Posts from the ‘Pets’ category

Another week

It is Thursday evening as I’m writing this after a full work week that went better than last. I was determined to stay on track this week even though I have a short Friday … takin’ the Jeeper for fresh oil and tire rotation tomorrow afternoon…so my plan has been to get my work week in my Friday noon. So far, so good!

But, work has not kept me inside all of the time.

It has been sunny and 50ish since Saturday.

The big snow piles are slow to go…

But the first new Spring growth is poking out of the ground … the day lilies!

This was like a flashback…it looks so like Bob and I’d dreamt of Bob just the other night. It wasn’t a nice dream, but this made me laugh and replaced the leftover bad from the dream with happy memories of Bob hunting in this very spot and sitting just like Auggie was.

Later, Bear on Beardog point. Auggie heard me out front and is watching to see if we will be going for a walk.

Another week.

Last Saturday in March

How did this happen?

It is the last Saturday in March. Sunday, Monday and that is the end of the first quarter of 2014.

Time flies much too fast.

I did have a good Friday workday. I did not work this Saturday as in the work that pays the bills kind of work.

But.

I did get a number of chores done…including getting the yellow jacket traps hung here and there.

And we played and enjoyed the off and on sun of a day that touched 50F.

We walked and dawdled and rolled and chased and had a glorious day all together…much of it outside…

…this Last Saturday in March.

It’s Thursday ???

Yes, Thursday.

I’ve struggled with my work hours this week.

I need a monster day tomorrow, Friday and I’ll still need to work a bit over half a day Saturday. Not my favorite, but that’s the way it goes sometimes.

I’m blaming it on the Yellow Jackets.

You heard me…Yellow Jackets!

Last Sunday, there was one in the house. Auggie made a flying leap after it. I grabbed Auggie and then a paper towel and after a brief battle in the window sill rail I persevered and 1 dead queen went in the trash.

I did some reading and found out that the queens emerge in March and April.

YIKES!

I ordered some traps and attractant. The attractant shipped but the traps were backordered.

And THEN!! Yesterday as in Wednesday…ANOTHER yellow jacket in the house. I won that battle also.

After some online research noted that Home Depot in Kalispell had the traps in stock, I decided that I would head there first thing this morning and get the traps.

Each queen yellow jacket is an egg making machine capable of laying up to 5000 eggs.

Right.

The mission is to trap as many queens as possible BEFORE they start the egg laying thing. According to Scott at Bug Hunters, Inc., the queens emerge about the time the day and night hours become equal and temperatures are about 40F. As in now.

As scary as it was to have the two queens in the house … and I had doors open at the time so they might have flown in… it gave me some notice as to timing. Outside, the queens are sparse enough, I doubt I would have noticed.

So, this morning, off to Home Depot Bear and I went.

This has nothing to do with anything except that this truck was parked in the contractor pick up area and I noticed the dog.

And I laughed.

The truck is an extended cab and the dog is in the back, hanging out over the cab window and lounging on the tool box.

I’m partial to Northern Breed dogs and also it just looked so funny to see the dog casually half out of the window, resting on the tool box…waiting for the person.

Ok.

So, I got the Yellow Jacket stuff and some other Home Depot stuff and a quick stop at my favorite natural food spot: Mountain Valley Foods and then home we came.

Funny.

I thought this was a good supply of stuff.

Then I read the instructions.

The instructions say 8-16 traps per acre.

GAH!

Well, we will see if we get any queens with this lot and if so I’ll consider more.

Srsly.

I do NOT want a repeat of last summer.

Maybe we will have to run away in the motorhome…

But we are so comfortable here.

And we have an island.

It’s Thursday ???

***Really, though, I am so grateful every day for all we have. I’m grateful for Bear and Auggie and this house and the woods. There is so much truly horrendous stuff happening in the world. Every night, before closing my eyes, I tell Bear and Auggie that I love them, I send a prayer of honor to Bob, Karl, Gus, Zack, Jake, my Papa and my grandparents, and I give thanks for another day on earth. It’s Thursday and I’m behind on work and the yellow jackets…but in the whole scheme of things…Life is so very good!

Island Paradise

Island Paradise??? (Friday morning…snowing)

Well at least there is sun, now. (Friday, late afternoon)

And FedEx brought 3 boxes, total weight a bit over 200 pounds.

I bought a Kitchen Island.

On Amazon.

Amazon Prime!

It came FedEx 2day … free. I have absolutely no problem with Amazon increasing the Prime membership to $99.00!!

The unpacking.

Each box had a list with the contents of the box.

Every single piece had a little sticker with an alpha character that corresponded to the content list.

Hoo…I say HOO-RAH!

There was no mystery about which piece was which.

The directions were explicit.

The top was all in one piece!

The good news is that I didn’t have to assemble drawers or drawer rails, etc.

The bad news is the top weighed a bit over 60 pounds.

Bear stayed out of the fray in the sunroom.

Auggie, naturally, was my supervisor-helper!

Working alone (no other human) required a bit of creative thinking in how to balance things so that all of the pegs and holes lined up as I went along. So, it took longer than if there were 2, but still manageable.

It helped greatly that everything fit perfectly!

I put Auggie in the sunroom with Bear so I didn’t have to worry about something heavy falling on him. He took it well and I heard no complaints.

This is about the 1 hour, 15 minute point. I decided to clean up some of the wrapping and regroup before the last push.

I was worrying a bit about getting that heavy top on and needed a little time to think.

Ironically, the part that I least suspected would have alignment problems…did. The holes for the hinge screws for the eating leaf were completely out of alignment for 1 hinge.

Power tool to the rescue. I drilled new holes and all was well.

Getting the top on top of the base actually was no problem. I set it against the length of the base, tipped it up and moved it into position.

Done.

My first glass of wine and a bowl of salad, feta and kalmata olives.

I’ve looked at islands since buying this house but everything I liked was VERY expensive.

I’ve tended to often eat my meals at my desk instead of the table…partly as I am looking at food blogs or the news and partly because the table is not that comfortable…low and a bit dark.

A couple of weeks ago, I thought…boy, I’d really like to sit higher and be looking out the window…

On a whim, I searched Kitchen Islands on Amazon….

I absolutely LOVE the island.

There is plenty of room around it.

I have some new storage area and new work space near the stove.

I have a bright spot to have my meals.

I might need another chair…

Island Paradise.

A ride in the Jeep

Bear LOVES to go in the Jeep. I don’t think he cares where we go or even if he gets to get out…he just wants to go with me.

Auggie does NOT love to go in the Jeep…yet. We’re working on it with short rides. We have progressed to him staying in the back with Bear. This is great progress from some initial trips (just down the road) where he was on the dash, near my feet, here there and everywhere = not safe for any of us.

Putting him in carrier to go to the vet is pretty awful. Caterwauling to the max. Bear and I are highly motivated to get him comfortable in the Jeep. I think the motorhome will be a different story and THAT might help him in the Jeep. It did for Bob.

Right now we are taking short rides down the road and back. On this day I parked where I take photos and just sat for awhile to let Bear look and Auggie get comfortable…hopefully.

“Ok, Mama, I’m ready to go home now.”

“NOW!!!”

At home, I parked outside the garage to sit for a bit and all was well.

We progress.

A little.

Onward.