Wanderlost
Texas Hill Country
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Joined: 10/29/2004
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And now the Saharan dust has arrived to clog up eyes, sinuses and pores. At least our house is tight enough to keep the dust out, mostly.
We have to use eye wash and nasal irrigation each evening. Visibility is down; the haze is noticeable. No rain in the forecast the rest of the month (not unusual, but with the heat, it's hurting us bad water-wise).
Gosh, you'd think it was summertime or something...
Czarny made it outside a whole five minutes this morning. He hid alternately under the south porch furniture before finally deciding it was just no fun out there.
We noticed a raccoon climbing down one of our arbor posts a few days ago. A couple nights later, it caught a bird and ate it under the window next to my recliner. Then we realized the baby barn swallows had fledged too soon, likely to escape the raccoon's attempts to get at the nest.
For a couple of days, I'd go out to the porch or into the grass, pick up a baby barn swallow, and set it up high. The older birds were still feeding the babies, even down on the porch, but I didn't want that danged raccoon getting more birds. By Saturday, the babies didn't even fuss when I picked them up; they simply clamped onto a finger, then stepped off onto the high area.
Yesterday, they were strong enough to stay up high, on the porch ceiling fan blades, the top of the bedroom door, or on several wind chimes. The older birds fussed at them, trying to get them flying and/or protecting them. At one point, all eight barn swallows were arrayed on one ceiling fan blade.
I'm cautiously optimistic that the babies will survive now.
As for the raccoon, it strolled across the deck and down the stairs about 11:30 this morning. It's not fat, but looks healthy. I'm hoping that the barn swallows will stay out of range and cause it to go looking for food elsewhere. I'd just rather not host a raccoon.
Meanwhile, the fox family still transits twice a day, but they no longer play on the deck. I put out a large dog bowl in the shade near where they transit, but I can't tell if anyone is using it. I'll keep adding water, though, in case some other small critter needs it.
Time to get back to editing BIL's book. Later, y'all.
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." -- Mahatma Gandhi
Czarny, black cat
Rainbow Bridge: Spotacus, Alexander the Grrreat, and so very many more
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magnusfide
On the Road Again and Again and Again...
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Joined: 10/30/2009
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Yep we have the haze too. No too bad though.
That raccoon may be coming for the convenience of the water. We don't like raccoons because of their tendency to carry rabies and other diseases as well as killing birds and baby rabbits. We've caught them with a Hava-hart trap using a can of tuna. Then drive them 15 miles to the National Forest and drop them off.
Once we had a raccoon acting strange as though it had rabies. I just shot it and buried it.
"The only time you should fear cast iron is if your wife is fixin' to hit you with it."-Kent Rollins
First law of science: don't spit into the wind.
Magnus
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Wanderlost
Texas Hill Country
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The baby barn swallows are doing just fine. Everyone's on the north porch right now, cleaning themselves, chirping away, and infuriating one hummingbird as they fly past the feeder. Such happy sounds they make, even when doing their predator alarm.
It's awful humid this morning, but we still managed to get a place set up in the garage for the freeze dryer I just ordered. Looking forward to having foods that reconstitute back into something edible, unlike the commercial varieties Spousal Unit insisted on collecting.
If the temps are going to stay around 100, sure would be nice if the humidity would drop back down to the 20s.
Back in the garage, SU finally decided it's time to call the junk folks to come pick up a load of stuff he's been saving for "future projects," and which I call garbage. Get that stuff out of there, and then there's room for him to move his walker around and start organizing all his tools and such. Again. I figured it was a successful morning when I found six screwdrivers laying on the floor and put them into the screwdriver drawer...
Time to work on my yarn inventory. Later, y'all.
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magnusfide
On the Road Again and Again and Again...
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Joined: 10/30/2009
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I’m not a hoarder but it’s amazing how stuff just replicates like nanites on steroids eating after midnight. We clean out stuff every August so our turn is coming up.
We bought one of those freeze dryers last fall and I’m looking forward to doing up our patch of corn, green beans, tomatoes and squashes. It’s too dang hot to do any canning.
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Wanderlost
Texas Hill Country
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The barn swallows have migrated, and Czarny is thrilled. He can go outside and stay for as long as he can stand the heat (which presently isn't much longer than when the birds were here).
Our freeze dryer was missing a part, so we've not used it yet. That part should be here next week. Not looking forward to trying it out in this heat, but soon...
I organized my yarn stash. I was amazed that I only have 10 plastic tubs of yarn. As soon as it's cool enough, I'll be crocheting easy Christmas presents. The idea is to not replace yarn as it's used up, thereby cutting down the stash by a considerable amount. Snerk. Right, and pigs may fly....
Our local thrift store had two brass Russian samovars. Didn't know what they were, so they were mislabeled and priced dirt cheap. I snatched up both of them for our writers' group. It's a long running gag that now has a physical presence at our "blanket fort."
It's very early in the morning. Time for bed. Later, y'all.
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magnusfide
On the Road Again and Again and Again...
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Joined: 10/30/2009
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Wanderlost wrote:The barn swallows have migrated, and Czarny is thrilled. He can go outside and stay for as long as he can stand the heat (which presently isn't much longer than when the birds were here).
Our freeze dryer was missing a part, so we've not used it yet. That part should be here next week. Not looking forward to trying it out in this heat, but soon...
I organized my yarn stash. I was amazed that I only have 10 plastic tubs of yarn. As soon as it's cool enough, I'll be crocheting easy Christmas presents. The idea is to not replace yarn as it's used up, thereby cutting down the stash by a considerable amount. Snerk. Right, and pigs may fly....
Our local thrift store had two brass Russian samovars. Didn't know what they were, so they were mislabeled and priced dirt cheap. I snatched up both of them for our writers' group. It's a long running gag that now has a physical presence at our "blanket fort."
It's very early in the morning. Time for bed. Later, y'all. Hope the fox and other predators stay clear of Czarny too. Our freeze dryer works well. Some neighbors brought their garden harvest to us and we had a freeze dry party of a sort. They gave us some of their harvest in exchange for getting most of theirs dried for home use. We have enough now for the next big trip.
Nasty heat this year. It's a good thing our neighbors prefer hot weather veg. I now have enough okra to hold a jambalaya jamboree for the family. With bacon of course.
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Wanderlost
Texas Hill Country
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Ah, bacon, the food of gods... A friend's garden is still producing a few hot weather items, and he's promised some to us. Soon as we get the freezer dryer up and running, we'll take him up on that promise.
There are clouds in the sky today. Folks are noticing, and I keep telling them to stay very, very quiet so we don't scare them away...
Quiet day today. I'm working on an edit job, Spousal Unit's napping, and Czarny's under the spare bed covers for his afternoon nap. The week will get busy again tomorrow, but for now it's nice to be able to just be quiet.
Break's over, back to editing. Later, y'all.
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magnusfide
On the Road Again and Again and Again...
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Joined: 10/30/2009
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It's really nice to enjoy the quiet. New neighbors moved in a couple of houses down. They decided to have a huge party with speakers outdoors. Police were called, the speakers were unplugged and the new neighbors got a lesson in neighborly courtesy. We're due for more heat. I think someone left the door open in Hades.
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aro_sie
Randleman NC
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Joined: 08/19/2023
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I hear you on the "quiet". I just bought a new house, really new, nothing here Right now except my house. I do have some trees on the outer edge of the property I bought by=ut, no grass yet! It is almost too quiet.
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Wanderlost
Texas Hill Country
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Joined: 10/29/2004
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Well, the clouds did get scared away. No rain. Our lake is now only 60% full, and still has to release so folks downriver have something to drink. Upriver, one can walk along the totally dry riverbed. El Nino is very late getting here...
Czarny has been thoroughly enjoying his jaunts outside. He couldn't get back inside fast enough the other day, though. Papa and two fox kits trotted along the driveway past the house, following one of their usual routes. Showed no interest in us or Czarny, but we always are happier if he's inside with us during their daily movements to and fro.
The kits are almost Papa's size and all look quite healthy, so even in this drought they're getting enough to eat. They have stopped playing on the deck chairs; I miss the show.
We both got our latest short stories submitted to another charity anthology, and they'll most likely be published in late October/early November. No income therefrom, but it's another book to put on one's resume.
We told our ("I can do it myself!") egos to shut up and hired a Putzfrau (cleaning woman). Happened to be a friend who needed more houses to clean and mentioned it just as we decided we need help. Working out nicely so far. Czarny does not appreciate the weekly vacuuming, though...
Spousal Unit asked for a swimming pool ladder, so we're off to the pool supply to order it, because they'll also install it. Honestly, I don't see how he's gonna use a pool ladder when he has enough trouble on the steps, but it won't hurt to have one.
Off to the pool supply now. Later, y'all.
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