Catbucks....

.......Where all the cool cats hang out......

(Obviously the new cat tree has gotten the kitty stamp of approval and has THE prime view for bird watching!)

Saturday Musings

Am I going to have to start screening what I watch, so as not to contribute to little kitty delinquency, Noah?? (He was fascinated with this show until a need for a nap overtook him...)

Today is 50 degrees! The birds are singing and there is just a tiny hint of the smell of Spring in the air. The skies are still gloomy, but once in a while the sun will attempt to break through. Yesterday was the same and the two days before that, while still crisp and cold, were sunny.

After I got off work yesterday and got home, there was much accomplished out in the yard. Granted nothing glamorous---but re-stacking the woodpile, gathering up and burning trash, and just general tidying up of all the piled up mess of winter. It was remarkable how I felt my whole attitude changing.

The ground is a muddy mess, but it's a fair trade-off for a few days!

Yesterday I finally, finally got my studded snow tires! I've had them ordered for almost two weeks (ordered the Monday after the Friday I almost ditched the truck). Each day I would call, and each day the guy would say, no, they aren't in, but they'll be here tomorrow. I believed him for about four days. Even he got fed up this week and called a different supplier, and they were indeed in the next day. Guess it's a little late in the season to be ordering them, and they are a little hard to come by. Now I have studded tires on the back and 'snow tires' on the front, and that should tremendously. Let's see if it restores my confidence..... Studded Snow Tires (2) = $180.00. Peace of mind...Priceless...

You can't hardly see them, but those beautiful little steel studs are there under the muck.

Also on the way home from work, I stopped at a local Mennonite sawmill and looked over their selection of Firewood. They have racks of wood up by the road, with a locked box, and big sign that says 'Honor System' in foot high letters. Each rack of wood is labeled according to the amount and it's worth. Mom and Dad stopped there the other day and noticed some 'slab wood' in a couple of the racks. I decided to stop and see if it was something I could use. Slab wood, for those who wonder, is what is left from the tree once it runs through the mill. It's usually covered with bark on one side and is very thin, so that it burns easily. While this stuff is green, it still would help stretch out my dwindling bits of dry wood. So I loaded up the 'ten dollar' rack and headed home. But not before sticking my ten dollar bill in the box!

It was threatening rain so as soon as I got home, I unlatched the side gate and drove the truck into the yard to unload the slabs. The balance were put on a pallet with a heavy duty tarp over them, with the rest going into the breezeway or house. If these work well, I'll probably get one more load in the next week or so.

While I had the truck close to the house, I loaded up some things that needed to go to the garage. Once I got the slabs unloaded, I worked on cleaning up and re-stacking the wood pile, so I could cover it up better. When it's cold, snowy, rainy (etc etc), things tend to get messy--wood falls or slides off here and there---and is often left where it lands. It's always a good feeling to restore order.

This morning my 'big' job was cleaning out the stove pipes inside the house. With all the green wood I'm having to burn, I knew it was time to get it done. The other night I could hear crackling in the stove pipes, and immediately shut down the dampers and got the fire suppression stick ready 'just in case'. Thankfully the creosote didn't continue to ignite, but flue fires are a real possibility with the wood heat.

This is bad...You do not want your pipes to look like this! Under the coat of ash dust is shiny black creosote.

Of course there are about a million little things I see that need done, in the light of a Saturday morning, and I found myself being distracted from one task to the next, until I realized what I was really doing. Stalling. If you haven't guessed I hate cleaning out the pipes, as it's a messy awkward job. Did I mention messy? No matter how hard I try it still ends up with ash and creosote gobs in the floor. Taking the pipes down is easy enough, but getting them back up is a challenge, as they seem to shrink, shift around or something.

Once the pipes are down, I take those two sections outside and clean them. The pipe that extends from the wall stays in, so I have to crawl up in a chair and with one foot on the stove, work the poker into the depths of the pipe, scraping and raking out the build up. I hang a plastic sack from the pipe and scrape the loose debris into that--this is what is called 'having a third hand'. (Note---there is no fire in the stove, as I let it burn out during the night so everything is cooled off). Once that is done, I scrape out the section that attaches to the stove, which is usually full of ash dust. Now put the pipes back up and clean up the mess, and it's finished! The whole time Meshach is bossing me around cause he is cold and why won't I get the fire going? Meow..meow..meow....

Fancy, technical ash/creosote removal system....

I'm hoping that there will be some nice days next week, so that my Dad can see about the outside chimney. If I know there will be some nice days, I can burn a chimney cleaner stick, which really helps loosen the buildup and much of it will fall. The only drawback is sometimes the loosened bits of creosote flakes will float up and block the chimney cap. That is why I need to have a few nice days!

I've also been washing pet bedding like mad and hanging it outside. It's been terrible trying to get this stuff washed up, since the weather has made it impossible to line dry the blankets. This is mostly Ashley and Boone's bedding. Hound dog stinky Boone is getting a bath in a little bit too, but he doesn't know it yet. Shhh...don't tell him!

Wow... I just stepped out to hang more laundry and it's nice out there. The sun is actually shinning now, and the dogs are all stretched out soaking it in.

Blue, the merino ram seems to be doing much better. Lanny (the wether) is enjoying hanging out with the ewes although he looks like a giant next to them. It's quite comical.

Back to Blue...he is now getting two pounds of mixed grain a day (divided into a.m. and p.m. feedings). He won't eat the hay I give him, although I suspect he is still munching on the big round bale. However I bought some alfalfa hay cubes for him, which he can't eat, unless I bust them with a hammer. He will eat them then. Does anyone know if alfalfa pellets would constitute enough roughage for him, if he isn't eating hay? It would be fantastic if they did so I could switch him to that and just feed out the hay cubes to the rest of the sheep that have good teeth. Save me some time breaking up the cubes! I may be just being imagining things but he looks to me like he is putting on a bit of weight.

Well, I better get out into that sunshine before it hides again. It's peaceful at the moment in the house with 'kitty quiet time' evidently in effect. Two in front, one behind the stove. Two in the closet and two on the bed. Sage is up poking around into something though. (Yes..I do periodic head counts, especially when I'm using the washer! ha...)

Purple Finch at the Feeder...

Have a great weekend! Hope you are getting a little taste of Spring in your neck of the woods too.

Noah's Morning Schedule

I've had my breakfast, I've had my morning snack. Time to squeeze in a nap before lunch.....

The Boys Are Back In Town....

Noah

Guess whose back? Guess who is that much closer to Crazy Cat Lady status? Guess who is going to say, if asked, how many cats she has, that its just a 'multiple cat household? Yes, I think you guessed it.

Gabe and Noah's new home didn't work out. Their silly kitty ways were too much to handle I guess, so the decision was made that it would be better for them to come home. They came home about a week and half ago. They've been gone for about six weeks.

Birdwatching

They weren't too happy at first, but are doing fine now. Noah seemed okay and still eats like a horse. After the ride home, he thought "if you'd feed me just a tiny bit, I will be fine, since I feel a little faint'... Noah is a eater and food is near and dear to his heart. He is also a chub. So far he doesn't look too over weight, but you better lift him with the bended knees!

Noah

Gabe took it a little harder and initially hissed at every cat he saw...which is allot in this 'multiple cat household'. The other kitten sibs hissed back. They all were freaked out! (Cat drama). I kept the boys in a dog kennel for a few days. Then over the weekend I closed them in the bathroom and let them out to stretch their legs for a few hours. They did allot of birdwatching and playing. The bathroom looked a little worse for wear but the boys were more relaxed. By Friday night Gabe was poking at Sage through the top of the cage and Sage was poking back and no hisses were issued.

Of course their sisters and brother act like they never saw those cats before, so everyone was hissing or being ultra cautious about going near those things.

By Saturday late afternoon, I opened the bathroom door and let them out amongst the masses. It went pretty smooth. There was more hissing and skulking from room to room. It's now Thursday and mostly the kittens are back to where they were in their social order. Both Noah and Gabe (with Gabe being the more pushy) sometimes don't know when to quit with the wrestling, so that will have to be watched. I try not to interfere too much, because you can wear yourself out with kitty politics. For instance, Chaco and Gabe were in the bathroom thumping around, having a furious little tussle. Chaco came dashing out and so I stopped Gabe from running after him, thinking he was being way too rough. About two seconds later Chaco comes dashing back into the bathroom acting like, 'hey! I thought you were right behind me'! Then they resumed the tussle and I walked away.

The big boys were like, seriously?, they're back? There are more of them? Poor boys.

Anyway, so far so good, but it will take some work to keep everyone content and compatible. The most important thing is not to stress the big boys out too much. For the time being the little kittles have to stay up during the day, so I can monitor their interaction with Sage and Meshach. Last night was Gabe and Noah's first full night out. I tried the night before but they were just too giddy with nighttime freedom and couldn't stop wildly playing. Either I was too worn out last night to hear or they calmed down a bit, as they managed to make it through and were curled up on the end of the bed this morning.

Gabe was very grateful for the distraction of this peacock feather.

I have a plan. I do, I do...if we all make it to that point! ha.. I have a long breezeway alongside the house. Open on both ends, and it's the length of the house by about 10 or 12 ft. I've been thinking for years about enclosing it to add room to my 900 ft square house. Hopefully if I can scratch up the money and some serious energy, I'd like to have that done sometime early summer. If possible I'd like to hire someone to do the framing, windows and doors and I can do the finish work. I'd leave about 10 foot on the front end to act as a partially enclosed porch where Boone and Ariel and the outside cats could have sleeping/feeding areas. This would be nicer in the long run, as in the winter I could make it much more cozy for them. I plan to install windows on the north end and on the south end of the enclosed part, so there will still be a good breeze throughout in the summer. The biggest job will be cleaning all the junk out of the breezeway....

Gabe and his feather

The kittens could then be confined on occasion during the day in one of the 'new rooms' and I would have an attached outdoor run for them in pleasant weather. Anyway. That's what I'm thinking. In the meantime we all are coexisting, but there sure are allot of little furries running around in this 'multiple cat household'!

Spin Cycle

(I started this post two Fridays ago.....)

Guess what? It's snowing! Yeah, pretty exciting. Not. Ever had one of those days it might have been better to just stay in bed? Then you end up just being thankful for what didn't happen?

It's been one of those days. All day long. It started when I got up and saw that it was raining...then by the time I did chores it had turned to a wet snow, coming down hard. Still, other than being just yucky out, the roads were okay and it was off to work. And the roads were fine for eleven miles then I entered some time warp, or alternate reality or, perhaps just a freak of nature. I've mentioned before that if I make the Bennett Spring hills I usually figure the rest of the way is a piece of cake. The 'hills' are long and twisty, with steep drop offs on one side and high banks on the other. Either way you go it's one up and one down.

Going down today was fine. The roads were a little slick, but nothing to worry about if you took it easy. Over the last several years MODot has kept the hills in great shape, as opposed to how they used to be. In times past cars would often stack up like cord wood on those hills.

Today there was apparently a ten minute window, where the roads were fine one moment, then slick the next, and the Highway trucks hadn't applied either chemical or gravel. I was 'lucky' enough to be going up the hill when that happened.

First the truck slipped a little, but no problem. Then it really spun out and went first one way then the other. Every time I could get it lined out it would over correct, lose traction and slide again. When I started heading for the drop off across the oncoming lane, it seemed like my worst fear had finally come true--plunging off into the steep, tree filled ravine. Three feet from the edge, the truck stopped spinning out of control that way, did a 360 degree spin out, now headed back the way I was coming from, and slid towards the ditch on the high bank side. My tires were literally two inches from hitting the ditch, which would have mashed the truck into the hillside, when the ride finally stopped. Whew. I was 'praying hard' the whole time.

Of course I had my camera....and by then I had calmed down considerably....

So there I was...spun out on the hillside, almost in the ditch and blocking one lane of traffic, on a slick hill. First I tried to back out, but there was just no traction at all and I was so close to the ditch that it kept trying to slide on in, so I quit, put my emergency brake and flashers on and took a deep breath. About then a vehicle came up the hill, and stopped. God bless good women everywhere! One of the nicest ladies took time and stopped on that dangerous hill to make sure I was okay. "Coincidentally" her husband worked for MODot so she told him 'the hills' were getting bad, while having me call *55 to get someone out to direct traffic and put out a flare. She was a tremendous help in assisting me as I wasn't thinking quite clearly with rattled nerves and all. She also recommended a towing service to call. Then she left after being assured I was fine.

Here is the hill where I spun out, only I was coming up instead of going down, and it happened just a little way down around the curve. You can see where the bank drops off. I had taken this picture some days before. Even though the roads look slick, they were actually heavily graveled in this picture.

About 15 minutes after sliding out of control the Highway truck came trundling up the hill spreading copious amounts of gravel and chemical, swerving around the obstacle of my truck, and the road almost immediately improved.

A short time later the Highway Patrol arrived and started directing traffic, then a first responder to add their flashing lights to the scene. In a little bit the tow truck driver arrived and the process began to extract me off the highway. Only at first it didn't go so great as when the tow truck driver started to crank on the chain attached to my truck, the truck gently slid off into the ditch. Since it was attached with the chain, it was all slow and controlled and no damage was done. Then with wheels chocked the truck was slowly pulled side wise up and out. From there it went smoothly. Come to find out I went to school with the tow truck driver. Small world! After I got unstuck, since I was headed in the direction of home, that is where I went. I had big qualms about getting up the other hill, but the addition of chemical and gravel made it fine.

It was mighty nice to pull my truck into the garage and get my feet on solid ground. The following Monday I ordered studded snow tires for the back. (Still waiting for those--they seem to be hard to come by)

I spent most of the day quietly, working in the house and some computer work.

Around chore time I went out to the garage to put some hay out for the Shetland boys. As I walked by the sheep paddock I looked up and saw Blue (the Merino ram) laying flat out at the big hay bale. He looked dead. Sheep laying flat out are never a good thing. I rushed up that way, filled with dread. Then I saw his head twitch. Oh wow...he was alive..but not moving.

When I got up there, I worked at getting him turned a little away from the bale of hay and out of the patch he was laying in. He is a big boy, but eventually I got him into position to get him up on his chest. He was pretty alert and asking for treats (I think--maybe he was just asking me what took me so long?). However even with me helping him, he couldn't get up.

Blue, always eager for the next special meal.

I told him I'd be right back and went and got meds and Nutri drench and some grain. When I got back outside he was still laying upright but hadn't gotten to his feet. Of course the girls heard me in the grain bin and started screaming, so when I got into their paddock I started calling Blue. After a few false starts he made it to his feet and came trotting down to his feed pan.

I was able to halter him and get him into their shelter, where I fed him some grain and special hay. I fixed a panel inside the hoop house so he has to stay up all night. He ate with a pretty good appetite, so I'm hopeful he was just 'cast'. Sheep (and cows as well) can get cast fairly easily although this is the first time it's happened here. What happens is they lay down with their backs slightly downhill, then they can't get up. If left long enough the gases in their stomach will build up, as they can't belch in that position, and will eventually kill them. Blue's was only slightly distended, and he immediately started belching when I got him up on his chest. I have no idea how long he lay there---although I'm pretty sure he wasn't there when I got home from the truck incident.

I'm only speculating this was what happened. There may be more going on than that, as he is pretty old. Only time will tell. I was just so thankful he got to his feet on his own and was able to make it to the barn. The old turkey. (Update as of this Saturday-- Blue hasn't been down like that again, but Friday when I fed him and his wethered son, Lanny, they were pushing and shoving around like sheep at the feeders do, and he was knocked off his feet. He lay down and ate his grain, and was able to get back up after that. Later that night he stumbled to his knees coming down a steep section of the pathway, but was able to get up. He has a great appetite for grain, so I've upped the amount I give him, and divided it up so I feed him twice a day. Also gave him a vitamin b shot, and doses of nutridrench. He has also been wormed. He is nine this year, and it's been a struggle trying to put any weight on him. We will see how it goes. If he goes down completely I'll have to have him euthanized. Tomorrow I'm going to move Lanny (the wether) in with the ewes and have Blue in by himself. He won't mind as the other sheep will be near most of the time. This way I can take better care of him and will be sure he gets all the extras. I'm also going to get some alfalfa pellets Monday and see if that helps. Any ideas on how to get weight on an old sheep? The weather has been constantly cold and very damp, with very, very little sun. He has no reserves so I know that ever bite he eats goes into the extra energy required to survive this weather. It's been a novelty to walk around with Blue in the pasture. He has never been a nice guy, and I've always worked around being out in the pasture with him. He has mellowed quite a bit in the last two years!)

Chaco and Trinity
The best place to be on a cold, snowy day!

Sheep Shots

Tabitha sampling lipstick colors...

Just a few pictures of the sheep enjoying the snow. I love my little 'easy-care' Shetlands, and I love my big piggy white sheep too--especially when they are having some fun.

Here the sheep work on the new big bale that was just put in. Isn't that a huge bale of hay? The quality leaves a bit to be desired, but hopefully they can pick through it and find some good stuff. That's Rosetta looking at the camera.

I really like this shot. From L-R-- Persia (Possibly fawn), Lark (dark moorit) & Tabitha (Moorit). No worries from the weather on this bunch!

L-R--Dorsets--Annalea and Gracie, Shetlands--Blackberry, Rosetta and Duckie in behind.

I had to include this one, so you could see how skinny the Dorset/Merinos are. That's Nancy on the right, and unfortunately yes, her belly is nearly dragging on the ground. My, my. And no, she isn't pregnant either. (And in my defense...the big girls only get about a teaspoon of grain a day! Really!)

Sheep in Snow..

Cats Hate Water......

Meshach--combining his morning drink with a shower...

So it started with Shadrach. I don't have a picture of Shad, but he was a big cross eyed lynx point Siamese mix. He loved water and drinking out of the bathroom faucet. So when his little 'brother' Meshach came along, it was monkey see monkey do, with pretty much everything. Shad wished pretty quick that he hadn't let the water faucet trick out of the bag though. After that happened there was much shoving and vying for prime position in the bathroom sink. Too stinking bad if I needed to use it.

Ah, the paws that refreshes..now wheres my coffee?

Then along came Sage. It took him about a half a day to discover the lure of the water. He quickly became quite pushy about it, often 'accidentally' shoving Meshach off the sink. Eventually Meshach moved to the tub faucet--it was his own personal water spout and he didn't have to put up with the now over sized Sage. He also didn't have to jump up very far, which is important when your cat bones are twelve years old.

Sage takes his turn--having the water drain off his paw is somehow very important to his routine...

Then all heck broke loose and four little pirates, er, kittens joined the household. And they all loved water, imagine that. Now, Meshach and Sage no longer have their own personal spout, and pandemonium often reigns. The big boys though just push the small(er) fry out of the way when they get tired of it, and resume their ablutions.

EXcuse me? Can't a cat get a drink around here?
(Notice paw under water flow---sometimes he likes kitty flavored water and drinks from the stream coming off his paw...)

It does make the bathroom pretty crowded and obviously cats are no respecter of privacy. At all. I haven't even tried to shut the door in years, because of the ensuing wailing and paws under the door. Good grief.

This is how you make the Water of Life flow, young grasshopper kitten..(Meshach teaches Verity the Secrets of Life)

The cats love winter, because I often leave the water trickling to keep the pipes from freezing. This doesn't make the stampede to the bathroom any less though, when I head in that direction. Go figure.

See, grasshopper, you must concentrate and stare hard then the water will flow...

So this is what Grandfather Cat told me...you have to concentrate and stare really hard....
(Verity tries to teach Tempe the Secrets of Life....)

There was one near 'drowning' Incident. I didn't see it happen, but I heard it. I had taken a shower, and was getting dressed for work. My tub is pretty slow to drain so there was probably three or four inches of water still in it. And, well, obviously curiosity did something to the cat. I heard a ker-splash, desperate scrabbling on the side of the tub. Very desperate. You could feel the quiet desperation in the air. I heard purchase gained on the shower curtain, and arrived at the bathroom door to see a rather wet missile shoot out of the room. In between laughing unseemly-ing hard I managed to corral the drenched kitty and towel her dry. Little heart was beating triple time. Poor Trinity. The one who is good and sweet and shy--of course it happened to her. It hasn't stopped her though in participating in the continuing infatuation with water affair.

However, with the impatience of youth, they resort to taking action...Verity demands the water to flow and Tempe works on the magic handles...

Cats are not very happy when the faucets aren't turned on in a timely fashion for their use. During the long power outage from the ice storm a few years ago, the cats thought I was a big meany. Why wouldn't I turn on the water? The pitiful looks and prolonged meows didn't melt my cold cruel heart. All my explanations to them fell on deaf ears. When the water came on the cats were besides themselves--they acted like they had had nothing to drink for a week!

So far nobody has figured out how to turn the water on. But I am a little worried.

How about your cat(s)? Do they love, hate or are indifferent to water?

Word spreads....Concentrate and stare hard, but still the magic water does not flow... (Tempe, Verity and Trinity)

Chaco, who wants to be just like Sage when he grows up, drinks only out of the sink faucet....

Cat myth # Number One: Cats Hate Water.
False. Not all cats hate water!