Roll Call

Sorry the pigs cause damage. They are so cute when they're little. It's so funny how you can make them sleep by scratching them. I was at a farm once and we went around scratching piglets and watching them keel over. lol I'm easily entertained!

KC
I've hypnotized chickens, but never piglets. Next time I get a chance I'll try your technique. The piglets (3) were cute when they were little, and their momma would herd them across the road, and back up to their home. DH has been up in the air, can't decide if they are useful or not. I guess if they didn't come in our yard there wouldn't be a problem. Except somebody is going to get hurt one of these days, because of those critters running loose. I think the neighbor family is raising them for food. I know that they have kids too. We still live in a quasi-rural area, hopefully they will understand that good fences make good neighbors.
For now at least, I'm going out to enjoy a sunny (surprise!) day at the beach.
WIB

SingingWolf.

I know I posted this somewhere before, but can't find the thread. I went out to water one day and found two feet sticking out of the dirt. When we dug down, we found a dead chicken upside down. Apparently, it stuck its head in a plastic jug I was using to water a new plant, got stuck and flailed around until it smothered itself! Don't know how it got to our place to begin with, as there were so many hawks, owls, and coyotes around at the time. Dead coyote in the pond, turkey vultures in the front yard finishing off a snake or squirrel - the joys of rural life. lol

We do have some neighbors we had to teach about fences. They had a pack of dogs- anywhere from 5-7 - and a young son that would roam all over our property.

The pigs are hilarious. I can't remember if it was their backs or ears we scratched, but they keeled over and took a short nap. They followed us around nipping at our ankles.

I love pigs, but have to admit I haven't had them invading my gardens...in Washington it was the neighbor's cow who was always loose and stomping through our property.

That story of the chicken and the milk jug sounds like a cartoon !
Poor thing...

The cartoonish thing was me, standing there with my mouth hanging open. Those feet looked like something from another world, seeing as how I had never made a study of chicken paws. Only the feet were showing, no feathers at all, and they were pointing in the wrong direction.

Oh Kathleen, that is just too funny. lol

That photo you posted looks like that scene from the Wizard of Oz where the house landed on the witch...and her feet were hanging out from under it...only your chicken doesn't have a house on top of it ! (And that's a good thing...) LOL

About 6 months ago, I went to dump the trash in the dumpster and out of the corner of my eye, I saw something with hair on it, move. Very slight movement, but no sound that I could detect. I was convinced someone had put a BABY in the dumpster. (They do that these days...) (idiots )

By this time, I had already dumped the trash and my heart stopped, because I thought for SURE it was a baby. The trash collector was also on it's way up the alley toward me.

My pulse by now was about 150, and I gingerly picked through the garbage ...only to discover a HUGE POSSUM which had evidently gotten in there and couldn't get out, because the lid was down.

Then came the decision of HOW to get the poor thing out of there without touching it, and losing both hands...before it met it's demise in the trash truck...(I didn't even want to THINK about that...)

This thing was ready to do battle with anyone or anything that came near it, and I FULLY respected that !!!

Luckily, when the trash guys showed up, we tipped the dumpster over on it's side and it ran away.

That would freak me out, too, JD! We get them around here but rarely see them. They are good bug eaters from what I've read, so they are welcome.

KaperC:

Now I've found a dead rabbit up at the top of our walnut tree (probably dropped by a bird of prey), but never had a chicken smother and half bury itself. Nice picture too. Some chickens will have a heart attack if chased or scared. I wonder if something helped bury the poor chicken?

JasperDale,

Re: Opossums, cute critters. Any wild thing can be dangerous when cornered. I know that some people like to enjoy their company, as wildlife not pets, but do not let them eat very much dog or cat kibble. It will give them a condition called crispy ear. This causes their pretty little ears to dry up and break off in places. Best to turn them over to wildlife rehabbers if they are a pest. You can find them online. Or discourage their eating of kibble, provide native food for them. I've always found them to be gentle. The last one who came to raid our cat food, was given two solid whacks on its hind end with a rolled up newspaper. It turned around and gave us a look that clearly indicated that we'd hurt its feelings, before it trundled off along the side of the greenhouse. I haven't seen it since. LOL!

WIB,

SingingWolf

Cute is in the eye of the beholder, but they do keep my garden free of snails, slugs , and grubs. Unfortunately, they sometimes overturn pots in their search. They are also fond of avocados, and have been known to break limbs trying to get to them. I also caught one in the act of draining my hummingbird feeder! They do love cat food! These little guys thought they were going to eat with the cats (the cats thought different). When they got bigger, I trapped them and took them to the wild, near a resevoir.

Third one

OOps Missed # 1 & @

#2

Sorry about that! I'll figure this picture thing out eventually! #2 looked alot like #3 anyway.

OCCarol really cute pics of baby 'possums! All babies (even 2 leggeds) are cute! In this case they were pests, and I think OCCarol did the right thing.

Don't feel bad, I just found out about the picture thing too. Add picture first, then write text (or vice versa). You can't add pictures after you preview. Thanks to who ever explained this to me! ( I forget who told me, but I remembered the how!) LOL! Oh and only one picture per post.

WIB,

SingingWolf

I keep meaning to make it to DrDon's because it's so close..... then the end of the school year nears, and things just get completely crazy and I don't make it at all.

On the 29th, there was a real tornado in Aguanga, just up the hill from Temecula.

And now, it's cold and foggy... it's a wonderful change from the heat even though it'll probably be the end of my tomatoes.

Because someone asked...

Clockwise, from top: Sunny (Cockatiel 16 y/o), Princess (Blue-Fronted Amazon, 15), Juliette (aka Julie, Blue & Gold macaw, 5)
Sunny whistles, the other two talk, and they all fly around the house at times. Sunny gets so eager at meal time, he flies into the kitchen and sits on my head until it's ready.

How gorgeous Kathleen! There was a Macaw flying around my mom's yard, then it flew into the garage and I tried to catch it but have lost some of my speed in my old age! They are beautiful.

Beautiful birds !

Oh Kathleen, they are so beautiful. Thanks for letting us see your babies. I am looking forward to seeing them in March.

Thanks for posting them
Donna

Thanks, everyone - you should see them in the sunshine after their showers! Julie's feathers are iridescent. They are not used to having people around and will be in their room the day of the roundup, but I will be able to introduce Julie to everyone - she's a ham and loves to show off her wings. You will definitely hear them all!

Can't wait to meet Julie in March!

This message was edited Oct 5, 2008 10:50 PM

Me too!
SingingWolf

Hi Everyone!
Okay, we are back home from the beach. Busy with the harvest season. We were out getting the Pumpkin Patch set up when guess who showed up and walked right into the petting zoo enclosure? Mama pig and her 3 piglets. See picture below.
I finally got the story on them. It seems that someone abandoned the Mama pig, she gave birth to 6 piglets in my across the road neighbors oleander hedge. His renter felt sorry for them, she fed them dog food. I remember seeing Animal Control out there one day this summer trying to catch them. Evidently they ran for shelter on our farm. Animal Control couldn't chase them onto our property without permission, so they left. When the renter left, the neighbor thought that Animal Control had taken them.
I guess they never went back to his place and foraged for food here. EB#1 saw them walk inside the petting zoo enclosure, and got the gate closed on them before they could bolt. I'd make a happy face if I could. My pig is to fat, lonely and cranky to walk that far. We won't allow people to go inside, and after we close the PP, we can bring them up here to keep Charlotte(my potbelly pig) company until we can adopt them out. Since one is a male, we will have to separate him from the girls. We can put him in the small pen next to the girls until we get them adopted or get him neutered. I hope we just stopped a feral pig outbreak.
We've had people abandon cats and dogs out here many times in the past. (Idiots think that they can survive in the wild, when they just get eaten by coyotes or worse coydogs!). I have to respect Mama pig. She has 3 babies still, one died shortly after birth, one disappeared (coyote snack, yummy), and the third was adopted while young, and is a pet now. These can be tamed, with patience, kindness and food. They are skinny, especially the two shyer piglets. DH said he'd get them some proper pig feed tomorrow. Shouldn't be seeing their ribs. Yes, I'm a softy. Wild should be left wild, and domestic shouldn't be forced into environment they aren't equipped to survive.
Well, now these little piggies are feasting on pumpkins. LOL.
ENJOY!
WIB!
SingingWolf

Your tale of the curly tails has started my morning off well. Mama Pig ain't no dummy! She's just proven how smart pigs are......Thank you for taking them in. We now have 6 cats, acquired under the same kind of conditions...lol...

I think those are past tickling, SW! Glad you've got them protected now - they sure did know where to go. Thanks for the pic.

What a sweet lady you are SW! Cannot wait to meet you.
How's everyone doing with these winds? We've been blowing like crazy and my yard...I won't even begin. Thank goodness we're going to the Santa Barbara area but I'll worry about my plants the whole time.

They've been strong here, too, Louise. And chilly. Starting up again now. Had several pots blown over yesterday. I think I'll be moving the plumies to the greenhouse soon. DH got up at 3 a.m. and said the temp was 39! It was still in the 40s at 7.

Oh boy ! It's the beginning of Flying Palm Frond season.

Yes, I don't envy you that, JD. We don't have too many palms around, thank goodness. They can really be dangerous. I'd bet it's really expensive to have those big ones trimmed, too.

The 210 and 5 are closed and that's the way we were going to go to Carpinteria today...alternate route I guess. Hope Dorothy's house is still here when I get back!
Toto...................

Yes, I just saw on the news that the winds are 65 mph and really causing problems for the firefighters. Do you check sigalert.com? It's very useful

Weegy, tell me your not traveling in the motor home today??? Please be careful driving anywhere today.

Watch out for that tree! Seriously, we have branches breaking off all over the yard. I tripped on one, and got two ugly scratches (yep, I'm a klutz, or maybe it was the Santa Ana).
I was just talking to a friend who lives in Bonsall, and she said that they was a fire down her way. Anyone hear of anything out there?
Gosh, I sure hope Weegy is careful. The wind is really blowing here. I don't think I can get tv reception today, we are on satellite, and when the wind blows the trees block the signal. I know the guys are having a hard time with their Tree of Terror Haunted House set up. The wind keeps working against them.
Piggies are fine, thanks for the kind comments. KaperC, I am not going to tickle those pigs until they are tamed. LOL!! Anyone want to adopt one once I get 'em tamed? Never hurts to ask.
I'm glad you liked my piggy story and pic. Life on the farm is never boring to the easily amused (or is that bemused?)!
JD, I remember those flying palm fronds. They can do some real damage you be careful too!
I guess fall is really here. Tree limbs are falling, palm fronds are falling, the temperature is falling, and the Santa Ana's are blowing, and the wildfires have begun. Yep, it's Fall in So. Cal. Got a pic to share. Was playing with Macro on Saturday before the wind started blowing so bad. It was a Wow! Moment for me!
Today I'm changing my usual closing to,
WALK WITH THE WIND!
SingingWolf

Yep. Pendleton is burning again...evacuating houses on and off base. We're told not to even use the BBQ, weedeater, any of that stuff and yet Pendleton keeps shooting off rockets, etc. Pendleton is always burning and it puts neighboring areas at risk. This is the second-third fire there in a week or so.

The fire is just over the hill from us - in a vacant area between two housing districts. Based on the timing wcgypsy heard, I must have seen one of the first super-scoopers - I was out watering when it went overhead. Lots of smoke now - it seems to be a hot one. The residents outside the base said the marines had put in a good fire break, so I hope that helps. Unfortunately, when darkness comes, as it does too early this time of year, they can't fly.

Don't think we can blame the ordnance on this one, Sherry, but they were sure out there banging away over the weekend! I do think they should hold off when they know the Santa Ana winds are due and conditions are ripe for fire. :-(

SW, you know someone who lives in Bonsall?? People always say you live WHERE? lol

Before the sun went behind the hill. The smoke is very dark now and much, much worse - it covers the whole right side of the view. The sunset was eerie.

Have they mentioned the fire's origin, K? Last week the first news coverage said it was a contolled burn and by the next day they didn't know the cause.....I haven't heard any mention this afternoon of the origin of these 2 fires today.

Great picture of the smoke KaperC.
I know a lot of people who live in San Diego county. I even know people who live in Fallbrook. We've had a lot of people from SD county move into our little town. It used to be a nice commute.
I'm surprised after last year that there is anything left to burn in that area. I used to live on Camp Pendleton when I was a kid. There used to be a beautiful spot with a small lake and waterfalls called Casey Springs. I learned how to fish there in the 60's. We can sometimes hear the artillery even out here in Menifee. I guess it just depends on the wind. They do have good firebreaks and firefighters. Tis the season for crazies who like to set fires.
We have fire breaks all over our farm. We have to worry about the firewood lot, and the Monterey Pines we grow for Christmas Trees. We even paid for a new fire hydrant which they haven't installed yet. We take fires seriously. I could smell the smoke from that last fire at Camp Pendleton. I won't be smelling it today, because it is blowing in the opposite direction.
Keep us posted!
WWTW!
SingingWolf