magnusfide
On the Road Again and Again and Again...
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Joined: 10/30/2009
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Handsome fellow! We had one that liked to sleep "on top of his head" too. ![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/cool.gif "cool")
"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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KLO wrote:He is a beautiful cat! Isn't this the first picture you've posted of him?
Oh, no, there are photos in the first post and interspersed throughout the thread.
Lovely morning. we got up at o'dark early, so we could watch the International Space Station fly over. Then, for some reason, we stayed up. I expect we'll both fade fast by lunchtime.
Tall Friend went back to the hospital. This time, they gave him a diuretic, and he lost 10 pounds within just a few hours. They kept him until he lost the hobbit feet, so Short Friend is now enroute to retrieve him. Not sure what happens next.
Our ambling about this morning woke up the doe herd, so they ambled about with us. Leoghaire waited until 0730 to come up for some corn, giving the others time to depart our meadow for the day. Not sure if any will have their fawns in the meadow this time, but we're keeping watch.
It's nap 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
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Wanderlost
Texas Hill Country
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Tall Friend is visiting doctor after doctor, trying to sort out what's going on. At least now he's able to sleep in a bed. But he's sleeping a lot, and still isn't really rested, so he has a sleep study scheduled, too. He might need a CPAP now. WLToo used a BiPAP for almost two years, but no longer needs it - he literally needed that long to get his sleep cycle and breathing sorted out.
Since we're not going to Alaska, WLToo has started his vegetable garden project. Cutting the boards for the raised bed gardens resulted in another project: adding a dust collection system to his shop vac. And we still haven't painted the shed, because it's either been too windy or too wet. This summer is shaping up to be a very busy one, even before we add in the short trips.
Steinholz is supposed to come home tomorrow or Friday. We have quite a collection of small things to install, like a full length mirror, a multiple towel rack system, wall clock, hanging hooks in the basement area -- those little things that make trailers homey...
Spotacus has played kitty on the wrong side of the door for two days now. We had to turn on the air conditioner, so he can't wander in and out at will, and it'll take a few days before he adjusts. Alex knows the drill: go outside, stay a while, howl to come back inside, sit on nearest human.
Leoghaire decided she likes watermelon rind, the first non-corn item she's ever accepted from us. Her mama loved it and cantaloup rind. Meanwhile, we should be seeing fawns, but haven't so far. Even Gimpy is still carrying. We wanna see fawns!
On the barn swallow front, we have five in one nest for sure. The other nest babies are so small, we aren't sure how many are in there yet, but we have seen at least three.
The mockingbirds argued with us at least a week, before giving up trying to nest under the shed porch. Just too much human activity for them (thank goodness). We'd rather have barn swallows under there, anyway.
So that's what's been going on here. Later, y'all.
* This post was
edited 11/19/16 09:55am by Wanderlost *
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magnusfide
On the Road Again and Again and Again...
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Some these Texas cats live a long time ![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/awink.gif "awink")
World's Oldest Living Cats
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Wanderlost
Texas Hill Country
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Magnusfide, Alexander the Grrreat was born in Maryland and lived most of his life in Virginia. His best buddy, Klaus mit der Krallen, was born in and lived his whole 19.5 years in Virginia. One of our friends back in Virginia had a Siamese who lived 27 years. Our record so far was Madelaine Kaht, who lived 22 years (but only 2 with us-we took her when her human was transferred to Norway). I still miss her.
Waiting on her raw food...
![[image]](http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l188/Expatriate9666/PICT0007-1.jpg)
We just returned from my favorite uncle's funeral. Out of 11 pairs of aunts and uncles, I have only one uncle and three aunts left. He was the sweetest person I've ever known, happiest when surrounded by kids. Ich liebe Dich, Onkel Pete.
But while losing a relative, I gained one. A man adopted at birth took the Ancestry.com DNA test and the results linked to me as a first or second cousin. He sent a photo and it was immediately obvious that he was a member of my paternal family; all those men look just alike, from now to as far back as we have photos. So I'm getting as many cousins to do DNA tests as I can, to narrow down the likely birth father. Several of my cousins in that state, whose DNA also came back as first or second cousins, have already contacted him to draw him into the family, and Mom (who's been doing the genealogy since 1958) is compiling the health issues we know about in that male line, in case he needs it for himself or any children. Poor guy, he's only now finding out how huge his family is...
While we were there, WLToo got sick, a mild case of stomach flu. So he slept in the back seat all the way home yesterday. Seems much better today.
When we got home, Tall Friend said the boys did just fine and even minded him. ![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/eek.gif "eek") That's impressive... Anyway, Spotacus welcomed us home with some love, then went back outside. Later, he came inside and acted like he was going to spray the island. We yelled, he ran to the other side and hoicked his tail again, we yelled, he ran into the laundry room and jumped up on the freezer (a favorite place to hoick tail and spray the wall), and WLToo chased him out of the house. We made him stay outside a couple of hours, long enough to get that notion out of his head. No problem the rest of the evening. Didn't need it, but I'm glad I keep at least two gallons of Wee Cleaner handy...
Alex was not near as clingy as I thought he'd be. Turns out he though Tall Friend's lap was just fine, and he slept on my pillow while we were gone, so he's pretty mellow about us being gone a few days.
Well, WLToo made me an egg sammich, so I'll eat it before it's cold. Later, y'all.
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CA POPPY
Santa Clarita, CA, USA
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Could you tell us more about which DNA test you used? The subject fascinates me. A lot of people have a family legend about a Native American great-grandma, but sometimes their results show no such. That however, could be because some tribes have not joined in the DNA pool which apparently started in 1946. The kit I've heard about asks the applicant what he or she had heard about family roots and geographic origins. I think I'd put "adopted" just to see what they came up with. But then your new cousin's results sound pretty convincing to me.
If it wasn't so expensive, I think we might be interested. Also, some take ten months to produce a result. For those of us who don't buy green bananas, that's a long time.
Judy & Bud (Judy usually the one talking here)
Darcy the Min Pin
2004 Pleasure-Way Excel TD
California poppies in the background
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magnusfide
On the Road Again and Again and Again...
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Condolences on the loss of your uncle.
It's a fact we still have pets we miss: both dogs and cats, even a bird. We will sometimes sit and recount the adventures of the fur children just as we do for the human children.
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Wanderlost
Texas Hill Country
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Well, finally got back into my own thread, after the program refused to acknowledge the thread exists for a week. Computers. ![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/rolleyes.gif "rolleyes")
Judy, the AncestryDNA test uses microarray-based autosomal DNA testing, which surveys a person’s entire genome at over 700,000 locations, all from a saliva sample. It covers both the maternal and paternal sides of the family tree, so it covers all lineages. Usually costs about $109 total, and takes 6-8 weeks to complete.
Leoghaire strolled along the fence one afternoon about a week ago, with a tiny fawn right behind her. She was trying to teach it to lay down and stay, but it kept exploring -- just like she did. Heh.
Gimpy is still huge, but that first fawn was right on schedule. We get our first one Memorial Day weekend every year.
Alex scared us. His hindquarters didn't want to walk more than a few steps before they'd give. Off to the vet, who gave us some medication. In return, Alex gifted us with a good throw up right in the middle of the bed at 0300. Then he did it again about 0900 Friday. Changed how we give him the steroid. Meanwhile, his walking has improved to normal, and his appetite grew, too. So he got three meals, a number of treats, some ice cream, a piece of deli ham, and some cheese - and happily snarfed it all. Short Friend has been feeding him cheese each time she sees him, so now he thinks any human who's in the kitchen needs to be bringing out the cheese.
Spotacus joined in the fun, tossing his cookies on the kitchen floor. He rarely throws up in the house. It was merely grass, so no worries there. Then he saw the suitcase WLToo left on the bed and promptly peed on it and the bed. More laundry. Sigh. I wonder if we'll ever sleep more than one night on the red sheets...
Leoghaire and Grumpy (a very pregnant doe who doesn't often come up to the porch) both came up and glared at Spotacus, who was sleeping under a chair right across from the corn dish. I chivvied him back inside, since Grumpy was the one who attacked Spotacus and Alex a couple years ago (or was it last year?). Then Leoghaire and Grumpy got into a fight over who would eat the corn. Grumpy "won," but left shortly after. I fed Leoghaire by herself.
WLToo mumbled something about "deer feeder," and I didn't say anything. I'm still of two minds about a deer feeder. While I like the idea of a healthy doe herd, I don't feel responsible for feeding the whole lot.
Had a very, very close lightning strike on Tuesday night last week. The energy came through the cable line and fried the cable box and the TV. We were about overdue for a new TV, anyway… Everything else was protected. Both cable box and TV were also surge protected, so that's why we knew it was the cable line; only they had that direct input.
Youngest nephew graduated from high school last night. With 650 in his class, it wasn't over until 9:30 pm. So his graduation dinner is delayed. He asked if we'd host it - we have the swimming pool...
Mom's down here, and Sister wants to take her (and me) to the shopping outlet (bleh). Best get stirring.
Later, y'all.
* This post was
edited 06/08/16 07:13am by Wanderlost *
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Wanderlost
Texas Hill Country
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This is a test to see if the system will let me back into my own thread... FINALLY!!!
Tall Friend and Short Friend are clearing out stuff and closing up the FW, in preparation for heading to Maine for the summer and fall. We'll miss them.
WLToo is working on a rainwater catchment system on the garden shed, so we can water the vegetable garden without dragging a hose up and down the hill. After burning the heck out of his bald spot, he's finally wearing a hat. ![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/doh.gif "doh")
I'm working on swimming the entire length of the pool underwater (pool's about 35' long). Got up to ¾ of the way today, which is a big accomplishment, considering that just staying underwater is a huge effort. I'm naturally buoyant as a skinny person. Add all this extra insulation and I just don't sink. And it's a relatively pain-free way to get some good exercise -- not to mention how good it feels being nice and wet in all this heat.
Spotacus is having skin creepy crawlies again. Short Friend gave me her jar of lard and we put a bit in his wet food. Not sure yet if it's helping, but it sure can't hurt. At least taking it internally doesn't result in greasy bed linens...
Alex started yelling early this afternoon. When I went to see what the heck, he was sitting in my chair, wanting a human to lay on. He settled for riding around on my shoulder while I did stuff, and now is asleep in my lap. Doesn't ask for much -- gravy, love, gravy, human pillow, ice cream, human pillow, treats, bedtime (human blanket). The vet is totally amazed at how good a shape he is for such an old cat.
Gimpy's Fawn has started coming up alone. We'd noticed blood drops on the porch, but Leoghaire didn't have any damage. GF has pretty extensive abrasions on her back and shoulders -- guess she was the source. We feed both does separately and alone now, since neither is big or old enough to be the dominant doe.
Leoghaire's fawn came up yesterday. It tasted the corn, but was more interested in bouncing around the lawn and sniffing the pool deck. Very pretty, but not near as lovely as Leoghaire was.
Took the motorcycles out for annual inspection, then a nice road trip yesterday. Although temps were in the low 90s, there was enough cloud cover and enough wind to keep it quite pleasant. Then we cleaned out the garage bay where they're parked, so we can easily get them in/out.
That meant a general garage cleanup. Made several bags of trash (outdated helmets and bug-eaten stuff, mostly), a nice bit of recycle, and found more stuff to donate. There's quite a bit more room in that bay now. Got the juices flowing, but it was too hot to keep at it. So we swam until we cooled down. Started again this morning, but it got too hot in there by 0900. Summer's definitely here.
In fact, it's hot. Time for a swim. Later, y'all.
* This post was
edited 06/28/16 01:28pm by Wanderlost *
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Wanderlost
Texas Hill Country
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So it's just us and the cats now. Tall and Short Friends headed out last Thursday. Sister, nephew and his girlfriend joined us for an Independence Day eve feast. We really like Girlfriend; he's so interested in looking good in her eyes that he does things without anyone asking him to, or immediately does something when she asks. Sister and Girlfriend are now allies in bringing him out of his teenage self-centeredness. Quite fun to see.
Sunday and Monday nights were filled with fireworks. Because it's been so wet this year, city folks bought thousands of dollars worth of fireworks and set them off out here at the lake, and we didn't have to be on fire watch.
Spotacus was still outside when Nephew and Girlfriend started setting off fireworks. We finally located him in the garage under my F-150, showing zero interest in coming out. We finally enticed him into the house, just as the main fireworks display over at the yacht club started (about one mile away as the vultures fly). Once inside, he wasn't bothered at all -- thanks to all new windows and doors and extra insulation.
Alex was not bothered in the least. Being 20 and somewhat hard of hearing probably helps. For his birthday (3 July), he got ice cream before lunch, ice cream in the afternoon, and ice cream after dinner. Happy boy.
I do believe we were wrong about Leoghaire having a fawn. The same one we saw earlier was with another doe yesterday, and Leoghaire is not nursing anyone. She's as dry as if she'd never been pregnant.
We have four baby barn swallows on the south porch. Still can't see if there are any on the north porch. Spotacus caught an adult barn swallow day before yesterday. I saw him at the door, wanting in. I went out the bedroom door, and he ran over. The bird struggled, I convinced Spotacus to let go, and the bird flew away. At least one barn swallow will never dive-bomb Spotacus again...
Was in town this morning and a woman started backing out of a parking space just as I passed behind her. She stopped just before T-boning my driver's side door. Had she succeeded, it would have been the third hit on my F-150 in less than a year. Thinking I may need to name the truck Hard Luck Willie...
But for now, it's hot. Time to go swimming. Later, y'all.
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