DON'T BITE ME

Years ago, when I told some soon-to-be co-workers at the Maybelline Cosmetics facility in North Little Rock, the location of the home I had just put down a bid & deposit on, pending my transfer to Arkansas, the united response seemed to include a warning about the amount & SIZE of the mosquito's in the area of my new home.

Dang. They were right !!

The first mosquito's start showing up in early Spring. Just a few. Enough to let a person know the blood suckers are in the area & the mosquito's know the humans are as well.

As it gets warmer, the mosquito's get bigger & more daring. This will go on until early Fall, when the cold weather starts to slow them down a bit.

I've had more than my share of battles with these bugs. The mosquito's are a constant threat, both when in the yard, or at times -- many times -- in the house. The mosquito's seem to take an open door -- held ajar too long while one or more cats try to decide just what that smell is on the top doorstep, before coming in -- as their personal invitation to enter the house. Let the biting & battles begin.

NOTE: While the cats will chase a fly around the room to the point I have to get up from watching TV & get the fly swatter to end all the commotion, a mosquito seems to be too small for them & never hits the cats radar. It's me, going alone, against the winged warriors. It's one time I would like the cat's help.

Now with all the problems, buzzing & biting caused by mosquito's, the insect creature which causes me the biggest irritation, is the Deer Fly. [That's Chrysops Relictus ... for anyone needing the scientific name.]

This is a small fly, which ALWAYS seems to know when I go outside ... night or day. It doesn't matter if it is in the side yard, back lot or going for my A.M. walk. One or more of these bitters will come buzzing around me. If that's not bad enough, it's almost impossible to feel them land on a body part -- they love my face & neck -- BEFORE the bite occurs. Of course, my response is to slap at the fly ... HITTING MYSELF. I'm getting black & blue thanks to flies !!

Actually, once a Deer Fly lands, it seems to lose the rapid deployment of, say, a common House Fly. [Look that name up yourself.] If I'm slapping correctly at the biting fly, it's often easy to smack those suckers into oblivion.

Now after almost 14 years of fly slapping, I've become a pro at recognizing a Deer Fly landing on me -- before it bites -- & grabbing that varmint ALIVE. Or ... only "Mostly Dead". [Princes Bride movie reference noted.] I get a vicarious thrill knowing I've made the grab & that dude is now squirming in my paws.

SQUEAMISH READERS ... SKIP THE NEXT PART.

With my captured Deer Fly, if I have it still alive in my hand, I extract the ultimate, cruel revenge -- I let it go ... AFTER I have pulled off one of it's wings. "Take that sucker. See how long you live WALKING" [Not for long I'm sure. The fly is NOT going to re-grow the missing wing.] It makes me feel like a god ... but, with a small "g".

I guess the word never gets passed on to other Deer Fly's NOT to mess with me & try & bite me. More keep coming buzzing around, sometimes as I am extracting wings from prior bitters.

They have to learn the hard lesson -- DON'T BITE ME !!!

DOGS DO IT

Several readers of this blog -- through comments & e-mails -- have taken me to task for describing my new method of providing care for my cats; I now keep them in old aquarium tanks. [No H2O, except for their drinking dish.]

Like everything in life -- even all nine of theirs, or, how many each of my cats have left -- sometimes changes can prove difficult, especially where routines & habits have developed. It's true with cats. They may be used to "freedom", but with simple "enforcement techniques", they learn to live within the restrictions & boundaries their new environments provide.

I may have to write a book on my new methods of proper cat care. It's a new & exciting way of keeping cats & I am sure many cat owners will be anxious to follow my lead & begin enclosing their cats in old aquariums.

Remember too, aquariums can be LARGE. My biggest tank -- shown in the photos -- is a 55 gallon tank. There is room for probably one or two more cats to share the space. [I know... that's really cramping them up, but, they're cats. They'll learn to adapt & figure which one of the group is going to get stepped on.]

It was pointed out to me -- see the "comments" section of the blog -- that I wrote about having my youngest cat -- THE WOBBLER -- joining me & sitting on my lap while typing at the computer, & how could that be if she was in her aquarium tank ??

Well, DUH !!! The cats are my pets & as such, they get let out occasionally to socialize. If they are especially good, I.E., eat all their food, don't make a lot of noise or don't try to escape from their tank, the cats can earn "free time" & be allowed out for a few extra minutes.

The photo above shows Nibblets -- the oldest kitten -- "visiting" her Mother, Precious, at the aquarium tank that houses her Mother. Nibblets had earned the time. Both cats sense this is a "privilege" & spend most of the time trying to touch or smell each other through the glass. It's quite sweet how they try to get to each other despite the glass.

So everyone, don't be too quick to judge -- or mis-judge -- new ideas & techniques in proper cat care. I've read several times that man has never truly domesticated the cat, unlike dogs which went from wolves to lap dogs in several generations. My methods may just be what is needed for cats to "catch up" & learn to live their life serving humans. Dogs do it. Why not cats ??

WRITING PARTNERS

Six P.M. is a good time for me to re-check the computer each day, especially now that the warm -- well, HOT -- days of Summer are with us .... even though it is still six days until Summer officially begins. It sure FEELS like Summer now.

Today the temperatures were in the mid-90's. With the humidity, it felt like 103 degrees. That's Summer time weather.

I was outside today from about 9 A.M. until I came inside to get a shower just past 3 P.M. As long as I start the day being outside, I can adjust to the increase in temperatures, adapt & enjoy the warm weather. But, if I am active INDOORS earlier in the day, cooled by air conditioning for an extended period in the A.M., I don't handle the transition to the heat outdoors too well. It's times like then when it does feel HOT !!

At this hour of the evening, I have had my dinner -- Yes, Bubba ... the "earlier bird special" -- read for awhile & watched the local & national network news shows. [Little known fact about me: The "local news" I watch most nights is NBC4 ... from New York City, although I do have Little Rock TV stations.]

Since I am all cleaned up, cooled down & settled in for the evening, it's not too often that I would go back outside in the (still) warm temperatures. I don't want, or need, to get sweaty & "moist" ... again. So, it's a good time of the day to check the computer, since it has been -- in most cases -- since early morning when I have last been on-line. This time of day -- six P.M. --can also be a good time to add a post to my blog, just as we are doing now.

Yes ... "we".

Sitting at the computer desk -- or either desk, I have two -- seems to automatically generate an internal invite to my youngest "girl" -- THE WOBBLER -- to come running, as if somehow, something is telling her ... "Hurry, the lap is available".

Wobs loves to sit in my lap while I type, often with me having crossed my right leg over the left, creating a cradle for her to stretch out in ... & causing me to type "semi-side saddle". She purrs away & "talks" to me in her special "cat language", no doubt, offering suggestions to my writing. She never interferes with my typing, other than to stretch & indicate the need for some occasional ear/head & back scratching.

My sweet Wobs. She is soooooo sweet, helpful & a definite writing partner. I do love her so much !!

PROPER CAT CARE

I've documented on this site my history with cats. Prior to about four years ago ... there was no "history".

I had always been a "dog person", although I had not had a dog of my own since high school. But, I always had good relationships with other peoples pets. Let them pay the Vet bills.

When the three cats I have were sent to me -- that's correct ... they were "sent to me", (More on this philosophy in the future.) -- I had to make up for lost time & ignorance in my knowledge of cat care.

I've asked a lot of questions of cat owners. Well, people who have cats in their lives. You never really "own" a cat.

I looked for suggestions from my friends, but most of them hated cats. They were no help.

I bought a lot of books on cats in an effort to learn about them & caring for them. Buying the books was the easy part. I have thousands of books & buy new ones almost weekly.

Applying all the instructions, advise & suggestions on cat care was/is the hard part. Every author & "cat expert" -- is there such a thing ?? -- has different methods. Most of them don't work. Cats can't read.

After trial & error, along with a lot of half eaten kat fud & furniture getting torn up, I decided to apply my own techniques when it came to having cats as pets.

I now think "outside the (litter) box". I am keeping my cats in old, empty aquarium tanks.

Some advantages:
** Cats don't NEED to have the run of the house, or be outdoors.
** The furniture stays looking new.
** What hair balls ??
** No cat fights.
** No cat hair on EVERYTHING.

As shown in the first photo, my Momma Kitty is content with her new quarters. But, then again, what can she do about it ?? Too bad !! She's a cat !!

I took the top off the aquarium for this photo. There is plenty of room. She can even turn around if she wants.

It may take a while for any cat to get adjusted to the new "restrictions", but some of that is based on centuries of cats free roaming. That stops with my keeping method !!

We're the humans. We are in charge & cats are just "pets". It's time they were "displayed" ... like birds in a cage in the house, or, the fish which were once in the aquarium.

I think my new idea for cat keeping will catch on with many people who currently have cats, but dislike all the care required with their upkeep. A lot of people have old discarded aquariums in the attic or basement. Put those dust collectors to good use.

Additionally, rather than try to "domesticate" cats, this way the cat can be "controlled", attended to when the mood strikes the owner & the cat forgotten about at all other times.

It's a win/win scenario for the cat owner & a new method of proper cat care.

ROAD KILL

Just about every day -- weather permitting -- I am on the local roads, getting my daily exercise. I have a measured distance of 2.5 miles which I walk or jog, or do a combination of both. It depends on how I feel & other factors, such as heat, humidity & if a dog is chasing me or not.

I use my stop watch to record my times & I keep a log book of each days data: my weight, number of sit-ups I've done & the time it took me to traverse my course.

Earlier in the Spring, while on my daily jaunts, I kept my eyes open for baby turtles on the road. This year I collected almost a dozen turtle hatching's. Most all of them have now been released, after keeping them a few weeks to "head start" them.

Along with the turtles I picked up, I would also come across a few dead turtles as well. Not all the little guys were lucky enough for me to come along at the right moment. Sometimes the traffic beat me to the turtles.

There is a seasonality to reptiles & amphibians & their travels, causing them to intersect with the highways. Not so with mammals; there is no season to finding road remains of squirrels, raccoons, possums & beavers dead on the local roads. [Yes ... beaver. Those nature videos make them appear to be native only to some clear mountain ponds & streams. Not so. The giant rats are in every local body of H2O.]

As the weather has gotten warmer, I am starting to see more & more dead snakes on the roads. Many times -- being cold blooded creatures -- snakes will venture onto roads at night, where the pavement is still warm from the daytime heat. WHAM !! Motor vehicle = pancake.

One species of snake I find D.O.A., all too often, is the MUD SNAKE. This is a large snake -- about three foot long for a good size adult -- with a shinny black skin & a BRIGHT red belly color. Really, a B-E-A-utiful snake.

The Mud Snake is a water loving snake & with the large number of creeks, streams & bayous locally, the conditions are ideal for this snake, which feeds on salamanders, crayfish & small fish.

I usually find the dead snakes in the early morning hours, indicating they were on the roads at night. It is unfortunate these reptiles are killed in this manner. I always hope it is just a matter of the snake -- or any animal -- being in the wrong place, at the wrong time & not some Arkansas joy rider getting their jollies from seeing what they can run over & kill with their car.

I enjoy my daily exercise most, when I return home without having found/seen something newly dead on the roads. There is enough "road kill" as it is. The car /truck ALWAYS wins.

THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS

I've written many times about my three cats & their various activities. I've also written about my life-long interest in turtles & the collection of exotic species I keep to this day.

Living in a rural area, I have also had my share of wild reptile "visitors"; snakes, lizards & turtles. Add all the birds, squirrels, possums, armadillos, stray dogs, etc., traversing my property & I have a regular menagerie of animals coming thru the area.

Sometimes I feel like I am living a part -- or at least a few chapters -- in the book by Kenneth Grahame ... The Wind in the Willows. The main characters in the book -- Mr. Badger, Mr. Mole, Mr. Toad & Mr. Rat -- have certainly -- with the exception of the badger, as I doubt they are found in Arkansas -- all been visitors in "real life" to my homestead. [Examples would be Mr. Mole, or his relatives, digging up the ground & Mr. Rat's kin are often left -- in pieces -- on the front porch, thanks to to my cats.]

While I have written previously about the local amphibians -- i.e. the chirping of the Spring Peeper Frogs, signaling the change of Winter each year -- there are plenty of other frogs & toads living here along with all the other species of animals. If it is one thing I have plenty of, it is frogs & toads.

I often think of Thaddeus Toad from The Wind in the Willows. Mostly it is when I am riding on my John Deere mower, cutting the grass. Not only do I have to watch the cutting path I am following, but I also have to be aware of the toads which are hopping just a few feet in front of my lawn mower.

Toads are slow hoppers & I have to be careful to avoid them. They do not jump as frogs do; another amphibian to avoid while on the mower. Toads are slow. At times, I have had to stop my mower & physically move the toads to another part of the yard. [No warts ... yet.]

Several years ago, from my good friend Dr. Roger Dew, I received a "Toad House" as a gift. It's a small, ceramic cottage with a solar light in it. It has an opening to to encourage toads to use it as a shelter & thus any toad living in it will be beneficial to the surrounding garden areas by eating the damaging bugs. How organic !!

So far, my very own "Thaddeus Toad" has not shown up in the little cottage. Instead, he/she seems to have set up residence in one of my orchid plants.

This toad has been with me now for almost two months. He/she is always in the same pot, with the same orchid. Sometimes the toad is on top of the moss. Other times the toad is "invisible", buried in the moss.

Having trouble seeing the toad ??

Little "Thaddeus" is a bit easier to see in the above photo.

And finally, a close up of my little toad friend.

While I may not have all the characters of Mr. Grahame's book, & the animals are certainly not speaking English to me, -- [I don't know what Wob's is always saying to me. I think it is "Cat-Speak" ... for "Feed me".] -- I do have a varied & interesting group of animals to meet & greet each day. Sort of my own version of -- within reason -- The Wind in the Willows.

THEY SAY IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY ...

Time flies ... whether you are having fun or not.

I can't believe it has been three years TODAY that Momma Kitty had her second batch of kittens -- over night -- in the ferns outside my house. There were nine kittens in all, six of which lived. Once discovered -- I had to ask a newly slimmed down Precious to "find" the litter for me, as the group was well hidden -- the six kittens were transferred to a towel lined box & all started to nurse. Precious was/is an excellent mother.

Today's "Birthday Girl" is THE WOBBLER, so named due to some difficulty at an early age with her stability. Wobs is in the photo above, in the top center, identified by the double "blaze" on her head.

Wobs is my "special baby". While I have often written about my own surprise at being turned into a "cat lover", Wobs is a lesson & example of how that all can happen. She is sweet & loves my companionship, constantly following me around the house & out in the yard. Wobs can be VERY vocal in "talking" to me, telling me everything; it's time to get up in the A.M., to when I need to sit down on the couch to make my lap available for her to snuggle & purr in.

I love ALL my cats -- Precious was in my lap as I typed most of this -- & it is hard to believe three years has passed so quickly since THE WOBBLER was born.

Time -- & life -- has flown by in these three years. I hope me & the girls -- Precious, Nibblets & THE WOBBLER -- have many more birthdays. It has been a fun & enjoyable time together.