Recent visitors

On By CarynIn Wildlife

We have had a few wild visitors found in unexpected places this week!

Leopard frog in the chicken runs

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.

Adult Texas Spiny Lizard

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.

Wet bumble bee

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

On By CarynIn Cats, Craft

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.)

Hope chest with cat damage

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!

Underside of cushioned top, ready for new fabric
Recovered hope chest

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

On By CarynIn dog

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.

Results from Missy’s Wisdom panel DNA test
Missy at 10 weeks old

Tea towel toy

On By CarynIn Craft, dog

So little miss mystery pup found a tea towel hanging up to dry and happily made off with it. After retrieving the towel and hanging it higher, I rummaged through the rag bin for an old tea towel. I cut it into four pieces lengthwise, rolled each strip into a tight tube, and did a four strand round braid with knots on each end. I will be keeping an eye on it to make sure she doesn’t get loose threads or pieces off, but I think it is safe to say she likes it.

Missy with a toy made from a braided and knotted tea towel.

Moth eaten

On By CarynIn chickens
Seashell molting along her body

I thought my chickens looked quite hen pecked when they lost their beards and muffs to molting. Now that their body feathers are going through the same process, they look worse; little ragamuffins, in moth-eaten disarray, feathers ragged and tuffs hanging out. Maybe by the time winter rolls around they will be back to their feathered finest. The molting process can take up to five months, according to a quick internet search. I noticed this molt start back in May. They may yet look worse.