Dog gone and snake here ...........

The little dog has disappeared. I walked over the field this morning and didn't see it. Evidently it got its strength back , and decided to try and make it back home. I hope it gets to its destination okay. At least it knows where to go if it ever needs food again. I'm going to keep an eye out for it.

I must admit, I'm a bit disappointed. I was getting excited about having a dog again. I just need to be patient. One day a dog will show up that needs a home and it will decide to stay. Until then, you will have to put up with posts about cats.

Or maybe you would prefer to hear about snakes.



I almost stepped on this fella in the front yard yesterday afternoon. If you're not freaked out by snakes, look closely at his midsection. You can see a bulge, which I'm sure was his supper (probably a mole from the front yard.) I watched him as he made his way toward the house, up onto the front porch, and then into a crack in the siding around one on the porch posts. It got really cold last night, so he was looking for a protected place to hibernate and digest his catch. This is a black snake.

Black snakes are not poisonous and are beneficial for keeping mice and rats away. I've also heard that they will keep copperhead snakes away. Copperheads are poisonous. I almost stepped on one at my garage door last week and had Hubby kill it. I don't want to step on one of those by accident! So, little black snake be useful and chase all those copperheads away. If you do, you may hibernate in my porch post.

Now that I've scared you with snake stories, I will wish you a great weekend.

Not about cats, about a dog ..........

For those of you who are tired of hearing about my cats, today I will post about a dog. This is a young dog - still just a puppy. It is very, very thin and very, very hungry. It is hard for it to stand or walk (I think it must have been hit by a car.) It had made a bed in the field beside my house and was curled up - hungry, sore, and alone. Around noon today Hubby saw it and asked me if that was Maggie over by the fence. I could tell it was too big, so I walked out to check and found this sweet little dog.



I talked softly to it and tried to check it's condition without scaring it. It would stand and put a little weight on the hurt leg, so I hope that means nothing is broken, just bruised and sore. I got several hamburger buns and fed it. It gobbled them down quickly. I went to town this afternoon and got a bag of Puppy Chow and have fed it two bowls and took it a bucket of water. It has perked up and is beginning to think I can be trusted.



I haven't checked to see if it is a he or a she - that's why it is an it. I'll let it rest tonight and will check first thing in the morning to see if it is still there. I'm sure it will be and I'm sure we now have a dog. Neither Hubby nor I can ignore a hungry and homeless animal.

I'm sure this is the dog we are meant to have. When we lost Black Jack in January 2006 and Charlie in August 2007, we both wanted another dog.


Black Jack and Charlie - December 2005

We have never had a puppy since all our dogs were strays - both Black Jack and Charlie were almost grown when they found us. We considered getting a puppy from the SPCA, but I just had a feeling that we were suppose to wait for a homeless dog to find us. Black Jack was special to me and I have wanted another black lab mix. Well, it looks like this little dog meets all our wants - it's homeless, it found us, it's a black lab mix, and while not a puppy it is still a youngster.

Guess my blog readers will have to suffer through posts about cats and dogs now. I just pray that no more homeless critters are sent my way - three cats and a dog are plenty, thank-you.

Fall and Mollie update ........

It's really beginning to feel like fall. Have you noticed how much shorter the days are? I have to round up Maggie and get her inside so much earlier now. The nights have gotten cool, forcing me to shut the windows after supper. I haven't turned on the heat yet, but according to the weather report, I may have to tomorrow night. Our trees are just beginning to turn. The hickory and some maples are showing color. The woods are still mostly green now, but before long, they will be full of color. Halloween decorations are showing up everywhere. Pumpkins and mums are on porches. Fall is a pretty time of the year. If it didn't lead into winter, I might enjoy it more.



Mollie Ann is no longer an outsider. She has forced her way into our home and refuses to be intimidated by the other cats. She has decided that the garage is her territory. She sleeps on the rocker which gives her a good view of the food dish. Poor Mazie Grace is scared of Mollie and won't go in the garage to eat any more. We have to feed her in the house. Maggie will still hiss at her, but will usually walk away when Mollie refuses to back off.



Mollie has gotten so fat. I have never seen a cat eat as much as she does. She will eat a whole larger can of food, follow it with a dish of dry food, and be looking for more. I believe she is almost as heavy as Maggie May.

Hubby and I have been lazy lately. I have begun to get out winter clothes and put away summer clothes - a job I hate. I wish I had a big closet, so I didn't have to do this twice a year.

What's been going on ........

Nothing exciting going on here.



We decided it was time to cut down our over grown shrubs.



We took two huge trailer loads to the landfill.



Then, we planted new shrubs that hopefully will never get that big.



I made a larger shelter for Mollie Ann and put it on the far side of the shed. No one has used it. Mazie and Mollie both use the smaller one I have on the deck. I may move it closer to the house. I put insulation in this one using rigid foam insulation so it will be cozy when it gets cold.



We just finished staining the deck and pool deck again. We put a thick coat on this time, so I hope it will last several years.



We've been picking up walnuts every other day. The black walnut tree is full again this year. They are very destructive to lawn mower blades, so we have to get them up.



And, I've been busy trying to keep the peace with these three females. We haven't had any bad fights yet - just lots of hissing and growling. I think they are beginning to accept the existence of the others. All three are in this picture. It's the first time the three of them have been in close proximity. You can just see my tomato plants in this picture. I'm still getting a few small tomatoes and some cherry tomatoes. It won't be long before I'll clean out the garden beds.

As you can see, we've been busy, but not with fun or exciting activities.

Computer problems and cat shuffling ......

I use HughesNet to access the internet. I have a dish similar to our DirecTV dish on the roof and receive signals from a satellite. Wednesday night I lost my internet connection. It is very rare for me to lose the satellite signal, but since we were having heavy rains moving into the region, I thought that was the cause. I tried several times thursday to get online and still had no luck. Of course, we were in the middle of our heavy rains, so even though I was beginning to go into withdrawal, I assumed everything would be operational as soon as the rain departed.

Friday morning I awoke to clearing skies, so I sat down at the computer to check my email and blogs. I still couldn't get online! Now I was really getting a bit anxious and was feeling online withdrawal. I called the local firm that originally installed my dish to report that I was having problems. They came out that afternoon and had me online in no time. The cover to the receiver on the dish was cracked and water had gotten inside, so they replaced the cover. I have now caught up on my email and blogs. Life is back to normal.

We are still shuffling cats around in order to prevent fights. The nights that it was raining, we kept Maggie May and Mazie Grace in the house so Mollie Ann could stay in the garage. I got Hubby to buy a larger tote and some sheets of foam insulation to make another shelter to put behind the shed. Directions for the shelter are here. We'll keep the smaller one on the deck since Mazie Grace likes to sleep in it. Maggie May is still determined to kill Mollie Ann. That seems to be her major goal these days. She sits on the deck watching and waiting for her to come. I have to bring her in the house so Mollie Ann can come up to eat every evening. It keeps me busy trying to keep the peace around here with three female cats.