| February 2010 Daniel Taylor |
February 2 (Tuesday) 7:00 pm
Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning, so there will be six more weeks of winter. Of course,
winter does not officially end until March 21, or thereabouts, which is about six weeks away anyway, so ...
Hygroma. That is the growth on the side of Horace Lucky. A hygroma is not ordinarily painful or
life-threatening, but it should be monitored. The cause and effect is as I surmised: Horace suffered an
injury to the muscle wall in his abdomen, and he developed a bursa, which involves his lymphatic system. It
helps to have experience with these things. Saves a big vet bill. There is not much that can be done for
the thing except have it drained. Ordinarily a hygroma will shrink on its own, but sometimes not. We shall
see.
Cliff and I repaired a big tire today, which we hope to deliver by Friday. There are two other tires, which, if
we can fix them this week, we shall deliver with the other tire, and hopefully have a nice payday this week.
Yesterday Cliff and I removed the insert from the fireplace. I have been thinking about doing that for some
time, and yesterday I just said, "Let's do it." What a heavy contraption! We had to engage the tractor to
remove it to the shed, once we trucked it to the front door. But my, oh my! What a difference! Underneath
the heavy iron fireplace insert was a spacious and gorgeous, brick-lined fireplace, and oh how beautiful it
is! Furthermore, now that there is more room, I can place a few extra logs, and not only does the fire look
more appealing, but it puts out much more heat. What a good move!
Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning, so there will be six more weeks of winter. Of course,
winter does not officially end until March 21, or thereabouts, which is about six weeks away anyway, so ...
Hygroma. That is the growth on the side of Horace Lucky. A hygroma is not ordinarily painful or
life-threatening, but it should be monitored. The cause and effect is as I surmised: Horace suffered an
injury to the muscle wall in his abdomen, and he developed a bursa, which involves his lymphatic system. It
helps to have experience with these things. Saves a big vet bill. There is not much that can be done for
the thing except have it drained. Ordinarily a hygroma will shrink on its own, but sometimes not. We shall
see.
Cliff and I repaired a big tire today, which we hope to deliver by Friday. There are two other tires, which, if
we can fix them this week, we shall deliver with the other tire, and hopefully have a nice payday this week.
Yesterday Cliff and I removed the insert from the fireplace. I have been thinking about doing that for some
time, and yesterday I just said, "Let's do it." What a heavy contraption! We had to engage the tractor to
remove it to the shed, once we trucked it to the front door. But my, oh my! What a difference! Underneath
the heavy iron fireplace insert was a spacious and gorgeous, brick-lined fireplace, and oh how beautiful it
is! Furthermore, now that there is more room, I can place a few extra logs, and not only does the fire look
more appealing, but it puts out much more heat. What a good move!
| I have not yet learned how to use my camera indoors, but here is a shot I took yesterday of the fireplace sans insert. I can put three times as much wood in the fireplace as in the insert. This picture does not do justice to the scene that I enjoy now. |
| This is what a fire looked like with the insert in place -- not nearly as much wood, and not nearly as much heat. |
February 3 (Wednesday) 6:20 pm
Today was a pleasant day, and Cliff and I worked up a couple of more tires. Actually, Cliff worked the tires
while I did this and did that at Cliff's directions. It turns out that the tires we have are not of top quality, and
we probably will not receive as much money for them as we had hoped.
I may have failed to mention that Cliff brought another friend with him when he moved in. Today, while Cliff
was outside he asked me to retrieve something from his bedroom. While there I had an opportunity to meet
Cliff's friend, which has been living in Cliff's bedroom with him since he arrived.
| She is very small -- almost tiny, but she is around seven years of age. Still, Ethyl is without doubt the smallest creature (domesticated) who lives at Willow Oak. |
February 3 (Wednesday -- addendum) 8:50 pm
This evening I went out to fill the outside cats' food bowl and to my delight a beautiful, long-haired female
came up to me and allowed me to pick her up. I suspect that I know from whence she came, and I can
assure you that she will not be returning to her original owner. I shall undoubtedly find that she is not
spayed, and one of my [future] soapbox issues will be the spaying and neutering of animals (or the lack
thereof).
Anyway, I took her into the room with Buddy and Darkly, and not knowing how things would work out, I
stayed awhile, and helped the kitty to find a comfortable spot in the corner in which to hide out. Actually
she found a place under the bookshelf, and I put a cage there, covered with a blanket, and carved out a
little "cubby hole" for her so she will feel safe. Before doing that I held her while Buddy and Darkly each
took a sniff or two, but she took offense.
Outside, before bringing her in the only other cat around was Smoky, and she appeared to have no ill
feelings towards him. Hopefully she will fit in well with Buddy and Darkly. We shall see: several minutes
have passed since I left the room, and so far I've heard no disturbing noises coming from within.
February 4 (Thursday) 8:45 am
The weatherman is killing us with this incessant rain. Rain is predicted for today and tomorrow and for the
start of next week. If we do not get a break soon we are all going to be in the poor house and on welfare.
The tire situation has taking a couple of hits: the tire we "cooked" yesterday turned out not to be very well
done. Cliff made his own rubber patch, which goes on the inside of the tire, but the rubber was evidently
defective. The rubber that Cliff used to fill in the hole and which is supposed to vulcanize to the tire
worked fine; but the patch did not. It appears that after all that work we may have to scrap that job. Cliff
has been out of the big tire repair business for a few years, is not a spring chicken anymore, and keeping
Cliff motivated, especially in the face of such disappointment, is going to be a chore.
The new kitty apparently got along well in her new surroundings last night. I checked on her this morning,
and she appears to be in good spirits, as were Buddy and Darkly. In the picture below she appears to have
one blue eye and one yellow or green. That could be an indication that she is deaf. I shall have to check on
that.
| She has access to the rest of the room and even came out to sit on a chair for a while when I was in the room, but she has her little "cubby hole" behind which to hide and feel safe. She has her own water and food bowl, but I have purposefully arranged that she must use the "big kitty" kitty box when she does her" business. What is her name? I do not know -- she has not yet told me. |
February 4 (Thursday -- addendum) 5:00 pm
A few years ago I rescued a wee kitty from a rather foul situation. The kitty was only about six weeks old
and was pure white, with one blue eye and one green. Tests indicated that Ivan was deaf, as appears to be
the case for many albino species. Ivan came to me a very frail and very sick kitty, and for a period of time
the future did not look good for Ivan. Ivan was so sick in the beginning that the vet agreed to take him
home to live and regain his good health, which he did after some weeks. Eventually, I decided that Ivan's
best interests would be served if he remained with the vet who wholeheartedly agreed!
A friend of mine from Denmark, Randi, has suggested the name of Sasha for the new white female. My
preliminary tests suggest that she too is deaf. But she has such a sunny and sweet disposition. I have
visited her several times since I brought her inside last night, and she seems to be none too unhappy with
her new surroundings. Hopefully, she will loosen up and stop hiding and become friends with Buddy and
Darkly, both of whom could probably benefit from some female company.
| Ivan |
February 6 (Saturday) 8:00 am
The hygroma on Lucky appears to be receding. The thing grew to a humongous size by yesterday morning,
but before going to bed I noticed a considerable decrease in size. This morning the thing is still there, but
not quite as big as yesterday. I am hopeful that ol'e nasty thing just goes away.
I cannot always be quite so sure about these things, but having spent some time with her and having done
as thorough an investigation as I am capable, it appears to me that Sasha may be "with child," a condition,
which does not thrill me. Right now I am debating with myself as to whether or not to take Sasha to the vet.
She does need to go, as all new animals make a visit eventually, but I must admit that funds are precariously
low right now, and even a moderate size vet bill would hurt.
Speaking of funds, the weather has just about killed us: I speak of Stump Busters and Corinth Tire. Neither
entity can operate in the kind of weather that has hit Alcorn County and stayed with us since October. We
shall soon be going on four months of such foul weather. If we do not get a break soon, then we shall all be
on welfare.
February 6 (Saturday -- addendum) 7:00 pm
I took Sasha to the vet this morning, and it is the opinion of the vet that Sasha is probably four weeks
pregnant, which would place her about four weeks from delivery. That is not good news, but we must make
the most of it.
The hygroma on Horace Lucky has nearly totally disappeared, and I hope that it is gone for good.
February 7 (Sunday) 2:00 pm
Sunday afternoon, and the temperature outside is cold enough to make the roaring fireplace a most
enjoyable experience! In the above photo, taken only moments before now, Bonnie, Pete, Willie, and Cleo
are all gathered around, enjoying the warmth and the glow of the fire, waiting for their "dad" to resume his
place by the fire, and wondering why he insists on taking yet another shot of the fireplace. Well, this is my
fifth winter at Willow Oak, and the fireplace is as new and as exciting an experience as ever -- even more
so. With the insert removed I can not stack the fire much higher and receive much more warmth than
before, and the fireplace itself is much more beautiful -- much more inviting.
Sasha is in the room with Darkly and Buddy, and when I went in there this morning she walked about freely,
visiting the litter box, grabbing a bite, and sipping some water. Sasha appears to be quite satisfied with the
arrangement, and that is good for me: I have no other place to isolate a newcomer. I hope that when the
"little ones" arrive, they are met with equal approvement by Buddy and Darkly.
February 8 (Monday) 7:45 pm
Snow has covered us again ... and sub-freezing temperatures. It is apparent that we shall lose another
whole week of work to the weather.
Sasha is doing fine in her new surroundings. She is moving around the room more, and neither Buddy nor
Darkly appear to be bothered by her presence. I hope that when she has her litter all goes well with that
arrangement.
Horace Lucky's hygroma remains down, but there is still a small amount of swelling. I won't be comfortable
until the thing goes completely away, which may be never.
All other residents of Willow Oak are hunkered down and enjoying another roaring fire. Removing the
insert from the fireplace was a great move.
| Sasha is not shy about doing her "business." She won't be still, so getting a good shot of her has not been easy, so ... |
| While visiting with Sasha, I could not resist taking a couple of shots of Buddy. |
| Buddy is such a good-looking guy despite the scars of a rough past life. |
February 10 (Wednesday) 6:30 pm
The temps dipped near the teens (F) last night, but with all of the rain we had yesterday nearly all of the
snow that fell Sunday is gone. Cliff volunteered to take the tractor into the woods and bring back some
more firewood, which he did -- two bucket loads of cedar. Cedar is some of the hottest burning wood
around, and the fire is so hot right now that we are sweating up a storm!
Sasha and Buddy and Darkly are all doing okay so far as I can tell. I don't know how things will be after
Sasha has her litter. It would be nice if someone were to take her off my hands. I am contemplating taking
her to the shelter, however. I already have my hands full, and the people at the shelter will take care of
her. Well, I am considering.
Larry called this evening, and apparently we may have a tree job tomorrow. As bad as the weather has
been, one of our previous customers has an issue with a tree near her home. Hopefully we go back to work
tomorrow, even if only to make a couple hundred dollars. Every little bit helps.
Here are a couple of Photobucket.com videos of Sasha:
Video 1 Video 2
February 12 (Friday) 7:35 pm
The cold is incessant. However, the fire is roaring in the fireplace. Removing that insert was certainly the
right move. I debated with myself over that move for four years, since the last time I had the chimney
cleaned. The chimney needs to be looked at again. I certainly don't want to burn down the house. In the
meantime I am very careful not to build the fire too big, and to not leave the fireplace unattended.
Fred and Horace got into it again today. Not as bad as in the past, but anytime those two scrap is a bad day
for me. The two haven't fought in several days, and I had hoped that we had turned a corner with them.
Fred ended up on his back in the water trough, and I had to mop the entire kitchen floor, but neither dog
appears to have been injured in the melee.
I had a very pleasant surprise this evening, though. I have provided Buddy and Darkly with a nice room all
to themselves and recently placed Sasha with them. There are two tables and a book shelf in the room --
plenty of places and blankets for the cats to lounge and climb, and so far all concerned kitties seem to be
satisfied with the arrangement. Usually, whenever I open the door I see Buddy and Darkly huddled
together on top of one of the tables, and Sasha usually situates herself under the table, with its blankets
draped over the sides. Underneath is a blanket-lined box where she can feel safe and secure, and where
hopefully we shall see a safe delivery of her kittens in a couple of weeks.
A few minutes ago I opened the door to find all three cats huddled together on top of the table! Now the
temperature is not that unbearable in the room, but there they were, comfy as pie. I probably do need to
consider more private arrangements for Sasha when she delivers, but I may go ahead and see how the
current arrangement works. I simply have no place right now to put her, except in Cliff's bathroom.
Cliff may be forced to become accommodating.
February 15 (Monday) 7:15 am
We've had a light dusting of snow this morning. The temperatures are cold enough that the stuff should
stick with us a while, but we appear to have only received an inch or less. The immediate forecast shows
no precipitation until Friday, but it does appear that Stump Busters might lose another whole month of work.
Sasha has adapted well to her new surroundings. Horace Lucky still has that hygroma on his side. My
research is that he may keep the thing for some time before it completely goes away. I've had to double up
my efforts to keep him and Fred at peace.
Our tire repair efforts are on hold for now. The weather is not conducive, especially considering that we do
not have a proper facility in which to work. In the meantime I've managed to accomplish some yard work
during the past several days.
February 18 (Thursday) 5:51 am
Not much going on these days. The weather has put a dent in activities, and we are hoping for a break. We
have indication that TVA is going to want to put our tractor to work, as well as our wood chipper whenever
the weather permits us. This is all great news, but I won't relax until that day comes.
The Willow Oak crew is doing well. Sasha appears to be happy with her new surroundings, and Buddy and
Darkly appear to be okay with her presence. I have managed to keep Fred and Horace Lucky from killing
each other, despite the fact that they have been so confined because of the nasty weather.
The fireplace continues to do its job keeping us warm and cozy.
February 19 (Friday) 7:50 pm
Another week gone and another week of work lost. Well, the days grow longer, and we are moving
inexorably closer to spring and warmer, drier weather. Before long Stump Busters will have more than
enough work to keep us busy seven days a week.
Sasha is doing fine. I suppose that she is within two to three weeks of having her kittens. I pray that her
delivery goes well. For now I shall leave her with Buddy and Darkly, and hopefully those two won't cause
any malady in Sasha's delivery or in the subsequent development of the litter.
Cliff continues his sojourn at Willow Oak. The weather has totally shut down the tire repair business. Even
so, it is likely that Cliff's business will not eventually get off the ground. There promises to be a
considerable expense in getting things going again; we are short on personnel; and truth be told, I believe
that Cliff is pretty much burned out on repairing the big tires. From what I have seen, working with the big
tires is extremely hard and difficult work, dirty and physically demanding, and neither Cliff nor I are exactly
spring chickens.
In the meantime the dogs are all well; the cats are all doing fine; there is a fire in the fireplace tonight, and
another weekend looms.
February 21 (Sunday) 6:45 am
Stump Busters has experienced another hard blow: Kenny, our good labor hand, has decided to call it quits.
I cannot say as I blame him. Kenny asked me to relay this information to my readers. The job was a bit more
than he could handle. Kenny would work any hour of the day and any day of the week, but most of the time
the work required a bit more than Kenny could safely handle. I certainly do not intend to slam the man -- I
too find that kind of work to be difficult and dangerous. The problem that Kenny experienced didn't so
much involve labor as it did job safety. Poor Kenny was always getting himself involved in some sort of
"accident" or another.
For instance, recently Kenny was underneath the grinder checking on a problem he sensed with the
grinding wheel and its teeth. Kenny was good at detecting a problem, but instead of calling in
reinforcements to help him fix the problem he often tried to do the job himself. In this particular case
Kenny had failed to disconnect the starter, and wouldn't you know it? The grinder actually started up while
Kenny was underneath!
Larry and I received an emergency call from Kenny's wife that Kenny had been rushed to the hospital. On
our way to the hospital to check on Kenny we happened to drive past the spot where Kenny had been
working, so Larry and I decided to stop and see the grinder and perhaps surmise what had happened.
Kenny's wife had told us that Kenny had received "serious head wounds," upon which news I experienced
a sense of relief. A head wound would not incapacitate Kenny too much.
It turned out that all Kenny suffered was a bruise just above his right eye. The grinder, unfortunately didn't
fare so well. The grinder wheel with its metal teeth had hit Kenny in the head and had suffered some
serious damage. The entire grinder wheel was bent out of alignment, and 10 of the 16 teeth had to be
replaced.
Kenny is a good man and thankfully has already landed another job. We wish him well.
February 22 (Monday) 5:20 am
Back to work! Kenny called and expressed his appreciation for yesterday's post. Kenny complained a lot
that I did not post more about him. Well, he is going to have a lot more to complain about now since he
decided to leave us. Just kidding, actually. Kenny landed on his feet and found himself a nice job, and for
that we are all relieved and thankful. In the meantime Stump Busters has returned to work. Yesterday after
church, Larry and I drove over to investigate a new stump removal job. We definitely have our work cut out
for us, and this job will be a challenge, but we can handle it.
| Our latest stump-removal job involves first removing a couple of very large pieces. This is no trick photography: those are some big pieces. |
February 22 (Monday -- addendum) 7:30 pm
It feels good to get back to work. Larry was tied up today with visits to the doctors, so I worked alone on
the two large pieces in the photo above. We are about half way through the job. Being short-handed on
this job won't kill us though. We informed the owner of the property that we would require an extra couple
of days to finish the task, and even though I have business elsewhere tomorrow, we should be able to
finish up in a day or two.
All of the Willow Oak crew is doing well, and that is enough to satisfy me. I am sore and tired, but I feel
great; and there is a roaring fire in the fireplace. Ah! Life at Willow Oak!
February 24 (Wednesday) 9:00 pm
I buried a horse today. The horse had belonged to a relative of Larry, and Larry asked me to take the tractor
and inter the horse behind the relative's barn. The job was not too tough, but the terrain was very muddy. I
am always sad at the news and reality of death. Life is precious -- all life, and should be celebrated and
savored, and should always be mourned when its demise is met.
Corinth Tire is all but officially defunct. Cliff has decided to return from whence he came, and today he
moved most of his belongings back to his home in Alabama. Sonny went with him, but Ethyl remained. Ethyl
is now the newest permanent member of Willow Oak. For now Ethyl resides alone, and I am not totally
certain that I shall be able to merge her in with any of the other cats. She has become receptive enough of
me, but she is so small and so frail and so all alone. The fact that the little cat is all alone is sad, but she
has, thankfully, landed herself at the right place.
In the meantime Stump Busters has acquired some new work, and if the weather improves we shall be as
busy as ever. The TVA job remains available, and all we need is some extended good weather and we shall
be back at work with the wood chipper and dump truck. TVA has asked that we use the tractor on the job
also, so we expect to increase our usefulness there with the use of the tractor, which also opens up a job
for another man. Larry and I expect to be the main operators of the equipment, so that we shall not have to
pay another man. How good is the TVA job? Just 100 days of work on the TVA site should earn Stump
Busters enough money to support both Larry and I for an entire year. Then with the tree work we should be
doing -- felling trees and grinding stumps -- we should be able to bank enough money by the time next
winter rolls around that we should not be in the same position as this winter: sweating it out in sub-freezing
weather.
February 26 (Friday) 9:50 pm
The end of February draweth nigh, and with its demise the month of March and the first day of spring is
mere days away. The word from TVA is that we shall return to work on Monday. I shall be manning the
chipper, and with decent weather this spring and summer and with the fact that we do not have to pay an
extra man, we should be able to make up for lost ground. Stump grinding and tree work is beginning to
pick up, and I am finding myself more and more involved in day-to-day operations. Right now I am in
possession of the truck with all of our saws, and I have been taking advantage of the past day or so storing
up firewood for the sprint to spring. I made it through another winter without central heat.
I am spending a few minutes each day holding Ethyl in the living room in the presence of the others. In time
I hope I can trust her to run free throughout the house. This summer I intend to build a nice pen onto the
side of the house and ensconce all of the cats, relieving myself of the burden of having to watch out for
those that now run free throughout the yard. I am not certain that is the right move, but it cannot hurt.
In the meantime the dogs are becoming more and more familiar with each other, including Fred and Horace
Lucky. Those two still don't seem to like each other much, and Horace still follows me around wherever I
go, but more and more he is running and playing with the others without serious incident.
For now a fire roareth in the fireplace. The daytime temps are still cool; the nighttime temps downright
cold; but overall the temperatures are improving.
Also, I am working on a new project. I have given up the idea of doing taxes for Jackson Hewitt or H & R
Block or for anyone else for that matter: that was just not my cup of tea. I have spoken and met with the
president of the local home schoolers association, and they are interested in what I have to offer. If the
logistics can be worked out I may be conducting classes for students beginning in the fall. What I bring to
the table are mathematics and science, of course, and I should find myself to be of service. I figure that
most parents would welcome any help they can receive in the areas of math and science. We shall see.
I am still holding on to the idea of starting a new category -- "Soap Box." My first topic shall probably
address the public education system. I understand that in some parts of Europe, the "private" education
system is actually referred to as "public" education, and vice-versa. Confusing, I know; but in the United
States, public "education" does fall under the mandate of "compulsory attendance."
Also, I like the idea of sharing some of my other words of wisdom in another topic that I may start that I shall
call "Before I Forget." At 55 years of age, I believe that I have attained a certain level of happiness and
self-satisfaction that few ever do. I know that I may come across as arrogant, and for that I am sorry; but I
truly feel that I may have something to share along that line.
February 27 (Saturday) 10:25 am
It is Saturday morning, and already I have put in about three hours' work. Larry asked me to drive over to a
lady who lives near me to check on some work that he had promised to do for her. I checked on a pile of
wood at her house that needs to be busted, and she and I talked a while about the job. She may have a few
trees that need to be trimmed. Otherwise, I have been busy shoring up my own stock of firewood.
Tomorrow after church I probably will be doing a little math tutoring, followed by a little last minute tuning
up on the dump truck and wood chipper, both of which we hope to have on the TVA job Monday morning.
I am a bit nervous about going on the TVA job for the first time. Many a year has passed since I last worked
a manual labor job, and I am uncertain as to how I shall fair. Over the past five months all of the labor work I
have done has been on my own jobs. Monday I shall be on someone else's job, and even though I am a
subcontractor, I am technically going to work underneath the supervision of someone else. On my own
jobs I could break whenever I felt the need -- not so starting on Monday.
7:40 pm
I spent some time cleaning Ethyl's room, and cleaning the room with Buddy, Darkly, and Sasha. Cliff did a
decent enough job of keeping the room clean, but he was only in there for a few weeks. Cliff left a full kitty
litter box, however; no problem -- I got it clean. Poor Ethyl. She so cried when I entered her room. I spent
a few minutes holding her in the living room, as I have done for the past few days, but she once again cried
when I returned her to her room. She so much did not want me to leave her alone. To Cliff's credit he did
bring Ethyl to Willow Oak instead of abandoning her in Alabama, which would have been the case had he
not brought her. I do not understand people.
I experimented by taking Sasha into Ethyl's room, thinking that Ethyl might benefit from some company, but
even though neither cat got into a row, I could see that Sasha was disturbed at being in a totally new place,
and I do not want her to be stressed until after she delivers her litter. At that time I shall try to reintroduce
her to Ethyl. In the meantime she appears to be happy as peach with her surroundings, despite the
presence of Buddy and Darkly; and those two appear to be not bothered by Sasha's presence.