

Went over to Homestead to feed MommaCat and the neighborhood dogs were out of their fence (again...very irresponsible owners!) and both were up against the gate we have across our front porch...PTL for the gate! We ran them off and when I opened the gate to go onto the covered porch...there was MommaCat and the five kittys! Apparently the dogs were harrassing them in their hideout so somehow, she got them moved up and over the rails, onto the porch. So scary because it's a long way down to the ground :-( I went ahead and fed her again and "Tucker" ate and ate and ate. She did go to the other side of the wrap-around porch, laid down and let one of the babies nurse. When we left she was laying on the porch steps outside of the gate...so we're figuring either to fend off the dogs...or preparing to move them again. We've decided not to keep any of them. We just have too many things going on in our lives to try and raise a kitten or two. MommaCat and Abby-girl will probably never bond and to get the little ones to bond with Abby, we'd have to bring it (them) inside and that would defeat the whole purpose of us wanting any cat(s). We're planning to leave town shortly (if the weather permists) and wouldn't be there anyway. We're told the shelter will come get them all, so we'll give them a call when we get back into town in a week or so and can monitor things and make sure the kittens go with mommcat.

[The WE2's]

Got all three yards mowed. THAT's an accomplishment considering the Homestead is nearly an acre :-) We'll be contacting the shelter in another week or so, which kittens are older. We're just not ready for cats yet...especially a kitten. MommaCat and babies (both?) are really making a mess on the side porch...peweee! We put some DE in the food just in case they need some worming. Picked a huge batch of Okra. We've been eating it nearly every night.

[sassenach]

Is Mommacat that stray that was around for a while?

[sassenach]

I have not had fresh picked , breaded and fried for 35 years . I miss that. But I will not eat grits without cheese and garlic....... :0)

[Momo]

The kitties are so cute. We get alot of strays around here too, but they are mostly dogs. I'll never understand the way folks treat animals. Especially the way they dump them at the cemetery near our house.

 

I am almost normal again (at least normal for me) I can put most, but not all, of my weight on my left foot.

 

DH needs to mow this morning before it gets too hot. We have another guy coming out today to help DH do trimming etc. Hope he works out. The last guy was such an idiot and on top of it he spent about a third of the time on his cell phone. Can you picture him with hedge trimmers using both hands trying to cut and the phone in his ear...on my dime no less.

 

I'm fixing an old fashioned pot roast today. I'm craving one even though it's so hot outside.

 

Have a great day all!

[The WE2's]

MommaCat and babies are safe at the animal shelter...now we can clean up the mess they've made on our wrap-around porch when we get back into town :-( We called animal shelter first thing this morning and she came right out, set the trap with wet cat food, put the babies in another crate and then we "disappeared" until MommaCat was safely trapped. Not happy but still safe and away from the Homestead. It's a no-kill shelter (unless an animal totally ferral) so they'll find them homes eventually.

[The WE2's]

Getting the travel trailer loaded...heading out for a few days.

[Jeepers]

Glad the kitties are safely sheltered!

 

I'm getting ready to head out in the morning to visit My Sweet Baby J. I should be back Friday afternoon. It's a six hour drive one way and I stay at their house so it's not too bad. I'd rather make a few short trips than one or two long ones especially when he is so young and growing fast. After a couple of days away I'm ready to be home anyway and recharge.

[carr]

Enjoy the baby Jeepers. I'm getting antsy to see my Grands as well. Not had a really productive day today, but making big plans for tomorrow!!

[Mt_Rider]

Drive safe, Jeepers! Grma visits....

 

MtRider

[Jeepers]

I made it home today in time to mow before the storms roll in. The grass was so tall I had to mow it twice. Still didn't get the backyard done.

 

I had a lovely visit with that baby. He smiles now when you sing to him and I could just melt into a big pile of mush. I can't even put words to it. I can definitely tell he has gained weight. He's actually got little calf muscles now. LOL. I got to babysit while mom and dad ran a couple of quick errands. I can now change diapers. The first two didn't stay on so well but I got better with LOTS of practice. Son mentioned that I used to do his diapers. Uh, yeah about four decades ago and I used cloth diapers with pins and rubber pants and not those tabs. I took one diaper off and he made like a fountain and peed on the curtains. Hee-Hee. Boys will be boys.

[Annarchy]

Jeepers, your visit sounds wonderful.

 

Made another nesting box today because the girls almost starved Fried. It isn't perfect but it will work and I can separate the two coops.

 

 

 

Started at 6 am, ended around 4. Hot work even in the shade.

[TheCG]

We can see the living room floor again. And the couch. And the end tables.

 

I wonder how long that will last...

[Jeepers]

Hey, I've got a big hot stock tip!!! Y'all might want to invest heavily in Toys/Babies R Us. Just sayin'

 

I spent most of the day running some errands and I finally got caught up on paying the bills. I really put it off too long this month. A couple could end up arriving late. No excuse for that. Oh well. I broke down and ran the dishwasher today. I had enough dirty dishes to fill it up. I usually only run it when I'm canning to sterilize the jars...or at least get them good and hot.

 

I was out shopping and came to the Olive Garden. It isn't real close to me so I figured I'd stop in for a 'to-go' while I was in the neighborhood. I was sitting at the bar making small talk with the guy behind the counter while I waited for my order. He was saying what a long tough night it was going to be for him because they had to prepare for the exterminator. Really caught me off guard and I let slip, "Holy sh*t don't tell me you have roaches while I'm waiting for my food!" He said, "NO,NO,NO! We have them come in every month to make sure we DON'T have bugs!" Guess who got a free dinner and 6 extra after dinner chocolate/mint candies? Me.

 

I got in the car and I kept hearing a beeping sound. I thought I had the seat belt on. Maybe not. Must not have clicked in or something. I kept messing with it and it kept beeping. I finally looked at the dash board and it was the gas light beeping! I never let it get to a quarter tank left. Ever. Sheesh. At least I now know the idiot light and beeper work. Sigh.

 

Do they even say "Dash Board" any more?

[Mt_Rider]

 

Headline News:

 

---Enthralled new Grma just bought out the whole stock at Toys R Us ....in both Ohio and Indiana....

 

---Same canny Grma managed to get a free dinner from Olive Garden. Something about loudly announcing "infestation" ....

 

---Announces plans to give vocabulary lessons for old people...and how to tell which ringie-dingie means what in the too-fast changing world.

 

 

MtRider ....why "dashboard" anyway? How 'bout "glove box"?

[TheCG]

MtRider ....why "dashboard" anyway? How 'bout "glove box"?

 

I bet people used to use the glove box to store their driving gloves, hoods, and goggles. Dashboard...no clue on that one. Maybe somebody thought they'd use it as a desk to dash off notes?

[Jeepers]

Uh-Oh. Mt. Rider has outted me.

From Google: Dashboard (oops, one word) "the panel facing the driver of a vehicle or the pilot of an aircraft, containing instruments and controls." In other words, where the pretty flashing lights are.

 

I was hip to the jive...fifty years ago.

[Jeepers]

I got a late start on the day today. I was really sleeping hard. I woke up flat on my back and my mouth was hanging wide open. And I do mean wide open. It made me kind of chuckle to myself. What a pretty picture that would have made. Not.

 

I got the grass mowed again today. I had to go over it twice last Friday because it was so tall and five days later it really needed it again. It was from all the rain we had. About another month and I won't need to mow any more for the year. This summer went too fast.

[Mt_Rider]

It started early and yet....it did go too fast. Definitely fall weather here the past few days.

 

MtRider

[Annarchy]

We're seeing migrating birds already.

 

Caught another rat today. This one was not a pet, a very velvety brown coat. He's gone and I hope not to see any more. I did re-set the trap.

 

Hoping everyone has a great day. It's looking to be a busy day for me.

[Mt_Rider]

Annarchy...WHICH kind of traps are the rats falling for. We've got everything from glue boards to snap traps to buckets to cages. It's been nearly impossible to catch these mountain varmints! STILL trying to catch one poo-ing on the porch nightly. Augh!

 

Put my spinning-bucket trap back in basement cuz wasn't working for porch rat. Immediately caught 2 small mice. AAUGH! Koa had killed one near the door but we didn't know if mouse was going in our already in. Looks like already in. My garage/basement is a sieve!

 

MtRider :frying pan:

Edited August 25, 2016 by Mt_Rider

[Annarchy]

Mt_Rider, I use a small live trap, like a cat trap. I put an handful of birdseed in the back, around and under the trip pad. One of the pet rats had acquired a taste for chocolate which I used to catch him. All the rest have been caught with wild birdseed. Our trapper friend suggested putting the bait in a small piece of cloth and attaching it to the bottom of the cage, that way the have to work to get the treat and it causes them to shift their weight on the trip pad. Find out what your mountain varmints are feeding on and use that as bait.

 

The pocket gopher I caught by sticking the garden hose down one hole, full blast for a few minutes, then, moved the hose to one of the other holes and out it popped. I had thick leather gloves on and was able to grab it and stuff it in the live trap.

[Mt_Rider]

Oh....they are LOVING peanut butter. Dirty rat can lick the spinning bottle of my bucket trap clean...without falling into the water below. It's dimensions work really well for mice tho.

 

The rat(s) waltz around, setting off the snap traps but never caught. With a video camera, I might be able to catch them on film....tool-using. Shoving a stick into the trigger mechanism; snapping trap, giggling evilly, then eating the peanutbutter. Do they have opposable thumbs?

 

 

I think what is wrong with our cage traps is that the trigger is on the bait holder. Not a floor trigger. No matter how I tried to attach bait securely, they got the bait and didn't trigger the door. They liked the kernel of feed corn too...wired it to the trigger!

 

But....I am just EVER SO THANKFUL that this Rat War is taking place on our porch.....not INSIDE where so much mayhem and destruction occurred last fall.

 

MtRider

Edited August 26, 2016 by Mt_Rider