Meet Our "Newest Addition"......

Not by CHOICE I might add!!! I've spent the last 3 weeks trying to chase this cat off!! Our few neighbors cats have all died off from distemper and apparently one from an area farm decided to come to our place looking for "love".

Having only seen it from a distance, as I was usually screaming at it, throwing something at it or turning the dogs loose to chase it....I'd assumed it was a girl. It would scream out in the corn and sounded like a female cat in heat. After catching it in the live trap however, size alone told another story. He's one big cat!

So last week I finally decided we should just catch this cat, spay it and be done with it. If it wanted to hang around here, fine. But you will NOT be having kittens in our barn! We set the live traps a few times and all I ever caught were "our" cats or our chickens! UGH! I was about to give up when Tuesday night Bill was sitting on the back porch and this cat - came around the corner of the house to eat. She didn't see Bill until the very last second and then of course RAN!!!! So, Wednesday night we set up the live trap there and put our 3 cats in kennels. At 10:30 that night, we had our prey!! One white and orange cat!!

The next morning I didn't really pay it much attention (except to move the live trap into the shade for the day). Let me tell you, it is WILD!!! It would bounce from one end of the live trap to the other! YIKES!!! I wore gloves when I moved the trap so as to not get scratched, it never tried to "get you", but it wanted out!!! It's growling was something else. Kind of freaky!

So when I got home Thursday afternoon I took a closer look at the cat. It was obviously NOT a girl. Okay, cheaper to "alter" that way! It was also not young, blind in one eye (probably uclerated) and scratched up pretty well. "Dude, you've been ridden hard and put away wet!!".

I was off today, so Bill called a local vet to see if they could neuter him today. Honestly, do you know what Tom Cat urine smells like!! He couldn't stay in that live trap much longer....EEEWWWW!!!!! They could get him in, so I put him in the back of the truck and off we went. I also took along a nice clean 400 vari-kennel with clean straw to put him in while he was out. As we drove along the countryside I noticed many nice farms that this cat would have gladly gone to, but I just couldn't do that to someone else. To the vet we continued.

When I arrived I carried in the live trap and I used a dowel to trap him in a corner while the vet stuck him with a sedative. I told the vet that this was either this cat's lucky day or worst day, he'll have to take his pick. The vet agreed and said he looked like he'd used up plenty of his lives already. So snip, snip...off came the 'parts', a poke with a rabies shot and we're good to go.

He needed a name for the cat to fill out on the rabies card. Him, all my cats names start with a "C". There's Chemi, Cher and Cougar. Gosh, he plenty "pissed off", so how about Cross. So, Cross it is.

I ask how long the sedative will last as I'd like to give him a distemper shot when I get home. He tells me it should last about an hour and he'll be slow to wake up. Well, let me tell you, they are NOT slow to wake up when you come at them with a needle!!! LOL So I guess the distemper shot will have to wait until he tames down. Or, maybe he'll have to live without one. I'm not sure if after chasing him away for the last several weeks if he'll ever get tame. We'll see.

So for now he's in a kennel, with food and water. We'll let him in there for a couple days and then turn him loose to see what happens. At least he won't be making anymore unwanted kittens!!

New Dog Name!!!

Dog people are ALWAYS looking for a new dog name. It doesn't matter whether you just got a dog or are getting a dog soon, it's a law, you're always trying out new names!

So this weekend up in MN I noticed a women wearing a T-shirt - very common apparel at agility trials. In fact, we're usually thankful they have that much covered!! LOL. Anyway, on the back of this "T" it said,

CHITTY
CHITTY

So of course I think of the Disney movie with Dick Van Dick in it. Yes, I'm OLD!!!

Then I got to thinking, what a GREAT DOG NAME!!! Of course it would CHIT for short!!!

Of course you need to give it the big ole' "porch" test. (That means stand on the porch and yell as loud as you can) CHIT!!!! Hum, it has possibilities.

I decide I should try it out on Seeker, after all, what better way to test a new name.

So Seeker and I head out to the Agility yard to practice.

So, here it goes!!

You need to say the following out loud and with some volume to get the
FULL IMPACT.

Seeker runs off ahead of me, he's suppose to be walking with me.....NO CHIT

He comes back ..... GOOD CHIT

I have him set up between my feet, FEET CHIT

I release him to the dog walk.....OKAY CHIT....GO CHIT...BOTTOM CHIT....

He does brilliantly and I give him his tug....GET'ER CHIT.....and when we're done....GIVE CHIT

So we head over to the weave poles and set up again, this time I just ask to CHIT SIT ..that's a pretty hard one to say! Say it out loud and FAST!!!

WEAVE CHIT...more tugging and all that CHIT.

Over to the A-frame without a set up..... A CHIT

Through a tunnel SSSSSS CHIT (hum....interesting)

Over a jump....wait, he goes around....GET OVER CHIT...Seeker looks back and says, "WHO GIVES A CHIT".

Cougar comes out to help and is stalking Seeker, I try to warn him..... CAT CHIT

Too late, Cougar swiped him and walks away thinking.... DUMB CHIT

So finally we head to the table - Seeker has an auto down on the table and I pop him into a sit. So, TABLE CHIT, GOOD CHIT, SIT CHIT......he pulls a Bea.....OH CHIT..... (JUST KIDDING!!) LOL

Yep, definitely has possibilities.

The Mole Whisperer...

Mole Valley is a farm store in England - like our TSC or Theisen's.
I think I'll open my own chain of Mole Valley Stores here in the states!!

Hopefully you've all seen the movie Caddy Shake. Although we don't golf, we sure do have enough holes and mounds to support an 18 hole course. It's getting pretty crazy out there with new mounds popping up EVERYWHERE!!! Yes, you've guessed it!! We've been INVADED by the MOLES!!!! I must admit, they are rather cute.

Armed with a spade and a 5 gallon bucket I must say I've developed some skill and may have taken "redneck" mole hunting to a new level. I'm actually ENJOYING IT!!!

Now for those of you that don't know much about moles, the girls are sows and the boys are boars. (Isn't that true of MOST boys - LOL) A group of moles is called a labor. I think that's because of the amount of work it takes to get rid of them!!!! In Germany they are a PROTECTED animal!! OMG!!! Come get MINE!!!!! In Russia, they have moles that weigh up to ONE POUND!!! I'm gonna need a BIGGER spade!

I always wondered if they even have eyes? But apparently the do, very small and some are blind, those that aren't have poor eye sight, what would they be looking at anyway?? They eat worms and grubs, they do not eat plant roots.

This year as been pretty good for mole hunting. I am currently up to 4 captures in the last two weeks, 3 live releases and um...one unhappy ending. This week has been extremely good with 2 in the last two days. One did NOT have a happy ending, I'm sad to say. You see, I prefer the "catch and release" method of hunting for these little guys.

Monday after work I was out in the yard checking on plants and seeing what needed to be watered, JIC it didn't rain like it was suppose to. I spotted the fresh overturn of dirt and FROZE!!! I believe that the moles can feel the vibration of the earth (AKA "impact tremors" for those Jurassic Park fans!!) and the moles stop moving when they feel them. SMART LITTLE BUGGERS! Anyway, sure enough, the dirt was MOVING!!!!

I backtracked and ran out the front yard to get my hunting materials! Back to the mound and I carefully turned my bucket upside down and sat on it! Yep, that's your OFFICIAL hunting position, sitting on a bucket! G They are quite interesting creatures, they seem to push up the dirt and then wait for a little while. Flies and other bugs land on the moist dirt and they mole EATS THEM! How amazing is that? Okay, game over, it's time for the ACTION!!

There is true art to this type of hunting. You need to be able to tell which way the burrow is going, if you can't tell or guess incorrectly you are at risk for losing your mole. I HATE that when it happens!! So I have my spade in hand and drive it into the ground and quickly flip the dirt onto the yard surface. I GOT HIM!!! Unfortunately it was a "kill" shot, RATS!! That's actually the first one I've killed and it was an accident. )': So as I'm leaving the yard with my mole carcass in tow I notice another mound moving. I go for it and I must have been still depressed by my loss of the first mole because I choose the wrong side and the little bugger disappeared down his burrow. I just saw his little hind feet and tail as he dove under! I'll save him for another day!

So last night we had class. The late class was really small as some people were on vacation, etc. So I ended up with one person! Amy and Ritz. Actually this worked out really well as we could work with Ritz on his weaves and dog walk issues. I'm putting food at the end of the dog walk, which just happened to be close to a mole run. As Ritz is coming over the dog walk, I see dirt MOVE!! Do you know how hard it is to watch a dog and a mole at the same time!!!! FOCUS ESTER!!! G

So I say to Bill, I'm having a "spade emergency". Funny thing is that he knew EXACTLY what I was talking about. Amy was oblivious! So Ritz continues working on the dog walk, I'm holding the spade and Amy walks back to the beginning of the dog walk. I tell her to hold on a minute and drive my spade into the ground and uproot a MOLE! Amy freaked out, she didn't even see it coming.....yep, I'm SPECTACULAR!!! Well......

Almost. Um....I kind of cut his tail off. EEEWWWW!!!!! They have a tail about the 1/2 the length of a mouse. Talk about a perfect bob!! It was still stuck on the end of the spade, the tail, not the mole. I felt bad for the little guy, but at least I wasn't up a few inches or he would have ended up like the one the day before. We put him in the bucket for release back into the wild after class. As Amy left, I asked if she wanted to take him home? She said NO!!! I asked if she'd like the tail, she said "That's just GROSS!!! I could NEVER live in the country."......makes me wonder what City Folks do for fun?? LOL

I hope the other moles don't make fun of him......

HAY!!!!!!

It's that time of year! Actually, it's a little LATE for 1st cutting of hay, but it's been so wet it's been hard to get the timing down. Last week was IT! Hay was cut and ready to bale!! The neighbor has sheep and doesn't need a lot of hay, so after talking with my riding buddy, Julie, she suggested I ask if I could find someone to bale his hay for my ponies. He said "sure"! So Julie's brother and girlfriend came over last Tuesday night and we baled the "small" pasture that the sheep generally graze in.

I wasn't expecting a whole lot from that field and was pretty surprised (happily, I might add) when we pulled 185 bales out. WOW!! That's over 1/2 the hay I need for the winter. Many hands made quick work of the baling and stacking. How nice was that!!!! The neighbor pitched in for the unloading of the last rack and said he'd be baling more this weekend if I needed any more. I just had to help! WOW!! Color me THERE!! I told him that I would be home Friday and Sunday, but gone on Saturday. Based on the weather forecast, the plan was to cut on Friday, rake on Saturday and bale on Sunday. PERFECT!

Well, best laid plans and all that! We arrived home on Saturday evening about 6:30PM and we're getting ready to attend the Watkins fireworks with some friends. I'm finishing getting cleaned up and there's a knock on the door. Guess what, the neighbor is looking for trailers!! They baled today, Saturday, as it was suppose to rain tomorrow. They had 4 racks filled and we're needing some place else to stack hay. The only thing I had available was the stock trailer, so Bill, Alan and I headed for the field. So much for the fireworks!! Priorities and all that.....

The bales were all on the ground, so Bill drove, Alan stacked in the trailer and I walk/ran along side tossing bales into the trailer's escape hatch and into the back of the pick up when they were light enough. We filled that and still had a narrow row up the water way to go. It was getting dark and we didn't have time to unload the truck and trailer, so Alan decided we'd see how many we could get in the back of his S-10 pick-up.

I was a little concerned as it's just a baby truck, but Alan said not to worry as it had heavy duty shocks. Um....I sure hope so!!! This time, Alan drove, Bill walked and I stacked. Half way full, I asked Bill, "Don't you LOVE THOSE PONIES!!" Alan laughed and Bill said, No. G

We filled that little truck and and headed back home the 1/2 mile or so to unload it. It was quite an impressive stack job considering it was a short box and had a tool chest in the back. Alan tossed them out and counted (he's very good and didn't get distracted at all!!!), Bill and I stacked. 25 was the end total in that little truck! WOW!! Impressive!!!

We jumped back into the little truck and headed back down to get the last remaining bales. It looked like a LOT and I wasn't sure we'd be able to get them all. We were all hoping to still make the fireworks! So we started down the row with the same work posts. Halfway through I looked up and said, "there is no way they are all going to fit", but we kept on stacking. This time I had to ride in the jump cab of that little truck! Gee, wouldn't want to do that for long! Alan again counted to see if we would beat our first record! Yep, we did!! 26 bales!!! After some yipping and cheering (mostly by me, imagine that!) we went our separate ways to the fireworks.

Bill ran in and got the soda, I grabbed my camera and off we went. It was about 9:30 PM and we were guessing they'd start at about 9:40. Luckily we're only about 5 miles away. We pull into town and it's pretty obvious most of Benton County is HERE!!! G We drive down a street filled with cars on both sides of the road. Bill makes a right turn toward the baseball diamond and KA-BOOM!!! Um, they're starting. Honestly, what is a person to do but turn off the headlights and sit in the middle of the street. RED NECK!!! LOL

I didn't even bother with my camera, we were WAY TOO CLOSE!!! I can obviously say I've NEVER been that close! YIKES! It was like giant mushrooms over head, and the sound was truly amazing!!! Spectacular colors and sound. Occasionally you could hear the 4th of July music in the background, but no often! G What spectacular timing we had! We could NOT have planned it any better. Easy in and when it was all over, easy out!! Back to the thoughts of hay!!!

We got home a little after 10 and Alan was going to bring over the 4 hay racks and park them in the building over night. We would unload those at his house in the morning, hopefully before it started to rain. I headed for bed around 11 and knew it was going to be one BUSY Sunday!!

I got up around 5 and headed out the door to unload the truck and trailer from last night. No, I didn't wake up Bill, I figured he'd get his workout later. So another 150 bales later, the ponies are all set for the winter! YIPPEE!!!!

Alan didn't forget about his 4 rakes in the building, so at about 10am he came over and we started putting them up in his barn. It all went pretty well, but 1/2 way through the second rake Bill and Alan started talking about the benefits of Big Rounds! I tried to blend into the background and stay quite. It was hard for me to stay quite, but it was easy to blend in as I was covered in dirt, sweat and hay...not to mention I was up in the loft stacking. Alan explained that sheep or ponies for that matter don't really care what shape their food comes in, as long as it's there. After the 3rd rack, I must admit I was starting to see the light. G

Next year, who knows. By that time I might forget how much work it was. Obviously it was much easier unloading and stacking rakes with 6-8 people vs. 3, but we gott'er done! I'm pretty sure Alan won't forget and it'll be big rounds next time!! LOL

Build your Giraffee Knowledge!

Meme and I headed to the zoo in DSM on Saturday on a "free" pass from work!
So we toted our camera's along to give them a zoo workout!
The weather was perfect!!!

Now to test your Giraffe knowledge!

Did you know???

That both male and female giraffes have horns?
Male horns tend to be bald and the females tend to have little tuffs of hair on them.

This is obviously a female, with her little "tuffs".

Love her facial expression!

A giraffe can eat up to 140 pounds of leaves and twigs a day!!
No wonder all the bark was COVERED!!!
They have an 18 inch tongue (apparently rivaling most labs I know) and it's PURPLE!!

An unexpected danger to giraffes in captivity is that, as they are typically the tallest objects in a zoo, giraffes are at increased risk of being struck by lightening. In the wild, this hazard is reduced by the presence of trees; as well, the giraffe's natural habitat range has an extremely low occurrence of lightning.

So when lightening is present it's always good to be the "short" one on the block! G


My favorite picture of the day was when the 3 giraffes gathered around their flake of hay. Don't worry, they have scheduled feeding times where the public (for a fee of course) can feed them.

Seeker first race = 8K

Saturday 6/21/08 was the 1st Annual 8K run/5K walk/run in Newhall.

My goal was not to walk and come in under 50 minutes. We did it!

With weather permitting my plan was to run with Seeker, as it there would probably be a small entry. I asked Seeker if he wanted to go? HAIL YEAH!!! (':

We entered the 8K for a couple reasons, it's a bit longer and I wanted to see if I could do it. As well as I might actually have a chance to PLACE in a bit longer race, as most people will choose the shorter 5K. It turned out to be a very good decision as placements were for (gender) 17 yrs and under (Which I just BARELY missed! VBG) and 18 yrs and over. Thus if you don't place in first/second/third overall then you're sunk. RATS! (':

It was a PERFECT day for running, it was sunny, low 70's although a little breezy out in the open, but that actually felt good at certain times. My friend Julie was entered in the 5K run, but rats, she wasn't able to run since she hurt her knee on that trail ride a couple weeks ago. Darn ponies anyway!! (': She was there however to lend support.

I was prepared with my zip lock baggie half filled with water. Okay, so Dawn makes fun of me for this, but it's cheaper than an aqua-belt and it's lighter too! I can carry it in my hand and just switch hands as need be. This turned out to be a very good idea as there wasn't a water station on this race. The organizer stated since it was a short race they wouldn't need a water station. I suppose he's right, but with it being this time of year (it's usually very hot) and being the race didn't start until 9 am (normally they are 8 or 730 even), it would have been nice to have one. Not to worry, my baggie got me by!!! and I'd be ready if Seeker had to "go". Yes, I'm adopted!!!! (inside joke)

Seeker did a great job of staying with me. I must say I didn't run all that fast and I could of/should of, probably picked it up a notch, but after the last 5K in Marion where I started out too fast and suffered the rest of the way I was a bit hesitant. Unfortunately I started off slow and easy and pretty much stayed that way for the entire run. G

This is us right after the race, Seeker could have at least "acted" tired!!!

Another thing that might have been helpful is people at mile markers telling you your time as you pass so you know whether to stay steady or pick it up a notch. I guess I could have worn a watch, but I don't like wearing one. This is a "nit-picky" request, so not a big deal. I would have picked it up if I knew how slow I was going, but then again, it was just a nice steady pace and very easy. I finished with a smile, wasn't sucking wind and knew I could have kept going for much further. That was a great feeling since in November I couldn't run 2 tenths of a mile without walking.

Another great thing is we actually PASSED people! That was fun too. We never got passed, but then we started toward the back with the walkers since I was running with Seeker. Check out the lady we're passing, she did NOT look happy!! G

Our route was around town in Newhall, out a black top road a mile, then turned around and ran back. At that point the 5K runners/walkers headed back to the park and the 8K runners took another tour around town. It was such a beautiful morning and I had a nice time looking at every one's flowers and gardens. Like I told you, I wasn't really pushing myself. G

On the home stretch turn as we pass some 5K walkers....

As we finished I forgot to look at my time, so I had to wait until they were posted to know my time. Sorry, it was slow at 49.20 with a 10.25 pace. YIKES!! G My pace in Marion was 8.43. Oh well, we finished 3rd, we didn't walk, and um...I'm blaming SEEKER for holding me back!!! LOL

I'm not sure when my/our next race will be? Probably not until Fall and the temps are lower again? My goal next spring is a 1/2 marathon, that's 13 miles. I have no doubt I can do it now. I'm might even look at doing the "Pigman" which is a .5K swim/25K bike/5K run . So I only have a single speed bike, maybe I can borrow one!! LOL The down side of this is it's the same weekend as Ames, but 'maybe'. Or the or Dam to Dam in DSM that same weekend?

Dawn gave me an AWESOME CD to put in my IPOD - it's a Rob Zombie mix.
It is SO AWESOME!!!! So I have new music to run too!!
Who doesn't feel like running when you hear "Living Dead Girl" or "Feel so Numb"? LOL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kUNpyvmU7Q&feature=PlayList&p=89898A4E80735337&index=4

Flood 2008 - Clean Up

Do you like gross smells, getting dirty and wet? This job is for YOU!!! My sister and I spent Thursday at my grandmother's/mom's house today to try to get the 'wet' stuff out. Words can not describe the total devastation and destruction. We worked from 7 am - 6 30 pm and only got the first floor "almost" completed. That's just removing "stuff" and we haven't even started with the plaster that needs to come off.

This little guy pretty much sums it up for everyone, your tired, dirty, smelly and there doesn't seem to be an end to the cleaning.

I don't know who he belonged to, but he seemed so sad sitting on top of this dumpster.

Dawn and I tore into the main floor which took in 3.5' of flood water according to the building inspector team. They leave you a nice little tag that's different colors based on the safety level of the house. Their house was "yellow" which means you can start taking things out and cleaning, but it needs to be inspected before anyone can live in it.

Looking at this picture you would really have any idea of the mess inside. The addition was just put on last Fall. It may have been the only thing that saved the house as the foundation underneath provided support for the rest of the basement. If you're foundation is collapsed then your house is condemned. There are times you wonder if that might not be a better option. There is just so much work ahead and it's going to cost so much money to get it done.

We hauled countless numbers of load of furniture out to the curb. My grandma had a lot of antiques that were veneer. If you just touched it the piece would crumble. This piece had some of her china in it. We took all the glassware off the top part (Thank goodness for the ladies outside that washed and packed it away for us! What a job and they were AWESOME!) Anyway, we removed the top and it's screwed in at the back. As we started to move it forward to remove those screws one of the legs started to give. Thus I got to hold up the buffet while Dawn took it off as fast as possible. We saved the top at least, and sometimes that's how you had to look at things. Then we had to remove the china and table cloths from the back as you couldn't get the drawers open. You peeled layers to get to the items inside. It was very sad to see all those conformation candles, beautiful table clothes and napkins go into the dumpster.

We got all the furniture out, I telling you, total loss. We couldn't save anything cloth or wood. My mom said it was like someone had died, it was total destruction. At about 3 pm my uncle and 2nd cousin come over to help us remove carpet and the beautiful oak flooring underneath. Honestly, I would NOT have covered that floor, it was gorgeous! It's now ruined however, warped and full of sewer water! EEWWW!!! The carpet at the left is really very light in color, but very heavy and wet with sewage. NASTY!! You couldn't carry it out without getting it on you! Dawn and I had wet pants, wet arms, wet inside our rubber gloves, I can't even describe how gross we felt.

The pick up crews were awesome and I can not even imagine how they are going to get all that stuff picked up. Well, I can, but it's going to take a LONG time. They picked up our stack at mid-day and we had it full again before we left. I don't even know how many of these cleaning crews they had, but the machinery looked brand spanking new! Sure be PURDY - as we say back on the farm.


We found some interesting things and I must say we did have a few laughs. I found grandma's favorite ring by accident!! 10 points for me!! Dawn found a partial...we're not sure who's it was, but it was pretty funny. We wrote on our face masks for fun. We learned that we LOVE the red cross as they are very friendly, however, DON'T EAT THE FOOD!! I'll update more on that later.

Below - Tammy and Dawn.......



We off to work again!!! Who knows what today will bring.