Farm News 09-25-05
Sunday morning, after chores
Sadness in the Rabbitry
Four rabbits are still alive in the rabbitry and they have to go. The only way to eliminate the Listeria infection is to get rid of all the rabbits, thoroughly clean the cages, and then start over. Selling the remaining rabbits isn't really an option, as they probably carry the disease and I wouldn't care to be responsible for passing it on. I like those rabbits and it won't be easy, but I will have to kill and bury them. Fluff and Rosie are gentle, friendly rabbits who have been here for a long time and will be missed.
Dr. M, will you take a few days out of your schedule, please, and discover a permanent cure for Listeriosis? (For those of you who are recent readers, Dr. M is a veterinarian who has agreed to do any heart surgery I might require in the future. The M.D. who did my last heart surgery obviously used a backhoe. An M.D. should not be allowed to take his backhoe into surgery. I trust D.V.M.s more than M.D.s.)
Microdot Flies Like a Bird
Wednesday morning, while doing chores, I heard a chick calling in moderate distress. It was Microdot, of course, the only chick on the place. He had flown up to a stick some five feet above the ground and was now concerned about flying back down. Microdot still has a downy back but his wing and tail feathers are out, so he can fly. His excursion to a stick five feet above the ground convinced me that he can now probably fly out of any water pan he happens to jump into.
Ting Turns Cranky
Ting Somerset, of the Somerset Twins, is still in the barn. Ling, her sister, has disappeared. I thought that Ling was setting on eggs somewhere, but I haven't been able to find her and now I'm starting to think that a predator stole her away. It's too bad the predator didn't get Ting, who could win first prize in any contest for the most stupid and useless chicken, but it seldom works that way.
If one truly thinks about it, calling an animal stupid doesn't make much sense, they know as much as they need to know to survive. Then you come across something like Ting. The other chickens go around eating, clucking, and laying eggs. Ting eats, but she doesn't cluck and she seldom lays eggs. Instead, she spends a lot of her time attacking my shoes and the barn cats. She doesn't associate with the other chickens but instead roosts with and wanders around with the turkeys. So, when I walk out to the barn, Guy Noir, the black tom turkey, comes running, chirping and cheering, and right behind him comes Ting, fixated on my shoes.
Butterflies
Readers in the midwest should be careful at this time of the year when driving. The Monarch butterflies are migrating now and many of them fail to observe proper highway crossing safety rules. A vanguard group collided with the Houston folks driving creating a 150 mile long traffic jam.
I don't know how high Monarchs can fly, but I do know that with a 16x spotting scope aimed up during migration you can see tiny little dots fluttering south. Dr. M, are Veterinarians ever called upon to treat Monarchs for altitude sickness? My guess is that they are flying 5,000 feet or more above the ground.
Finding a butterfly roost during this season is a wonderful experience. They tend to roost on a tall shrub and will completely cover it. Then they will all open and close their wings at the same time. The effect is psychedelic.
Editor Becomes More Stupid
Ting isn't any more stupid than I am. Yesterday I sent out the latest Help! Millie! Newsletter and dated it 10-01-05. I've been having a lot of trouble keeping track of the date lately. Fortunately, I'm old enough to be able to blame it on age, an excuse which implies that I have replaced memory with wisdom. If you would like to receive Help! Millie!, which I hope isn't as stupid as I am, send an email to HelpMillie@ruralnet1.com.
The new newsletter, One More Year, will be out in another week or so. To receive it, send an email to OneMoreYear@geezernet.com. One More Year is about staying out of a nursing home for one more year. Dr. M has subscribed, but not the Cardiologist I see, nor the Family Practice physician who takes care of me when I have a cold. There is no question about it, Veterinarians provide better care.
Classified
Shrine For Sale: Virgin Mary on the half shell, complete with fountain pump. Unpainted but in full working condition. $500. Reply to FarmNews@Geezernet.com Box 133.
Homosexual jackass for sale. Nice disposition but not suitable for children. $100. Serious inquiries only. FarmNews@Geezernet.com, Box 69, attention Calvin. (State constitutions prohibit shipping homosexual jackasses to Kansas and Missouri.)
E-mail Subscribers: To subscribe, unsubscribe, contribute stories, complain or send a gift subscription, send an email to FarmNews@GeezerNet.com . The editor reserves the right to steal ideas submitted, rewrite submissions, and sign false names to them whenever it strikes his fancy to do so.
Sadness in the Rabbitry
Four rabbits are still alive in the rabbitry and they have to go. The only way to eliminate the Listeria infection is to get rid of all the rabbits, thoroughly clean the cages, and then start over. Selling the remaining rabbits isn't really an option, as they probably carry the disease and I wouldn't care to be responsible for passing it on. I like those rabbits and it won't be easy, but I will have to kill and bury them. Fluff and Rosie are gentle, friendly rabbits who have been here for a long time and will be missed.
Dr. M, will you take a few days out of your schedule, please, and discover a permanent cure for Listeriosis? (For those of you who are recent readers, Dr. M is a veterinarian who has agreed to do any heart surgery I might require in the future. The M.D. who did my last heart surgery obviously used a backhoe. An M.D. should not be allowed to take his backhoe into surgery. I trust D.V.M.s more than M.D.s.)
Microdot Flies Like a Bird
Wednesday morning, while doing chores, I heard a chick calling in moderate distress. It was Microdot, of course, the only chick on the place. He had flown up to a stick some five feet above the ground and was now concerned about flying back down. Microdot still has a downy back but his wing and tail feathers are out, so he can fly. His excursion to a stick five feet above the ground convinced me that he can now probably fly out of any water pan he happens to jump into.
Ting Turns Cranky
Ting Somerset, of the Somerset Twins, is still in the barn. Ling, her sister, has disappeared. I thought that Ling was setting on eggs somewhere, but I haven't been able to find her and now I'm starting to think that a predator stole her away. It's too bad the predator didn't get Ting, who could win first prize in any contest for the most stupid and useless chicken, but it seldom works that way.
If one truly thinks about it, calling an animal stupid doesn't make much sense, they know as much as they need to know to survive. Then you come across something like Ting. The other chickens go around eating, clucking, and laying eggs. Ting eats, but she doesn't cluck and she seldom lays eggs. Instead, she spends a lot of her time attacking my shoes and the barn cats. She doesn't associate with the other chickens but instead roosts with and wanders around with the turkeys. So, when I walk out to the barn, Guy Noir, the black tom turkey, comes running, chirping and cheering, and right behind him comes Ting, fixated on my shoes.
Butterflies
Readers in the midwest should be careful at this time of the year when driving. The Monarch butterflies are migrating now and many of them fail to observe proper highway crossing safety rules. A vanguard group collided with the Houston folks driving creating a 150 mile long traffic jam.
I don't know how high Monarchs can fly, but I do know that with a 16x spotting scope aimed up during migration you can see tiny little dots fluttering south. Dr. M, are Veterinarians ever called upon to treat Monarchs for altitude sickness? My guess is that they are flying 5,000 feet or more above the ground.
Finding a butterfly roost during this season is a wonderful experience. They tend to roost on a tall shrub and will completely cover it. Then they will all open and close their wings at the same time. The effect is psychedelic.
Editor Becomes More Stupid
Ting isn't any more stupid than I am. Yesterday I sent out the latest Help! Millie! Newsletter and dated it 10-01-05. I've been having a lot of trouble keeping track of the date lately. Fortunately, I'm old enough to be able to blame it on age, an excuse which implies that I have replaced memory with wisdom. If you would like to receive Help! Millie!, which I hope isn't as stupid as I am, send an email to HelpMillie@ruralnet1.com.
The new newsletter, One More Year, will be out in another week or so. To receive it, send an email to OneMoreYear@geezernet.com. One More Year is about staying out of a nursing home for one more year. Dr. M has subscribed, but not the Cardiologist I see, nor the Family Practice physician who takes care of me when I have a cold. There is no question about it, Veterinarians provide better care.
Classified
Shrine For Sale: Virgin Mary on the half shell, complete with fountain pump. Unpainted but in full working condition. $500. Reply to FarmNews@Geezernet.com Box 133.
Homosexual jackass for sale. Nice disposition but not suitable for children. $100. Serious inquiries only. FarmNews@Geezernet.com, Box 69, attention Calvin. (State constitutions prohibit shipping homosexual jackasses to Kansas and Missouri.)
E-mail Subscribers: To subscribe, unsubscribe, contribute stories, complain or send a gift subscription, send an email to FarmNews@GeezerNet.com . The editor reserves the right to steal ideas submitted, rewrite submissions, and sign false names to them whenever it strikes his fancy to do so.
posted by The Geezer at 9:10 AM
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