Thursday, I had a nice lady call me and offer to adopt Lucy, my son's calico cat I told you about. She was coming on Friday to look at her and possibly take her. I had put Lucy on Craigsl*st to see if I could find her a good home. Well, I went to take Lucy's collar off because it seemed to be bugging her (which I had bought her a couple of weeks ago - it had a bell on it - I like to know where she is...) and it had irritated her neck and she'd been scratching and her neck was all red and angry-looking. So I thought I'd put a little N*eosporin on it just for good measure. I also tore off a clean piece of towel and safety pinned it around her neck so she'd not be able to scratch and put her in the laundry room in her basket to go to bed. Ok, everything seemed to be fine.
We went out to eat at our favorite Mexican food place Thursday evening and when we got home, of course, it was dark. I saw Gypsy out in the front yard playing with something and having the biggest time. Altho the house porch lights were on I couldn't tell what it was that she was playing with. We got out of the car and walked up to the house, and what do we have here! There was a rooster laying in the yard that immediately hopped up and jumped on the porch with great difficulty and hid under the wicker settee. There were tail feathers laying in the yard. Oh great. We have a chicken ketchin' dog.
Not sure where the rooster came from, but I know sometimes our neighbor's free-range chickens come on to our 80 acres on the north end. Whadaya do? Yes, I need my dog to stay on my property. But there's dogs everywhere around here and they all run loose in the country, as well as the chickens and coyotes. Got any good advice out there? I'm going to get some chickens, too, and I don't want Gypsy playing with or killing them. Perhaps I'm being too optomistic here, but usually I can tell her or show her something that I want her to do or don't want her to do and she seems to understand. She picks up things real quick and she really wants to please me. I THINK I might could teach her not to mess with the chickens, but I can't teach her that if I don't have any right now. Any and all advice would be appreciated. I sure don't want to have to give Gypsy away and I can't keep her tied up all the time either, but I don't want my neighbors mad at me either. 'Course, they ARE letting their chickens run on our place...
Later in the evening, I went out and took Bug to potty (the chihuahua) and I was sitting on the settee waiting. Gypsy came over, creeping up submissively and apologized so sweetly and I pet her a little bit. Then she started barking at something we heard out in the darkness. We could hear something moving about and didn't know if it was a varmint or what. She's such a good watch dog! We eased over in the direction of the noise and it seemed to be coming from the back of the truck. What do we have here? That dad-gum rooster was having post-mortem spasms or something! It was moving around in the sack! And it was deader'na doornail! Is that possible????? Scared the pee-diddle out both of us! I told Tony and he said he was NOT going to shoot the rooster again. He shot it 3 times. And it was already dead.
Friday morning, I got up early (I always do) and made my way to the laundry room to let Lucy out. Well, what do we have here? CAT PO*P and CAT THROW-UP all over the the laundry room floor and the rug, too!!! Evidently, she had gotten under that towel I'd put around her neck and licked all the Neosp*rin off and it made her sick to her stomach and she was going both ways! Poor Lucy! POORER ME! Guess who gets to clean it all up? Tony looks at me and says, "She's your cat, don't look at me!" So I cleaned it up. So, a lesson - if your cat gets clogged with hairballs, Neosp*rin works great! (disclaimer - I don't recommend it - try some oil of some kind...)
Then I walked outside to let Bug out. What do we have here? I'd been putting Christmas items out on Thursday, and had some boxes sitting on the porch. Gypsy had helped herself to one of the boxes FILLED with newspapers, and she had shredded both the box AND the newspapers and they were strewn all over the front yard! I thought when I went to bed the night before that I really needed to move those boxes. Thank goodness newspapers were all that were in the box!
SOOOOO, as I'm cleaning up the mess in the front yard and as the morning work traffic is whizzing down our little country road and all eyes are panning RIGHT to see our beautifully decorated (with cardboard & newspaper) yard with me in my flannel plaid sleepin' pants and jacket and no make-up and bed-head scraping up and picking and chasing down in the wind little slivers of newspapers and trying to keep them in the garbage bag! TALK ABOUT WHITE TRASH! And Tony says, "you're the one that wanted animals". And smiles real big.
AND what ELSE do we have here? My wonderful, thoughtful, kind and generous husband, dressed and ready for work and he's standing on the front porch enjoying my frustration. Not only that, he's singing, "Welcome to my world! won't you come on in????" waving his arms like an opera singer with an audience and making up silly verses about living on the farm and the animals and all the crap and inconvenience and mess they make! Did he offer to help??? NO way! He's thoroughly enjoying my dilemna. I was so perturbed but he was having such a great time and singing at the top of his lungs - I'm sure anyone with their car window down could hear him. I just had to bust out laughing - he was so funny and I couldn't help myself. I had to laugh cuz I was too mad to be mad. I'm still keeping my critters and I'm gonna get me some more.
How was YOUR weekend?
22 comments:
Well, I was busy with football banquets and such, but I do feel your pain! Having cats, dogs, chickens, and other animals is A LOT of work. Besides their regular care, they do create trouble sometimes. Sending prayers your way :)
I LIKE your Tony - yep critters bring SO much mess and concern and occasional heartache - but OH the love and attention when nobody else gives a flip about us! hang in there girl - us country gals are tough
Poor Dear I feel for ya.
Hope your week is less streesful.
I wish I could take the cat off your hands she is sooo purrrrti :-) but, I have 2 inhouse. Hope she finds a good home
Those kids are really misbehavin'! Glad that your hubby knows how to make you laugh if he doesn't know how to help. Well, he did shoot the rooster.
I hope you will forgive me for chuckling while I read your tale of woe -- I only did it because as the proud owner of three big dogs myself (plus two chickens), this sounds so familiar to me! I hope this coming week is a lot more quiet for you!
hahahahah I wish I had seen that! Lucky gypsie didnt kill the rooster so you still have a chance to train her. she must of just wanted to play with it. but you know as soon as a dog tasts blood you cannot undo it.
Sorry to hear about the cat being ill, and sorry you had to clean it. good luck training the dog, border collies are real smart so it wont take long. Oh and tell Tony that we would sure appreciate photos next time.
Don't know about this incident but if it happens again, or the dog actually kills a chicken, then take a small rope or tough twine and tie that chicken around the dogs neck and let the dog drag it around a couple days. Hubby used to say it'd cure the chicken-chasin' dog!
LOL!! Vickie, sometimes you do have to laugh to keep from crying. Oh, girl. You had a string of trouble. Hope your next few days go better! blessings ~ tanna
Only in the country can things like this take place...so many things going on, the next right after the other!! But, I'm like you about the newspaper, I too would've been running around trying to catch and contain the scraps. Oh well.
And in a few years, you'll be a pro at all this stuff...just wait...for now, that sense of humor that you have is pretty amazing. I have to keep reminding myself to keep mine with me too!
Lana
Thank you for those images and laugh! Love your critters and the farm life and I wish I were you! Love too the vision of your husband singing and laughing on the porch at you. The best of times! ha! Blessings friend and thanks for the advise.
Have a great week!
Mmmmmmmm, and after all that, did the lady come to adopt the kitty? :-)
Have no advice for you. I'm not a person who needs animals around, so I have none to give.
Only had kitty cats, off and on. And they are about the simplest of animals.
Goooood luck!!!<---Big help I am hu? -giggles-
Gentle hugs,
"Christmas was close at hand, in all his bluff and hearty honesty;
it was the season of hospitality, merriment, and open-heartedness."
~~Charles Dickens
It's all in the day of a life........LOL. Things will get better, however, a dog who goes and catches chickens is hard to break. I would really suggest obedience school, however, I have been around dogs like this.........they don't want to give up the habit. Be careful and watch Gyspy. I hope you can break her. Your post made me laugh! blessings,Kathleen
Wow, did you animals have a meeting that you didn't know about? It sounds like they planned this series of events.
Isn't great that there's always someone who can laugh at our circumstances.
Thanks for the laugh by the way. LOL
Sorry for chuckling as I had this visual of you running around picking up paper...etc. The joy of animals.
I hope you've found a home for that beautiful calico......
Here's hoping this is a good and peaceful week for you!!!
Hugs,
So sorry to hear about your mess but I could not help by giggle by your hubs remarks.It sounds a lot like what mine would tell me.
Hope you can train him.
He is such a cutie.
Oh the joys of country life, always expect the unexpected! I hope the kitty and pooch are out of the dog house now ;c)
What a story! What could possibly happen next? I love animals but don't have any at the moment, my husband says no more pets! ; )
Thanks for stopping by my blog, it was great to see a new commenter! I hope you come back soon!
Yep, we had one of those reselection moments here on the Ponderosa.
Hubs brought me a bag of ducks from the sale barn shortly after we were married to sit and swim on our ponds.
The dang ducks hung around the carport and pooped on my car. Our German Shepherd caught one and almost chewed it's neck plumb through.
Hubs carried off the dead duck, bagged up the others and gave them away.
A couple days later runnin' off the hill came that 'dead duck' faster than the wind. Blows my mind!!!
I do wish I had some help for ya. It's hard once they've tasted 'blood' to break 'em. Guess if a duck and a rooster can live again...miracles can happen. :o)
God bless and have a beautiful day!!!
*hehehahahoho* Oh Vickie~ bless your heart! Animals add so much to our lives, but sometimes they can add a little TOO MUCH! *giggle*
The are some days you just wish you had pulled the covers over your head and remained in bed!! Did your sweet kitty find a forever home? Sending greetings from Maine.
Oh dear. Not so much fun...but the fact that you aren't throwing in the towel speaks to your strong constitution. I think you could have crossed the country in a covered wagon...that's how tough you are proving yourself to be. ((smile))
I really know your frustration, really! I usually discover such gifts of chaos from my critters when I am dressed to go to town, make-up, heels, then.."OH NO!!!!"
Our critters haven't a clue about our schedules or priorities, but I love them anyway. I think I like your last line the best, thems fighting words, "I'm still keeping my critters and I'm gonna get me some more."
I won't be keeping any moles, should we trap any, things aren't going so well for us in that department, but the moles are thriving, they are fine & dandy.
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