Just because I haven’t shared a trail cam photo of an armadillo in awhile, I offer you one today. Happy Saturday!
Armadillo
Month: September 2020
Puppy gardening
Our puppy has discovered my herb pots. After checking the list of toxic plants (none of the herbs are on there), and noticing she only nibbles a leaf or two, I’m just letting it be. I do have a wire enclosure that I could put around the pots to keep the puppy out, but I decided it was better served around the AC units, at least for the next couple of years, to keep her from gnawing the pipes.
Did you know that puppies have two rounds of intensive chewing? The first is regular teething when their adult teeth come in, around 5 months depending on breed, and the second starts up shortly after, around 7 months, and can last up to two years. This second phase is what usually take people by surprise. My plan for dealing with these phases is lots of access to acceptable chew toys, and to remember that tired puppies are good puppies!
Recent visitors
We have had a few wild visitors found in unexpected places this week!
A leopard frog found his way into the chicken coop recently. I couldn’t catch him the first day, but I found him in the same spot again the next day. This time I was able to catch him and relocate him nearer our neighbor’s pond.
My husband greeted our new neighbor, the largest spiny lizard I’ve seen, hanging out on the side of the house. My eldest caught her, and she was surprisingly docile once caught, allowing herself to be carried over to a tree.
The rains have finally come, and our poor industrious bumble bee, who has been diligently pollinating the mist flowers, took refuge from the deluge on the wall of our porch.
Even more surprising was the juvenile western rat snake that looked at me when I opened a cupboard in the coop. I was not quick enough with the camera for him!
Recovering my hope chest
My cat loves to sharpen her claws on the cushioned top of my hope chest. Luckily, it is easy to recover! (Although I admit it stayed in the frayed state for a couple years.)
I removed the screws holding the cushion to the lid, then used a staple gun to attach the new fabric over the old. When screwing the lid back on, it helps to clamp it in place until you get a few screws set. The whole project took about 30 minutes. The fabric is indoor/outdoor fabric that I hope will hold up to the cat’s attentions, if not, I will recover it again later!
And of course, the first thing that happens is that my cat throws up on it. The easy clean fabric was a good choice. Oi.
No more mystery pup
No more mystery! We received the results of Missy’s DNA test. Half cattle dog, quarter miniature poodle, eighth bishon frise, and a eighth yes maybe everything. Looks like her dad was cattle dog, and mom was a small mix. The rescue did say they saw the mom, but were unable to catch her. I am glad she has very little Chihuahua genes in her! It will be interesting to see how big she gets. And what her adult fur looks like.
Critters and Craft 