| October 2009 Daniel Taylor |
October 1 (Thursday) 1:00 pm
Horace Lucky is on the operating table as we speak, getting a new "fix" on life. He sure does love to ride in
the car, and he had a great time on the trip to the vet. I wonder how his return trip will be ...
You cannot tell very well from the pictures, but I have done a bit of work on the farm. I have managed to
clear out some of the pine tree growth to expand the area of openness, and it surely does look pretty.
| The entire foreground was covered in four-year-old pine seedlings, such as can be seen in the far distance. Now I am left with a nice clearing with some fine large trees offering a canopy of shade and dappled sunbeams! |
| BK II checks out the rotary cutter, while at the same time wondering what has happened to all his good hiding places. |
| I recently did a book signing at the local Arby's restaurant. The little boy is Bo, one of Larry Winter's three children. With her arms around Bo is Larry's mother-in-law, and Melinda's mom, Sandy. The other lady was there selling some delectable goodies on behalf of the Humane Society. |
October 2 (Friday) 8:30 pm
Horace Lucky is home after getting his "fix." I took a video of him during his ride home, which I shall post
later, and I wish I had taken a video of his ride over. Going to the vet he sat up bright and alert with a big
smile on his face. He looked so cheerful. On the ride home however, he appeared to be in a bit of pain (I
cannot imagine why), hunched over, and not much of a smile on his face. He is an adorable pup.
All the news for Horace is not banner: he tested positive for heart worm. The doc said that his heart
sounds okay, so with regular treatment, Horace should be okay for a while. I've seen what a heart worm
infection can do to a dog, and the reader can rest assured that I shall not let Horace come to that. Still, it
was depressing news.
Buster is doing great. The others are all well and happy so far as I can tell. The tractor is on the job again,
and Stump Busters made a nominal recovery this week. We ended the month of September on an even
note -- not bad for having missed half of the month to rain.
I have about decided to launch a new career. I shall continue to partner with Larry in the stump grinding
and tree cutting business, but personally I shall be devoting myself to another job. I shall not reveal the
details just now: after all, I do have my pride. I want to hold off a while until I see how things turn out.
October 6 (Tuesday) 4:45 am
Rain has made a return to the area putting Stump Busters once again on the defensive. Winter has begun
its inexorable march to the present. Summer was mild and pleasant, which is a blessing. We endured a
drought two summers ago, but this year we have endured what can only be classified as a regular monsoon.
Horace Lucky appears to have endured his recent visit to the vet with elevated spirits. Someone really
took the time to teach him to fetch and heel: I cannot walk anywhere around Willow Oak without the big
guy's head stuck to me left knee. For me that is a nuisance -- for Lucky, it seems to be the only thing that he
knows to do. Also, he is very protective. If any of the others get to close, he crosses his head in front of
me and between me and the other dog and emits a low growl. Boy, he would sure make a great family pet
for someone with small children.
Buster has fallen into a regular routine of looking me up in my bed at night. He, too, is a nuisance, burying
his face into mine and keeping it there until I place him on a counter top somewhere. Evidently he and
Boots have a history of some sort. I often find Boots stalking Buster, and more than once I've had to go to
Buster's defense: he cannot defend himself since he does not have any claws or teeth. Poor guy.
Everybody else is doing well. I've got Lu Lu and Fred on allergy medication for fleas. I am trying to make
arrangements to spray the yard -- the fleas have been so bad this summer!
October 10 (Saturday) 7:30 am
Rain is still wreaking havoc with Stump Busters, but we have managed to slip in some work here and there.
Right now Stump Busters is holding its own.
All animals are doing fine. The two BK's and Smokey have begun to make their incursions into the house --
they usually do that when the weather begins to chill. I would really like to figure a way to free Buddy and
Darkly from their prison or at least bring them inside for the winter. Their shelter is adequate for them for
winter -- they do have a warm "cubby hole" in which to hold out, but I would like to have them with me
inside; yet, they need access to the outside also.
Horace Lucky continues to be a nuisance. I cannot go anywhere without him being right there. Ordinarily
Lucky's disposition would be a godsend, but in my case I have 25 godsends (or is it 26? -- I lose count.). It
would be nice if I could find a nice family with small children who need a loyal black dog to keep them
company. Horace Lucky would be perfect for children. With Horace Lucky patrolling the premises no one --
not man or beast -- would dare to intrude and wreak havoc. Any takers?
October 12 (Monday) 1:00 pm
Rain continues to wreak havoc with Stump Busters. I imagine that the local farmers are also in a pickle over
the weather. The rain-soaked fields are so water-logged one cannot even walk in them without getting
bogged down in mud. I have a report that Larry injured himself while doing some tree work over the
weekend. Trimming and cutting down trees can be hazardous work. One must take extra precautions when
working around trees -- large trees especially. For all of the trees that I have felled and for all of the log
cutting and firewood cutting that I have done on my own place, I have always taken extreme caution, and so
far have not experienced anything close to an accident.
All animals are doing well. Someone, however, has been depositing some foul-looking something. It is
very dark brown -- almost maroon, with spots of red -- and that has me concerned. It is a dog, and I cannot
tell who. All dogs appear to be happy and healthy, but the strange emanation does have me concerned.
The last time I saw anything like it was in conjunction with a poor creature who suffered from Parvo. I
suppose that Grainger and Taz are still young enough to be susceptible to Parvo, but both are bouncing,
happy pups, so I doubt if either of them has Parvo. We shall see.
October 15 (Thursday) 8:00 pm
I have discovered the source of the strange emanation, which I described in my last post: Grainger. I
called the vet, and he suggested that a very bad infection of intestinal worms is probably the cause and
that a good de-wormer should fix the problem. The vet agreed with me that Parvo was not likely to be the
cause since Grainger does not display the usual lethargic behavior of a dog with Parvo.
I noticed a strange thing today -- something very ironic, and it put me in mind of something that happened
to me several years ago. A few years back I was fishing from my mother's pond when I snagged something.
I could tell at the time that I had probably got caught on an underwater limb or something like that, but was I
surprised when I saw what I finally fished out! Right there on the end of my line was ..., was a complete rod
and reel! I was fishing with a rod and reel and had caught myself another rod and reel! How ironic! I do not
know where the rod and reel originally came from, but how many people can say that they went fishing and
caught a rod and reel?
With all the rain we've had I haven't had an opportunity to mow in more than a month. I was outside today
and happened to pass the lawn mower that was parked under the pavilion. While mowing I usually manage
to kick up quite a bit of dust and dirt sometimes, and usually dirt and dust manage to build up on certain
parts of the mower -- especially the mower deck itself. Well, right there in plain view for all the world to see
was ..., well, what I saw was about the most ironic thing I've ever seen: I saw grass. Yes, grass. I mean,
right on top of an accumulation of dirt and dust was the unmistakable evidence: grass was growing on top
of the lawn mower! Grass! Grass had taken root and was growing on the lawn mower!
My, oh my!
October 18 (Sunday) 9:00 am
The temperature dipped into the 30's last night for the first time, and my fireplace is in full force this
morning. Still, even though the fireplace was in full glow during the night I still got cold. The fireplace is
wonderful, but it is limited. I am certain that I shall have to resort to using the cooling/heating unit (I have a
220 wall-mounted combination heat and cool air conditioner), which is bound to drive up the electric bill,
something that I loathe. Most people around here do not seem to mind paying the exorbitantly high bills,
but I for one positively loathe it. We are so spoiled: we gotta have our central air conditioning and our
central heat. My house has neither, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Buster showed up yesterday with another nasty injury. I didn't even realize that he had been gone, but
upon inspection I could tell that he had been outside at some time. He held up his left paw, and I noticed
blood and a very nasty contusion. To me it looks like he caught a very sharp claw, which ripped about an
inch-long gash. Boots. He must have gotten into it with Boots. Usually when they are indoors Buster
seems to dominate Boots; but when they are outside Boots appears to have the upper hand. They tend to
avoid each other when they are inside, but occasionally I have to rescue Boots from the aggressions of
Buster. Outside I can help neither as both cats tend to run from me when they are outdoors. But inside,
neither cat will leave me alone -- both always wanting to crawl into my lap and dominate my attention. Go
figure.
Horace Lucky is still a nuisance, but he is slowly beginning to show some independence. I wouldn't mind if
he unlearned a lot of what he learned when he was with whomever he was with before. He would certainly
be a great companion for a family with small children, but around here I have all the personal bodyguards
that I can stand.
October 20 (Tuesday) 8:30 pm
The dogs have been giving me trouble -- especially Horace Lucky and Fred. Horace is very possessive
and, of course, so is Fred. Fred is always challenging the bigger, older dogs, namely Sam and Horace, and
several times in the last couple of days I've had to break up a fight. Usually Sam gets drawn in, and when
that happens I have real trouble. I had a real struggle yesterday getting Sam and Fred apart after Sam had
jumped in to engage Fred while he was fighting Horace. I had my stick with me, and I thought I was not
going to break up the fight. Eventually I got Fred separated, and things calmed down. Sam does not enjoy
the skirmishes, but he cannot help himself when Fred is so aggressive. I cannot get rid of any of the dogs,
so I am left with having to deal with the situation. This is why I totally isolate Fred and Horace separately,
when I am away. Sam is so docile that he would never start a fight, but he sure can finish. I believe that if I
did not intervene he could and perhaps would do Fred in. In the meantime, whenever such a skirmish
breaks out the other dogs get involved, and getting them all separated is quite a task.
The fireplace is going strong, and I am going to run out of wood before the end of the month. Larry assures
me that we have plenty of firewood, so that should not be a problem.
Right now I am enjoying game four of the ALCS, in which the Yankees currently lead the Angels 3 to 0. I am
not a big baseball fan, but post-season major league baseball is the bomb.
October 22 (Thursday) 7:15 pm
It appears that I must resort to something, which I don't want to do: isolate Horace Lucky from the rest of the
crew. Besides involving Fred and Sam, Lucky gives poor Grainger and Scamp a rough time. I've had to pull
Lucky off of Grainger a few times, and twice today Lucky had Scamp down, and I had to go to the rescue.
I thought I was turning the corner with Horace: he is spending more time outside playing with the others.
He settles down at night at bedtime and doesn't pant as much. This morning I saw him outside playing tag
with Taz; but then I had to pull him off of Scamp.
Poor Horace Lucky: abandoned and unwanted, I rescued him when I heard the lady (whose tree we had cut
down) say that she was going to get her son to take him off and leave him somewhere. Poor guy. No one
wants him. He does not fit in. I've had to whack the poor guy a few times to get him to behave, and hitting
an animal is something that I loathe to do. I cannot stand to see anyone or anything abused. Surely there is
someone who would welcome Horace Lucky into their home.
I gave Grainger his worm medicine today, and he resisted; but, after I squirted a syringe-full of the
chalky-white stuff down his throat he seemed to like it: he came back for more. Well, he gets two more --
one each of the next two days. I just hope he doesn't get addicted.
I made a trip to Ripley, Mississippi, today, a drive about 45 minutes. I passed the little country store where I
found Cougar. As I did, I peered into the rear view mirror: there was a big smile on my face. Rescuing
Cougar was one of the best things I ever did. Cougar has been one fine kitty, and he is my buddy.
October 26 (Monday) 5:15 pm
I have had to resort to locking Buster into the bathroom at night in order to avoid a nasty confrontation
between him and Boots. The two cats positively loathe each other, and the fights they get into are really
nasty ones. It is apparent now that Buster's injuries have been due to his tussles with Boots. Buster hangs
out in the house all day, and Boots is usually absent but returns at night; so I shall let Boots have his way at
night, and during the day Buster can reign supreme inside while Boots is away.
I am continuing to isolate Horace Lucky while I am away, and keeping a close eye on him during the day
while I am at home. There have been no dog fights for the past several days, and it would be a great relief
if those dogs would learn to get along.
October 28 (Wednesday) 4:45 pm
A cat is an amazing creature. Cleo has found herself following me around the house lately. She does that
from time to time. Recently she plops herself down right next to me when I am at my desk. In her case, the
only place to be is right on top of a pile of papers. No matter where I move them around, a stack of papers
is what she seeks. When I sit down at the desk, from wherever she happens to be at the time, here she
comes. Then she sniffs around and moves around until she finds a nice stack of papers -- as near to me as
possible -- and there she settles in.
I've left Buster out the past couple of nights -- nervously so -- but nothing bad has happened during the
night. Last night I turned in early (7:30 pm). Buster has come to recognize when I am going to bed because
even before hitting the sack he is right there waiting for me. Last night as I was lying in bed with the TV on,
and me getting drowsy, I took stock of my situation. Above my head were the trio of Clyde, Bonnie and Lu
Lu; to my right was Horace Lucky; under my chin was (as usual) Willie. Between my knees was Taz, and next
to my right leg was Grace; Fred lay to my immediate left, propped up against my shoulder; Sam was spread
out just below Fred, and Grainger was lying just next to Sam; and draped over my left arm was Buster, head
resting on my forearm, tail swishing.
I am getting desperately close to running out of firewood; if I don't get some more today or tomorrow I shall
be out. But the fireplace is going hot and strong -- there is nothing more cozy than a roaring fire in a
fireplace and a house full of dogs and cats. Uh, well, there is nothing more cosy than a roaring fireplace,
anyway.
October 30 (Friday) 8:45 pm
Normal rainfall here in Alcorn County for the month of October is, I believe, around 4 inches. We've had
something like 14 inches this month. The fields and yards are in a state that the locals refer to as "rotten."
I had breakfast this morning with a local wheat farmer who described his fields as being in a state of total
rottenness. One of his neighbors who raises corn is going to lose practically his entire crop to the rain.
Tax season is around the corner and this tax season I shall be working with Jackson Hewitt as a tax
preparer. The work is not necessarily my field of expertise, but it is the kind of work that I should enjoy.
With eight years as a high school math teacher and 10 years as a software engineer, preparing peoples'
income tax returns should be a breeze.
Good ol' Buster has settled in very nicely, and Horace Lucky is making his adjustment nicely also. I've been
leaving Buster out at night, and so far he and Boots have managed to avoid any major confrontations.
Horace Lucky has been behaving himself also. Cleo and her progeny, Pinky, have turned my work desk into
their own private playroom, bouncing around and chasing each other over my computer. I haven't the heart
to interfere with their antics, so they bounce around and chase each other over my computer.