Who Let The Birds In?

FOR THE LOVE OF PETE!!!

It happened this morning while I was sitting on the toilet. Once again, I was minding my own business when I heard it. It started as a scratching sound and went into full blown flapping of wings. The vent that was to the side of me and above my head, the vent that one can hear attic noises in...it would have scared the pee out of me, if I hadn't already done that. As I was sitting there and all the flapping commenced, I had a brief Alfred Hitchcock moment. What if that bird comes in through the bathroom vent and in a fit of terror, pecks me to death? First spiders try to attack me in the bathroom, and then a stinkin' mouse, now a crazed bird. And the thing is....this is a BRAND NEW house. We do not live in a dump that any vermin can just call home. Wait a minute. I guess we do live in a house that vermin can call home. (and no I'm not talking about me and my family)

1. Now someone (not me) is going to have to go up to the attic and find the scared bird and shoo it out a window. How it got in, I do not know. I suggest the brave soul wear a plastic shield over their face, in case the bird DOES pull an Alfred Hitchcock. I don't even want to think about the fact that a scared bird has probably poo'd on our valuable possessions in the attic. Sigh. I hope our Christmas decorations will not have white goop on them.

2. We caught a mouse behind the kitchen trashcan. I am about over the mouse situation. I do not care if we moved to the country. I do not care that we live in a field. I do not care that the walls of our house are warm and snug for a mouse's home. I do not like scratchy noises in the walls. I do not like a mouse to be heard as I am fixing my morning breakfast. As God as my witness, if a mouse comes flying out at me when I open a cabinet in the wee hours of the morning--when I'm not even fully awake I will not rest until it is DEAD. The neighbors 5 miles down the road will hear me screaming and running around like a wild banshee. Hey people, I'm not dealing well with this. It was rats that carried the Bubonic Plague you know...I have a right not to want them in my house. Okay, fine. So these are field mice the size of my pinky finger, still they could be KILLERS.  Has anyone seen the movie, Mouse Hunt? That is my life!

3. I killed a honkin' big black spider in the laundry room yesterday. Seriously, HONKIN' big. I smashed him with my trusty flip flop. I still had those in the shoe bin out there. Flip flops are the best spider killers because they are light and flexible. BLAM. He is smooshed. That's what he gets. No sympathy from me. I left his guts on the wall as a warning to other 8 legged creepy crawlies who think that the laundry room is their home. I've got news for them. IT IS NOT. I still do not like spiders, but I've gotten braver as time has gone on. And as long as I have a flip flop and a can of Raid, I think I'm good to go.

Wait a minute.....I just heard something.

 

Related Articles

• The Birds Movie Inspired Jewelry Photoshoot (beadinggem.com)


• Geek Gifts: ALFRED HITCHCOCK: THE MASTERPIECE COLLECTION (collider.com)


• "Every Ending... Has a Beginning." (filmexperience.blogspot.com)


• Movie Review Friday: The Birds (sierraclub.typepad.com)


• Bubonic plague originated in China (holykaw.alltop.com)

Get Out And Vote

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="202" caption="Image via Wikipedia"][/caption]

I hope that everyone (well, everyone that is legal and registered) gets out and votes tomorrow. If one doesn't vote than that person has absolutely no reason, or in my opinion, right, to go and talk smack about anything political. If said person can't get off their duff to go vote, than no one wants to hear any complaining. Got it? Good. I feel so much better having unloaded that. In all seriousness, regardless of party, or personal political views---it is important to have each voice heard. We are Americans after all. It is not only our responsibility, it is our privilege. So, as the former Nike slogan declares, "Just do it!".

1. Get to the polls as early as possible. If you don't, you could get stuck behind 50 bazillion people who seem to be moving at a snails pace. Whether they are or not doesn't matter. They SEEM to be. Try to be patient.

2. Be nice to the people working at the polls. They are doing their best to keep up with making sure everyone is registered and in some semblance of order. I mean, really, would you want that job? Smile at them. A nice smile. Not one of those maniacal, Jack Nicholson in 'The Shining' type smiles. That would be scary.

3. Do not get into verbal altercations or fist fights at the polling place. That is totally not classy. Don't act like a guest from The Jerry Springer Show. You'll be in the news and everyone will think you are an idiot. So, instead, be nice.

4. Be careful, once in the booth. Make sure you know what you are doing. Don't just start pushing buttons...because it can be tempting with all the lights flashing. Show restraint. This might be hard for some people, but you can do it!

5. And finally, enjoy the experience. People all over the world wish they were us. They wish they could vote without fearing for their lives. They wish that their vote mattered. Don't ever take voting for granted. It is a huge deal.

Check out the history of voting. Very interesting.

 

 

 

Related Articles

• Vote (eschatonblog.com)


• Early voting numbers almost reach 1 million (charlotte.news14.com)


• Vote, you fools, vote (sfgate.com)


• "Republicans Hold 10% Lead in CNN Congressional Ballot Which Can Explain ... Rasmussen Has GOP Leading in 6 of 7 Toss Up Senate Races" and related posts (scaredmonkeys.com)


• Last Ditch Effort to Get Out and Vote (socyberty.com)


• The only solution is to vote wisely (timesunion.com)


• Counting the Vote (politicalwire.com)

Time For A Doctor Visit

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="159" caption="Image by DVIDSHUB via Flickr"][/caption]

Three outdoor cats. One indoor cat. Two dogs...and a horse. We have some really sweet pets. Really sweet pets that needed to get their shots. I called the vet. She came out on Friday. She had her mobile office all packed up in the back of her pickup. Cool. I liked her a lot. She was good with the animals.

First, was Jazz. Jazz is a horse who I have to say was not all that thrilled with getting blood taken, a couple of shots and a vaccine up her nose. (who would be?) Horses are a lot like young children. A horse will fuss and carry on, but the "parent" has to say, "Look this is for your own good." (you might not believe me right now, but you need this! Stop it already, I'll give you an apple if you are a good girl. We are not above bribery.) All in all Jazz was a pretty good girl. Dr. Dyer showed me how to give Jazz the more common shots that she will need. I would have never guessed in a million years that this would be me. I'm now reading a lot about horses and giving my family information that even they didn't know.

Junior, our mutt, is a senior citizen. He is 13. Poor guy. He has a yeast infection and his joints are hurting. He's getting arthritis. The vet told us that he can take glucousimine and chondrotine (did I spell that correctly?) just like a human. So we got some for him at Walmart. It is orange flavored. He thought it was a snack so he ate it up. It won't cure him, but it will help with the symptoms. It's hard being an old dog.

On the other hand, Ace, the collie is in the prime of life. He is a poo head. Silly dog, who has a penchant for collecting all the food bowls. Not the food mind you, but the bowls. I think he has a bowl fetish. Whatever. He sat through his shots like a pro. As long as one pets him, he is your new best friend.

I found out for absolute sure the gender of all our cats. This has been bothering me for some time now. The three outdoor cats are all strays.  We are the proud owners of two girls and a baby boy. I pretty much figured this out, but it's nice to have it confirmed. The two girls "act" like girls. Pet me. Love me. I am a queen. The kitten is a boy and he is mischievous and does not understand self preservation. He will dart under the horse, jump on people and hang there, and attack the dog's tail. No common sense. Definitely a boy.

Joe, the indoor cat, is old too. He was trapped in the bathroom until we needed him for his doctors visit. Joe is a big scaredy cat....but, I have to say that he was good and took his shots like a man...er....cat.

Being a pet owner is a lot of work. Animals depend on the owner for everything. A place to sleep. Food to eat. Kindness.

That is why it always bothers me to watch pet rescue shows. I cannot understand how some people treat their animals so horribly. Animalsare like children,who depend on their parents to survive. Pet ownership is a huge responsibility.....but, it is also fun. Each animal has their own personality. Each is unique.

Related Articles

• Where Can I Get Free Vet Advice for My Cat? (brighthub.com)


• How Often Should You Take Your Cat to the Vet? (brighthub.com)


• Starved horse survives, inspires (bendbulletin.com)


• American Veterinary Hospital Offers Excellence in Medicine and Customer Service (prweb.com)


• Horse Friendly Campgrounds - Fairfax, Virginia, United States (travelpod.com)


• How To Choose A Stable For Your Horse? (mydecorarticles.com)

Snake Wrangling

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Image via Wikipedia"][/caption]

Snakes really aren't my favorite creature ever created. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. Those that love snakes would tell me, "Snakes get a bad rap. They are not really scary. They help to control the rodent population." Yada....yada....yada. Whatever, people. Let's face it, one can't pet or snuggle with a snake. Snakes have fangs. They bite with those fangs, if agitated. Giving a snake a hug could prove dangerous, especially if said snake is a boa constrictor. Just sayin'. How many of us have ever heard of snakes called Fifi, or Fido? No? No! One hears names like Squeeze or Viper. Sorry. It's just not a love relationship with me. As long as snakes stay outside in the fields they are safe. If they come near my house....they might be separated from their head. Just sayin'.

My aunt emailed me the other day. She was down in the basement of her house and came across a snake skin. Not the kind of thing a woman wants to find in her house. Spiders. Check. An occasional mouse. Check. Check. A long snake skin. Oh, no I don't think so! She promptly did what any God-fearing woman would do. She called an exterminator. The first guy said they didn't work with snakes, but he'd put her in touch with someone who did. (Good, make it snappy, Mister!)

A young woman showed up. She went down into the basement to check things out. Uh huh....definitely a snake skin. After some investigation and caulking of any holes, she declared that the snake was long gone. The basement was snake free. She even guaranteed her work for 10 years. (Better be!)

She informed my aunt that it is illegal to kill snakes in the state of Maryland. Say what?! Yep. I didn't believe it either, but it is true. I guess if I still lived in Maryland that my picture might be hanging in the post office, under the most wanted criminals section. A hardened snake killer. If a snake was in my house he'd deserve what he got. So there.

The young female snake wrangler was at the house for maybe a half hour...and my aunt had to fork over several hundred dollars. I'm thinking I might have my children consider snake wrangling as their desired career. They could make the big bucks. Enough money to help keep me in the lap of luxury in my old age. If they are really good they might be able to have their own cable TV show, sort of like Dog The Bounty Hunter. I would be so proud.

 

Related Articles

• Fluffy the world's largest captive snake has died (newslite.tv)


• Pet snakes (sfgate.com)


• Snake Warning - Hanoi, Vietnam (travelpod.com)


• Snakes in the Toilet! (observer.com)


• Snake Tales (daisyfae.wordpress.com)


• Beaumont Enterprise: Truth behind snake myths and rumors (beaumontenterprise.com)

Lovin' Me Some Tractor Supply

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Image via Wikipedia"][/caption]

I never used to go to Tractor Supply. Not ever. Had no real need to visit. That all changed when I "came back" to the country. My husband and I spend a lot of time at this place now. A lot. Who knew that a woman could have such a good time at this store? Here are some of my adventures of late:

1. They have lip balm at TS. It's called Chicken Poop. Really. It's not really made with Chicken Poop, but it's a cool name, huh? I bought my mom some (as a gift bag decoration) for her birthday. She thought it sounded gross. Obviously, the woman has no taste. I TOLD her it really wasn't chicken poop. I don't know if she believed me. Shows how much she trusts her eldest daughter. Hmmppfff!

2. My hubby and I bought our daughter some really CUTE boots to muck the horse stall in. They are brown and orange with flowers on them. She is more used to "manly" boots. We told her she is a girl. She will wear the boots and look cute...as cute as any girl can, when her boots are covered in sawdust and horse poo. But anyway....

3. I check out their bulletin board while there. I like to look at what animals are for sale. Cows, horses, dogs, llamas, anyone?

4. We got more wood shavings for the horse stall. Who knew how much a horse can poop? Let me just say, A LOT. And cleaning up after a horse is not like changing a diaper. At least a baby is some what self contained. Just imagine how much an animal weighing several HUNDRED pounds can put out. Just sayin'.

5. I appear to be talking a lot about poop today. Go figure.

6. My husband is coveting a Carhartt coat. He said they are the warmest coats ever. That might make the short list for a Christmas present. Don't tell him.

7. How fun is it to pick out gates? Deep blue? A Rusty red? Or the old standby, silver? (We went with blue, by the way)

8. Last night the girl at the cash register asked if we would like to buy a flashlight? They were on sale. So we did...only because they were super cute. (At least that was my opinion, my husband probably would not describe it that way.) The flashlight can fit in the palm of ones hand, and yet has a very powerful light. Good for night trips to the barn. Or checking on the dogs. Or just walking around the yard for no reason whatsoever...in the dark. Don't ask. One never knows.

9. Sometimes my husband strays to the aisles full of nuts, bolts, screws. Boring stuff. I don't really like those aisles very much. So, while he is looking at the bins of bits and pieces, I occupy myself by counting all the small pieces that have accidentally been dropped on the floor in that aisle. I count them. I think about the store employee that has to get down on their hands and knees and retrieve all those pieces. What a pain. He (or she) is probably cursing the nuts and bolts aisle. Who can blame him?

10. That aisle is near to where the chain is. The other day we needed a length of chain and I enjoyed watching the man put the chain in the machine that cuts it to the desired length. I have to admit that when near that machine I have a nearly uncontrollable urge to throw some other object in the machine to see if it can cut something besides chain. I end up not doing it. I don't want to break the TS chain cutting machine. Besides it would probably cost a lot to replace and I'd feel badly about it. I'll just keep my destructive tendencies to myself. For now.

So, as you can see, Tractor Supply is my new fun and fav store. Some people like Saks, Belks, Proffits, JcPenney, or Kohls.  Hey, all I'm saying is.....give Tractor Supply a chance. You just might be surprised.

Related Articles

• Tractor Supply Company Selects Revionics for Customer-Centric Price Planning and Optimization (eon.businesswire.com)


• Tractor Supply Company to Webcast Third Quarter 2010 Results (prnewswire.com)


• Tractor Supply Company to Participate in Wells Fargo Securities Consumer Conference (prnewswire.com)


• Tractor Supply Company Completes Two-For-One Stock Split (prnewswire.com)


• Redneck Tractor: Corvette Style. (ridelust.com)

It's Alive! It's Alive!

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="180" caption="Image by Canadian Veggie via Flickr"][/caption]

My husband and I built (and I use that term loosely) our house. Really, my husband designed the house and made sure everything was getting done, other men actually built the house. I pretty much just visited during the process and looked at how things were coming along...and made comments. My contribution to the process pretty much went like this, "This half bath will look soooo cute!", "I like the view from the front of the house.", or "I think I just saw a spider crawl under the baseboard. Sweetheart, have you seen a lot of spiders?"  In my defense I DID stain our big front door. In the garage. In the middle of February. When it was like -100 degrees outside---and it felt just as bad inside because the stinkin' house wasn't heated yet. My hands went numb and froze to the brush I was staining with. And for those of you that know about staining, I realize that one should not stain when it is that cold. But, I also know that I wasn't lugging a 500,000 pound door somewhere else to stain it. And, I also wanted the huge gapping hole in the front of the house covered so the Arctic wind couldn't get in. So, I made due. It was one of those experiences that I will one day tell my grandchildren about....."Oh, yes sweethearts. Grandma's hands are permanently stained brown because of the freezing cold, door staining incident during the winter of 2009." Aaahhhh.....the memories.

I love our house. I really do. But.......don't tell anyone...I think our house is alive. Yes, I still have my wits about me. No, I'm not having hallucinations. Let me explain, that I'm not really crazy.....um....not anymore than (ab)normal.

1. We have geo-thermal heating. If one happens to be standing in the garage when it comes "on", it sounds as if the house just breathed a huge sigh. I'm not kidding. It sounds very human. Sigh.

2. We have a metal roof on our house. On really windy days (which tend to me many, here in rural Ohio) the house sounds as if it is moaning. You can really hear it in the attic. And no we are not haunted. It is not a scary moan. Besides if we were haunted it would probably only be the spirit of a dead cow, considering our property used to be some farmer's cow pasture in days gone by. Just sayin'.

3. I'm still getting used to the fact that we have a soaking tub with jets, in the master bath. The tub is set on a timer to "blow out"  it's jets once a day. It's kind of like a reverse vacuum cleaner. Anyway, I forgot about it the other day. I was sitting on the toilet, minding my own business when, 'whoosh!', the thing kicked in. Um...let's just say, I'm glad I was already on the toilet so I didn't pee my pants.  I think I heard the tub laugh.

Right now, I'm listening to the hum of the dishwasher. The music of my life.

Related Articles

• A Ghost Story (momblognetwork.com)


• Victorian cottage makeover creates guesthouse (sfgate.com)


• Modern Dream Homes : Contemporary Beach House in Coastal Victoria by BKK Architects (chictip.com)


• How to Make an Eco-Friendly Backyard Haunted House (1800recycling.com)


• Top 10 Baths with a View (audleytravel.com)


• Space-Saving Bathtubs - The Stowaway Bath Panel Storage System Makes use of Extra Room (GALLERY) (trendhunter.com)


• Take Advantage of Home Improvement Energy Tax Credit to "Go Green" in the Garage this Fall (prweb.com)

I Can't Seem To Write

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="184" caption="Image by V'ron via Flickr"][/caption]

Do you ever go through periods where you just feel overwhelmed? Blah? Can't seem to "get it together"? Concentration is elusive? Well, I'm having one of those days. It actually started last night. I feel sort of helpless in the midst of this. I don't like this feeling.

1. The list in my head keeps growing.

2. Things I need to do.

3. Things I want to do.

4. And yet, I don't want to think about my list.

5. I need to do more laundry.

6. I should do my daily house cleaning.

7. I just want to watch TV.

8. Normally, I don't even like to watch a lot of TV.

9. What is the matter with me today?

10. My brain hurts.

11. I feel like I should be doing something.

12. Something impressive.

13. Something original.

14. Something meaningful.

15. And yet...here I sit.

16. No energy.

17. A headache.

18. Desire with no drive.

19. I don't like this feeling.

20. Not one bit.

Related Articles

• More Wet Weather on the Way (laist.com)


• The harvest continues (wcs4.blogspot.com)


• Sleepy (ken-jennings.com)


• A Crazy Mom's Cleaning Schedule (momblognetwork.com)


• Nine Quick Tips to Get Yourself in a Blogging Mood (hollabackhealth.com)


• Just Keep Swimming (fromthetrenchesofmotherhood.com)


• bit of a confession.. (anya1976.livejournal.com)


• 15 delicious writing prompts (holykaw.alltop.com)