Eva’s Friends

[Evadig]

Has it really only been four days since the last post?! It seems like the last few days have dragged on forever. I was still severely depressed until last night; a certain time of the month came 'round again...it seemed to reset things. Then I was able to do a tolerably good job of pin-curling my hair, so I woke up this morning happy.

Brushing out the pin-curls is the hardest part. You have to do it just so-so, or you won't get the style you're looking for. And each style has a different pattern. I think I might have the wrong brush, too. Anyway, this time around went better than the others, and I successfully created the resemblance of a pageboy (this is one of the aforementioned styles).

I am trying to do '40s-'50s hairstyling because I can't keep doing a bun. My hair is breaking and I'm actually losing some. At the same time I don't want it just hanging, and since I most often dress in that period I thought it would be nice to fix my hair that way, too.

Last night I only slept four hours, so I'm pretty tired - I was falling asleep in church today. Speaking of church...I was finally able to put my CPR/First Aid knowledge to use! An elderly lady cut her leg on the pew and was heavily bleeding; I helped manage the situation and bandaged her up with gauze pads until she could get to the ER. Even though I forgot to apply pressure first to stop the bleeding, I'm quite proud of myself!

I'm sorry you had to withdraw from school. I know you were looking forward to it and are rightfully feeling down now.

My current word of the day (and week, and month) is resiliency. It feels like every step forward these days comes with a step or two backward. I just have to keep forging ahead, no matter what.

I thought Bronwyn was recovered. We'd done the meds and she was up roosting with the others. Then, she reverted to sleeping in the nest box, so clearly, her feet were bothering her. We went back to the far-away-and-expensive vet clinic yesterday. This time, we got Dr. Walker (my favorite) who trimmed away some of the left foot scab, which is healing well. There's no infection but because she opened up Bronwyn's feet, we're back to more meds.

And, they found mites near Bronwyn's vent, so I will be treating chickens and scrubbing coops.

Resiliency - that's a good word to remember. I hope Bronwyn is better and there isn't a mite infestation?

Did you get your mite issues under control?

I actually never treated them at all. I found that permethrin is extremely toxic to cats, and the cats live in the chicken coop. But while trying to decide what to do, the mites seem to have disappeared. I don't see any anywhere.

Today, I have to try to capture the two wildest of the basement cats so they can get updated shots at the in-town vet. This will get ugly and fast. I'm not confident that I can get Jinx, the bigger and more skittish one, into a carrier.

Were you able to catch the wild cats? When I captured an adult feral cat, he was so angry - throwing himself around inside the carrier - I was afraid he would bust the door open. Thankfully he didn't!

I loved the tale of Marta and the boys tangling with the tape, and their imagined conversation over the garden. While you are looking for employment, keep writing. It's a great outlet for your creativity.

Here's another story: A couple days ago Lydwinne (my bully hen) was invading the Stinkers' space, and Sylvester snuck up behind her and pulled her tail. She couldn't believe what had just happened! To save face, she slowly sauntered away, but she hasn't gone near them since!

Thanks for the advice about writing. I started an article for the BYC contest, and of course I will keep posting here.

I took a lot of photos:

Cunningham Falls State Park

Emmitsburg, MD

Bumblebee and roses

Our back woods

Strange caterpillar

Eva

The Stinkers

Rose and Lyd

Constance

Some kind of bug I saved from the lawnmower

Eva

Annie

Stinkers again

Two bucks

Big Dipper

Starry night

 

[Callender Girl]

Ah, the mention of pin curls brings back memories of a childhood spent with dozens of bobby pins poking my scalp as I tried to sleep. Despite the natural wave and curl in my hair, my mother --who grew up when pageboys were highly popular -- believed I would benefit from having tightly wrapped pin curls all over my head at night.

Great job helping the lady in church; you are rightfully proud of using your training to stabilize her until she could get to the ER!!

I specifically treated Bronwyn, her coop and her coop mates for mites. I need to do all of the birds and all of the coops. But dusting the birds would be much easier with a second set of hands. I know the young woman who judges poultry at the 4-H fair, and I'm hoping Anna will come help or knows a 4-H'er who will lend a hand. Soon.

You're totally right about the permethrin. All my cats (even the ones I reluctantly adopted when they were dumped here) are indoors. I remove my coveralls as soon as I get inside and wash the chemical out of them ASAP.

I was not able to get Jinx cornered and into a carrier -- which I explained to the vet, the vet tech, and the receptionist. Unfortunately, the automated system, which texts and sends emails, didn't get the message. It continues to let me know that Jinx is "overdue for services". I have tried to get the vet clinic to let me out of the system, but I have been unsuccessful.

Lyd may be a bully, but she's a very nice-looking girl. As always, great photos. I think your "bug" is a katydid. Although I detest grasshoppers -- because I don't want them to hop onto me and because they eat my garden veggies -- I don't mind hopping katydids.

One of the dogs believes it is her duty to clean the blind cat's face. Monday, Dinah was repeatedly licking Goo's face, and it started to bleed. That's how I found a lump on his jaw, and I immediately suspected squamous cell carcinoma; I've lost four cats to that tumor.

The vet yesterday said he could feel a soft spot in the mass, so while it could still be a tumor, it MIGHT be a bone infection that we are treating with antibiotics. I hope he's right. Goo was born in my backyard more than 15 years ago, the only one of three kittens to live more than 2 days and the only one born without eyes. I know he's probably not going to make it until the end of the year, but I appreciate every day he has left.

I'm glad to hear you are writing for the BYC contest! Some day, maybe, I will write for one, too.

 

[Evadig]

The projects are never ending with this place, I tell you. It was really supposed to be my parents' retirement home/a home for either my sister or I should we start a family of our own...the water leak that caused so much trouble three years ago (but that we at least collected insurance on) has caused mold to the outside wall and deck as well. That we only discovered when we went to change the back door. So we didn't get insurance, because we can't prove the mold came from the same source as the leak.

We (or rather, my dad) are having to tear out the siding, OSB, insulation, and trim off all the rotten studs. Then we have to replace the deck, since that is also all molded. The rest of us rummage through the tool chests trying to find some small part, or hand him things, or run to the store twice in one day, or just sit on the steps and wait to be needed again.

However...when that is all done, we intend to go out to California for the winter. Now that the EMS class didn't work out, I will likely re-apply for the the dispatch job or try to get something in the school system over there. Hopefully the Coast Guard approves the waivers soon, too, or I will switch over to the Air Force... I should have just stayed with the AF, but the recruiter was very pushy, and I was afraid he'd throw me onto the plane for basic training whether I was ready or not!

That's all for tonight, I think. I am tired but can't go to bed because things are still busy out there. This is all stressful. I wish it would end. I wish the house wouldn't keep having issues. It's like every time we think we're almost done, something else pops up. We don't dare sell - we got that lovely 2% interest rate from back during COVID! Oh, well, all things must come to an end, eventually, as much as all things come to those who wait. If those two things are true, everything will work out .

Ah, the mention of pin curls brings back memories of a childhood spent with dozens of bobby pins poking my scalp as I tried to sleep. Despite the natural wave and curl in my hair, my mother --who grew up when pageboys were highly popular -- believed I would benefit from having tightly wrapped pin curls all over my head at night.

But did you benefit?

They don't poke me as much, for some reason! I actually sleep better with them than without, probably because I can't toss and turn as much.

I was not able to get Jinx cornered and into a carrier -- which I explained to the vet, the vet tech, and the receptionist. Unfortunately, the automated system, which texts and sends emails, didn't get the message. It continues to let me know that Jinx is "overdue for services". I have tried to get the vet clinic to let me out of the system, but I have been unsuccessful.

Could you live trap Jinx? Or is he too smart for that?

Lyd may be a bully, but she's a very nice-looking girl. As always, great photos. I think your "bug" is a katydid. Although I detest grasshoppers -- because I don't want them to hop onto me and because they eat my garden veggies -- I don't mind hopping katydids.

One of the dogs believes it is her duty to clean the blind cat's face. Monday, Dinah was repeatedly licking Goo's face, and it started to bleed. That's how I found a lump on his jaw, and I immediately suspected squamous cell carcinoma; I've lost four cats to that tumor.

The vet yesterday said he could feel a soft spot in the mass, so while it could still be a tumor, it MIGHT be a bone infection that we are treating with antibiotics. I hope he's right. Goo was born in my backyard more than 15 years ago, the only one of three kittens to live more than 2 days and the only one born without eyes. I know he's probably not going to make it until the end of the year, but I appreciate every day he has left.

That's nice of Dinah to try to help! What kind of dog is she?
I hope Goo is okay, and it's only a bone infection.

I'm glad to hear you are writing for the BYC contest! Some day, maybe, I will write for one, too.

That would be wonderful!

Look at this :

Cows in a field

Road in the evening

C-17 from the Air Guard; I love watching it fly over!

Fire tonight burning all that moldy OSB

 

[Callender Girl]

All of the house issues sound overwhelming! It's upsetting when you think you have everything under control and something else shows up that needs repair.

Maybe I'm projecting because I'm feeling overwhelmed these days, mostly with medical stuff with critters but also because of an upcoming insurance company inspection. I KNOW there's going to be things they want fixed ASAP.

The biggest impediment to getting things repaired is finding someone to do the work. No one is terribly interested in "small jobs." A couple of years ago, I contacted someone who advertised himself as a "handyman." My 100-plus-year-old house had settled enough that I needed a couple of windows adjusted and had a few odd jobs throughout the house.

Mr. Handyman came out in a brand-new, extended cab pick-up truck and brought a second guy. Their plan wasn't just to fix the side windows but to remove the entire bay window and its supporting structure. I had extra siding and paint from a previous project so even with me supplying materials, they estimated the job at $9,300 and put me on a four-month waiting list. I like having a bay window for my houseplants, I like the character it gives the dining room and there was no way I was going to help him pay for his fancy, shiny truck. Plus, I wanted the drafty windows fixed BEFORE winter.

I finally found someone who works by himself and charged me about $1,500 to replace the windows, shore up the structure and add storm windows to make the dining room warmer in winter. I have that guy on stand-by to help me when the inspector starts listing things I need to fix. But, the trick will be getting my outdoor projects scheduled before winter.

I am not a fan of cold weather, so winter in California has some appeal If you reapply for and accept the dispatch job, will it mean staying out there for the foreseeable future? You would still post on BYC, right?

I'm pretty sure I wouldn't enjoy the Air Force nor the Coast Guard; I really dislike flying and I can't swim!

Jinx is far too smart for a live trap. I had moved both Calypso and Ozzie into the house weeks before I was able to lure Jinx into a large "catio" on the deck and even then had to struggle to get him into the house.

Dinah, who continues to clean Goo's face even when he protests, is descended from a lot of breeds. Her DNA test lists 10; the most she is of anything is Chihuahua, at 25 percent. Imagine a 25-pound, high-spirited Chihuahua-terrier mix and that's her!

Even though Dr. C said he could feel a soft spot in Goo's lump, I am not at all confident that the meds are helping to heal my poor little guy. He was 15 this spring and had I not taken in that little eyeless kitten, he wouldn't have lasted more than a few months, I'm sure. Losing him is going to be totally heartbreaking.

Friends came out yesterday to help me dust the chickens after I spent most of the day cleaning coops to get rid of mites. It was like an assembly line: Jan held waiting birds while Anna held the current "patient" upside down and I applied the dust. Anna, who is a poultry judge for 4-H shows, also gave pedicures to a few of the hens! But she has cats, so I outfitted her in coveralls and long gloves so she wouldn't take any of the powder home with her. We both wore masks because the dust is so nasty to breathe.

Are you making progress on your BYC contest piece?