Scavenger Hunt : Metal

Happy Holidays?

This is just wrong.

Sad and wrong.

Lots of Help

Think He Wants In?

Pet Safety

I was pulling out Christmas decorations this morning which brought to mind the dangers of some holiday items to pets.
As some of you know I worked in the veterinary field for about 14 years, the last 6 years in emergency. My husband is also a emergency/critical care veterinarian. We've seen some interesting cases to say the least.

It's been awhile so I thought I'd make a list of either toxic items, or things we've removed from dogs/cats stomachs, throats and mouths.

Chocolate's a given. I think everyone knows that one. Now if they take a bite of a snickers, most are fine. It's the quantity and degree of chocolate. Darker chocolates and baking chocolates are the worst.

Tinsel ~ awful stuff, can cause them to choke or get entwined in the intestines. Can require surgery.
Ribbons/bows...same thing.
Poinsietta's are toxic. Along with Holly and Mistletoe.
So are any lily's. Here's a list of toxic plants.
Needles ~ I've seen several removed from cats throats, tongues, roof of mouth and surgically from the stomach. Even worse if thread is attached.
Thread ~ same thing, can get entwined in the intestines and have to be surgically removed.
Hooks~ Bulb hooks, fishing hooks... same thing. They get stuck and have to removed.
Socks/Hose ~ I've seen many socks, kneehighs and panty hose removed from dogs surgically.
Dental Floss ~ again..very bad if swallowed. I even saw cat who had to have the tape from cassette tapes removed surgically.
Bells/accessories ~ little holiday collars with bells, etc. They can and have eaten the bells.
Scraps ~ everyone does it sometimes, and it's easy to do.. but scraping off the ham/turkey for the dogs/cats.. not good. The seasonings can make them sick and pork can cause pancreatitis.
**The incidence of pancreatitis in dogs increases dramatically around Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas, as well-intentioned owners feed their dogs fatty foods and even fat trimmings, which cause a potentially deadly inflammation of the pancreas. So avoid feeding fatty food and large quantities of a new food, as this can cause diarrhea or vomiting in dogs and cats.

Bones, rawhides, corn cob (really bad)... especially those "Greenies" that are so popular. Hubs has removed those from a couple of dogs.

Watch what's wrapped under the tree.. I had a dog that used to open presents all the time.
Candles.. although I have them everywhere, I have been known to put out a kitty-tail fire on occasion.

I know most pet owners know these things, but sometimes they don't.. and those are usually the sad cases. Nothing wrong with repeating it :)

Oh and I won't go into details here.. but keep pets away from paper shredders. Keep them unplugged and put away. Seriously.. i've seen bad things.

I asked my husband to send me a list too.. so I might update this throughout the day.

Update: Coins, rocks, buttons, batteries, popsicle sticks, nipples off of bottles/nursers, all kinds of balls.
He just recently removed a hacky sack from a dogs stomach.
**oh and to the women, dogs and cats have been known to eat feminine products often. Yucky to think about, but even yuckier to remove.**

Update 2: Raisins and Grapes can also be toxic.

Don't Trash It

I meant to add to the post below....

My husband and I differ on food/leftovoers. I'm pretty sure it's because we were raised SO differently and had completely different childhoods. He was raised in that "leave-it-to-beaver" style (not kidding) where as I was...well, it wasn't "leave-it-to-beaver" and leave it at that.

I can't throw food away. Yes, I can if it's turned green and fuzzy, but otherwise I just can't. I can handle leftovers being in the fridge for awhile, I guess because sometimes that was a few meals for a few days. No other options. My sis and I know what it's like to have a completely empty fridge, or eat plain noodles or homemade biscuits for dinner. I'm not looking for sympathy points, it's the way it was. But... we appreciated food.

My husband on the other hand, won't leave food in the fridge for more than a day and it's in the trash. He'll scrape his plate into the trash before I can stop him. He'll 'clean' out the fridge everytime he comes home and start trashing stuff before I can stop him.
It seems like the same discussion everytime.. ."that food is still good", "you can use it for or in something". Falling on deaf ears.

I don't blame him, he probably never had leftovers or an empty fridge as a kid. But training him?....yeah, you know that doesn't happen. Even if I make something with it for the animals outside, at least it gets eaten. And no.. I don't feed the bear (shaddap).

I donate to the Montana Food Bank every year, mainly on holidays and this year I didn't get to it in time for Thanksgiving and I feel bad. I read every year how many hungry people are out there, and here I sit with plenty.

I noticed recently on Flickr that a contact of mine has been posting photos of interesting homeless people on the the corners with interesting signs for food. I used to stop many times and buy food for them.
I didn't give out money, but I'd run into the store or even if I couldn't get into a store I'd stop at a fast food place and buy them a meal. Sometimes they have pets with them, and of course (I know you're shocked), I'd buy pet food too.

You don't see that here where I am, I haven't seen a homeless person in years. But it if I did.. I'd give them some food and a coat and blankets if necessary.

Have any of you given to the guy/gal on the corner?

Something to Think About

96 billion pounds of food are wasted each year.

According to a study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, we waste 96 billion pounds of food in America each year. That turns out to be:


263,013,699 pounds of food wasted each day...
10,958,904 pounds wasted each hour...
182,648 pounds wasted each minute...
3,044 pounds of food wasted in America each second!

36 million Americans live in poverty.

Each day 36 million people in the United States have to struggle to get enough food. Nearly half of these people are children. A large number are elderly. But no matter who they are or where they live or why they are impoverished, there is no excuse for anyone to go hungry in America when so much food goes to waste!

A study done at the University of Arizona in Tucson indicated that 40 to 50 percent of all food ready for harvest never gets eaten.

Of the food that actually makes it into homes, 50 million tons of it goes into the garbage, sometimes unopened.

Timothy W. Jones, an anthropologist at the UA, Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology, has spent the last 10 years measuring food loss. His research found:

Households dump $43 billion worth of food a year, or about 14 percent of what they buy. That doesn't include plate scrapings.
15 percent of that waste includes products still within their expiration date but never opened.
5 percent of American's leftovers could feed 4 million people for 1 day
Disposing of food waste costs the U.S. $1 billion a year
Rotting food releases methane, a more potent greenhouse gas than CO2
Methane can be harnessed to create clean energy for heat, light and fuel
Retailers, including restaurants, throw away 35 million tons a year, valued at $30 billion.
Reducing food waste by half could reduce adverse environmental impacts by 25 per cent through reduced landfill use, soil depletion and applications of fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides.
About $500 per family goes out the window a year along with bad produce!!!!!


Something to think about when you're giving Thanks this Thursday........

Stolen from Michelle.

TTAMM~ Things That Annoy Me Monday

So, I really hate when you have to call a company to change or cancel something and they constantly try to either talk you out of canceling, or try to add on to what you're ordering or changing.

For example.. Recently, two big radio satellite companies merged. We had both. Two cars came with one company, and the other was for the third auto and was a portable. We decided to cancel the portable.
While on the phone, explaining that we didn't need THREE systems, they still tried to give us a deal to keep it. THEN.. after we canceled it, they tried to get us to add more programming to what we already had.

Ugh.. just do what we asked. Annoying.

Memory Lane

Betcha can't tell which one is me.

California

Amazing photos of an amazingly sad story Here. :(

Scavenger Hunt: Reflection

Saturday 9

1. What did you dream about last night?
: I had a dream that two people I know got married, which was shocking to everyone. It was a really weird dream. I didn't like it.

2. Do you often have nightmares?
: Sometimes.. not sure I'd say often.

3. Do you have any special talents?
: Hmm.. I don't know... macro photography maybe?

4. Who is the most talented person that you know?
: Know personally? My neighbor is an amazing gardner.. she has like 8 green thumbs. True talent with gardening. I on the other hand have like bluish black thumbs.

5. What did you watch on TV last?
: South Park

6. Is there a new TV show that you would recommend?
: I haven't watched any new shows lately.

7. Who was the last person you phoned and why?
: I called my sister last, to tell her about toast.

8. Who was the last person who phoned you and why?
: Husband called to check on sick horse.

9. What was the last snail mail letter that you received?
: That wasn't a bill or junk? Wow..who knows.

The Turkey Hunter

Silly cat...



























Edit: decided to add the next shot :)

13

1. Lately I've been starting these with no real ideas in mind and making it to 13 okay. Not sure I have 13 in me this time. We'll see.

2. We got a Christmas tree today. Early, I know. But seems every year if we wait after Thanksgiving it's colder and snow is on the ground. Not as fun to do the hike and haul the tree back. Today was good, so we have one now. Oh and we're expecting snow on Friday.

3. I probably won't decorate it right away, but the house already smells good.

4. The tree is 11 ft tall. I'll need a ladder.

5. The dog name ideas were too funny. TRO, you had me laughing out loud :).. I tried Marshmallow but G didn't go for it. He didn't go for Petunia either :P

6. He's been calling her Drifter. We'll see if that sticks.

7. My running goal might now work out. My left heel is so painful, I can barely walk after a walk/run. Takes me a couple of days to recover. The sock and pain patches didn't really work. I might have to go to a specialty foot/shoe store and have a shoe picked for me. We'll see.

8. I was asked to be the photographer for the Santa/Child photos here in town. Should be interesting. Santa/Child? Children-sitting-on-Santa's-lap? Whatever.. you know what I'm talking about.

9. Okay.. I'm stuck. Umm...the cats aren't really bothering the tree yet. I'm sure they're just waiting and plotting evilness until I have decorations on it.

10. My cards have been selling pretty well. I've restocked two stores a couple of times now and today I added Christmas cards. At some point I'll have an Etsy page set up.

11. I was taking photos yesterday when I came upon a ladybug nest that had been drowned out by a leaking water pipe. There were hundreds of ladybugs floating on big chunks of grass. Yeah.. I saved them. G offically thinks I'm crazy I think.
Anyway, I put the piles in the back seat of his pickup and drove them home and put them in my gardens. :0)

12. There are still ladybugs in his truck. I guess they're moving to Redmond tomorrow.

13. And here we are... hmmmm. I finally ordered a nice tripod.. I'm excited :)
I recently dropped my macro lens (YES, the 100mm.. my FAVE) and luckily, since I put filters on all of my lenses, that's what shattered ($40 instead of $500). Unfortunately, although I got all the cracked glass out I can't get the actual rim off :(.. so, I can't put a new one on yet. I've been extra careful.
Talk about a heart stopping when that lens hit the ground.

Okay.. I made it. That's that.

Oh and it's official....the woodstove has been started. I know you were all waiting for that news.

Dancer

I know I've posted this before, but I'm just amazed. Watch it, it's awesome.

I Guess It's Time to Name Her

Another Annoyance

The first beautiful-sunny-non-rainy day in ages and someone smokes us out with a burnpile.

Nice.

TTAMM~ Things That Annoy Me Monday

Leesa's Law.

Previously known as Murphy's Law.

Seriously annoys me.

As you know, or you will in a moment, November is our yuckiest month. The colors are gone, it rains practically everyday, and it's cold. Now, I like cold. And most of the time I like rain. But put the two together for a month in a row? Gets old.

Anyway, the Leesa's Law part... I rarely get out for photography during November. Too yucky and nothing pretty to photograph anyway. BUT.. it's guaranteed that if I find that small break in the weather, get my gear together, get dressed appropriately and get outside, it will start raining again. If not that, it gets grey and windy and I can't photograph anything anyway.

Same with the windows in my house. If the sun's out.. it's gorgeous and I open the windows and let fresh air in. Guaranteed as soon as I do that, it will cloud over and get cold and I have to close the windows again. Ten minutes later.... sunny again.

Or.. how about two days ago when there was a Kingfisher at the pond. Of course I was in the driveway with my macro lens when I heard this awesome bird. I go home, switch to the 500mm, walk back out to the pond.
As I'm walking back out it gets really windy, clouds up and starts to pour. Literally POUR. I head back home.
Another break in the weather, I decided to try again. I get out to the pond just as the bird flies away not to return. I go home.

Another break in the weather, I'm back out in the yard with my macro lens. Guess who comes back? Should I even bother? Okay, yeah I will.
I go home, I change lenses (again), head out to the pond. Once again.. clouds up, gets windy, and the bird is only there for one flyby and leaves again.

Yeah.. that annoys me.

Seriously.

Special Appearance

Friday Fifteen

1. We've had rain for a straight week. Everything's flooded and quite a mess. The horses are standing in at least 6 inches of water and I can't even get out there without tall boots on.

2. This morning it was 20 degrees.. so all that water (low water anyway) is now frozen. It was an interesting walk across the driveway to feed the horses this morning.

3. The Big Dawg is doing well. Still no bites on an owner, so I still have not named her. She's in a lot better spirits and hangs out in the front yard most of the day. Only thing though, she scares away the deer :(

4. Hunting season is going on around here. You know how much I love that. Only bad thing is we apparently have someone hunting from their car or down our personal roads anyway. We had a killing just out by our mailboxes :(. I can deal with the hunting, but at least hunt where you're supposed to, and where it's safe.

5. I read an article this morning where PETA is giving out Tofurkeys in Great Falls (I think).. can you imagine? All these hunters and meat eaters out here and PETA is trying to give away Tofurkeys?? Ya gotta laugh.

6. Here's another funny: Idaho breeds em' wild!

7. I've been missing my favorite shows lately. I don't pay attention to the day of the week, or the TV noise half the time, so I've missed House two weeks in a row and the same with Dexter. Thankfully Dexter is repeated many times during the week. I just don't seem to really care what's on TV anymore. I must be sick.

8. Recently saw the movie Juno. I like it, it was cute... but I'm drawn to it for some reason, not sure why. I play in the background pretty often. I love the friendship between the two girls. So totally opposite, but will drop anything to go help.. even if it's moving lawn furniture in the middle of the night. Love it.

9. I bought the DVD Jack Frost.. have you seen it? No.. not the Family one with Michael Keaton. The one with the killer snowman. No? It's great. It's cheesy, but it's great. Check it out.

10. I had a dream last night that I was in one of the Halloween movies. Michael Myers was stalking the town and killing people as usual, but I was the only one that knew it because I had seen the movie. So, I would just avoid the places I knew he'd be. It was too weird.

11. Wow.. I'm only at eleven? This could get boring fast.

12. I don't know how many of you heard about the toxic killing of my pond. It's a long story and it wasn't a happy one, but with all the rain we've had lately and with my help flooding it with the hoses on for days... it might just survive.

13. I am lovin' this phone. I don't have sprint and certainly don't need a new phone, but this one looks too cool. Found it over at Shephards :)

14. Speaking of phones, I recently bought the Voyager (Verizon) and then just after.. they came out with The Storm. That's just wrong. No fair, No fair.

15. Again, speaking of phones... it's nutty that I even want a cell phone OR a new fancy cell phone since they don't even work in my town or my house, and I never get out of here anyway.

Thank goodness... DONE.

**oh and as you can see in the photo above, my pet turkey is still here. Yikes, maybe I need to bring him in soon?**

I Was Impressed

And, let's not forget Thanksgiving...














Click em' to Big em'

Disposable People

I've been reading some drama in Flickr today. I suppose I shouldn't link since it's not appropriate and not my problem.... but the subject is interesting.

So&So was friends with So&So... ONLINE.
They exchanged emails, phone calls, etc. Friends for quite awhile although never met in person.
One day.. all of a sudden #1 So&So decided to distance themselves from the Flickr society. Which also meant most of their Flickr friends. Adios.. bye bye. You're not my friend any longer.

Of course, and I can certainly understand, #2 So&So took offense. "Am I disposable?". "Am I not a 'real' friend because I'm online?" It goes on and on....
#1 So&So responds, defensively of course, that that wasn't the case and that their interests had changed and that wasn't what they were into anymore. Not much more explanation. But, they did in fact, delete most of their "friends". Again.. no explanation except, "I'm downsizing, don't take it personally". Umm..okay.
Now I'm not taking sides... I'm certainly no expert on friendships, online or not. I do think I'd have the same hurt feelings being 'disposed' of. But.. I've heard this topic before...

"Online friendships aren't tangible".. I've heard.

I'm not sure how to feel about the statement, as I can certainly admit that I've had the feeling that online friends are just that... in that little box, online. I don't feel them as disposable or not a friend, but certainly at a distance.
But maybe I'm that way because I'm always alone and tend to put up that barrier anyway.
I have been on the receiving end of being 'dumped' online. It hurts. You do feel 'disposable'. People's lives get busier, or dramatic, and the first thing to go is the online world. But.... there are friends there, as I have learned.

I realize I could possibly sound a little hypocritical, being that I haven't been here much lately and I haven't chatted with my friends online in ages. But it certainly wasn't because I have a life on the other side.
And I certainly didn't feel as if these people weren't real or important. Actually, I think it was the exact opposite.. "I" didn't feel real or important anymore. Did they feel disposable?

I'm not sure where I'm going with this really, except that I have felt disposable and I've certainly been disposed of. But I guess it opened my eyes a bit that hopefully I haven't made anyone feel disposable.

I'm copying a comment I saw today in this Flickr drama:

**Thanks for the reminder that on the other end of every icon/comment/fave etc. beats the heart of a living, breathing, person.

Special Comment

Thanks, Mike.

TimeWaster

Kinda cool........Go Play.

Turn up your volume.

TTAMM~ Things That Annoy Me Monday

When something happens on your computer/internet that you can't explain. You've made NO changes, NO new software, NO viruses/spyware... something just stops working right.

Soooo... you go to the help pages, the support pages.. tech help... and the answers they give you, well.. you might as well work for Microsoft or be a computer genius to understand.

So, I just have to deal with it because all the solutions they gave me don't change anything, and I don't know enough about 'codes' and 'FF configuration' and 'file this, file that'.

And don't tell me it's because I don't own a MAC so don't even go there.

White & Nerdy

Yes, There's More

Big Dog is still here.
She's doing better although I haven't quite figured her out. I think she's quite old and that's why she's so slow. Possibly arthritic. I started her on a pain reliever and I think it's helping. She wags her tail now :)
I've also learned that she won't touch dog food. My guess, the previous (or current) owners only fed her table scraps. Greaaaat.
I did mix dry dog food with chicken broth and heated it up. She did eat, finally.

I haven't yet checked with the local gossip mill ( town store ), to see if anyone's missing a dog. It's funny that you all assume I'm adding to my herd :P.
I am still waiting to see if she's just missing or lost. And no.. I haven't named her.

Sadly.. that's all I've got to tell ya.
It's rained for a week straight....some snow at night.
Everything's muddy or flooded.

And.. I still haven't started the wood stove.

Big Dog Update

Believe it or not, this is the best shot I could get. She's scared of the camera. Figures. Not sure she can live here and be scared of the paparazzi.
And yes, she's a girl.
She won't eat for me but she did go outside with Taylor for a bit and then came back in to be in front of the fire.
I'm assuming she's slow because she's painful. I gave her pain relievers and I'm hoping that will make her feel better and she'll eat and drink.

We'll see.

Pepper

Always Something

Every now and then I have strange dogs show up on the property. Nothing surprising or new, since I doubt very many people in this town own leashes or fenced-in yards.
Most of the time not a biggie, you run them off. And honestly, it doesn't happen that often.
The only time I ever had a tragedy was with Bustopher, which I'm not going to rehash.. it still makes me sad :(

Anyway... this morning, this dog showed up on the property. It was raining and cold and he was pretty dirty. ( well, not that dog, this is just a photo I found online that looks like him. Actually at this very moment, I don't even know if it's male or female.)
I ran him off, he left.
Later on, he showed up again. He was hanging out on our porch, but didn't seem to be bothering the cats or even eating their food. I let him hang out.

I was careful on approaching him, since you never know what you're dealing with, and he's a pretty big dog. He was very leery and stayed back.
He eventually just laid down on the deck and stayed there.
About an hour went by and I went to check on him. It was snowing and he was soaked and covered with snow. He still continued to just lay there.
I approached him slowly, petted him, talked to him. He seemed pretty laid back and just stayed where he was. And, I just chose to leave him there.

Another hour or so, I checked on him again. He had moved to the front porch, which is covered, and went back to sleep. I again, went out to see him and talk to him and noticed he was soaked and shivering.
I know you won't be surprised to know I brought him some blankets and food. The minute I laid a blanket down on the porch, he got up and walked over and laid down. He knew what the blanket was for. I then covered him with another and offered him food. He didn't eat.

This sounds repetitive I guess, but I once again left him alone and checked on him again later. It's getting darker and colder and he's still sleeping on his blanket. I was worried about him for many reasons, but the main one being that he was soaked and outside in freezing weather.
The idea of bringing him just wasn't at option at the time. I didn't know what he'd do around Taylor or the cats, or what they would do in turn. Again.. he's a big dog.
It was just so odd for a dog to just show up and stay.
Also odd that he wouldn't move much and wouldn't eat. I had a feeling this was going to be a long night for me. I don't sleep well if I have a sick pet.

I finally couldn't stand it anymore and I brought him in. I had a blanket laid out on the floor that Taylor or the cats usually sleep on, right in front of the fireplace.
He walked straight to that blanket and laid down. I gave him a new blanket, and there he stayed. The cats weren't too thrilled, but since he wasn't running the house or making noise, they've calmed down. Again.. I left him alone.
Later.. I found Taylor sleeping next to him on the blanket.

At this point, I really can't tell much.
Either he's sick, hurt, or worn out. I can't really tell age, but again I'm not messing with him too much at this point.

Kinda funny I guess, I usually collect cats... not large dogs. But.. here he is.

As I type this he's sound asleep in front of the fire with Taylor.
I have a feeling I won't sleep much tonight.

These.make.me.laugh.

13

1. Hey looky there... I was thinking of TT, and it's actually Thursday :)

2. Twenty degrees this morning and I still haven't started the wood stove. Yes, I procrastinate that job. I don't think I can much longer though.

3. I can't seem to keep a fire going this morning.. does wood get too cold to burn?

4. The turkey is still here, I guess he's a new pet. The cats and deer don't seem to mind him although Taylor thinks he's here to chase.

5. Marble's back home. She's a lot calmer then she was before and stands her ground. As if she wasn't a pill already :)

6. No snow on the ground yet, although the mountains are covered and some of the trees. I'm guessing it will be around Thanksgiving, as usual.

7. Sadly, I'll miss my Cowboys this Thanksgiving. I'm going to a friends for T-dinner and they don't have TV. (yikes..imagine that??)

8. I can't decide whether to Tivo it or not... I'm sure I can't wait the whole day without finding out the score.

9. My homemade chicken noodle soup came out awesome. I think I could live on it. I think next I'm going to try homemade tomato soup.

10. In case you are interested in some really good recipes, check out The Homesick Texan... good stuff.

11. My cards are selling pretty well, I've even had some requests for larger framed photos. I've actually been pretty impressed with my photos in 11x14. The most popular so far is the Trout/Marble photo from Christmas.

12. Two grizzlies were killed recently ~ Read Here, this makes me sad. Especially the idiot shooting out of season.

13. I haven't seen any bear recently, although they do leave evidence around my yard. ( Hey, Stace.. there's SOME poopkeh!). I guess they're about to hibernate for the Winter.

Wow made it to thirteen.

Needed

With all the political hate and bashing going on out there, I decided to post something cute. And I guess kind of fitting too.















Oh, and I dedicate this to Stacie :)

Let's Fly

TTAMM~ Things That Annoy Me Monday

Believe it or not, I just sat down here to write a Thursday Thirteen. It was now I realized it's Monday. Yeah, welcome to my life.

So.. Monday. Hmm... isn't this supposed to be Things That Annoy Me Monday?

We'll go with that.

I really really hate when people call my house several times without leaving a message. IF it's important, IF you want to reach someone or have someone call you back.... leave.a.message.
It's not hard. There's this little voice, and then a little beep and then you speak.
Leave your name, and a phone number would be good. You might even want to say why you're calling. That's it.

Easy Peasey.

And I just might call you back :)

Wounded Soldier

A friend of a friend needs your prayers. Go read and donate if you can.