Pond Ramblings

For this group of photos you're going to wish I had a decent zoom lens on my camera.  Be prepared to click and enlarge these and maybe find a magnifying glass for additional help!


See MamaDog sitting on the bank?  What does she see?

In the middle of the photo, right in front of the grass in the water, there is a small beaver.  He turned and went the other way once he realized MamaDog was on the bank watching him.  He's making quite a wake behind him!

Here is where the beaver lives.  We can pull the boat in and fish all around the lodge.  We're not sure exactly how many live there.

Can you see the tiny little birds sitting on the top branch of the dead tree?
Good fishing spot!

This one is much harder to see.  Try looking at the dead limb right in the middle of the photo that looks almost as if it's lying on the edge of the grass.  You might be able to make out the grayish bird sitting on it, almost in the water lilies.

I bet you can see this one just fine!  Suzy and MamaDog have been terrible this year about trying to swim out to us while we are fishing.  They have ruined more good spots for us in the process!!  Suzy got all tangled in the grass one evening so I felt sorry for her and dragged her into the boat with us.  Nasty!  On this occasion we just waved her on.  She easily made it to the bank where she proceeded to shake and roll (but not rattle).

I'm sorry my photography is so poor.
It doesn't do justice to the beauty at our pond.

Random stuff

I stepped into the back yard to scoop poop this week and realized something.  The cicadas are gone!!  I'm not sure exactly when I last heard them, but I think it's been awhile.  I'm glad their lifespan above ground is short and I'm also glad I won't have to listen to that again for another 13 years!

I'm getting excited about our pears.  Wait, let me back up for a minute...  My husband has always wanted to have pecan trees and fruit trees.  When we first moved to the country, he planted quite a few on a spot he cleared at the north end of our property (pre-pasture/livestock/pond days).  Despite meticulous care, they didn't make it.  I think the worst was when kids(?) on ATVs destroyed quite a few of them by running over them!  He tried again when we were big into the goat business.  Well, you can imagine what happened with that.  Just think goats, horns, and the need to butt things.  A few years ago he decided to give it one more try with three pear trees in our front yard.  Two of them have fruit this year!!  I'm hoping to at least get a pie or cobbler out of the deal if we can fend off the bugs, birds and whatever else might get in the way.

For this final item you might want to quit reading if you're the type who switches the channel when the lion starts chasing the antelope during the nature show.  My husband was working in our new "pool garden" (which deserves an entry of its own) and I was standing on the back steps calling for Alice and Mabel to come in while taking in the heavenly aroma of our gardenias that are blooming.  All of a sudden we heard a huge crashing noise and I saw something fall from a tree.  Immediately Suzy and MamaDog went tearing into the woods.  My husband asked "What was that??" and I told him I thought it looked like a squirrel fell out of the tree.  He looked a little skeptical and said that squirrels were very sure-footed creatures.  I said maybe the branch broke off when it jumped on it.  Before he could counter that, here came Suzy prancing out of the woods with a live squirrel in her mouth looking very pleased with herself.  I'll stop my story there.  Besides... I decided it was time to come back inside at that point. 

 

Shadow Shot Sunday #18

Hosted by Hey Harriet
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Seeking Shadow Shade

Our meager snowfall

Frozen precipitation is not an every winter occurance for us and when we do get it, it's usually in the form of freezing rain or sleet. I'm not a big fan of winter, but I do think the occasional snowfall is pretty.... especially when it goes away quickly like this one is doing. I'm sure many of you are sick of winter weather and looking at snow pictures is the last thing you want to do. Or, perhaps you're scoffing at our scant snowfall. Please bear with me, though. As one who rarely gets the fluffy white stuff, I had to post the obligatory photos for my friends and relatives.

Oh, and you might be entertained to know my husband said the cows had icicles hanging off their ears. Wish I'd gotten a photo of that!

Shadow Shot Sunday #14

Hosted by Hey Harriet

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Mabel

End of month ramblings

Usually February is the month that seems to drag on forever (despite being the shortest), but this felt like an extra-long January. I'm not sure someone didn't sneak some extra days in there somewhere!

I got a good start on my reading challenges by completing seven books this month! That's great for a slow reader like me. I usually do well to get three or four read in a month. (still contemplating the idea of someone slipping in some extra days)

Remember the donkeys I featured in a Shadow Shot Sunday post earlier this month? They're gone!! Turns out our livestock partner found a taker for them. They left before I even knew we were giving them away! I'll miss hearing them bray in the mornings. My husband says he won't miss them. They were greedy and got in the way when feeding the cows.

Duck season is over for another year. After all my enthusiam at the beginning of the 09/10 season, I haven't been back since. Oh well. It's gotten where I prefer dove hunting and I did get to do that several times last fall. Speaking of.... it's time I pull some of the little birds out of the freezer and prepare them for my husband. He loves my dove in mushroom gravy.

Mabel had a rough weekend. She must have eaten something in the yard that she shouldn't have. Projectile vomiting is one thing, but projectile diar...... well, I won't go into detail. Let's just say I don't know who I felt worse for, her for being sick or me for having to clean up after her!

Moving right along, it's been a month filled with wild swings in temperature. Hot, cold, warm, cool. Saturday it got up to 73F (23C). Another cold front is coming, though, and by tomorrow night it's supposed to get down to 25F (-4C) with a high Wednesday of 35F (2C). What I really dislike is when it's very cold at night, yet warms up considerably during the day. Makes it hard to know how to dress.

Enough ramblings for one day!

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

I knew from all the reviews I'd read for The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein that I would like it. How could I not - it's narrated by a dog!

As the story begins, Enzo is comtemplating his transition from this world to the next. He knows from a TV documentary about Mongolia that when a dog is finished living his lifetimes as a dog, his next incarnation will be as a man. He feels he's ready.

First, though, he shares his story and in doing so we learn all about Denny and Eve Swift, their daughter Zoe and all the tragedy that befalls them. And, wow, what a story!

I really enjoyed this book until about half way through. At that point things started happening that totally frustrated and angered me. Still... that didn't stop me from pressing on, totally absorbed with Enzo's tale. Death, false accusations, custody battles, financial woes, and racing. Lots and lots of auto racing. It's not a topic for which I have much interest, but that didn't matter. Enzo, with his humor and insight, made the whole journey worth it.

This novel was read for the What's in a Name challenge: a book with movement (racing) in the title.

Remembering Daisy

We lost Daisy Mae three years ago, but she's been on my mind lately. I decided to repeat this post which originally appeared on my Yahoo 360 blog.

It's never easy losing a dog. I don't care if you've had them many years or only a few months. Once they've had a chance to work their way into your heart.....you're hooked.

It was the first week of May, 2002. At the time we had three dogs living in the house: Betty (the beagle mix), JJ, and Esther (both rottweilers). The only outside dog was Jake, a squirrel dog we had been given by a friend. If I remember correctly, it was a rainy day when two absolutely pitiful looking puppies showed up in our yard. We live in a rural area where dogs are free to roam, so dogs would often appear for a day or two before moving on. Usually they belonged to someone and were just passing through. These two had obviously been dumped. Despite feeling guilty, I tried to shoo them on without looking at them too closely. It worked for one night.

The smaller one with the swollen face came back the next day. She had either been hit by a car or beaten. Her jaw appeared broken and she looked near death. We had to help her! Her confidence that we would take her in led us to name her "Hope".

Less than a week later the second puppy came back. She was even more emaciated than before (if that was possible) and looked like she'd been in a fight. This time I couldn't turn her away. My husband was won over when he saw her chase a squirrel across the front yard. (Jake, the squirrel dog, was gun shy and had absolutely no interest in squirrels!) My daughter named her "Daisy Mae".

The vet estimated that Hope was about four months old and Daisy about six months. Antibiotics, baths, plenty of good food and lots of love worked wonders! They thrived and grew by the day. By the end of the summer, they had both been spayed and were settled in to their new life with us.

Daisy never became the squirrel dog my husband had hoped for. Daisy liked rabbits!! I'll never forget the first time we heard her pick up a trail and set out. We thought she had been hurt because she sounded like she was in agony!! Her "hunting bay" was a high-pitched yip that could be heard from far away. I can't begin to count the times I heard her yipping in the distance! She and Hope had an efficient system for hunting. When being chased, rabbits tend to run in a big circle. As Daisy chased the rabbit, Hope would silently bring up the rear and snag the bunny when it circled back. What a team!

I often feared their lifestyle would catch up with them at some point. I didn't know if it would be a car (though they were both fairly "street smart"), getting shot by a hunter (though most hunters in our area knew and liked them) or illness. In the end it was illness that got Daisy.

I first noticed a change in her behavior around Thanksgiving. She wasn't eating well (though this was often the case during hunting season when “deer parts” were plentiful), seemed lethargic and was losing weight. We took her to the vet and discovered she was running a high fever. Her symptoms indicated it was most likely a tick-borne disease. Despite collars, dusting and other treatments, ticks have always been an unfortunate reality for our outside dogs. The vet gave her a shot and we kept her on antibiotics for a month. Within 24 hours of the shot, Daisy was acting like a new dog!! All the more reason to believe it was Erlychia or something similar. Angus, our first rottie, had Erlychia when he was two and went on to live another seven years. I felt hopeful Daisy's life would get back to normal. It did, but only for awhile.

I noticed late one afternoon last week that she was moving more slowly. I got her started on antibiotics the next morning and she spent most of that day in the doghouse. It was cold and drizzly, so I didn't think anything about it. I just assumed the medicine would kick in like it did before. The following morning she wouldn't come out of the doghouse. We were shocked to see how quickly she had deteriorated! Her breathing was labored and she'd lost control of her body. We rushed her to the vet where we were told that her prognosis wasn't good. I had to make the difficult decision to have her put down.

I stayed with her until it was over. I wanted my voice and touch to be the last things she knew.... for her to know that I loved her.

I don't regret my decision. Nor do I regret allowing her to run loose in the woods all her life. She was a happy dog with warm gentle eyes that never left us any doubt that she loved us.

If I close my eyes, I can hear her now. She’s across the Rainbow Bridge, hot on the trail of a rabbit, her high-pitched yip fading in the distance…..

Daisy Mae
c. November 2001 ~ January 17, 2008

Inside vs. Outside

I made a comment on an online forum long ago that I've never forgotten. Actually, it was the response to it that stuck with me. I had made some reference to my "outside" dogs and another commenter took major offense to this. She stated that if a person is going to own a dog it should be kept inside where it can be properly taken care of. Basically she accused me of abusing or mistreating my dogs! She couldn't understand how I could possibly have some of my dogs inside the house, yet make others live outside.

Our outside dogs have plenty of food, shelter from the elements, and the freedom to run free. They are spayed and neutered, given the proper vaccinations, and get plenty of love and attention. In no way are they mistreated! We've learned over the years that some dogs just prefer living outside.

Angus, our first Rottweiler was meant to be an outside dog. When he was two years old he developed a tick-born disease called Ehrlichia. We treated him with massive doses of antibiotics to cure him, but the vet said the only way to keep it from recurring was to lock him in a pen or bring him in the house. We couldn't imagine penning him up. He would have been miserable. We had several other dogs at the time and they loved to all roam the woods together. So, we brought him inside. We had never had a large dog in the house before, but it was the beginning of a love affair for our family. He housebroke easily, immediately took charge of guarding our kids (and herding them when necessary), and fit right in to our family.

Our next two rotties, Esther and JJ, were destined to be house dogs from the time they arrived at our home as puppies. However, between the time we picked them out at the kennel and they were old enough to bring home, we got Betty and Veronica. Since we didn't want four puppies inside at one time, Betty and Veronica were kept in the back yard. It was only because of Veronica's tragic death that Betty got to move in. I sometimes wonder if they both wouldn't have ended up inside eventually.

The majority of our outside dogs have been strays that were passing through and decided they'd found a good home. Most of these dogs would never have been happy as inside dogs, not after the freedom they had already experienced. Daisy Mae and Hope were perfect examples of this and lived with us for quite a few years. I debated whether to try and make a house dog of Bella, but felt Hope needed her company after Daisy died. Perhaps if I'd moved her in that terrible day in the pasture might never had happened. I can't think about that.

Anyone who has followed this blog for any length of time knows about our current dogs. Alice and Mabel (and their ten siblings) were abandoned on the side of the road at Christmastime two years ago. Blue and Mama Dog (and her subsequent litter of puppies) the following summer. Suzy this summer.

I took pictures of Alice and Mabel in the back yard over the weekend. I caught Alice with her head in mid-shake in the first one. It's hilarious and looks like she's about to warp into another dimension! Hard to believe they're from the same litter, isn't it?

Be careful what you wish for...

... because you might just get it!


For quite some time now Suzy has been escaping whenever she can slip out the carport door. This isn't just when we go in and out, either. If the door isn't shut firmly she will nose open the inside door then push on the storm door to make her way out. This isn't the problem as much as the fact she then takes off into the woods and will not come back when called. All our other dogs mind us. Suzy doesn't.

We finally decided she must really want to be an outside dog, so we stopped letting her back in when she returned. Mama Dog, Blue and Jed have taken it in stride. In fact, I think Jed loves having someone who will run and play with him all the time. The transition has gone fairly well with the exception of nighttime. That's when Suzy thinks she wants to be an inside dog again. No way! Living in the country with no leash law gives our outside pups freedom to run the woods.... and pick up all sorts of creepy crawlies. We do use collars and other flea/tick products on them, but that doesn't equal the controlled environment of the inside girls. The first three nights Suzy managed, one way or another, to get into the back yard then sat on the back steps and barked. And barked. And barked. The past two nights we shut her in her crate which we moved to the carport. She seemed content with that. Meanwhille, things are getting back to normal inside for Alice and Mabel.

Here are some photos I took over the weekend.

Rottweilers

Six months have passed since we lost our Esther girl and I still miss her. I'll try not to look at the wall calendar in the kitchen next week where her birthday is still noted in red. A friend sent me a link over the weekend to a wonderful article about a Rottweiler honored in England for saving a woman from an attacker. Click here if you would like to read the story. I love seeing Rottweilers portrayed in a positive light!

I miss having a Rottie in the house. *sigh*

Six dogs are enough for now, but someday I'll have another Rottweiler. That's a promise.

Our stinky visitor

We had a visitor recently and I think it was a stressful 24 hour visit for him. It was no bed of roses for us, either.

It all began in the wee hours of Friday morning. Our outside dogs had been barking unceasingly and Suzy decided to join in, unceasingly. She has a shrill, piercing bark and it finally reached the point that my husband had to get up and tell her to be quiet. As we lay there in the dark, trying to go back to sleep my husband suddenly said, "Skunk! Do you smell it??" Sure enough...I caught the faintest whiff of "perfume". We knew the outside dogs must have cornered one and the smell was somehow getting into the house.

Friday morning we found it. He (she? I wasn't getting close enough to identify the sex) was huddled in the corner of the flower bed, hiding behind a waterhose caddy. If you look closely at this photo you'll see him.

We tried the keep the dogs away in hopes he'd take the opportunity to escape. No luck. Skunks tend to be nocturnal, so he wasn't planning to go anywhere for awhile. Throughout the day the dogs would get close and bark at him. Fortunately they stayed out of range and never got sprayed directly. Still....he was warning them and the perfume lingered.

Around 3:30 Saturday morning my husband heard them barking again. This time he went outside and used the waterhose to keep the dogs away from him. Then he sprayed in the skunk's general direction hoping to drive him out. It must have worked since he was gone at daybreak....and it must have been an uneventful exit since none of the dogs got targeted.

Whew! I'm glad that's over! I'm sure our visitor is glad, too.

Healing

A few of my readers contacted me in concern after seeing Mama Dog's nose in a recent entry. To set your minds at ease, here is a picture I took at the end of last week. As you can see, her nose is healing nicely. Sure, she'll be left with a good scar, but she's a pretty tough old girl.

Ouch!

Our outside dogs have an entirely different lifestyle than our inside girls. They might not have the luxury of a controlled climate, but they have the freedom to go and do as they please. On these hot summer days they spend the bulk of the daylight hours close to home, saving their roaming for early morning or during the night.

They like to spread out on the cool concrete under the carport.
Jed sat up to pose for me.


Blue has a burrow in the cool earth under the hydrangea bush. She peeked out at me with her one blue eye.


Mama Dog had a run-in with something the other night, probably a raccoon or possum. Don't worry... the vet put her on antibiotics and it hasn't slowed her down in the least. Blue has a few marks on her face, too, but nothing like poor Mama Dog!

Suzy's (not so) grand adventure

It's quite rare for my husband and me to leave home at the same time. Between all the dogs and the livestock, it's just too much trouble. Besides, I hate asking the house-sitter (pasture-sitter) to fool with the inside dogs since they're a little more "high maintenance" than the others. So... off went Mabel and Alice to the kennel. It was their second time to stay there and I think they handled it better than they did first time around.

Suzy had a different adventure. We took this as the prime opportunity to get her spayed and figured as active as she is it would be good to have her confined somewhere away from her sisters until the incision could heal a little. Her surgery was scheduled the morning we left town and of course I called from Vegas later that day to check on her. When we picked her up Sunday morning, she had already removed her own stitches saving us a trip back to the vet's later in the week. I should haved known if any dog would do that it would be her. She is SO naughty!! If anything, she seems to be worse than ever since we got back. She barks, growls, jumps up, climbs over the babygate, leaps unexpectedly into your lap wherever you're sitting, and worst of all....does not obey!! Doesn't she just exude naughtiness in these photos?? I've never had a dog that behaved like this. If I could find an obedience class anywhere around here I would sign up. One of us needs training!!

The Walk (and some slaw)

Younger daughter and I decided we'd better take an extra long walk this morning to counteract some of the good stuff we've eaten lately. We set out before 7:00 a.m. and you'd think with temperatures in the mid 70s it would be pleasant. Factor in humidity of more than 90% and it quickly becomes a sweaty experience. Let's just say after walking close to five miles at a fairly good pace we felt like we'd gotten quite a workout!

We live in a rural area with no leash law, so we always hope that none of the dogs along the route bite..... and believe me, there are LOTS of dogs in our area! Many barked at us, a few came to the edge of their yards, and one came up to give us a sniff or two. Some of you might remember that two years ago we sold Debby to some friends up the road. She was pregnant at the time and gave birth to a little girl they named Bella. Evidently Bella's new family gives her lots of attention. As we walked past her pasture she started plodding her way towards us, clearly expecting something. She tuned up and gave a little bray as we passed her by. I sort of felt bad that we didn't stop and pet her! On the return trip she didn't come to the fence, but kept a close eye on us until we were out of sight. I think the most disconcerting part of the walk was when we passed under a high-voltage powerline. You could actually hear the surge of electricity coming from the wires!! Maybe next time we walk I'll take the camera along so I can illustrate my narrative.

My family isn't much on slaw, especially when it's not the mayonnaise variety. The vinegar types are healthier, though, and I really like this version I put together this morning.

Colorful Coleslaw

1 pkg. (10 oz.) angel hair coleslaw mix
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 medium yellow summer squash, chopped
1/2 cup chopped red (purple) onion
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
3 Tablespoons lime juice
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1-1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper

Combine first five ingredients in a serving bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Pour over vegetables in serving bowl and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least a half hour before serving.

Think you know what's going on?

Last month I posted a Civic Literacy quiz to test your knowledge about the U.S. government. This week I received another fun quiz in an e-mail. I did a little better on this one, scoring a 10 out of 12. (and really shouldn't have missed one of those) It's a quick test, so click the link below and see how well you do. Keep in mind it relates to U.S. politics.

Political Quiz

On an unrelated note.... I watched Bolt this afternoon. A really cute movie! The animated dog in it reminded me of our Jed. (in looks, not intelligence!)

A Suzy update

Suzy made another trip to the vet this week for her final round of shots. The waiting room was packed when we got there so we knew there would be a bit of a wait. We sat down and things were fine until a man walked in with a young Labrador Retriever. He (the dog, not the man) was totally wired and would not behave. That's all it took for Suzy to decide she should take on every dog in the waiting room. The "terrier" in her came out in full force. She barked and growled over and over to the point I was almost embarrassed. Never have I had a dog that was so ill-behaved at the vet's office!! It was a relief to finally get called into an examining room. At that point she was an angel and didn't make a peep, even while getting her shots. She's up to 16 pounds now -- a 4 pound gain since we took her in.

Her personality has really blossomed and she is such a naughty girl! Since bragging on her in an earlier post there have been several accidents. Still.... I think she's learning. Chewing is a problem. Despite an abundance of chew toys in the house, there have been numerous incidents with the chair cushions in the sunroom. I was planning to replace them right before we took her in, but now I think I'd better wait. (I'm telling myself it is a phase and will pass!) We scoop her into our arms constantly, just because we can. It's a novelty for us to have a dog small enough to pick up. She's always very good-natured about it, too.

It's kind of funny when I look back at how naughty we thought Alice was. At this point, she's the good one! As for Mabel.... well, that can be an entire post in itself. She has "issues" and is one strange dog!

Here are some photos I took of Suzy yesterday when my daughter and I were playing double solitaire. In the last picture you can see that she really wanted to get in my daughter's lap to take her nap and wasn't allowed since it impeded the card playing!

Monday stuff

Things have been going well with Suzy in the house. She gets along great with Alice and Mabel and as far as I know (unless there's something I haven't found!) there's only been one accident in the house. Out of all the dogs I've owned in my lifetime, though, she's the first "shoe thief/chewer"! Naughty girl!!

On Saturday my younger daughter and I hosted a bridal shower for one of her friends. I obviously didn't check the community calendar before I set the date and location. Turns out there was a "Bugs, Bands & Bikes" festival going on all day in the area adjacent to where we had the shower. I haven't seen or heard so many motorcycles in one place since the time we happened to be in Hot Springs during a Harley Davidson Convention! (Bugs = "mudbugs" or crawfish)

Remember the goose couple I mentioned in an entry awhile back? There have been several mornings my husband has seen the entire family, which now includes four goslings, marching down the middle of the levee road which circles our pond. I would love to get a photo of that!

We've had two new calves in the past week or so. We're a small operation, so it's always a big deal when there's a new arrival. Once upon a time I took lots of livestock photos. As I mentioned here, though, it's been ages since I took my camera to the pasture.

At least when something happens right here at the house I'm pretty good about getting out my camera. Jed was barking like crazy at something in the front yard yesterday evening. Turns out it was a snake. It kept a very close eye on me as I inched up to take its picture. It didn't appear to be a water moccasin or copperhead, so I let it go on its merry way after snapping a couple of pix. I noticed Jed didn't get too close. I guess he learned something from his last experience.

Ramblings

There wasn't a FreeVerse at Cara's today, so I'll save the entry I had prepared and use it next week. Instead, I'll just ramble a bit.

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When I drove into town for a haircut today I encountered one of my pet peeves on the road. It's a peeve that irritates me so much that I devoted an entire entry to it here. This time it was a pre-teen boy riding a four-wheeler down the middle of the road drinking a soda. He must have been near the bottom of the can since he was tilting his head way back and weaving all over the road in the process! He finally realized I was behind him and eased a little to the left while motioning me with his right hand to pass. I wanted to glare as I went by, but he left me so little room to pass that I had to focus on the road instead. Grrr!!

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Suzy was exploring the living room her first day in the house and made an interesting discovery in the tiny space between the 55 gallon fishtank and the wall. I had wondered what happened to those two giant danios that disappeared!

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Today was one of those fun occasions when an "imaginary friend" became real. (that's how Marion's husband use to refer to her internet pals) Anyway.... Debby and I have e-mailed some and not long ago she suggested we talk on the phone sometime. I tried calling her on her birthday, but nobody was home so I just had to leave my birthday greeting on the answering machine. She let me know when her days off work were and I was able to catch her at home this afternoon. It was a fun visit! I have a feeling we could talk for hours given the time and opportunity. She seemed quite entertained by my southern accent. What she doesn't know is that I was making a conscious effort to not sound too southern so she'd be able to understand me!!