During one night, I was awakened by our Guinea Fowl Alarm. The rooster joined in. There was much squawking and crowing, clucking and screeching. I got on my muck boots, grabbed a flashlight, and went to investigate. I found a raccoon inside the chicken pen. I ran back to the window of the bedroom and awakened Tom. He brought out the .22 and soon dispatched the offending 'coon.
My Little Red Hen was already dead. The Guinea was minus a good handful of feathers, and several of the other hens were off their roost.
Had the window not been open, I could of lost my entire flock.
The 'invisible fence' is still working! We have gotten okra and green beans! The tomatoes have given us all we can eat, plus several batches of tomato sauce and canned tomatoes. The peppers are starting to 'come on'. The flowerbeds are hosting dozens and dozens of butterflies.
Between the garden produce, getting Nickole started in school (and the daily work that entails), trying to stay on top of the house- I am absolutely exhausted.
Last night was no help.
Jaffa and I were returning from a walk. It was already rather dark when he found his very first black and white striped kitty in the driveway. Here is my Facebook account of that adventure:
Last night, I went out for my walk just before it was dark. Down my lane where it meets the road, I met a neighbor couple I hadn't met before. I joined them on their walk up the road. As we returned, it was getting fairly dark. Jaffa (our elderly beagle mix) was with me, and we headed up our lane.
Just ahead, I could see a smallish creature ambling along. It was too dark to make out what it was. At first, I though it was a bunny, or a cat. It had a bouncy trotting gait, not quite as big as our cat. Jaffa ran several yards ahead of me to trade backside sniffs/ chase off this intruder to our lane.
The critter very quickly identified itself.
I was yelling at Jaffa, "NO! NO! NO!"
He's 13 years old and this was his first nose to tail encounter with a striped "kitty".
As Jaffa rubbed his face and eyes in the grass and dirt, the little Stinker headed towards me. I backed up, and it kept coming.
*Not a threat, not a threat not a threat! please please please don't spray me!*
It didn't spray me. but there was enough spray in the air that I didn't miss out on my share.
I walked the rest of the way to the house, Jaffa trailing behind.
As I walked inside, I asked Tom to guess what animal Jaffa and I encountered in the lane?
He had no trouble guessing at all.
I went outside, and Tom gathered washing material. Peroxide, Dawn, baking soda, dog shampoo.
I got to give Jaffa a scrubbing. (Several times) before stripping to my skivvies and heading to the shower myself.
After the second shampooing, I had the idea to use coconut oil. I used that liberally, then shampooed twice more.
Jaffa was banished from the house. His bed and bedding, water and kibble all set out on the porch.
It has been YEARS since he has had to sleep outside.
He would alternate front and back doors, barking, barking, scratching, barking, barking to be let in.
I called him down a number of times. He seemed to settle in, and I went to bed.
Back to the barking, barking, barking.
(Good thing we live so far away from our neighbors!)
I knew Tom and Sam both had to be up to work early this morning.
I went and carried all Jaffa's stuff to the wellhouse. It has a window and screened door. I left the light on and latched the screen door from outside.
I called him off barking and tearing at the door.
I went to bed.
By midnight, the incessant barking had me up again.
I stood outside, and called him down every time he started. About 40 minutes later, he settled into whimpering and shaking.
Poor doggy. But he was still not coming inside. He had all the comforts of the house, except his people.
I went to bed, sometime after 1.
Little Miss Sunshine and Sleep til 9 decided that TODAY is the day to get up early.
She was out chatting up Umpaw and Sam by 5:30.
Granny is a grouch this morning.
Jaffa destroyed the wellhouse screen door, but didn't get out.
I have all day to test methods of removing skunky odor.
The coconut oil seems to have worked for me, I may start with that.
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And what has Jaffa been doing all day?
The cotton picking mutt has slept all day.
(Barking ALL NIGHT is hard work!)
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