Pets | The Road Home

Posts from the ‘Pets’ category

Hobbling along

I am doing far, far better than hobbling actually. The discomfort and achiness is minor and the swelling is mostly gone. I can wear shoes again!

I did get a cane, though…even though it sounded incredibly “elderly”!

BUT, it is All-terrain cane!

It is actually pretty cool…

And it can stand up on its own so none of the crashing to the floor kind of thing I had with crutches 12 years ago when I had to use those.

I also bought a calf-shin wrap designed to help runners with shin splints … and skipped getting the $500 orthopedic boot.

In the woods, I use the cane and 1 ski pole with the wrap and a good pair of running shoes … a little help with weight bearing and 3 point support. Additionally, all of the equipage reminds me to slow down and pay attention to where I’m putting my feet. I think most of my accidents have happened because I’ve been in a hurry and/or not paying attention.

Bottom line, I’m getting around fine but also remembering to take it a bit easy.

Not everyone needs help remembering to take it easy…

Nearly normal

Via the cat thermometer (curled up cat vs long, long cat), it is still cool :) !!

Actually, it is nearly normal temperature with low 70’s daytime and upper 40/low 50’s overnight. Pure bliss in my book and I could take this for the rest of the Summer.

Bear agrees!

Plus, we got a nice bit of rain yesterday (Tuesday) morning: .26 inches per a headline article in the paper.

I have been enjoying Asian-spiced turkey meatballs during the heat wave and even now that it is cooler. The recipe is Mel’s Kitchen Cafe Baked Orange-Glazed Meatballs.

I made the orange glaze with the first batch and it is very good. I didn’t have an orange on the second round, but did have some of the cranberry jalapeno salsa – also a Mel’s Kitchen Café recipe. (Mel’s Kitchen Café Cranberry Jalapeno Salsa)

The spiced up flavor of the turkey meatballs with the cranberry salsa on a bed of lightly dressed cole slaw … all wrapped up in a flour tortilla has been making for one light, refreshing and tasty lunch!

This recipe is the first time I’ve used ground turkey and I am sorry I waited so long to try it. Mel’s method is to bake the meatballs in a mini-muffin pan. I was baking mine on a half sheet pan so I added an egg and some shredded zucchini to add a bit of fat and moisture since mine were not contained in a little pocket of their minimal fat. These meatballs are full of flavor, tender and versatile: good warmed up with the glaze, good cold and they freeze wonderfully. Another winner from Mel!

I doubt we’ve seen the last of Summer heat, but hopefully we’ll stay cooler than the upper 90’s of the last weeks.

We are all enjoying being nearly normal.

Dealing with the heat and my 24 hours as a farm and ranch hand

This week was a repeat of last week…took time midweek to head to town and stock up on supplies so we could hunker down over a forecast hot 4th of July weekend:

Full frig and freezer!

Version 2 of the long, long cat … a cat inside to escape the outside heat!

Good news, bad news: The good news is that all fireworks have been banned this year. The bad news is that the fireworks have been banned because of the severe fire danger from heat and lack of rain. I don’t believe I’m saying this, but I’d rather it was green and moist and I was complaining about fireworks for a week. The fire danger is off the charts. I have the motorhome fueled, filled with water and stocked with food and clothes. We can roll quickly if necessary. Hopefully, it will not be necessary.

Meanwhile, my across the road neighbors, home to the chickens that supply me with THE MOST GORGEOUS EGGS – the neighbors went camping. They had hoped to do a 2 day trip but because of the 4th and fire danger, decided on an overnight. They asked if I could collect eggs, feed the horse and pony, the chickens and the barn cats and water the garden…in addition to eggs, I also get extras from the garden. So, I said: “YES”!

So, for 24 hours, I was Ms. Farm and Ranch Person. This is SO out of character for me. I do not like to be out in the hot and dusty and stinky, etc. BUT, the chickens are not only beautiful and supply the most wonderful eggs but they are a kick to be around. The horse (Bernita) and pony (Lexi) and cats (Oscar and Gerti) are so much fun also…

Lexi and Bernita. Lexi aka “Miss Piggy” LOVES her food. Bernita has restraint. They now love me because in addition to forking (pitch fork!!!) over their hay, I took carrots – YUM!

The cats. So funny – these cats are like Auggie: Norwegian Forest Cats!

Oscar, the gray. Oscar kind of has Mr. Bob’s build… wide body!

Gerti, a calico is a bit slimmer but still fluffier than Auggie and shorter tail.

They are both sociable and followed me around as I did the chore routine.

Some of the “girls”. These are last year’s chicks. For whatever reason, this year’s prefer to stay in the coop per Mel. But they are all together in the coop overnight so it is not a “get along” thing ??? Chickens are funny, I think. I can’t remember the breed names, but I think these are an incredibly beautiful group of hens and it was fun to feed and talk with them.

The “inside girls” … this year’s chicks in the coop. So, the other funny thing is that inside the coop there are nesting boxes for each chicken. BUT, the eggs are almost always in the left side boxes…rarely in the right side per Mel and Jesse.

On my watch, Friday night there were 6 eggs on the left side: 3 in 1 box and 2 in another. Saturday morning there was 1 egg on the right side but above the boxes! Saturday, 11:00 a.m. ish there were 2 eggs in 1 box on the left side.

Hmm.

But, there are 15 chickens so I told them a few of them were slackers!!

They said: “bawwk, bawwk, BAWWKKKK!!!”

The garden – lush and beautiful. Jesse set things up so I only had to turn on 2 faucets and all of the garden got a good drink.

After Saturday morning chores, I headed home and gathered my boys for a walk in the woods while it was still cool…

Mornings – still the best!

The long, long cat and the hot, hot dog.

This week.

Bear saves us again

Thankfully, we needed none of the above.

BUT, they are the only photo, albeit after the fact, that I have of the “adventure”.

Sunday morning…6:15 a.m….we all blasted out the front door to enjoy a bit of cool before the forecast record breaking 101F day! It was 67F at the time, which is still a bit warmish for morning, but in “all is relative” world, felt grand.

Bear and Auggie went their respective ways and I headed for the well head and sprinkler duty. I got water going and then I noticed that Bear was standing at the edge of the turnaround, looking intently to the northeast. When a beardog looks intently, a beardog’s person MUST also look intently!

I walked to Bear and looked in the direction that he was focused on. I saw Auggie leap. And I saw a fluffy black and white tail about 3 feet from Auggie.

And since the only fluffy black and white tail that I knew was “safe” was on alert next to me… GAH!! Skunk. And Auggie was stalking the skunk.

I roared to Bear to go inside which he did immediately and I think, happily. I ran in and grabbed the 2 bottles of Skunk-Off, the pepper spray and a large towel. Back outside Auggie and the Skunk were doing a kind of dance of face to face with the skunk stamping, then turning with tail high. Auggie was cautious but giving chase when the skunk turned away. When he got a bit close, the skunk turned to face Auggie and stamped the ground.

They did this dance thing with me on the chase and calling to Auggie and throwing sticks between Auggie and the skunk to startle and stop Auggie. Seriously, I absolutely NEED !!! to buy a GoPro video cam !!!

We did the run, dance, stomp, tail in the air thing ALL THE WAY out onto the state land with me all the time thinking that Auggie was going to get sprayed. Finally, the skunk went one way and Auggie the other way and then Auggie rolled over for a stomach rub and I threw the towel over him…

At one point, I thought I detected a spritz of skunk, but Auggie had no smell on him. He snuggled into the towel and dripping sweat, I walked back to the house.

Inside, still no skunk smell – hoo… I say HOO-RAH!!

Bear was waiting and I gave him high praise and extra breakfast and an extra Greenie and told him that he saved the day! Without Bear’s alertness, I never would have seen that Auggie was challenging the skunk. And I do not for a moment think that would have turned out well.

Beardog SAVES THE DAY!

“I could have taken that stinky ole skunk….”

EDIT: Sunday Evening:

We broke the all time record of over 100F in June in Montana. First time, I’ve seen 100F since I moved to Montana in February 1994.

Friday!

This week really flew by…REALLY! Between various things with work and new computer and prepping for the “HISTORIC HEAT WAVE” … the week evaporated.

But, we started with the Summer version of the morning kitchen snuggle with Auggie.

I’m a bit more upside down than normal timewise…to bed 6:30-7:00 p.m. with a midnight-ish up and about to open up the house and take Bear down the driveway…and then a 3:45-4:00 a.m. get up and enjoy the dark and the cool before a 6:30-7:00 a.m. work start. It might not be everyone’s “cup of tea”, but it works for me and the boys in this odd early Summer heat thing.

This was 3:15 p.m. or so on this Friday. It was 89F but not that bad in the shade.

Bear relaxed and so did I … Auggie was sleeping inside… Friday!

Wake me up when it’s over

It is VERY rare to see the NOAA “HOT” icons in my (Northwest Montana) forecast…

Holy cannoli!!

So, I am a bit hopeful that since NOAA has made such a BIG deal about this forecast…that like Winter Storm forecasts…the bigger the deal, the greater they are likely to fizzle … this is one forecast, I seriously hope is WRONG.

To help that along, I have gone overboard on preparation. My thinking is that if I have prepared to the max, then via Murphy’s Law, the max will not happen…

So yesterday (Wednesday), I went to the grocery store and bought like a Winter storm was forecast. I bought fruit and veg and meat and all manner of supplies so that I could hunker down and wait out the heat wave.

I have roast, shredded chicken in the freezer.

I have turkey meatballs in the freezer. And bread and rolls and hot dogs and cooked sausage and cooked bacon. And salmon and halibut. I have canned salmon and canned tuna.

I pickled a mix of onion/cucumber/radish, I made a veggie-chicken broth, cold brew coffee, cranberry salsa and pickled jalapeno.

You might think the broth is a bit of a head scratcher, but a brothy soup with a bit of whatever else…it can be a light meal on a hot day…especially with a bit of that chicken or a couple of turkey meatballs!.

Foodwise, I am ready for good meals that do not require the stove or the oven.