Busy times

Well, it seems like there is something going on continually.

Last Friday I was bit by a friends beagle. Actually it is her son's beagle. He had both his beagles at his mom's & they were tied up outside. I petted the female & she was so nice & friendly. I just lost my brain at that moment apparently. I went to pet the male & he was much more aggressive acting............well, I got a good dog bite on my right hand. So I ended up seeing the NP, having my hand soaked in stuff, getting 4 stitches (two on each side) very loosely put in and being put on an antibiotic. Luckily I'm improving. I am now also using my brain & setting the alarm on my cell phone to make sure I take my antibiotics.

I've set up a natural dyeing workshop for the fiber group. It's here on the 26th of the month in the afternoon. In the meantime people had been asking for a felting workshop. I've got that finalized now & it will be hat making on the 25th & scarf making the morning of the 26th. I think we will have a great time.

No 4th cria for sure. I've attempted to mate GG for next year, but do not think it took. The male is a little young. But I guess I'll know in about a year. I'm not going to mate any more of the girls though.

I'm trying to work on the file cabinet.............awful.......I hate paperwork. But I am making some progress.

The hollyhocks are finally blossoming. They are very pretty. Of course Dennis picked them out, double hollyhocks. He had planted them in front of our bedroom window. I decided this Spring that I wanted them in a different spot and want to do something different in front of our bedroom window. So I moved them & was quite surprised that they survived and are finally blossoming!! I also have 3 or 4 lemons on Dennis' lemon tree. Now that is amazing also as my thumb isn't green. Anyway they are quite green & still growing. I miss him.

My Mom appears somewhat better mentally. Sometimes it is hard to tell as she can cover up very well. I don't like to ask questions that appear to be checking on her mental status. She gets really ticked at me. So I attempt to go with the flow. In case I haven't shared it, my new philosophy with her is "validate do not irritate." That isn't always easy for me, but I'm learning.
My sister is coming tomorrow to spend a couple of days. We'll see what all we can get done! Fall is in the air, I can smell it.

Mice

All Spring & Summer I have been fighting mice in the feed shed. It has been a challenge off & on. I had to buy some new mouse traps this summer, so I checked with the clerk at Big R as far as what she would recommend. So I have two different kinds. I have basically used sweet mix to entice them. BUT decided this summer I needed to expand my food for the traps. They tend to be able to get the sweet mix without setting off the trap.

So I tried cheese & I tried peanut butter. I found that apparently some mice are very lightweight, perhaps they fly. They can get all the peanut butter off without setting off the trap. Now I KNOW the trap works well as we will not mention how many times my thumb has suddenly been snapped when trying to get things set right. They work, I know they work. I've perhaps trapped & killed 10 mice this summer. I had one that got only one foot caught & I let him loose. BUT earlier this week I discovered a trap was missing. I looked & looked. I finally found it off in a corner..........it had a foot & part of a leg in it, but no mouse. SO IF you see a 3 legged mouse, please keep it.

Now yesterday I have another trap missing. I've looked everywhere in all the corners..........no where to be found. This is of course after finding all the other traps empty & no food left --- some of them still set & some of the traps have snapped with no results.

I really don't like mice all over the feed shed. They also are eating the hay ------- perhaps those are voles, who knows. I guess may be I need a cat, an outside cat. It would seem to me that the snakes would be eating the mice AND the foxes. Ah well.