Wanderlost
Texas Hill Country
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It's worth it, KLO. We might have to buy another bag of sugar more often than our usual twice a year, but it's still worth it. But there's not a lot of hummingbird activity today; we may be toward the end of the migration.
Meanwhile, we seem to be running a fawn daycare center. When we open the gate in the morning, fawns congregate, while the does are wherever they are. We only notice Mama Doe, Snort, and sometimes Mama Doe's yearling twins in the meadow with all those fawns. In the evening, all the fawns except Mama Doe's and Snort's are gone before we close the gate.
Spot's been very insistent today -- he wants his pettins. He's lost a bit of weight, now that it's cooled down enough for him to patrol the fence line again, so I can hold him as long as he wants to be held without my arms falling asleep. Luckily, he's not interested in being held long term. Right now, he's getting a drink from the hearthside fountain. He immerses his chin into the water while drinking -- kinda cute.
The vet was amazed when we told him about Spot's regular patrol. Said he'd heard of watch cats, but Spot was the first he'd actually met. Spot's our second watch cat: Klaus mit der Krallen was also a watch cat in our Virginia location. Klaus was somewhat larger than Spot, an all black big kitty, very mellow normally, until someone came onto the property, phoned, or rang the doorbell.
Andrew was my watch cat in college, another large black kitty. If someone came to visit, he managed to sit between us, giving the visitor the stink eye. He hated dogs with a passion, and killed one one day by jumping off the roof and snapping its neck. My neighbor saw it and told me later, after the dog's owner removed the body to avoid a citation for letting his dog run loose.
Interesting that I've had three watch cats (maybe more, will have to think about them), yet this vet had never met one in all his years of vet practice. I'm just lucky, I guess.
Time to feed the humans.
* This post was
edited 09/24/11 04:57pm by Wanderlost *
"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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Wanderlost
Texas Hill Country
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Mornin' all. Spot and Alex accompanied me to the gate and back this morning. So did Mama Doe and two yearling bucks on the other side of the fence -- they're just now forming bumps where the antlers will be. It took me a while, but suddenly I realized the bucks are Mama Doe's twins. Duh! No wonder she decided they couldn't hang out in our meadow anymore.
However, one did come inside. I took some scraps out to what's supposed to be the compost pile (except everything I dump gets eaten immediately), and he was grazing by the fence on our side. When I headed back from the compost pile, he immediately headed for it.
Spot just came back inside, from stalking the little buck. I believe they still remember how to play together, but they went down the hill out of sight, so I couldn't watch.
Must do some work now - editing and proofreading WLToo's next book.
* This post was
edited 10/02/11 04:46pm by Wanderlost *
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Wanderlost
Texas Hill Country
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Another exciting day. Thunderstorms all around us, lightning fires everywhere. We're listening to the scanner; every single firetruck is out, on wildfires, structure fires, an RV fire -- all from lightning strikes.
Knocking on wood that we won't be in the middle of it, but we're in bugout mode. If necessary, will close the laptop and toss it in the car as we and the cats head out.
Life is sooooo interesting.
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Wanderlost
Texas Hill Country
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We're still here, although still on fire watch with the high winds today. The FD is busy again today, luckily not anywhere near us so far.
Spot needed some serious pettins this morning, as we shared the south porch glider. He's not much for laps, but he climbed into my lap and stayed for a good fifteen minutes, then got off and laid next to me. He's quite affectionate in his way, and it's kind of refreshing not being wallowed on all the time.
Speaking of wallowing, Alex is doing the velcro kitty routine again. Not sure what scared him, but when he's frightened, he won't leave me alone. Unfortunately, that meant I startled him when I opened the refrigerator, and he whirled his head right into the door. Really rang his bell, so we watched him closely, until we were sure he's ok. At the moment, he's Monorail Kitty, stretched along the chair arm, sleeping with his head on my Kindle.
The deer herd is playing dash back and forth, without apparent reason. Checked for smoke, just in case, but no. I think the young ones are just playing, and it draws the adults into the game.
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Hawkeye02
Texas
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Hope the fires get put out quickly. We are enjoying camping backed up to the Arkansas River at Salida, Co. Our two cats love looking out the back window and the new scenery. We stayed in Estes Park for 6 nights and watched the elk and listened to them bugle...Leaves are changing and the colors are brilliant. The weather is not as cool as some years we have been here at this time...still cooler than our 100 degrees plus we have had in Texas for over 70 days this summer..Hope you ordered some of that cream you told me about...Tiger seems better, but I believe its dry skin right now. Take care....
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Wanderlost
Texas Hill Country
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Cream's enroute to me. We had lows in the 50s last night, and have had the house open to the breeze since yesterday. It's lovely.
The lows did mean we had to pull out the pool cover, but it's really not that hard to roll it up and swim, then put it back, and as long as the water is in the 70s or higher, I'm swimming. All this insulation is good for something - I can stand colder water than skinnier folks.
Had a bad storm a few nights ago. We got the show, but no rain. Straight north of us less than three miles by bird flight, a marina was torn up by the wind, and seven of nine rental boats destroyed. Then we had lots of wind, followed by beautiful days and nights. If we only had some significant rains, it would be perfect.
We're down to two or three hummingbirds, so there's no more jousting at the feeder. Don't know yet if they'll stay or migrate; if they go, we'll miss them, but the feeder will need to go back up in late Feb, so they won't be gone long.
This morning, Spot climbed up on the bed and laid where WLToo had just vacated. This is only about the fifth time he's gotten on the bed. I wasn't ready to get up, so I patted him and went back to sleep. Woke up a little later, and WLToo had lifted Spot up and shifted him to the foot of the bed, then got back into bed. Spot stayed there until a little while after I got up.
This is a lot of progress on his part -- feeling that he's welcome to sleep anywhere on the bed that isn't occupied by a human. And all this was with Alex asleep at my feet. Maybe he'll join us again tonight.
Pleasant Sunday evening, y'all.
* This post was
edited 10/02/11 05:46pm by Wanderlost *
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Wanderlost
Texas Hill Country
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We met another kitty in the area. This one is about Spot's size, black and white, and very well fed, so it's someone's pet. Unfortunately, it wants to traverse our property, which Spot does not appreciate.
He's greatly increased his patrols during the day, and goes from window to window when we bring him inside at sunset. Occasionally, I'll look out at whatever he's looking at, but I don't see anything. He could just be playing a kitty version of "Ha! Made you look!"
We're down to three hummingbirds and an Audubon's oriole, who's figured out how to get a sip or two before sliding off the feeder. If the weather stays mild, the hummingbirds might not depart. We're ordering the Texas hummingbird book, so we can get a handle on the many different varieties that could hang about.
We seem to have an orphan or rejected fawn. Mama Doe is taking care of it, so three fawns are the norm in our meadow now. Meanwhile, the bucks are stirring, so deer movements will be lively very shortly.
Otherwise, not much going on, for a change. Y'all take care.
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Wanderlost
Texas Hill Country
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Poor Spot, he's got the itchies. I know it's not a bug problem, and his food hasn't changed, so it has to be either a hot spot or itchies from the undercoat he still won't let me comb out. I figure it's the latter, because when I sneak up on him and quickly Furminator an itchy spot, he stops licking and scratching that area.
Last night, a front moved in, bringing us to 84% humidity this morning. That means my sinuses are rebelling, so my head's pounding. We've gotten a couple minor showers, enough to settle the dust for half a day, with a faint possibility of more wet. Desperate as we are for rain, I kind of welcomed the sinus pain -- they're my weather barometers.
The humidity seems to be easing Spot's dashing about, stopping to lick or scratch, then dashing off like he's been bitten. He's completely zonked right now.
Alex wasn't bothered by the dry, isn't bothered by the humidity. But he lets me comb him, too.
The rains a few weeks ago triggered some autumn wildflowers, so in all that brown meadow grass are bright yellow flowers, quite pretty ones, and new grass shoots. The deer are not eating the wildflowers, just the grass.
Time for more ibuprofen. Later, y'all.
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Code2High
One hour past Nowhere, CA
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Joined: 12/21/2004
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I got a bottle of that Sinus Buster sinus spray with capsaicin (pepper spray!) in it. Stings for a few seconds but does get things loosened up in there.
susan
Fuzzy Wuzzy was a wabbit, Fuzzy Wuzzy had a dandelion habit! RIP little Wuz... don't go far.
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Wanderlost
Texas Hill Country
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I'll look for that. Usually, saline solution cleans them out and reduces the swelling, but things are uncomfortable a couple of days before the swelling is down.
Raining in fits and starts, raising the humidity so much that we had to close up the house and turn on the a/c after our morning walk.
On the walk, a couple of does and a fawn walked along with us until they figured out we didn't have anything for them to eat. They weren't part of our mini herd, but someone clearly feeds them, possibly by hand, since they walked very close to us.
A couple of young bucks were sniffing around Mama Doe this morning. She was having none of it and got a bit aggressive. The bucks left.
Meanwhile, three hummingbirds hovered near the feeder while WLToo hung it back up. He said they fussed at him to hurry up, then dove right in as soon as his arm came down. Funny little things.
Still too hot; think I'll go for a morning swim. Later.
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