Surviving Minnesota!

[duluthralphie]

Ralphie, have you seen any of the photos or reports of storm damage in Duluth? It is really quite a disaster. Very large trees down all over town, and the cemeteries have been very hard hit. It will take decades for the trees along London Rd to grow back.

This advancing age is not all it is cracked up to be. I have heard of Gout but never knew much about it. I can now tell you it is something you do not want. First thing the DR. asked is do you drink a lot of beer or eat a lot of red meat? I told him I hardly drink any alcohol, but I am quite fond of red meat and do not intend to give it up. As close as I am to 100, I will bear the pain until the end.

It is quite beautiful today, and I will put it in the memory banks to reminisce about when it is below zero in October.

I did my daughter sent pictures they were without electricity until Thursday. They live on the east side between London road and Mount Royal /UoM area. I guess a lot of trees are gone in that area.


The gout "vacuums". I have never had it my Uncle gets it often, it looks to be very painful. Giving up red meat would be hard to do, it is the one of the only joys I have left in the world.. I think I will give up red meat when Ivie gets gout, we all know she is older than me and younger than you, so if I wait until then I should be able to avoid ever getting it...

 

[lvie]

Quote:
Okay, okay already. That Gout stuff is not pleasant I hear. A bed sheet can hurt and even someone walking into a room while the 'gout' person lays there. Then there are tomatoes, rhubarb and other foods that are a definite no no. My YOUNG BIL has gout and Type II diabetes which he controls with his diet. But there are some things he cannot eat for the gout and then there are some things he cannot eat for the diabetes. Not Fun! So its not just getting older. Diet is the answer. Alls we can say is opps, I screwed up.

I totally agree with you Ralphie about the young coon. It was fighting with something on the other side of the river last night. So far it has not been back here and I still need to repair and stain and add additional protection to ward off the critters. I did a total makeover of the their staked out area behind the garage. I THINK it looks so much better. I leveled all those posts that I had to mallet into the ground. The DH does not think it looks nice but like my neighbor said to me last night (laughingly) that my DH thinks everything looks like ghetto. Except my nice coop he had to give in and make for me last year.

No more free ranging

Hoping the birds don't hurt me. Both seem content in their runs and as I said before, they get lottsa treats. I do like my gardens and I just reworked one, completely tearing it apart and replanting. Too much work for the chicks to eat it. So no more free ranging.

Expecting my nephew and his new wife momentarily for the night. DH is up in Aitkin. Tomorrow is a family get-together here. Good night folks.

 

[MNChickMom]

1st egg

 

[I Love Layers]

1st egg

Yay!! I remember my first egg it was laid by my EE obsidian

 

[Violetsfeathers]

Some animal has been knocking down the chicken wire fences at night when I leave the chicken food out. Since I have been bringing it in the fences haven't been getting knocked over. I was going to trap the animal but what if it's a skunk?!

 

[I Love Layers]

Some animal has been knocking down the chicken wire fences at night when I leave the chicken food out. Since I have been bringing it in the fences haven't been getting knocked over. I was going to trap the animal but what if it's a skunk?!

You shoot it somehow
You rope the cage and drag it for a while then shoot it.
Or you have someone open the trap let the skunk out then shoot it

 

[Bogtown Chick]

We had a fox run out of the yard tonight. Saw it cross the drive as I drove out to get my kids from work. Crap.

When I got back I got the pop door off of shavings and further down it's slot. Closed up other doors to the run. I even shut one of the windows. Just leaving one window open. Screen and hardware cloth on that window.

This evening was mojito and chicken tv evening.

RJ

The yellow lab took a run at the silkie tonight. I screamed and she backed right off. She has been so good and now this. Poor Dixie. I don't know if she'll do that again... But she knows I was not pleased.

 

[lvie]

1st egg

Congratulations Egg Mom!

 

[duluthralphie]

Some animal has been knocking down the chicken wire fences at night when I leave the chicken food out. Since I have been bringing it in the fences haven't been getting knocked over. I was going to trap the animal but what if it's a skunk?!

If you are worried about a skunk. Put a long rope on the trap before you set it. stretch the rope out its full length. Make you have the rope attached to the front of the trap. On a skunk the rear is the dangerous spot. Hopefully the trap will be too small for the skunk to turn around.

If you get one hook it onto a truck/car/ATV and drive as fast as you can as far away from the buildings as possible. Release the rope. skedaddle out of there as fast as possible. Shoot the skunk from a distance with a 22.

Figure that trap is unusable for a year and leave it lie...


This is a lesson I learned when about 12. DO NOT TRY TO SHOOT THE SKUNK IN THE TRAP CLOSE TO BUILDINGS.... BTW did you know the "odor" causing liquid is yellowish green and can spray about 20 feet out the rear of the skunk even while in a trap?

 

[duluthralphie]

You shoot it somehow
You rope the cage and drag it for a while then shoot it.
Or you have someone open the trap let the skunk out then shoot it

I should have read this before typing,,,

but I would NOT recommend the release then shoot plan. Traps are not that expensive in the whole scheme of things.