Wanderlost
Texas Hill Country
Senior Member
Joined: 10/29/2004
View Profile
 Offline
|
MDL showed up this morning with a huge pouch under her jaw. She looks like a pelican. Doesn't seem to bother her, but it does look very, very strange. Her fawn came along, and decided to test out the porch and pool deck. Clatter, clatter, gallop, gallop - I think he was having a good time.
Got quite cloudy and windy about 1700 today, then it left. Maybe a thunderstorm is not in the offing today - fingers crossed.
WLToo picked up more shed building materials. One more load and he's ready to engage teenage nephew to assist. I'm looking forward to having all that lawn and garden stuff out of the garage. But it will be a slow process, as I won't allow them to overdo things in the heat, especially since we also have humidity, too. Not interested in treating heat exhaustion.
Alex and Spotacus spent most of today asleep on the bed. They don't care for the humidity, either. All in all, it was a sleepy day for them and me. WLToo was a touch more bouncy, but he got more sleep. I was the one the cats got up too early...
Supper time. 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
|
Wanderlost
Texas Hill Country
Senior Member
Joined: 10/29/2004
View Profile
Offline
|
Wow, time just flies when one is busy...
Cats are doing fine. It's hot, so Alex stays inside mostly. Spotacus stays outside in the shade (mostly under the porch sofa), occasionally consenting to come inside for a snack and maybe a short nap on the tiles. We have to drag him inside at bedtime.
MDL is in bad shape. She's almost skeletal now, and got hurt jumping the fence, so she has a couple of open wounds where the skin tore off. The average life span of a doe is about five years, and she's much older than that. She's still coming to the door and looking in, but is not very interested in the corn. Sometimes, all she wants is for us to come outside and talk to her, then she goes on her way. I do believe she'll leave us in a month or so, and I will miss her. She's been a great entertainment and watchdog the last five years.
Meanwhile, Han and Spooky, her 2011 twins, are magnificent 8 pointers. That means they'll both be killed for their racks this fall, as every single good looking buck around here was killed last year. Our future deer watching will be sparse, I guess.
It was bone dry all July, cutting back on the skeeter population, so I was able to sit outside the last few days. Each time, one or more hummingbirds hovered at eye level, looking me over. All were rufous or black chinned. Haven't seen a ruby throat since the spring migration, yet they're common around here. They must not like our flower offerings...
WLToo is building the garden shed, finally. He's got all the roof trusses up, so I guess this week will be the shingles run. Looking forward to its finish, when we can move stuff out of the garage and down there, then re-do the garden into something that will actually work in this climate.
We also finally got gutters up on house and garage. Will take longer to buy a rainwater catchment system, but this is a start.
Well, that's the PowerPoint slide version of an update. Will try to log on more often.
Later, y'all.
|
KLO
Southern OK
Senior Member
Joined: 09/17/2003
View Profile
Offline
|
Glad to hear from you, had been wondering what all was going on with you and yours! I't been hot, hot, hot in north Texas too, never thought I would say I'm ready for autumn/winter but I am! Keep the guy's cool, heat exhaustion/stroke is nothing to mess with.
|
CA POPPY
Santa Clarita, CA, USA
Senior Member
Joined: 07/07/2003
View Profile
|
Aww, that's so sad for Mama Doe Lassie. Nature can be so cruel. Nature and some hunters. Did her tiny fawn from this spring survive? We will miss hearing about MDL. I assume she'll be in your book?
|
magnusfide
On the Road Again and Again and Again...
Senior Member
Joined: 10/30/2009
View Profile
|
We'll miss the tales of Mama Doe when she goes. How attached we become to our 4 legged friends.
What of her fawn?
"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
|
|
|
Wanderlost
Texas Hill Country
Senior Member
Joined: 10/29/2004
View Profile
Offline
|
CA POPPY wrote:Aww, that's so sad for Mama Doe Lassie. Nature can be so cruel. Nature and some hunters. Did her tiny fawn from this spring survive? We will miss hearing about MDL. I assume she'll be in your book?
We don't think either hers or Gimpy's fawns made it this year. We've not seen either one in a couple months. We have foxes in the immediate area (WLToo ran one off just last night), so it's likely they or a coyote got them -- or a car.
Yes, all the critters we've interacted with will show up in a book. One day.
|
Wanderlost
Texas Hill Country
Senior Member
Joined: 10/29/2004
View Profile
Offline
|
Went to my high school reunion and county roundup. After 44 years, some folks were not recognizable, while others were instantly identified. A couple folks knew me by my voice; that was interesting. Of the 26 in my class, only three have died so far, which is a far better statistic than all the other participating classes.
The six who caused the most mayhem now are reconnected via phone and texts. The world is in trouble again. We also have plans to meet up separately from any reunion, so we can create chaos. Heh.
Unfortunately, my brand new pickup got backed into, so it's in the repair shop, and I'm driving a compact. Sheesh, it's hard to get into and out of a car so low to the ground. Not gonna see me driving a sports car anymore...
It's hotter than Mercury around here; it still bears no resemblance to 2011, with 30 days or more of 105 or higher temps. It's just in the 90s and humid. So WLToo isn't in a hurry to finish that garden shed, and I'm glad he's not out there getting all burnt and dehydrated.
Mama Doe Lassie is still with us, although she's looking real bad. WLToo is now considering photographing her and sending them to the local wildlife folks, to see if she does have Chronic Wasting Disease. If she does, that's bad. Very, very bad. But so far we've not seen another deer looking like that, so I still think it's just her aging out. I wonder if wildlife we've been close to will wait at the Rainbow Bridge for us? If so, MDL might soon be playing with Bobbi Socks and her single buck, Solo.
I'd love to be swimming right now, but the heat keeps cooking all the chlorine out of the pool, so it's green at the moment. WLToo hit it with super shock and is running the filter on high, plus running the vacuum multiple times, so maybe tomorrow.
I'll just make mock apple crisp with zucchini squash instead.
Oops. Time to make more hummingbird nectar. Later, y'all.
|
KLO
Southern OK
Senior Member
Joined: 09/17/2003
View Profile
Offline
|
Have you ever told us about how you came to be so close to Mama Doe Lasssie? I would love to hear it!
I sure hope all of my past animals friends are waiting for me, I'll be a happy camper!
|
Wanderlost
Texas Hill Country
Senior Member
Joined: 10/29/2004
View Profile
Offline
|
KLO, here's the short version: MDL had her twin bucks, Han and Spooky, in our meadow in 2010. For some reason, she just liked having her fawns inside fenced acreage. She's had all of her fawns here ever since.
I believe MDL was one of the deer our neighbor hand fed, because she was not particularly afraid of us from the start. After a few snorts and foot stomps, she even accepted all of our cats as part of the herd. One of my favorite memories is MDL getting a drink at the water trough, while Bobbi Socks stretched up and drank beside her, and Spotacus on the other side, reaching over to sniff MDL's muzzle. Naturally, it was too dark to get a good photo.
Anyway, MDL sort of took over the meadow and the lawn around the house. She ran a fawn daycare in our meadow each year, until this one, caring for all the other fawns during the day, until the does came back about 5:00 pm. If there was something she felt was wrong, she'd come get me to fix it or to communicate to her that it was ok. We do have a way of communicating that I've not encountered before. She really does like hanging around with us. I guess we're comfortable...
So, today, I found out something new. MDL is a lush. Yep. Today's been the first nice day in weeks, where I could sit on the porch and read. So there I was, enjoying a second glass of wine and reading. WLToo called out from inside, but the new windows and doors ensured that I could hear his voice, but not understand the words. He got close enough for me to hear, "Look to the right!" I did, and MDL was drinking my wine!
I got up, gave her some corn (with Leoghaire lurking just behind her), and poured out what was left of the wine. WLToo noted that she actually looked better today. I think the wine may have stimulated her appetite, because she ate more corn than she's eaten in a long time. Then she wandered off.
WLToo came out shortly, with more wine and garlic sourdough crisps with cheese melted on top. We were enjoying them, when MDL marched right up and made it crystal clear she wanted to share. She literally got in our faces. So we went back inside to finish. MDL stayed on the porch, muzzle to door glass. I tried an experiment, and took a garlic sourdough crisp with me. As soon as I opened the door, she went for it; I left the door open to get a few more, and she put her front feet inside the house. I do believe she would have come inside, had I not returned with a handful of crisps.
Apparently, she likes garlic...
Meanwhile, the building inspector checked out the garden shed construction:
![[image]](http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l188/Expatriate9666/DSC_0052_zpsca27mee6.jpg)
![[image]](http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l188/Expatriate9666/DSC_0053_zps2xiaow34.jpg)
![[image]](http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l188/Expatriate9666/DSC_0057_zpsas6ymndj.jpg)
![[image]](http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l188/Expatriate9666/DSC_0061_zpsgv37r3yu.jpg)
|
magnusfide
On the Road Again and Again and Again...
Senior Member
Joined: 10/30/2009
View Profile
|
MDL has instinctively understood that you can give her nutrition she needs. Great story! Perhaps there's a dearth of food for deer in your area? I hope it's not the wasting disease.
I wish all our building inspectors were that easy![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/awink.gif "awink")
|
|
|
|
![[image]](http://s96.photobucket.com/user/Expatriate9666/media/DSC_0052_zpsca27mee6.jpg.html)
![[image]](http://s96.photobucket.com/user/Expatriate9666/media/DSC_0053_zps2xiaow34.jpg.html)
![[image]](http://s96.photobucket.com/user/Expatriate9666/media/DSC_0057_zpsas6ymndj.jpg.html)
![[image]](http://s96.photobucket.com/user/Expatriate9666/media/DSC_0061_zpsgv37r3yu.jpg.html)
