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Things here have been okay. Busy, but not quite as manic. I discovered a mouse residing in the desk last week. She found it so inviting she had her babies there. I was not spending much time in the house or doing paperwork, obviously. The mouse mama was. Just in case I didn’t have enough to do - I demolished her home and evicted her and the family. That was only the beginning. I dread hanta virus. It’s surprising that I don’t have more mice problems on this place. That was the first one I’d seen in the house in ages. Rocky (the cat) lives on the porch these days, but he and the dogs keep the rodent population in check.
We had a strange downpour on Friday. I was pleased to find that the storm did not destroy the creek crossing. That was a first. Instead of fixing the fence, I spent the weekend tossing things out of the flooded basement.
The pairs are in the hills.
The heifers are at home in the pasture.
All the cattle seem content.
I called the dentist’s office first thing Monday morning. They gave me an appointment for that afternoon. Wow! As I was getting ready to go out the door, my doctor’s office called. They had a cancellation - if I could make it on Tuesday, they’d fit me in. Wow again! That moved my appointment up two months. Both visits went well. And lunch out is always a treat - as is good company.
My lawnmower seems to have decided that it’s no longer a self propelled model, so now I’m pushing. I have half the meadow ( I mean lawn) done. I may develop upper body strength after all. Or maybe buy a new mower. Well, so much for mowing - it’s raining again. Oh no, make that
hail . . . how’s that for instant gratification. Digital cameras are great. Yes, I know, I should turn the computer off during a storm.
June 14th, 2006 at 12:34 pm
I worry a lot about hantavirus. It’s impossible to keep them out of the cabin, although the cats do their best.
June 14th, 2006 at 12:36 pm
You didn’t take any pics of the baby mice? They are kind of cute. But then they weren’t in MY desk!
Mae
June 14th, 2006 at 12:47 pm
Patia - it’s a never ending battle. I am an animal lover, but I don’t want them in the house. Sigh. . . And, hanta virus is such a problem in Montana.
Mae - uh - my hands were full!
June 14th, 2006 at 3:02 pm
I am going to have to fire my cats. I had a mouse in the car the other day. It ran away and as far as I know, it is still in there. Mice are all around me with all the grain and hay in the area.
Yesterday evening I returned from a quick run to town and discovered my lawn chair was full of dead birds and FLIES. Probably gifts from those lazy cats since I gave them heck about the mouse in the car. Took me a while to clean up that mess with one hand. (The other holds a cane full time now.)
I told Cassie about it this morning and she said that it might have been her dog Bert because he doesn’t like me. I asked why he doesn’t like me and she said it is because I yell at him for eating all the cat food! bonnie
June 14th, 2006 at 7:31 pm
YOU BOOTED THE POOR LITTLE BABY MEESES?! I’M CALLING PETA! LOL
I’ve got a couple cats that are real pros, one mouse in the house is all I’ve seen in ten years, and it didn’t make much of an appearance before ol’ Mama Cat had him in a bad position and we were shooing her out the door, proudly toting her victim, head held high. The other cat spends most mornings out in the yard chewing on whatever unsuspecting little vermin she was able to sneak up on. I really don’t care for cats, but I like mice even less so it’s pick yer poison I guess.
June 14th, 2006 at 8:41 pm
My dad had about a foot and a half of water in his basement last week, but at least they are getting some moisture. Hope to see you while I’m up in God’s country this weekend.
June 14th, 2006 at 9:41 pm
Glad to say I’ve not had any rodents or scorpions in my trailer in some time. We have a lot of feral cats around here, and I think they keep the varmit population down.
The lady that lives next door leaves food and water out for the wild felines (and tries to trap them to have them fixed to keep the population down). Unfortunately, these cats have a tendancy to drive Das Mutt nuts (which is detrimental to the condition of my house). The cats know that Sheba is really 100 lbs. of hot air, and that she wouldn’t know what to do with a cat if she caught one.
As for the weather up there, even hail is better than 112 degrees (especially when the swamp cooler doesn’t work — and the portable evap coolers don’t work either). They’re supposed to fix the swamp cooler (I may have to have it completely replaced) tomorrow. If not, I may have to stay in a Motel 6 to get any sleep. (It’s actually hotter in the trailer than it is outside at 8:30 at night.)
Sweating barrels,
Kirk (along with a madly panting pup)
June 14th, 2006 at 9:49 pm
Thank you for your pictures…it makes me not miss home quite as much when I know I can see up to date photos of my Montana
What did your horse do to his forehead???
June 15th, 2006 at 6:29 am
you’re mowing the lawn? don’t you have a sheep or something to do that for you?
get a tractor… makes it easier to drink a beer while you’re out there.
(oh wait…you already have a fleet of tractors)
June 15th, 2006 at 7:34 am
I was sorry to hear of the mouse in your desk, I would be getting out the lysol and the stuff my husband brings home from work. It kills everything on contact, even HIV, so I know it would work on mouse droppings. Be glad they didn’t invade your kitchen, my friend had them nesting in her insulatin of her dishwasher! Yuck!!! I am knocking on wood!!!
June 15th, 2006 at 10:38 pm
I hate mice! I had about 18 traps in Pryor to keep them at bay. LOL
See you on the 1st!
June 18th, 2006 at 7:06 am
Hanta virus is so scary. I used to think the little deer mice were kind of cute until that came around. (plus lymes disease, which the darned things here carry too) Although hanta hasn’t made it upstate from NYC yet that we know of, I now keep poison baits inside the cellar foundation and in the attic…plus lots of cats outside.
Love all your photos, especially the one of the dog and the storm…just beautiful!
June 20th, 2006 at 9:52 am
Love the picture of the SugarBear (at least I think it’s the SugarBear) with the thunderbumpers rolling in. (Hopefully none of your pooches get as spooked by thunder as my Massive Mangy Mountain of Mutt does. I have to spend a great deal of time calming her down when a storm rolls in. She shakes so much that it registers on the Richter scale.) I saved said photo under the title Any Dog in a Storm.
Kirk (along with The Dog Who Ate My Home, still waiting for the swamp cooler to be fixed; we spent Monday night in a Motel 6)