Thursday, May 5, 2005

Scooters, Goats & Hairbrushes

Good day to all who pass this way! I have several things I want to share with you: hope I don't forget anything. First, let me report that hubby was better yesterday evening and I doctored him again last night, so MAYBE he can shake this off on his own.

You ever wonder what country kids do to pass the time? Well, Pete brought home an old scooter the other day and Bubba & Bug had the best time of thier lives! We live right next to a long, rather steep hill that goes down into Jack Gore Baygall. Red clay, covered with rock. The kids took the scooter and Bug's bike down there. Bubba would sit on the scooter like it was a lowrider, push off and hold his feet up and zoom down the hill, crashing into a large pile of pinestraw! Bug rode her bike down with him, braking most of the way. They were a sight! That long hair flying behind Bug glistened all the way to the bottom of the hill in the late afternoon sun. It was great to watch them have so much fun.......sheer joy! But of course, being sane and wise, Daddy said no more scooting and biking down the hill like that. That's okay, they have the memory. It's one of those tales that will be told to their own kids one day. "When I was a kid, we........." You know the kind.

Now what do I do with Matilda? We have three generations of female Boston Terriers living in our house. Zena, the patriarch, the good solid family dog. Diagnosed two years ago with conjestive heart failure, she takes meds every day. Then we have her daughter, Matilda. Tildy, as I call her, had been given away as a puppy to live with another family. But she came back, seems there were stories of her and other dogs hunting down and killing small livestock. We've never had her attack or kill anything here. She's extremely quiete for the breed. And there is the puppy of Tildy, Bugnamed Blackie (she is solid black in her chests and down both front legs and feet.....unusual for the breed.) Recently, Tildy and Blackie have been making excursions into our hog pen and barking at the sows. No harm done. The sows ignore them and all the dogs do is bark. But yesterday morning I let all three out to pottie and get some sunshine. About 45 minutes later, Zena and Blackie came right in when I called, but no Matilda. This is not so unusual. She often justs lays were she is and ignores me. An hour later.....still no Tildy. I go back about every hour and call .......but she never comes. Finally, at three in the afternoon I become concerned she may have wandered away and got in a pickle. So I get in the car and drive slowly down our road looking for her. Right around the curve, there she is! Inside a neighbor's fenced front patch. HHHuuuummm?!? How'd she get in there? I get out and call her over to the fence and she comes right up. But her chest and front paws are covered in blood! My first thought is the poor crazy thing has gotten herself hurt. I reach over and lift her out by the scruff of her neck. I kneel and examine her. She is not bleeding. This is something else's blood! I looked around the pen, but didn't notice anything amiss. I looked up the driveway and knew the folks weren't home. So, I call Tildy to trot along beside the car and come back home. I throw her in an empty chicken coup until I have the chance to bathe her. Too nasty to come inside and I don't trust her to stay. When the kids came in from school, I sent Bubba over to look around and to see if anyone had come home. He comes back to report that there is a goat that has been injured! Oh Bother! No one is home yet. We told Pete when he came in and still no one was home yet. By the time everyone finished what they needed to do and we settled down for the evening, Bubba offered to go back over there, but Daddy wouldn't let him. He figured more than likely the man would be home, but drunk by then. So.......I do so hope that poor animal makes it. That it's wounds aren't serious. Guess we may have to pay for a goat. And now, Tildy cannot go outside without supervision. Better pick up another collar when I go to town, so we can chain her for her outside times.

On the lighter side, right before I went to bed last night I checked my e-mail. There was a note from Pete's cousin Bill's wife letting me know what items her son Cody might need over in Iraq. (Please always remember our soldiers in your prayers!) Attached to the e-mail was a link to a Redneck Video Game. I played it a few minutes and was surprisingly good at it! So for your amusement, I'm passing it on to you. Just click and play! Or at least I hope it works. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

God Bless you all.......and have a great day!

Barbara

5 comments:

  1. I'm gald husband is better.
    I also argee with husband, Buba should let the adults handle if neighbor is not drunk he could be mad! No place for boy to be.
    The dog isnt very big so maybe the goats not hurt bad. I have a few without ears because of dogs. Poor goat will run itself to death being chased.

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  2. Uh Oh!! Tildy is in deep trouble. I hate that she has to be restrained while outside but under the circumstances that seems the best thing to do at this time. Think the citronella collar thing would help? That way when she starts barking at an animal she will get a squirt of it in her eyes to maybe break her from that. I have been reading in a journal where another lady uses it when her dog barks.  Your writings are very good today. Helen

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  3. O dear. I had a couple of dogs that were killers. I had to put them down.One even managed to cause a chain to break and went straight to killing again. ( He was a cocker) The other dog would pull over 100 pounds and still attack. I will not have killers.
    Country kids will find anything to do!

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  4. I've just started reading your journal and it is interesting.  I live in upstate NY and have two kids and two dogs.  I live with my daughter's father.  I struggle with my faith in the Lord.  I know what it is like to have a dog that attacks animals.  I had a Husky once who killed racoons, cats, chickens etc....  I now have a female Shiba Inu who is very aggressive toward other animals except the male dog we have.  Looking forward to reading more.   Linda
    naturegirlfromny

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  5. Ohhhh poor Tildy, but you are right to restrain her.  We have two large mongrel dogs that have managed to bring my flock of chickens down to just 8, and our black dog Sitka attacked my Nigerian Dwarf Doe.  Thankfully she survived, and now both dogs are restrained at all times.

    The funny part is my doe that he attacked now takes pleasure in prancing around just out of his reach driving him crazy...and snorting at him the entire time.  Poor Sitka goes nuts barking and whining, but he knows now that Star is MY animal and you don't get to play with her anymore.

    That Citronilla Collar sounds pretty darned nice, and I think I will invest in a couple myself.  

    I am glad your husband is doing better, and my prayers are with you and him that he continues on the path to recovery.

    Make sure you tell the kids that when they are relating stories of their youth to their children to be prepared...I did that and my kids went out of their way to one up their poor old mom.  Heart Attack City...that is what I call it!!!  I often wish my sisters and I hadn't been so vocal of our adventures when the kids were around, and now I hear then tell their kids of their adventures and I want to tell them hush, or you will be going through what you put your poor old mom through....lol.

    Thank You for sharing your life with us.

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So glad you stopped by! Come 'round any time. ~ Barbara

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