2022 Quick Daily Posts

[Garnet]

still feeling angry and upset after events over on the Wirral at the weekend.

Two fires were started deliberately at the RSPB in Parkgate, the images were appalling, so much habitat destroyed, and in the run up to Spring nesting. Even if the marshes grow back they will not be tall enough for this year's breeding season and possible affect next year's too.

We could see the fires from over here in Wales, so sad, especially for the ground nesting birds like the little short eared Owl's that nest there, as well as the Skylarks, little Egrets, Hen Harriers and I'm not sure if the Pink Footed Geese will be there again this year now after this.

It was announced yesterday 3 teenagers aged 13 and 14 were being questioned by Police, why so much destruction against defenceless birds?

So angry and upset, sorry to be a doomcloud, I had to let it out somewhere.

[Mabel Figworthy]

That is awful - I hope nature soon regenerates there, it does have an amazing capacity for shooting up green in the most unlikely places!

[fccs]

I will never understand nor accept wildfires that are started by humans, whether intentional or accidental. And the ages of the suspects are well beyond the years at which they learn right from wrong, as well as the dangers of fire. So very sad!

[Serinde]

You have every right to be upset by this thoughtlessness (I'll put it no stronger, having raised boys and knowing that 13 & 14 year olds often aren't as sensible as their 10-year-old former selves). But their actions had awful consequences in this instance. The best thing that could happen is for those children to spend their weekends and holidays working at the Reserve learning why it's important and about the animals and plants that live there. Meanwhile, Nature is astonishing able to adapt, adopt and adjust on its own timescale, and we just have to wait.

We have had a local fire incident of our own -- someone flicked a cigarette stub into the dry hillside on Ben Lomond yesterday and the fire was 1km long and blocked one of the popular walking paths to the summit yesterday afternoon. It burned through an area set aside for natural regeneration of woodland. Luckily here, it's still a bit early for ground nesting birds and it doesn't appear to have gotten into the peat. It's been so dry over winter, that there have been fires all over the Highlands.

[richardandtracy]

This morning our Maine Coon Ozzie started subsisting on peanuts.

Well, that's a roundabout way to look at it.
We had a 25kg bag of peanuts we bought for the birds 3 winters ago, and we had 5kg (11lb) left, but at 3 years old, the peanuts won't last to next winter. So yesterday evening, I went out and scattered the 5kg all over the grass at the top of the garden. Hopefully mice & birds will finish them off before the chicks get to the point where peanut bits are a choking hazard. Anyway, when let out this morning, Ozzie scooted to the top of the garden and came back with two rodent kills that had been eating peanuts.

So, in effect, he's eating peanuts.

Fortunately, he's hopeless at catching birds.


Jo, how open is your garden? If there was a way of putting the bird feeders in a fairly sheltered area with biggish trees around, that might help. However, given the time of year it may be worth stopping the supplementary feeding and letting the birds forage naturally for 6 months. That'll disperse them and make the hawks hunt elsewhere, so come next winter they may take a while before taking advantage of the food-bar you've laid on for them.
Our side garden has only once been hit by a Kestrel going for a Ring Collar Dove. The Dove did get away, just, but it was a close run thing. There was an explosion of feathers and the Dove fought free after being carried 20ft or so. The side garden is ringed with trees between 20 and 45ft high, which is why we think there have been so few predator attacks. The bird feeders were packed away last weekend, ready to come out next winter.

Regards,

Richard.

[wendywombat]

We put a bird table up in our new garden.
It's still not been used, nor have the 2 feeders hanging from it.
The building site traffic going past our rear fence is part of the cause I guess.

We have had a couple of Chaffinch on the grass picking up the seeds which have blown from the feeder. A Pied Wagtail came in yesterday evening after the traffic stopped.
BUT ...we have been discovered by Rooks and Jackdaws! More small birds will arrive once the spring gets into full swing and the evenings are lighter. The builders will have gone home by then for their own evening meals

@ Richard...we had a small ginger cat called Jaffa who loved peanuts. She would sit at our feet when we were eating peanuts. When I saw that I washed the salt off a few!

My local Red Kites are not a problem as they do not take small garden birds. They have been known locally to try to fly off with a Jack Russell with its owner hanging on to the end of the lead I am hoping my Kites get a taste for Sparrow Hawks

Jo

That made me laugh out loud, Jo

[rcperryls]

Just have to let off a little steam about paying taxes. I take mine to a professional because even though mine are easy, I don't trust me around numbers. I owed money so I went online to pay my taxes directly. Have done that for years as I don't like sending checks in the mail these days if I can avoid it. And its always been easy. Except this time when I was verifying that I am who I say I am, the IRS said "you might be you, but your social security number isn't you". To say I was frustrated is an understatement. I tried it a few more times and kept getting the error message. So I went to check on old forms before the days that show your SS # as xxx-xx-1111 (not my real numbers of course). All I could think of was OMG I am really really getting old. That's a number that you learn cause everyone (even those who hack the numbers) know it's used for just about everything (that's a whole other issue I won't get started on). I called the CPA office and the secretary tried it and got the message too. Then she tried it and it worked. So I tried it again and it worked. I guess it must have been some ridiculous glitch in the system, but really you know the want the money so if there is any government site that you'd think would work, it was that one. But it worked. I paid what I owed. Now just have to deal with the state of South Carolina. Which should be easier, if only because it's a lot less money.

I like having this thread.

Carole

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[Mabel Figworthy]

Oh my goodness what a palaver! Glad it got sorted in the end.
DH has been having trouble with the bank who blocked his account and then wanted him to pay a fee for them to move the money out of it!

[Serinde]

Mabel, that's a "thing" banks do try. It's like charging you to take your own money out of your own account at a cash machine. Eh, naw (as we say up here).

Carole, my SS number was my university ID number. I can still recite it off by heart, even all these years later.

[richardandtracy]

We were to have our cat 'Squeaky' have a rotten tooth extracted.
Unfortunately the vet said no after taking him in & giving a blood test.

He's 16 and, apparently, has stage 2 Kidney Failure (out of 4).

Ho hum. Not curable apparently. Can be slightly controlled by diet. No, I will re-phrase that. It's chronic, and it's probable that a change in diet may stave off death by a few months. After our experience in 2009 & 2004 with brothers Jack & George who both had kidney failure, we can hope for 6 months or so. If we're fortunate.

Hmm. Not having a lot of luck with our cats at the moment.

Regards,

Richard.

[Mabel Figworthy]

Oh Richard I'm so sorry to hear that - I hope the remaining time you have with Squeaky will be filled with making more good memories.

[rcperryls]

Oh Richard I'm so sorry to hear that - I hope the remaining time you have with Squeaky will be filled with making more good memories.

I agree. It's hard when the cats get older. Laverne had kidney disease and lived 3 years with the diagnosis. And was 19 when I lost her. Hopefully you will have Squeaky for a good long while. With a little bit of diet change and Laverne getting subcutaneous fluids (went from every other week to weekly to twice a week to 3 times a week the last few months) she did well until the last week. Rosey still is on an annual checkup regimen.

Carole

[fccs]

Oh Richard I'm so sorry to hear that - I hope the remaining time you have with Squeaky will be filled with making more good memories.

I agree. It's hard when the cats get older. Laverne had kidney disease and lived 3 years with the diagnosis. And was 19 when I lost her. Hopefully you will have Squeaky for a good long while. With a little bit of diet change and Laverne getting subcutaneous fluids (went from every other week to weekly to twice a week to 3 times a week the last few months) she did well until the last week. Rosey still is on an annual checkup regimen.

Carole

Richard, I’m sorry to hear about Squeaky. I know you will relish in each other’s company for whatever remaining time you have.

My cat “Kitty” also had kidney disease and she lived another two years or so after she was diagnosed. (And they were good years.) I had to do SubQ treatments with her (weekly and then every other day) and she was very tolerant of it once I relaxed enough so she didn’t feed off my anxiety. (A very dear friend helped me the first few times because she had done subQ on several of her senior cats.).

[richardandtracy]

I have not heard of this 'sub-cutaneous fluids' stuff, and it's not something the vet mentioned. Maybe they don't do it. I will ask them, though.

We need to change his diet, but having Ozzie around makes it very awkward. Last time we tried to give special food to the cats, the only food they were prepared to eat was the wrong one. So the diet food went in the cat that didn't need it, and the normal food went in the cat who should be on the diet. You know what they're like.

We will try to do our best for Squeaky, but if it doesn't work, we'll just make his life exactly as it's been up to now - cat paradise with 4 humans at his beck & call.

Regards,

Richard

[Garnet]

Oh No! I am sorry to read about Squeaky Richard.

I know you will always do your utmost for all of your cats and he will know he is loved and cherished, and yes have you at his beck and call ( is there any other way when you are staff to cats?)

[Serinde]

We need to change his diet, but having Ozzie around makes it very awkward. Last time we tried to give special food to the cats, the only food they were prepared to eat was the wrong one. So the diet food went in the cat that didn't need it, and the normal food went in the cat who should be on the diet. You know what they're like.

We will try to do our best for Squeaky, but if it doesn't work, we'll just make his life exactly as it's been up to now - cat paradise with 4 humans at his beck & call.

Sorry to learn about Squeaky's troubles. As you say, not much luck at the moment, but there's no doubt you'll do everything necessary for Squeaky to be comfortable and loved. And that's not inconsiderable, after all.

[wendywombat]

Oh No! I am sorry to read about Squeaky Richard.

I know you will always do your utmost for all of your cats and he will know he is loved and cherished, and yes have you at his beck and call ( is there any other way when you are staff to cats?)

Oh dear, poor Squeaky!
I agree with Maureen that you will do your upmost to keep that lovable Puss-cat as comfortable as he can be.

[richardandtracy]

Squeaky is now THE boss in the house. He wants to curl up on a dressing gown, he gets it put on the floor, same with towels. He's quite a termagant now! It's a role he's taken to as if it's his right.

Regards,

Richard

[Serinde]

Well, it is, isn't it?

[Garnet]

Oh dear, oh bless him.

Excuse me, I'm having hysterics just now I read that as Squeaky wants to curl up in his dressing gown! I have mental pictures in my head

Aww, Squeaky knows you will willingly cater to his every whim.