Long Drive but Mountains Are Worth It

Here in New Mexico, at the cabin-- it’s very nice to be here. I really can’t believe that I was actually contemplating not coming -- last Wednesday, the day before I was set to leave. The thought of the long long drive, and having to manage BOTH the animals along the way, just had me thinking maybe I just should not come here at all. Boy, am I glad I didn’t give in to that compulsion. 

Got here on Friday. I beat the SO by about two hours, which gave me a chance to unwind from the road. I listened to a book --  SECRETS OF A SHOE ADDICT. It was funny, kept me entertained for most of the trip -- but I was still road-weary. I knew my SO was, too. He had been traveling for the last five days. We went over to the restaurant down the street. While we were there, we were invited to a St. Patrick’s dinner on Saturday night. My SO  wanted to go, which still always amazes me. I’m not used to a man who doesn’t mind socializing. We went. It was kind of fun, at least we met some of our neighbors. I got invited to a tea social on Monday. I wasn’t sure I wanted to go, but my SO encouraged it. I went. 

Why is it that I always seem to get paired up with the most socially conservative, right-wing minded people. A remark was made about “gays.” I kept quiet but gave off some pretty intense looks. I know this because the hostess backed off of the antigay remark she had made. I should have just come out and said I have a gay son, but for some reason I’m always confrontational-adverse. Anyway, from then on the topic was kept to neutral subjects. 

My SO left on Monday headed for Arizona, and hopefully, lots of new business for him. He’s just  been given Arizona. It’s one of the reasons we bought this place. Sitting here in northeastern New Mexico, we are at ground zero for his territory -- New Mexico, West Texas, Colorado, and Arizona. I’m already lonesome for him, after just three days. And I have one and a half more to go. Sigh!

Over the weekend, we put out two bird feeders. Today, the birds finally found them. I identified a Stellar’s Jay, a Wooly Woodpecker, and a White-Breasted Nuthatch at the feeders today. We also have a pair of Mountain Bluebirds nesting in the box high up one of the ponderosa pines just off the driveway. They are very busy but ignore the feeders. They are insect and worm eaters. It will be fun to watch them this spring.

I wish we could come here and stay for several months at a time. I have so many things I want to do to this place, but no time for it when we come for such a short time. I do really love it here. It would be nice to come and stay for a longer time. We’ve got one more week, and then it’s back to the REAL WORLD.

Onward .....

It's Almost Spring

I’m afraid the four crepe myrtle from the Arbor Society are dead. It’s just really hard to plant these trees from little bare root plugs. I have one still in the greenhouse that is alive, somehow, but those I planted last fall are history. The three big container-grown ones at the end of the driveway have all leafed out. I hope I get some blooms this year. It will be these four’s fourth summer.

When we had the driveway redone, apparently the gravel company brought bluebonnet seed in with their gravel, as well as some of weed seed, unfortunately. Last count, there were eleven bluebonnet plants coming up along the drive, and in the center. I will have to be diligent and collect the seeds from these plants this year, and then spread them elsewhere. I like to keep the driveway clean, usually spray herbicide a few times a year to maintain the clean, so I don’t want even bluebonnets in the middle of the road. 

Something yanked the bird feeder down by the wellhouse last night. Pretty sure I know who the culprit is. There’s a squirrel’s nest high up in the big oak on the lawn, and I frequently see the squirrel down on the ground under this feeder collecting what the birds scatter. I put some new food in there yesterday or the day before, and this new food has cracked nuts in it -- should have known better. Oh well. I do hate that when it hit the ground, not only did the seed sprawl all over the ground, but the side of the feeding rim was bent nearly vertical. The other so-called “squirrel-proof” feeder out in the back has already been damaged in this same way. I guess there’s just no way to keep squirrels from dumping these feeders. I don’t mind them having some of the seed, but I wish they didn’t have to be so destructive. I hear the little devil running across the roof right now, no doubt delighted with its new bounty.

A new Tractor Supply opened about a mile from the house. I took Daddy over there. We walked every single aisle in the store. I bought much more than he did, although his purchase was pricey. He wanted a leaf sweeper, for some reason. It hooks to the back of his lawnmower and he can pull it around the yard, although, it barely squeezed through his back yard gate when I unloaded it from the pickup. He has two elm trees in the front, and they are really the only two trees that make a mess, mostly with all the seed they drop. I don’t think the sweeper will do much about those seeds, but I did not discourage Daddy. Anything that keeps him active is fine by me. I hope I don’t have to go over there to hook the sweeper up every time he wants to use it. I always need to get in the hot tub after I’ve spent a lot of time with him. He can’t lift much of anything any more, and I really shouldn’t be either with my stenosis, but I don’t seem able to say no. Hot tub and Advil so far do the trick.

All day today I will be busy getting ready for the big road trip tomorrow. All I need to do is about to overwhelm me, so I guess I should get going.

Onward ....

A Dog Drama

Well, if it isn’t the cat, it’s a dog drama.

 We were sitting outside. My SO had started a fire for steaks. It was nearing dusk. We were in our rockers, enjoying a glass of wine. The cat was between us. The dog was over around the lawn mower shed, worrying a lizard, or so we thought. Suddenly, she sort of barked and my SO called her over to us, scolding her about being over there. But you just can’t stop her. She is obsessed with catching things. She tucked her tail at being scolded, but tried to ease back in the direction of the shed. He got up and put her inside the sliding door. I said we should put the cat up too, or next thing we knew, he would be wandering off in the dark. Both animals safely inside, we took our rockers again, sipped our wine, and enjoyed the end of the day. 

At one point, I looked behind us. There was the cat, staring at me through the sliding door. The dog was a few feet behind him. I went inside after more wine. The cat tried to scurry through the door. Sharply, I told him no. The dog also tried it. I said no sharply to her as well. She continued towards the door. The cat arched at her, and she gave him a crisp bark. Uncharacteristic of her to do that. Usually she gives the cat a wide berth when he is bowed up like that. I noticed she was still in pout-mode, tail tucked under and head low. I called her after me into the kitchen, petted her, told her she could not go outside. Still she followed me to the sliding door. I realize now that she was acting kind of zombie-like.

My SO passed us on his way for the marinated steaks. He said, “Let her out. But keep a close eye on her.” I did. The cat had disappeared from in front of the door, no doubt incensed at having the dog bark at him. He’s used to bullying her unchallenged.

Outside, I sat down in my rocker. The dog was in front of me. She still seemed to be pouting over having been put inside. I took her head in my hand, tried to raise her face, and she suddenly growled, yelped, and lunged towards me as if I had hurt her. I sprang up from the chair, calling out for my SO. I took her inside, told him something was wrong. We both noticed that the side of her muzzle was very swollen. This was where I had grabbed her. She wanted nothing to do with me by this time. My SO said, “I bet a copperhead got her.”

I went quickly into a panic, trying to think what vet we could call on a Sunday evening, or where a “for-real” animal clinic was within 30 miles of us. Meanwhile, he was trying to calm me down and look at the dog. She was having none of it, still acting strange. I got on the computer, looked up copperhead bites, and at the same time, called my friend who had at one time worked at a vet’s office. She told me her little beagle had been bitten just a couple of weeks before. Swollen nose, nothing to rush to the doctor over, that all a vet would do was give a little anti-venom and send her home. My SO was also telling me that his long-ago dog had been bitten a couple of times and just got sick for a day or so. I printed out the TO-DO IN CASE OF SNAKEBITE instructions off the internet. We got her to take two Benadryl and decided to watch her. She didn’t seem labored in her breathing, just had this incredible swollen face, and walked around with her tail between her legs.

Well, she is indeed much better. Yesterday, her nose was still swollen. My SO jokingly named her Big Nose Kate after the notorious woman of the Old West. This morning the swelling is down even more. I swear these animals wear me out with riding this emotional roller-coaster. 

SO left for New Mexico yesterday. I will follow him on Friday. I’m dreading the drive but am curious to see how the cabin fared through the rough winter. In January we heard it got down to minus 22 degrees there. We are hoping we winterized sufficiently.

Spent all afternoon yesterday getting LILY listed on Nook. Their listing form is much more detailed than Kindle’s. Should know today if it has been published. Still coming to grips with all this electronic stuff. Sigh!

Onward ....