➡I accidentally bought Balut eggs: 2 live ducks! Now a Chat Thread!

[Kiki]

I am already giving eggs away. You know that I can't have quail eggs.

 

[Tesumph]

Yep. Super hard work. Years of it. Sometimes the dogs never get to "normal" status, as though there is such a thing with dogs, but you know what I mean. It's really, really frustrating having a dog that will never truly trust that you have its best interest at heart. In the case of the street rat, I think he was just on his own for too long. I keep hoping that he'll turn that corner eventually, but am also resigned to the likeliness of that never actually happening.

Bless those souls that have the compassion, patience, and interest in helping, but I know that I'll never take a real rescue dog (like, off the streets rescue, not a pound hound) ever again. Dogs are cool, I love my dogs, but I guess I'm just not a true dog person.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still support rescuing over breeding any day. It just comes down to humane practices either way.
But yea, rescues can be deceptive about their dogs sometimes. Labeling obvious pit mixes as labradors is a big pet peeve of mine. Not disclosing alarming behaviors is another. That’s how you get disasters like “help! My sweet rescued pit mix just maimed my other female dog! And oh yea, the rescue is super territorial of food, but she’d NEVER hurt a fly!” SMH. Totally unexpected.. not.
Aaaanyywaaay.

 

[R2elk]

Congratulations to @BantyChooks and @Wickedchicken6 for their entries being in the 2020 BYC Calendar.

 

[Kiki]

Congratulations to @BantyChooks and @Wickedchicken6 for their entries being in the 2020 BYC Calendar.

 

[NanaKat]

If I climb my big apple tree tomorrow, and bring a t-post with me, I think I can knock down enough to make a pie. The apples I have left are enormous, juicy, sweet/tart, and very red. They ought to make lovely pies.

A broom stick isn't as heavy as a t-post!

See? That’s part of what I was meaning, like I doubt they have the super super warm stuff like they do here haha

Have to cross the state line into Oklahoma! We have winter wear!

It has never been this cold this early in the year here.
I am really dreading tomorrow's rain.
Rainy cold has probably got to be one of the worst things in the world.

Hubby and I caught winter colds from our cold rain. His is worse.

I never "spring clean" my computer, lol. I have so many photos that I'm probably going to need another storage disc just for them very soon.

I use a storage disk for photos at least once a year....need to do it again. Computer is getting slow again.

Ain’t that the ugly truth. Not something the “adopt don’t shop” nazis don’t like talking about, huh? Rescues are HARD work.
.

So true! Ruby as 4 years of age was not house trained...would pee anytime, anywhere she wanted, but would ask to go out to poop. Now at 5.5 years, she has had one accident in the past six months...while I was in New Orleans. So much improvement.
She is terrified of loud sounds and a newspaper...really thinks she was abused.
And a chow hound...cleans any food bowl in seconds and now uses a spiral feed dish and I keep a vigilant eye so she doesn't eat the other's food.
But she is now a snuggler.

 

[R2elk]

@Kiki
A Christmas card just for you.

 

[Kiki]

@Kiki
A Christmas card just for you.

 

[Conan]

Male House Finch

The color palette in the last pic...

 

[Conan]

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still support rescuing over breeding any day. It just comes down to humane practices either way.
But yea, rescues can be deceptive about their dogs sometimes. Labeling obvious pit mixes as labradors is a big pet peeve of mine. Not disclosing alarming behaviors is another. That’s how you get disasters like “help! My sweet rescued pit mix just maimed my other female dog! And oh yea, the rescue is super territorial of food, but she’d NEVER hurt a fly!” SMH. Totally unexpected.. not.
Aaaanyywaaay.

I'm really happy with our local Humane Society. They label well and are VERY honest in respect to breeds and behavior, but I totally know what you're talking about. Happens a lot at the private shelters up here. The Humane Society is loaded with pits, all with same description. Needs to be only dog, only pet, no kids, no dog parks, no this, no that. They tell folks, but I still don't think it's right to adopt out animals that display aggression.

Cricket is an idiot, but the little softy doesn't have a mean bone in his body. Every evening, I let the duck in the front door, she waddles in and takes her place with the dogs, and I leave and go do chores. It's nice to not worry when I leave them unsupervised, especially because she's a turd, and she harasses them. I'll take the fact that I have to leash him every single time I bring him out to poop and pee (yes, even when he's at home) over an aggressive dog any day.

 

[NanaKat]

Warning...this is a lengthy post...
We have been dealing with a contract with an oil company to gain a Right of Way easement thru our property for a 30 inch oil transfer pipeline that will run from Cushing Oklahoma to Houston Texas. The pipe will be buried 4 feet to the top of the pipe. The easement will be 50 feet wide for 1/2 mile.
Once gates thru our fences are constructed it will take 4 to 6 weeks for them to complete that 1/2 mile of pipeline.

The price they have offered is generous for the RoW and any surface damage but they will need to use "60 feet PLUS any additional land necessary to accomplish the construction".
We were given a 30 day timeline for signing the contract....BUT...
The aerial map for "Exhibit A" only shows the preliminary line for the pipeline. It is not a surveyor map which is a detail drawing of surface measurements indicating the line, the boundary of the "Permanent Row", the staging/work zone, and the additional land area identified.

Surveyors have already been in the area and environmental biologists have already checked traps for the presence of the endangered American Carrion Beetle.

So...I met with our attorney Wednesday who said I was "spot on" with our concerns about the contract offered.

Then I met with the Right of Way negotiator on Thursday. We were able to come to a consensus about our concerns.
- We will have a detailed survey for Exhibit A by the first week of December. This also extends our deadline for signing til the middle of December.
- We want 48 hour notification for any access to our property after the pipeline is completed for their inspection/maintenance checks unless it is an emergency.
- We would not accept item 12 which basically allows the oil company to substitute new documents for Exhibit A without notification at any time during the project after the contracts are signed. This was based on a dangling $ carrot for any extra land used if the line moved from the original location. We want detail copies! The pipeline enters our property right between a huge clump of trees offering the only shade in that 40 acre pasture and a newly built pond. Movement either direction will cause damage not included in their offered price. The exit location to Highway 62 is on our east boundary. If that line moves it would be closer to our home!
Now we just wait for a counter from the oil company.

The oil company negotiator could not confirm that the oil company has applied for Emminent Domain Rights in court. Our attorney has asked this too because he has several clients in two counties who are dealing with the same contract we received.