The Unexpected Guest

This Thanksgiving started out as any other year; sleeping in, prepping the house, getting the turkey started, spotting a huge five-point buck out of the kitchen window...wait, that last part doesn't happen every year.  Holy cow, there's a huge five-point buck out of the kitchen window!

I grabbed my camera and bounded for the door.  It was just above freezing outside, but there simply wasn't enough time for shoes!  I crept around our deck to the back and positioned myself for the shot...*click*

That was the best I could get until later that day.  His hind leg was wounded and bloody, which explained why he never bounded or jumped the fence.  A possible bullet wound?  Regardless, he looked lethargic and was walking slow.  I continued to click away, but the deer was moving further.  What's that tingling sensation?  Oh, my blue feet.  Time to get back inside.

Later that day I checked to see if the buck was still around.  Yup, there he was, laying down right next to my fence!  I snatched my camera (and shoes) and ran to our pasture.  Now it was time to see how close I could get to the beast.  I slowly made my way down the hill and sneaked up to the fence.  I was no further than four feet away when he noticed me.  Neither of us moved.  Slowly, he turned his gaze away, and I focused my camera.

This buck was sick alright.  He wasn't afraid of me, and the barking dog didn't even phase him.  He might not make it through the night.  Cougars are not unknown in this area.

However, the sun rose the next day onto a standing, walking buck who looked to be moving better than the previous day.  Perhaps our Thanksgiving guest would heal after all.

Eviction Notice

Out here in the country, it's the strong who prevail. Whether it's strength of body, mind, or numbers, each have their benefits. Here's a good example of strength in numbers.

Birds are stronger than bugs right? Right.
Birds eat all kinds of bugs right? Right.
Well this time, bugs win.

-=Click to enlarge=-

Bye bye birdie.

Of course, this could go deeper than we think. Perhaps there is a local slumlord monopolizing all of the birdhouses and this is just a day in the life of tyranny.

Word on the street is, Big Vinni Black Bird didn't like how Peeps would shirk rent each month. So Big Vinni sent some muscle to help Peeps pack...

New Post!

In the "Aidan" section. 
The Boy Feeds

The BIG Project (Part I)

Before Erin and I even signed the papers to lease our house, the landlord and I talked adamantly about one very specific, very important project. The animal shelter in the back pasture was more than just an eyesore, it was a hazard. If people were meant to live in it, there would be so much caution tape wrapped around the thing that it would look like a giant, life-threatening Christmas present.  After we noticed our horses exploring the inside, boards went up immediately to block access. One wrong move and they could have been seriously injured.

~Before~

In fact, while my dad pounded the first three nails in the back of the shelter, the header at the front...

This:

Went tumbling down without warning and almost hit my stepdad. It would have been a serious, possibly fatal blow. Those two boards, having been tied together, must have weighed at least 200 pounds. Thank goodness it was only a near miss!


Other injuries were not avoided, and every single one happened to my dad. He got a splinter, he was pestered and bit by flies, he was zapped by the electric fence, his jaw was dinged by a falling board, and he stepped on a nail. Lady luck gave him the stink eye that day.

Here's how the shelter progressed via slide show:

If you want it to restart, hit the "F5" key on your keyboard.

You may notice that the roof looks a little warped.  That's because the foundation isn't square,and the walls are a little off.  If the landlord and I had it our way, we'd redo every last inch, but there is a budget we must stick to.

So far, we are on track to having the shelter complete before the heavy winds and rains hit. Now our horses and goats have ample shade to fend off the heat.  Next task; installing the shingles.

More updates to come as we progress!

Mr. Forceps, Meet Mr. Toenail

And so, my beloved toenail comes to an end.
Or is it just the beginning?
When one nail falls, doth another regrow in it's stead?  Huzzah, I say unto ye exposed nailbed!  Grow anew, for the healing process has begun!

Have ye ample fortitude, photos have been provided below.  Not for the faint of heart.

Pic of exposed nailbed relieved of it's protection.

Pic of the doc checking for foreign objects.


Holey moley, the doc found nail shrapnel!


The podiatrist was excellent, and had a great sense of humor. Here he is fooling around with my toenail.


That being done, the visit came to a total of $150. Not terrible considering that work does not provide health insurance. Was it worth it? A resounding "YES!" is in order.  Had I avoided the procedure, and followed the internet's advice on just waiting for the nail to fall off, those three pieces of nail shrapnel would have caused untold pain and complications.

God, I'd like to thank you for the invention of anesthetic.

Injury Update

So I've finally decided to make an appointment with a podiatrist.  Tomorrow is the big day.  I say "big" because he will most likely...*gulp*...yank the toenail off.  I wanted to yank it at the time it lifted because my entire toe went numb, but the almighty internet said not to.  Now, after talking with several real people who've had fist or second hand experiences, they unanimously said that the doc will remove it.  Yippee.

Here is a picture of the damaged toenail. It won't give you nightmares, but it isn't pretty either.

Bye Bye Big Toenail

I just kicked the stairs while climbing up them about an hour ago.  My whole left big toenail is now detached and hanging by the cuticle.  I've cleaned it by pouring peroxide onto the nail bed.  One band aid has been filled, now the second is half full.

This is very concerning as tomorrow is the day family is coming over to help me build an animal shelter.  Over 30 pieces of lumber need to be moved, cut, lifted and attached.  What on earth am I going to do?

Not to mention, I'm a mailman.  I walk all day long.  How can I even put on a shoe???

No pain yet.  It's very numb for now.  All of the internet advice from people who've had the same injury say to clean it every day, wrap it with gauze, use neosporin, air it out when possible, and wait for the nail to turn black and fall off.  Uhg.

When all is said and done, it'll take about 45 days to heal.

I decided not to include a picture.  It isn't exactly photogenic.

...I hope it grows back.

Chick Flick Addendum

Lewd, rude, crude, and hilarious; that describes the movie, "Tom Jones". Surprisingly found in the torture box of romance movies (see this story for insight) "Tom Jones" was excellent!

Tom goes through many trials, tribulations, and a moral conversion just to win the affections of his childhood sweetheart.

The whole thing is wrought with terrible scandals, payoffs aplenty, randy women abound, everyone lies and cheats and has secrets, and it's all more than entertaining to watch!

It isn't nearly as long as the other c. flicks in the "Romance Collection", weighing in at maybe only half the time of "Pride and Prejudice".  I don't know if it's rated since it's a foreign film, but we would absolutely give it an "R".  So pop some corn, raid the candy stash, and prepare to feel your jaw drop over and over again!

A Man and His Tools

Back when I was a nerd, “tools” meant nothing more to me than a mini-screwdriver set to take apart PC towers.  Now, out here in the country, let’s just say that Tim the “Tool Man” Taylor’s exuberance for power tools makes a whole lot of sense.

I showed that pasture who's boss.

Tools of all kinds are more than just a commodity in the sticks, they’re a necessity.  When you’re on several acres, tools become a part of you.  I’ve got the basics; push mower, weed whacker, cordless drill, wrench set, etc.  Then I have the specialized gear; riding mower, Dremel, and the star of this post, my brush cutter.

Ahh, the brush cutter.  A tool among tools, it's an eight-sided, double bladed, whirling piece of steel attached to a two-stroke motor.  Just imagine a gas powered ninja star at the end of a throttle.  Pull the cord, let 'er rip, and not even a seven-foot tall, five-foot wide milk thistle weed stands a chance.

Brush cutter in action

Oh yeah!

Country Roads

Country roads are much more entertaining than traffic-laden city roads.

The first thing you notice is all the land and sky around you. Then there's all the roadkill; rabbits, snakes, raccoons, birds, etc. Of course, not all the animals are dead. Hawks dominate the sky, rabbits bound along the ditches, and quail scurry into the underbrush.

There's also the occasional cattle crossing:

Heck, you might even see a mule strolling down the road.

At night you could spot an owl, or even a pack of coyotes!

Yes sir, there's no shortage of things to see on those country roads.

A Predator Comes Knocking

No matter where you live, or what you do, danger is ever-present.  If you live in the city, danger often takes the form of revenge, insanity, or desperation in our fellow man.

Out here in the country, danger has claws, sharp teeth, and enough strength and speed to take down even the strongest man with ease.  These killing machines have enough jaw strength to pierce a horse’s skull and crush one of ours.  I’m talking about the cougar.  And we were visited by one not once, but twice in the same week.

~This gives you an idea of just how large they are~

(Image courtesy of freerepublic.com)

When we first moved onto the property, our neighbor warned us that a mother cougar lives on a ridge about five miles out.  That’s unnervingly close.  My wife and I haven’t seen hide nor hair of this beast, but last night, and once before, it’s offspring came calling.

I sat upstairs, working in Photoshop with the lights low and the windows open when I heard dogs barking in the distance.  No big deal in the country…most of the time.  This time, however, the barking was getting closer as the predator passed by each house.  The smart dogs didn’t bark long before retreating inside.  Then our neighbor’s dog barked briefly and hid.  That’s when I heard it calling.  The young cougar was approaching our property.  When it reached the pasture it came very close to the horses and cried out.  They spooked violently and tore down the hill, breaking a water trough.  I can only describe it’s call as a cat’s yowl but deeper, more gruff, and almost like a bark.  It sounded scared.  We think that it was rejected by it’s mother, and didn’t know what to do with this new freedom.

When a cougar is kicked out, they are a few years old, so this one is most likely the size of a large Labrador.  I’ve also heard that, if you shoot one, aim well or keep shooting because you might only make it angry and the beast will try and kill you.

The second time it came back, he or she was just as close, but it was in the ravine below the horse pasture.  We fear that it may be setting up a den among the thick blackberry bushes.  If so, our goats are in real trouble.

Here’s hoping the young cougar has moved on and sets up camp elsewhere.

New Features

I've incorporated two new features to the blog.

On the right-hand side there is a list of the most popular posts as well as a list of upcoming posts that I'm currently, or will be working on.

P.S.  Sorry, it's been a while since my last post.  A good friend of mine and his wife were visiting from Texas and stayed with us for a few days.  Enjoy the rest of your stay in Cali guys!

A Terrible Name

When you're hungry, grab a Bimbo.

This is just one of the many reason why I recommend carrying a camera on your person at all times.
Ya never know what you'll see!

Music to My Ears

When you grow up in the city, country music is almost always shunned.  Before I met Erin, the dial never came close to those twangy stations.  I couldn't stand listening to cowboys moan about how they lost their girl, or how great beer is, or how their cars have four-wheel drive.

Hit it Boo Hoo Billy Bob!

"Oh I left my heeeaaarrt in Tenesseeeeeeee, because my true looooooooove she don't love me.  I have a beeeeeer and a hungry guuuuuuut, time to find some roadkiiiiiiiiiil in my four-wheel truuuuuuuck."

Then Erin came along, and when you get a new girlfriend, you do just about anything to please her. So I suffered diligently through hours of country music. Naturally, it began to grow on me and I found that country can be pretty funny, really creative, and fun to listen to.

I still enjoy my preferred genre of music though; soundscapes. Once upon a time I listened to a TON of techno, but it can get old fast and become very repetitious.

----------

On a similar, but different note, there is an up and coming musical artist out there than many people still haven't heard of. He's a one man band with talent to spare and he goes under the alias, "Owl City".

The first time I heard his music was over the radio. It was his first smash hit, "Fireflies". After that I was determined to find his CD. It didn't take long to get it off of iTunes and the whole thing is simply amazing. I've never listened to a single album so often.

Adam Young combines the wild imagination of techno with the romance of traditional instruments like the guitar, piano and violin along with poetic lyrics (and sometimes puns) to make astounding music that I just can't get enough of!
Thank you for your music Adam Young, it brightens my day each time I listen to it. 

Upgrade!

We now have a minivan.  It’s about time we upgraded because we outgrew our little sedan the moment Aidan was born.  Even the official at our insurance company couldn’t properly install the car seat because our Kia was so small.  And when you’re 6’ 4” as I am, it’s like driving a clown car.  I would have to unravel my arms and legs first, stick my limbs out of the door like a hermit crab, and propel the rest of my body up and out.  Hello head rush.  But those days are gone!  No more head butting the roof over speed bumps or eating my knees in the backseat.

There are a ton of benefits to having a vehicle with lots of room, especially when you live on property.  We can haul building materials and animals just by taking out the backseats.  Erin has even seen people transporting alpacas in vans!  Some dare to load up miniature horses too.

THIS JUST IN!!!  CARMAX IS EVIL!!!

In the middle of writing this post, Erin called me to say that the van is a no-go.  It turns out that good ‘ol Carmax had a skeleton in its closet.

Our first red flag was that Carmax does not deal with credit unions.  Instead, they only go through the “bailout banking giants” like Bank of America.  Carmax gave us three days to find a bank with a better APR than 15% so Erin tried Safe Credit Union.  That’s where she learned that the van was sold to us at $4,000 over the blue book price.  It doesn’t even have power locks, mirrors, or windows!  Safe also informed us that, not only were we walking out of the door way upside down, but with 15% APR we would end up paying $22,000 in the end on a van worth $7,000. NO THANKS CARMAX!

Safe Credit Union recommended Enterprise to look for a better deal on a used car.  Fortunately, they have a nice Chrysler Pacifica.

~Let’s compare~

Pacifica:
V6 Engine
25 MPG Highway
49,000 Miles
2007
Power windows/mirrors/locks/seats
Keyless entry
Cruise control
Steering wheel radio control
Roof rack
EPS tires
ABS brakes
Back-up Sensors
$1,000 under blue book price
4.7% APR

And that's just to name a few!  The quality of the Pacifica far outweighs that of the minivan.

Van:
4 Cylinder
23 MPG Highway
55,000 Miles
2006
Power nothing
Keep-your-foot-on-the-pedal control
Came with a steering wheel
$4,000 over blue book price
15% APR

I think we have a deal!

Ta da!  The Pacifica!

 Ooooohhhh...












     ....Aaaahhhhhh