Buddy gets a bath

July 14, 2014July 14, 201427 Comments

This past week Buddy needed a bath. He’s been wearing a “Lampshade” over his head because he got his yearly dental treatment and finally had his dewclaws removed (see below).

: Buddy on drugs…

: and miserable. Poor baby!

Two weeks later the stitches came out and the cone came off. Buddy stank and needed a bath.

: The rug and blankets were placed nicely on the floor, but I had to drag him into the shower!

: Tucker, “Why do you let them do this to you, Buddy?”

: Tucker: I’m watching you with my ears!

: Tucker: I’m serious now, Buddy, LET ME IN! You can’t hog all the fun ya’know…

If he could only see he would have been hiding under the bed!

~*~

*Buddy’s dew claws are jet black and this makes it impossible to see the quick when trimming. As time went by they would grow into a circle and then get caught in his long fur and/or his collar. More than once we had found him with his dewclaw stuck in his collar. This was often very awkward for us to get him disentangled, and occasionally, by the time we found him, there was bleeding involved . We felt it might be dangerous for him to be stuck like that if we were not home, and therefore we made the decision to have them removed.

There are some who think this should never be done, and others who believe it should absolutely be done. It is interesting to note, that like cat declawing, some countries also outlaw the removal of dewclaws! (BTW, I would NEVER dewclaw a cat.)

What are your feelings about dewclaw removal?

Playing Catch-up: notes on life here and on the mountain

July 11, 201425 Comments

Spring came to the Mountain Farmlet and left.

Summer brought tall grass,

: You can’t tell it, but the grass is almost 4 feet tall in some places

: Trees along the back: gone (this is where you can now see straight through the length of the property.

: I mowed all around the house and the outbuildings

: And lastly I mowed a wide path to the woodland trail.

Insects,

: A Button bush plays host to butterflies…

: Carpenter bees and…

: A blueberry colored Damselfly with jewel green eyes!!

Assorted vining summer flowers,

: Raindrops on wild grapes

: two inch orange tubes of Trumpet creeper (aka: Campsis radicans)

: that open to herald in the nectar lovers

: Bignona: gone

*It may be a Crossvine (aka: Cross-Vine, Trumpet Flower (Bignonia capreolata)) LOOK HERE

mushrooms,

: A chewed red mushroom,

: another golden variety, also chewed,

: and a trail of whites growing under the oaks in the leaves and moss

and too much heat.

While I mowed the day away, Bob kept busy with string trimming, and push mowering the areas I can’t get into with the riding mower. When he was done, he took a rest, ate lunch, and then continued work on our new compost station!

NOTE TO SELF: build a wire cover for the beginning bin if we intend to continue to using if for kitchen scraps! The skunks paid it a visit after the last dump. Or, maybe we should start a wormery?

~*~*~*~

Our collective health has taken a blow, and consequently so has our bank account. Not to whine, well OK, I am going to whine: $800.00 for Bob to take an ambulance ride? And of course our new insurance did not cover it! RIDICULOUS! (I want to tell you more about this, but not now.)

All this has us just keeping up with weed abatement and clearing the trail into the woods. Mowing, and by that I mean just around the house, pond and outbuildings, and the paths through to the tall grass to the trail, etc. takes me *6 to 7 hours.

It is hard work and the pastures would be better tended by a flock of goats and my geese, but we are in a holding pattern while we catch up from medical bills.

Fall and Winter will find us back at work on the inside of the little farmhouse. In the meantime we continue to peel away the layers of wallpaper and paneling to prepare for new joists, plumbing , electrical, closing up the walls, and painting.

All things in good time, eh?

*RE: Hours of lawn mowing – Follow this link to a humorous but serious treatise shared on Ruth’s Chickens which contemplates the state of lawns and nature: HERE!