Dogs and Horses

Rosie discovered a large group of stinging insects Thursday - I don't know if it was a hive of bees, or a nest of hornets, wasps, or yellow jackets. I know she kept digging around in some deep grass near the garden fence, and suddenly came out with a yelp, pawing at her nose, followed by a wedge of buzzing, flying things. We went further down the irrigation ditch, then I pulled two stingers from her nose, and gave it a good covering of thick, wet mud. By the end of our walk, she was fine, even though one side of her nose was slightly larger than the other. Yesterday, the young fox kits had a ball, popping their heads out of their den (about 6 feet from Kathy and Jim's rear fence) - and making Remy and Rosie go crazy in their efforts to go through or over the fence to get them. They very much delighted in teasing the Irish kids.
You may recall the name of Abby Toll, the young woman who duck taped the 8-month-old Shiba Inu puppy in an upside down position on the side of her refrigerator, after wrapping its jaws, ears, paws and tail in elastic hair bands, and then covering them with more duck tape. She was sentenced yesterday, here in Boulder, for her animal cruelty charges. The sentencing includes 30 days of jail time, 3 years of probation (in which she cannot be near any animal), 200 hours of community service, and a payment of $717.00. She still blames the entire incident on her ex-boyfriend and the dog, even while she proclaims that she is "an animal lover." What a bunch of hooey! I believe that she should have received the maximum sentence of 90 days in jail, at least.
And, if you'd like to read a "feel good" story, I recommend the following: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/38179950/ns/sports-horse_racing/ It's about a woman named Margo Sutter who rescues horses - Thoroughbreds and others - and then sends them on again in a new direction. She is the founder of Mid America Horse Rescue; and I'm behind her 100%!

A Young Fox

I was amazed yesterday morning at the audacity of a young fox. Brandi, the Border Collie I care for is blind, and as she is now a senior citizen, she has slowed down tremendously. After breakfast yesterday, Brandi wished to go out and relieve herself; I let her out the French doors and went about getting my own breakfast. I stepped back by the patio doors and saw a young red fox trot over the hill at the rear of the yard, and then circle around Brandi, so it was behind her. (Brandi was concentrating on taking a dump.) The young whippersnapper then barked four times at Brandi, advancing a few more steps after each yip, until it was less than 6 feet away from her! Brandi finished her business, and turned toward the fox, who then moved to her left - but she kept facing the fox's original position. Brandi barked at the fox a couple of times, and it yipped back at her from her side. As she turned towards it, the youngster yipped twice more, then fled through the fence into a neighbor's yard. I wonder if the young fox felt strong and powerful because it had challenged Brandi in her own yard and approached her so closely. I know that I'll never truly know, but I can't help but wonder....
The weather people said lots more wet snow was due to fall last night and this morning. It fell for about 45 minutes and immediately melted yesterday evening. My kits were extremely happy to see me yesterday and today, and I spent all my time loving and feeding them, after cleaning their potty boxes. Lovey didn't want to leave my lap until she heard Riley and Banichi playing together outside; but once Riley went back in, both kits came to me for more loving. They are my darlings. I'll sleep at home on Monday night, then go out to Niwot for two more nights, and then I'll be home for a week.... I will love my kits like mad....

Wet,Heavy Snow

I didn't blog yesterday because Alexy's PC has lost it's "connectivity with the world wide web." I honestly don't know how it happened, but unless I want to write a letter and print it for myself, I can't use it for anything. Tuesday was an interesting day - warm but cloudy in the morning, around half-past noon it started to rain and thunder; about 2:30 it was large, heavy drops of rain coming down with large snow flakes mixed in (and I do mean large - it looked liked shredded tissue had been added to the rain); by 3:30 it was all snow, and we had 11 inches fall during the evening. Nasty wet, heavy snow. I was privileged enough to get to shovel the porches and walkways of five residences.... At least I'm not taking care of houses and pets near NCAR in southwest Boulder - they got 24+ inches.
Yesterday dawned clear and cold (17 degrees), but it was up to 53 degrees before 5:30 yesterday afternoon... Snow that fell on pavement, cement, or rocks was completely melted by nightfall. I was wandering between houses wearing a sweater and not my coat. When I was out on my rounds late Tuesday, I encountered a 10-point buck between Alexy's and the Rs house; we both stopped and looked at each other, and then he walked slowly across the road in front of me. Yesterday afternoon, I came upon two does eating a newly broken tree branch. They froze, and I quietly clicked my tongue at them, and walked by within 3 feet of both of them. I was amazed that they didn't break and run. The foxes have been busy in the snow, too. I am constantly finding new prints all around Alexy's yard.
I am heading home to my kits, being currently at the library. I read Impact yesterday, and started a new Joe Grey mystery last night. The more I read about Joe, the more I identify him with Banichi... That's it! I need to go home and love my kits!

Cats, dogs, and pigeons

The sun is rising like a yellow fireball in the sky and it's 48 degrees here. The kits are out playing in the back yard and I'm having scrambled eggs and fruit for breakfast. While I was out walking the Irish kids yesterday, someone (and I'm totally convinced it was my neighbor who complained about the pigeons) swept my patio and bagged and removed all the loose seed. I know that what was left was not swept out into the dirt and grass at the edge of the patio. In a way, I feel sorry for her, because the birds, squirrels and pigeons visited me yesterday afternoon even though there was no feed left for them. I hope it got her goat!

While walking the Irish Setters, I was happy to look down and notice the muddy prints of a mule deer going down the middle of the sidewalk... I'm not sure why, but it made me feel good. After our walk, we stopped off at Suki and Boo's - played with a new tennis ball I'd brought along, and visited the fox den. The fox den is about 10 feet away from the back fence - the plot of land it's on is a small triangle that is separated from the rest of the yard by Four Mile Creek, which has very steep banks. The folks who own the house and land have allowed that back corner of their property to go wild. Kathy told me that Suki and Boo were barking like mad the other morning, and, looking out, she and Jim saw the fox teasing the dogs by visiting the patio. I can't wait until we have kits! Then I'll have to make sure that the yard is clear before turning Rosie and Remy loose!

My "animal magnetism" is still working. Walking back to the bus stop from the Rs' house, I passed by a house I've walked past a few thousand times before... but this time, a calico cat came out, talking to me as she came. I spoke to her and stopped; she very primly jumped over a muddy spot on the verge, and then twined herself around my legs, still meowing away. Being me, I stooped over and petted her, and was rewarded with a very loud purr. About that time, a young lady with her two children asked me to take their photos, and I happily obliged. Afterwards, the cat came back, and I picked her up - she exposed her tummy and wanted it rubbed, so I did so. The young lady and her daughters (they are a family new to Boulder and the lady and her husband are newly-hired professors at CU) wanted to pet the cat. It luxuriated in all the attention, and seemed very forlorn when I had to continue on to the bus stop - or miss the bus.

Finally, another bit on Ward Churchill, the ex-professor who sued CU in a civil trial - this is the first sentence in today's Daily Camera about him: "If a judge won't give Ward Churchill a job back at the University of Colorado, the former ethnic studies professor plans to ask for more than $1 million, he said Monday." Reading further into the article, I found where he stated if other professors or students had problems with him being reinstated and teaching at CU, then ,
"they are free to leave." - What a guy!

Sleeps with Dogs

I slept sandwiched between Rosie and Remy last night. Let me tell you that two large Irish Setters put out a lot of body heat - I ended up with covers only over my feet. I'm reading a history of the Restoration of Charles II currently, and the kids seem to like the names of the people - Buckingham and Lauderdale seem to keep their attention. I took them on 3 walks yesterday; one long and two short... Once over to and around Wonderland Lake, once around Centennial Middle School, and then around Crestview Elementary. For some reason, they ignored me while I was putting together the ingredients for double-chocolate brownies - but when it was time to remove the brownies from the oven, they were both right there. I had to put the brownies behind the locked door of the pantry to cool....

I saw a fox this morning when I took the Irish kids out for an early walk - they did not see it, huddling behind the tire of a truck, and I took care not to bring attention to it. There is a great horned owl in the neighborhood, and it was in the backyard early this morning... Luckily the dogs were sound asleep, so I got to enjoy a 15 minute serenade of hoots and whos. Got here, to my apartment, just before 8, and immediately petted the kits, fed them, cleaned their potty boxes, and then fed the birds and squirrels. Lovey keeps running back inside to make sure that I'm really here, and then runs out again to catch some sun. Banichi comes in, strops my legs, and then strolls out to his favorite sunny place again. My current big dilemma? Do I next read a history of the Border Reivers between Scotland and England? Or a book regarding the immigration of a family from England to what was then Rhodesia? Or a book on the early Celtic Christian/Catholic church?

It was 22 earlier this morning - now it's 35 degrees. There is once again a possibility of snow flurries tomorrow evening, but with the winds gusting tomorrow afternoon, I think the snow is unlikely. It's been snowing like mad on the western slope - but we are dry. The Bobcat Ridge wildfire is almost completely contained, and hopefully will be extinguished before the winds begin again tomorrow. The weather folks are saying we might reach 60 on Sunday - which is extremely odd for Colorado in February, especially at 6000 feet. And Fred, my ivy plant, put out a new stem that I've had to train back around again - he's going to look like a ball of leaves soon...

Fox visit

I had a 3-mile walk this morning (2 degrees outside), and have fed the outside critters , as well as my kits. The one goal I have for today, besides watching NCIS, is to empty and scrub all three litter boxes. I just hope that my left hand will be coordinated to my brain well enough to get the job done!

The kits went outside on the patio while I filled the feeders this morning, but very quickly followed me back inside. The sun is trying to shine, but we have partly cloudy skies today. Lovey is once again in my lap, while Banichi is sitting on the top of the cat tree, looking out. There was a flock of little birds at the feeders when I went out this a.m., but they have not yet returned to actually feed...

The young fox came by yesterday evening, and peeked in the door. I did not let it inside, but I did place a bowl of kitty kibble out on the patio. It was empty this morning, so I guess I helped out in filling his belly. Both of my kits slept curled up close to me again last night. It was very comforting!

A Fox in the Apartment

I fed Suki and Boo at 6 a.m., having left Silver and Smiley at 5:45; I then took Smiley and Silver to the North Boulder Dog Park and let them play with their usual buddies for 2 and a half hours. I then took them back to Suki and Boo's, while I came home to take care of my kits. I had had a bit of corn pudding left over from Thanksgiving, and had placed the pan out on the patio yesterday; when I got here this morning, I looked out the back window, saw there was still plenty of bird seed and a few peanuts left from yesterday, and cracked the patio door open for the kits to run in and out. Then I sat down here at the computer ... the kits were busy slurping canned food in the kitchen area ... I heard a nice, sharp crunching of dry food by my feet, looked down and saw a young red fox contentedly eating away. I was dumb-founded. I still feel that way... Lovey finished with her shredded meat and gravy and came this way; she saw/smelled the fox and fuzzed up and started to growl. Banichi joined her. The two of them chased the fox out of the apartment and across the yard! I am guessing that the fox had been snacking on the corn pudding and decided to see what else was available....

The weather yesterday was warm but windy - we had a gust recorded at 88 mph in the middle of the afternoon. Today, we're expecting a high of 62; tomorrow's high might be 38 - with snow. We really need precipitation of some sort - normally in November we get 12 inches of snow and a couple inches of rain; this year we got a trace of rainfall and .98 inches of snow. The grasses and fields are really showing the lack of moisture now. I plan on moving the kits into Kathy and Jim's house with me either later tonight or sometime tomorrow - then I hope to get back on track with my blogging and research and posting Kevin's family on the web.

Seven inches shorter!

I lost seven inches yesterday - seven inches of hair. Kathryn, who hasn't cut my hair in almost two years, was delighted when I walked in and said, "Do what you want with it - just make it shorter and more light-weight." So she cut off seven inches of hair all over my head - using a razor and giving the thing "texture." I like it - it's different - it's definitely lighter, so the back of my head doesn't sweat as much - and I can do all sorts of things with the front/top... I'll get someone to take another photo of me soon, so I can share the new look.

I sent around to most of my friends and family a videoclip that's on YouTube - a friend/neighbor taped the play of a mother fox and her kits in his backyard for almost ten minutes. Olivier's yard is adjacent to three of the homes where I pet- and house-sit. If you didn't get the clip and would like to, please let me know, and I'll send it to you.

I stretched my walk to six miles this morning - it's warm, but overcast, and we are hoping for rain today and tomorrow. The kits have been behaving - the birds and squirrels and raccoons have been on their usual visiting schedules. One of the folks I pet-sit for has had a death in her family - she has asked if I'm available to take care of her 6 critters while she's gone, and I've said yes - so I might be off gallivanting soon.

Fox Kits are Thieves in North Boulder

A cold front was due from Wyoming during the night, but hasn't yet arrived. Today is warm, cloudless and with a slight breeze from the north. Hopefully we'll get rain this afternoon; there are 2 wildfires burning already this morning in the state, and the grass, pasture and crops can use the moisture. Walked my 5 miles this morning, and drank two bottles of water while doing so. No, I don't normally buy bottled water - I drink from the tap, but I always carry water when I go out walking or hiking. It was warm even before dawn, and the birds had started singing at 4:30, so I just got up and went out. Birds, squirrels, raccoons, and fox were my walking companions this morning...

I spent a few hours with DeJa yesterday evening, and am heading back to his house for a few hours today. Tomorrow afternoon I begin a 4-night, 4-day care session with the Spike Meister in Niwot. My kits won't be happy when I return home each day with Spike's scent all over me, but they're used to it - and they know that they are my babies.

There was a column in the local paper saying that a bunch of fox kits are into mischief - they are stealing single shoes, gardening gloves, etc. from the porches of folks in north Boulder and leaving them in a wide variety of places. The neighbors have gotten together and designated a single pick-up spot for "found" items - at last count, there was one pair of matched shoes, 17 single shoes, 8 single gloves and 5 bandannas. - Those kits have been busy!