Critters and Cats - Cats Win, Critters Gone

When I moved into this house just before 1970, I'd see all kinds of critters in the yard at times; rabbits, chipmunks, etc.  I can't recall the last time I saw a rabbit around here and the last chipmunk is but a cute memory.  We have many feral cats running loose here in the BToS and NO CRITTERS.  Some would say that's good that the feral cats eliminate the critters.  I tend to disagree.

I've never understood how we can have and enforce leash laws for dogs and not for cats.  But, as an old fart here in the BToS, I tend to be a bit ignorant of what's acceptable and PC in today's world.

Here's a link to a recent Smithsonian article on the subject.

Feral Cats Kill Billions of Small Critters Each Year

 

JD, still searching for some rare critters here in the BToS.  I must admit that the squirrels seem to be able to outdo the feral cats.

PS - Animal control rounds up stray dogs, but no such effort for stray cats.

I didn't realize I was on hiatus

I typically visit 'Thots from the BToS' each morning to check for new posts on some of my favorite blogs.  This morning I noticed the date on my last post was the first of September.  Today is the first of October.  While not intentional, obviously I have been on hiatus.

During the past month I have had thots of what I considered good subjects for a blog post, but possibly due to the forgetfulness I notice coming on as I age, I can't recall the subject by the time I make it to my computer.  Yes, I'm still one of those folks that actually use a desktop computer with a full keyboard and a 24" monitor.  I'm more comfortable there than I would be poking at some mobile device and needing to be 'online' with everyone all the time.

This post is merely an observation that I have indeed been online.  I will volunteer that my life is getting back a bit closer to normal than it has been for the past 10 months or so when I had Bella Boxer living here along with her family.  If my mind is still capable of blogging, we'll know as the month wears on, won't we.  :-)

JD, resting up here in the BToS

PS - Yes I do have a FB account and visit it at least once each day, generally right after visiting 'Thots from the BToS'

Bella Boxer Snorer

Bella Boxer is still raising hell on my 43 year old carpet. But that's not what this post is about. Bella Boxer lays close by in the evenings when we gather to watch a movie or a TV show that everyone enjoys. The other evening, I heard someone snoring.

There are two known snorers in the house, both male. I admit it, I snore and very loudly at times. As you know, until my daughter and family started staying here with me while between houses, I lived alone. I have been able to snore all I wanted the past 11 years with no one to complain about it. My daughter reminded me a couple of weeks ago that I can be a pretty loud snorer.

Son-in-law is also a snorer. So when we were watching TV and I heard snoring I just assumed it was because son-in-law had dropped off to sleep in the chair, but his eyes were glued on 'Body of Proof'. I listened a little more and realized Bella Boxer had become Bella Boxer Snorer!

There you have it, we now have 3 snorers in the house, 2 male and one female.

JD, snoring loudly here in the BToS

PS - Carpet is giving up quickly to Bella Boxer's strong thighs and sharp claws. Maybe it time to take her to the local nail clipping joint.

JD's Christmas Pup - Originally posted 12/17/08

This foto, taken in the very early 1950s, is of a happy time for me. I was an innocent youth and Cookie and I were ready for Christmas, a happy time of the year. Cookie had no idea what Christmas was, she only knew that she was getting an awful lot of attention. She was even inside the house, probably because it was too cold for her to stay outside on Washington Street in the BToS (Big Town of Savage).

As a kid, Cookie was our sole pet. She was a blessing for an only child with two working parents; she wasn't a sibling, but she certainly was a pal. It was really nice to have someone waiting with anticipation each day when I came home from school. Cookie was all excited and would run with me three houses up the street to visit grandma, all the while sniffing and chasing anything that moved, including those noisy automobiles. There weren't very many cars in the BToS back in those days, but Cookie just knew if she could bite that thing it would stop all that noise and smoke around town.

In those post war years before development, the BToS was enclosed by woods and the Little Patuxent River, and Cookie loved to go off to the woods with me. She wore herself out chasing critters and loved nothing better than cooling off by lapping up some water from the river. She'd watch those little sun perch swimming in there. I don't think she ever caught one, but it wasn't because she didn't try like the dickens. She was a persistent little pup. Those fish would flitter off as fast as she could bite the water.

I don't think Cookie knew what dog food was; if she did it was later in life. It's my belief that she ate whatever we ate, only she got her's after dinner. Table scraps were the mainstay of her diet. Wait, I do recall an occasional can of really bad looking dog food that daddy got at Storch's store up on Baltimore Street. I don't know how Cookie could eat that horrible smelling stuff, but she definitely woofed it down. I wonder if today's pups are more picky about what they eat since we've upgraded their lifestyles from outdoor dogs to indoor family members?

As I mentioned, Cookie loved to chase cars. One day she got a little too close to one of those doggone things and the rear wheel ran over her. She couldn't survive the blow and died shortly after. Cookie was about eight years old at the time. My father dug a grave down back behind the garden and Cookie was quietly laid to rest with no marker. I can't remember, but given the 'girly boy' I can be at times, I probably shed some tears. Cookie was a treasure. I loved that pup. Our little family never got another one.

There have been two other dogs in my life, Bridgette and Kipper. But I'll save their stories for another day.

JD

PS - When the foto was taken, Cookie had been with us for a couple of years and wasn't really a Christmas present for me that year. I post the foto and tell my story about Cookie for a couple of my email friends that question whether I ever really had a pet, given my current reluctance to get another. To those 'Internet Buddies', I am working toward a new pup, but it's different owning a pup today than it was 55 years ago.

Bella Boxer and 43 Year Carpet - Incompatible

Bella Boxer in quiet mode

Forty-three years ago (well it will be 43 in 2 more months) we decided to carpet over the hardwood floors in our new house. After living with the hardwood for 3 months including a Christmas holiday, my wife and I concluded that carpet might be less work to maintain compared to the labor-intensive hardwood (remember this was 1969).

At the time I thought we paid quite a bit for the carpet and padding, but it held up really well until we separated almost 20 years ago. It outlived 3 kids, 2 dogs and lord only knows what else. The carpet has held up for another 20 years since with adult kids living at home, the occasional grandchild running around and my daily use. The last 11 years it has only had to endure me and for the past 4 years regular visits from the cleaning lady's 'wear it out' vacuum cleaner.

Granted it has holes worn in spots, but I learned that some spots can be covered with throw rugs and other stuff. I ain't one to spend money on things I don't really need. Granted I get new computers regularly and like my DVR and big screen TV, but carpet is a whole other world. More like a female thing rather than my 'old man' thing.

At least that was true until about 10 days ago when my daughter and her family, including 18 month-old Bella Boxer, began a temporary stay while awaiting their relocation to a new home. The carpet adjusted well to the mother, father and 11 year old daughter, but Bella Boxer is a different story.

This dog seems to have tremendous muscles in her legs and finds the traction of the carpet just what she needs for a spirited sprint down the hall into the living room, a quick turn-around and sprint back down the hall. I can hear and almost feel her claws digging into the carpet and scattering my 'cover up the holes' rugs.

Bella Boxer also loves to CHEW. She's discovered that holes in the carpet provide "Bella Boxer Chewies." I have no idea how she can go down and up the stairs with the rush she has, but she seems to make it each time.

I had planned to remove the carpet and expose the original hardwood floors and have someone replace the baseboard trim, but I didn't really want to do that until I had the walls painted, given the mess painting can be. So my plan was to have that happen this spring/summer.

You're probably aware that us old folks like to settle on a plan and go with it, but Bella Boxer appears to be "the fly in the ointment." She may be causing a complete revamp of the repair/replace schedule.

JD, still shaking my head here in the BToS

PS - The added people in the house seem to cause little, if any, problems to the carpet.

My First Christmas Was A Whole Bunch of Fun

Christmas was just a whole bunch of fun this year. We had all that action and food and relatives were everywhere. I didn't know my family had so many people in it or that there was that much food in the world. Wonder if they were all new at this Christmas thing like me?

The excitement was almost unbearable before Christmas with all the shopping on the internet and keeping an eye out for the delivery guys bringing packages. I'll tellya, I thot those guys would be more friendly and stay a while, but they no more than left off the boxes and they were gone in a flash before I could even say "hi" or get a sniff of 'em. They're quick; I wonder if they're related to that Santa Claus fella...he didn't stay long either?

But doggone it seems like things aren't as much fun since this Christmas deal is over. I feel kind of at a loss now and a little down like the foto. I mean, you know, even I can only nap for so many hours in a day!!! I rested up and napped most of the day yesterday and really had trouble sleeping last nite. I'm not very good tellin' time, but I think I woke up around 1 and didn't know what to do. I wandered around and finally found some food and something to drink, 'cause I sure couldn't go back to sleep the way I was.

I made my way over to the computer to see if anything was happening in the rest of the world on the blog thingy. I think some people also had extra time on their hands now that it's over, 'cause a lot of 'em had updated their blogs to reflect their Christmas too.

I remember seeing one site that had fotos of a big ol' boat with all kinds of decorations. It was kinda neat and it sure looked warm floatin' on all that water, not cold like it is here. Be neat if ya could just jump into the monitor and soak up some of that sunshine like that boat was doin'!

I managed to go back to sleep around 4 and didn't wake up again until there was some action in the house around 7. I found some more food and a drink and after eating all that I kind of felt lethargic (that's a big word for me) and was yawning right much. But I didn't let myself nap tho 'cause I just knew there would be more big stuff going on later.

After a brisk walk down to the BToS post office, I came back to wash out some stuff (first time in about 6 weeks...pups don't need to wash very often, you know that). That washing machine thingy is kind of neat. Wonder if I'd fit in there. It'd be kind of like a fun ride, except for the really fast spin part!!!

I'd like to tell ya some more stuff, but I feel like I might need an afternoon nap...

JD

PS -- I don't know who to credit for the pup foto that I found on Google Images, but it was so cute I couldn't resist using it. Thanks to the real owner, 'cause it looks just like me (almost).

I ain't a cat kinda guy, but...

It was overcast and chilly with no breeze Monday and the temperature hovered around 50. This cute cat seemed to find comfort on the wooden top of the picnic table. I suspect there may have been a bit of warmth from the afternoon sun bleeding through the haze and the wooden top is a naturally good insulator.

I don't presently have a pet and have never been much of a cat kind of guy, we always had poodles. I notice that several cats mill around near my house, possibly because neighbor Cathy and neighbor Connie are very kind to cats and seem to enjoy them. I tend to just let 'em live and do what they want. I neither befriend nor feed 'em. A couple of my neighbors also feed birds, which could entice cats to be in the area.

I noticed this cat has a light blue/purple, cloth type collar that you can see if you click on the foto, so it must belong to someone. He/she was doing his/her thing on the picnic table for almost 2 hours, then jumped down and went off toward neighbor Cathy's house.