Squirrel Tale: Evidence of a Killing Field

This squirrel tail was on the bottom step at the side door. I am perplexed. Was it a cat or raccoon? Raccoons are out mostly at night; squirrels are not. Cats are out all hours of day and night; Squirrels are only out in the day.

If this were a raccoon that did the killing, it would have struck after daylight or at least as soon as squirrels are out and about. That is a great possibility, considering my past experience of losing a hen and then a squirrel that was in the live trap. (Only the head was left in the live trap.) However, I saw a cat trying to get one of my hens.

Last Wednesday, all three of the hens were sounding a predator alarm. I ran to the door and screamed at the cat that was trying to get Thelma where she stood against the door, calling out to me for all she was worth! I screamed in a loud, coarse, boomingest voice I could manage and the cat ran away.  I am continually amazed that my hens are so smart.  Thelma actually ran to the door to either get in or get me out to help.  My throat hurt the rest of the day from the exertion of trying to really frighten the cat. I digress....

At first the squirrel tail was all I saw when I went out. Then, I noticed that skin from the behind was still attached. Then, I noticed shreds of skin. You can see the shreds to the right of the tail and above, too.
This strikes terror into my heart.  I don't know if the hens' pen is really secure. Each morning I check to see if there is any evidence of a breach of security, evidence of tampering by a raccoon.  Not losing hens is not evidence the cage works against raccoons.  Losing a hen will provide evidence that the cage is not secure.

Your turn
Do you go through this kind of agony with any of your livestock? Well, maybe your pets are in continual danger. I don't know. Do you think this kind of damage was done by a raccoon or a cat? There is no evidence that I can find to tell me if there is more of the carcass? Help!

New Year's Resolutions

NONE!

Last year, I had a goal or two, not resolutions. Well, instead of losing some weight, I gained 10 lbs. I suppose I can attribute all the weight gain to further reduced activity. However, my eating habits had to be the reason I did not even lose a single pound for over a few days.

My outstanding and singular goal this year is to lose weight, so I don't develop diabetes or other conditions, exacerbate injuries with weight, and generally look lots better in my skin and clothing.  Yes, looks counts for me, but not as much as my health.

Generally, I do want to improve my status with:
weight loss
growing more food
getting rid of extraneous things in my house
reducing clutter (different than above goal)
dehydrating/canning more
improving my social life

The last may need explaining--improving my social life. Mark and I played backgammon one night. I need the playing or board or card games. I also need to rid my life of negative people, downers who see "keeping hens" below them. Now, these people have nothing and eat prepared food, spending way too much money on food, money they do not have. They ridicule my education and professionalism and have started being bullies when I am out and in their presence in a church setting--the free dinner. One slimy guy wants to comfort a few of us women.

All the fine Christians make fun of me just because I don't go to church. Way to go, people. These are welfare cases. The other free dinner is filled with my friends from 35 years ago who are retired professionals. We see each other often in passing at the grocery store and cultural events. We have real conversations. Retired doctors, attorneys, school teachers  come to the dinner to eat. Politicians come to politick. lol They all love my hen-keeping. Okay, maybe they are just too polite to ridicule me...lol.

It appears that being physically and mentally healthy and happy are my main goals in life. Well, that makes all the difference in performance in other goals I have defined on paper or in my head.

I hope this was not a downer post.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Your turn
Do you have resolutions or goals that you can share? Have any of your resolutions involved getting away from negative elements in your life? Is avoidance a goal? Is prioritizing your health through better eating habits on your list? I am looking forward to 60 comments on this post and questions. Will you help me reach my goal of sixty comments?

Do you really need this?

I just read an ad that confounds me. Who needs this? Go look and come right back.

There are several solutions:
*Make a cloth cover with elastic top and bottom. It would be a cloth sleeve sort of like the plastic bag socks.
*Take a can with lid and cover it with paper, cloth, glued on or paint the can.
*Put the extra roll in a basket.
*Leave the roll exposed.

Who would ever suspect this roll cover would be where the extra roll of tp hides? I would not if I were in a strange bathroom.

What is the real problem if the roll resides in sight? Well, I can think of a couple of reasons.

~The toddler might dunk it in the commode. People keep knocking it off.

~The exposed roll of tp ruins your bathroom design.

~Maybe you have faint-hearted guests who could not bear the sight of a naked roll of tp. Do you really want these people in your home? I mean, how could they bear the sight of naked wooden limbs on furniture, legs exposed to the top of the leg. (Victorians had similar views.) Never tell these people the symbolism of the egg and dart design. It symbolizes male and female anatomy. It's all over furniture, picture frames and home trim. Look around your home.

That brings me to another point, "looks"--just how ugly are these tp covers? Neither of them would fit my bathroom decor. Why? Because they are ugly in my opinion...ugly for my home. My bath is not themed or really matchy-matchy, but these covers could not live there in harmony with my present possessions!

Of course, there is the price. Even if I like one of these, adored it, coveted it, I would not spend $3.99 for an item that I could easily make. Okay, even if I could not make something, the poor roll would have to sit, exposed to the world if there was no other place close by in which to conceal the tp.

Lastly, why produce another product where none is needed? The company is creating desire to fill a perceived need. "ooops, looks like I have a need that not only is unfulfilled, but a need I have and was not conscious of having.  I better go fill this formerly, non-existent need."

If I really could not live without a similar item in my bathroom, I could quickly find something used, already manufactured to fill my need--old Tupperware container, tin with lid, canister from prunes or drink mix, any number of items from my trash, friend/relative's trash, thrift store, yard sale, all item free or less than $3.99. I don't have to describe the ornamentation of the outside--paint, decoupage, cloth, glue, sewing--all familiar to most of us.

The ad sort of negates the idea of putting the extra rolls behind closed doors. I check for tp before I start. That said, if I don't check and the roll is empty, I am pretty adept at finding the roll nearby. No, I don't want to walk around, dripping while I search!

End or rant. What would be wrong with a square container? Would the world end if the hidey place were not round?

I would share my tp hidey-hole, but there is no tp in my house. Really, I must acquire one for company. I am not sure what happened to that one roll! Okay, I just went and looked for my roll of company tp. Ha! It is hiding on the tp roller/holder on the wall...lol.

Your turn
Are you as outraged, amazed, dumbfounded as I am about this product? Have you seen anything equally outrageous lately? How do you hide tp?

Christmas Day 2011: Part 2

The beginning: how the day started
Christmas Day 2011: Part 1

dessert table at M's and J's house

This table has my chocolate pound cake to right of center and R's chocolate pecan pie to left of center. The chocolate pond cake has confectioner's sugar on top. Usually, the ACLU attorney brings his  chocolate truffles. And, the antique dealer brings fudge. I miss them and the folk who bring them...sigh. Usually, I make lemon curd for the chocolate pound cake. Usually, there are about a dozen desserts on this table. A lemon cream pie showed up after I took the picture. I forgot to ask where she acquired the art on the wall.

Mirrored wall with table for drinks of all sorts
But, there was only wine.
Water works for me.

Look to the far left and you can see the dessert table and art above it...all in the picture below. To the right are the pocket doors leading to the living room. Ooops, the kitchen stool and vacuum cleaner are still in the dining room. I took this picture before I had cleaned the drink table. Both the hosts have been ill recently. So, we all chipped in to clean just the last little bit. The flash in the window, above, is me, standing in front of the picture and taking the picture. It appears I sort of vanished behind the flash!

Above:
Dianne, professional singer: David, contractor: J, host, minister PhD, writer
M's and J's house is always a feast for the eyes as the art change often.

Rowdy

Rowdy is a Katrina "rescue dog." He was just a puppy when Katrina struck. Desi and Lucy are also "rescue dogs," but they must be confined because they would eat us all for Thanksgiving dinner or any other day they could get to us. Desi particularly hates me. He bit Rachel through the fence.

Everyone brought something. Menu: roast turkey, smoked turkey, two lamb roasts or something lamb cooked two different ways, smoked ham, baked ham, middle eastern green beans, another green beans, asparagus, dark rolls. Yes, it was meat and green heavy and no dressing, but it was all delicious.
I left M's house with two pieces of chocolate pecan pie, half my chocolate pound cake, green beans, turkey and ham...yummy.

This post took five or more hours over three days. Blogger posts the pictures anywhere it pleases if it even will load them. My "u" key is stuck, so I have to redo words all the time. So, who knew I use so many words with a "u"? My frustration with Blogger is at an all-time high this week. Just great! B also took some of the text away....(primal scream in Alabama). I refuse to type anymore.

My Christmas Day is not over yet. Stay tuned for Part 3 which will have pictures in whatever Blogger wants them.

Your turn

Because of unforeseen events was your Christmas scaled back this year? 

Christmas Day 2011: Part 1

Red bag holds cake; Nahim is dipping my mac and cheese.

Christmas Day can be divided into three distinct parts. All three were frugal.  Food Not Bombs was my first stop. My friend, Jeff, runs the site. The food is free, beans--vegetarian, and warm. They did have mac and cheese. (Anyone recognize the red gift bag?)

Last summer, I gave a friend from Birmingham 100 pounds of dried beans to bring a rocker from Birmingham to me after he visited his father about 20 miles south of here and north of Birmingham. It turned out, I had counted his beans out, by bags and not by the bean, and then used part of his stash. So, I owed him. He did not think I was indebted.

He runs a Food not Bombs site. By the time I arrived the sparse crown had dispersed. It was extremely cold and rainy and Christmas Day. He did not expect many people.

Into the rescued bag I had put a chocolate pound cake and the three pieces of rescued candy. The guys were really happy and cut themselves a piece. I told Jeff where I got the bag. He was pleased. When I had emptied the bag, he asked me if I wanted the bag. I declined. When he told me it would be tossed, I reluctantly took the bag with me.

gift bag and candy on top of trash on Christmas Eve

The guys offered me beans. They looked cold an unappealing by this time. However, I did have some mac and cheese since I was starving.

Finally, Jeff said he was going to eat cake. All three appeared to enjoy it immensely. Oh, it was so cold and John had on sandals. I envied him because I had on socks and shoes, all bundled up, trying to fight off the sinus problems. My fever was down, but I felt crummy.

Your turn
Have you ever participated in or seen a  Food Not Bombs event? How would beans suit you on Christmas Day? Stay tuned for Part 2.

Christmas Eve Safari

The story starts late on Christmas Eve with picking through a trash can's contents for good, free items. Ever on the lookout for free goodies, even when I don't want to be vigilant, I found a minor goody. Alright, it's an affliction. On Christmas Eve as I pumped gas for a trip to Birmingham on Christmas Day, I saw a new, used gift bag right on top of the trash. "This cannot be dirty." Then, a surprise! (Actually, since it was right on top and I dug no further to find anything.)

As I tried to surreptitiously dumped the contents of a small, red, shiny, unwrinkled gift bag, I made a discovery. First, it was a noisy job and I had to keep shaking it to get the stuff out, so there was no subtlety in my actions. Then, the bag was full of candy and the candy box and other candy wrappers. I should have looked instead of quickly dumping. Each safari provides a new learning experience! Only three pieces of candy landed on top of the clean trash. The rest slid down where I could still see it but did not want to go. A bag and three pieces of candy were my bounty from my unlikely safari aka dumpster diving. (People were looking.)

My note to Kayla: "Chris did not like all that candy you gave him. Instead of sharing it, he threw it out at the gas station!  I know who did this because the name tag you attached gave me information!"

gift bag, two peppermint candies, peppermint ring

I had a plan for the goodies that involved giving it all away after I put a gift into the bag. It was perfect for my purpose! Those specks on the bag in the picture are not really there.

That was my biggie activity for Christmas Eve, other than baking chocolate pound cakes and putting color on my hair and listening to Christmas music and basking in the pink glow of my pink tree. I have the gift of being able to entertain myself easily.

Your turn
Can you top this? LOL, hope so. Would you have gotten this from the top of the trash can, a trash can with trash obviously new. New trash? Great concept! On the off chance anyone is nutty as I, did you find anything on Christmas Eve, something bound for the landfill, something you rescued and brought home or used?

"Some Mall Santas"

Okay, this is the title of a blog post that is hilarious. I am not sure if I have posted the link to the blog or the post. So, look for "Some Mall Santas," written on December 18th. Then, come back here and tell me if you found this hilarious. First, get something to wipe away the tears from your eyes. Okay, now go read. Okay, the first time I got it wrong. Now, it is the right post.