Posted by SierraRanch on January 24, 2010
If you live on a ranch you know that things can get a bit on the weird side sometimes. If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook then you know since before Christmas (maybe even Thanksgiving) I have been tormented by a possum. Well now I get to torment it, well them.
Rick laughed because I took pictures, but you need to know the situation, because I need help getting these danged things out!
See the possum in the hole?
Overview of corner.
Now there has been a hole in the heater room since we moved in April 2003. For several years there was a cabinet sitting there blocking the hole. I moved stuff around a couple of years ago and didn’t realize that the hole went in to the heater room. Here is a view of the heater room.
View of heater room.
The door to this room always has stuff in front of it since the washer and dryer are just outside of it. We don’t store lots of things in it and I tossed some of them this morning. There was storm windows for the house, drying rack, some tables (that are ruined) and two windows to some truck that have been there since we moved in. Yeah, we are great at collecting things and not so great at tossing. LOL!
The picture above is after cleaning and spraying bleach in the area. We got to smell the bleach through out the house, but that is much better than the poo smell we had been getting a whiff of every now and then. ACK!
Last night Rick heard things moving in the garage. He had not believed me that the critters were in there, until he saw the one last night. We started looking and there were actually two possums. What fun. NOT!
We tried to get them out last night, but they got between the wall and the heater and us nor Bubba could get them to leave. So we left the door open thinking, OK they will leave since they have been found. NOT!
Silly critters did not to appear to be in there this morning. I got the old horse beet pulp soaking and started cleaning out the closet. I finally found something to put between the wall and the chest. I started moving said things above, when stuff moves. Yeah, fun. NOT! I keep pulling things out and get down to the big glass from some truck. The critters are sleeping on a towel back behind the smoked glass. Still not sure how the towel and other nesting stuff got in the room.
The possum were not so happy that I found them. I tried to shoo them out the door. Not thinking about the fact that the escape route that they were used to was the hole I blocked up so freaking well. (Sometimes it doesn’t pay to be smart!) So the smaller one moves and I am thinking “Just please don’t run up my pant leg!” and the silly thing runs into the wall and is clawing in the wall trying to get out. Dang!
The bigger one just sits there. I don’t have any thing that I could loop him with and he is not scooping well with the shovel. So I figure I will leave them alone, go feed the old horses, wait for Rick to get up, and regroup.
Where they get in...
I go out to start laundry and finish this thinking the danged things have left. Rick sees the silly critters up in the wall. So we place the auto glass between the heater and the wall. It’s pretty heavy and I don’t think they will move it. We blocked it up against the hole on the inside wall as best we could. I tried to get it tight and broke one pane. Oh well, not like we were ever going to use them. And with the coating it should not totally shatter. We will see.
I sprayed the area down really well with bleach hoping to run them out into the garage, but I think it just made them mad. I heard lots of hissing. LOL!
Later I looked the silly critters are still holed up on the wall, but I don’t think they can get back into the room. I know these guys have been eating the cat food and I think they are moving onto the dog food. So, I may have to get the food source to go away for them to actually leave. I am hoping they don’t have babies, and probably don’t yet, but they so need to leave.
And yes we have the fire power to kill them. And we have numerous ways to kill them, but I can’t do it. Even Rick was touched by their cute faces last night. Between that and running the risk of hitting the heater or TV (if it went through the wall). He is considering using the cross bow. Might sic the girl that feeds on the target. She likes killing small woodland critters, so maybe she could get them out. It’s worth a try.
If anyone has any tips on getting the silly things out of our wall I would be willing to listen. Hate the waiting game, but right now that’s the only way to do it. Hope you have enjoyed life on the ranch. Yes, some days are good ones and you get to ride a race horse. Other days you get to chase possum out of the cat food. All pays the same.
Posted by SierraRanch on June 22, 2009
* Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.
* Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.
* Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.
* A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.
* Words that soak into your ears are whispered…not yelled.
* Meanness don’t jes’ happen overnight.
* Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.
* Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.
* It don’t take a very big person to carry a grudge.
* You cannot unsay a cruel word.
* Every path has a few puddles.
* When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
* The best sermons are lived, not preached.
* Most of the stuff people worry about ain’t never gonna happen anyway.
* Don’t judge folks by their relatives.
* Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
* Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get Older and think back, you’ll enjoy it a second time.
* Don’t interfere with somethin’ that ain’t bothering you none.
* Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
* If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin’.
* Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.
* The biggest troublemaker you’ll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from The mirror every mornin’.
* Always drink upstream from the herd.
* Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.
* Lettin’ the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin’ it back in.
* If you get to thinkin’ you’re a person of some influence, try orderin’ somebody else’s dog around.
* Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.
Sounds like words to live by to me. Hope you enjoyed!
Happy Monday!
Deb Stowers
Sierra Ranch
www.sierraranchok.com
www.sierraranchok.net
Posted by SierraRanch on December 21, 2008
This really explains it all. I recieved it on another list and thought maybe this will explain to my friends without horses in their lives how we at Sierra Ranch feel. I found that it can be a real tear jerker, so that is the need for the tissue alert. Wished I knew who wrote this. I know many of my horse friends could have. It is so very true.
TO HAVE A HORSE IN YOUR LIFE
Author Unknown
To have a horse in your life is a gift. In the matter of a few short years, a horse can teach a young girl courage, if she chooses to grab mane and hang on for dear life. Even the smallest of ponies is mightier than the tallest of girls. To conquer the fear of falling off, having one’s toes crushed, or being publicly humiliated at a horse show is an admirable feat for any child. For that, we can be grateful.
Horses teach us responsibility. Unlike a bicycle or a computer, a horse needs regular care and most of it requires that you get dirty and smelly and up off the couch. Choosing to leave your cozy kitchen to break the crust of ice off the water buckets is to choose responsibility. When our horses dip their noses and drink heartily; we know we’ve made the right choice.
Learning to care for a horse is both an art and a science. Some are easy keepers, requiring little more than regular turn-out, a flake of hay, and a trough of clean water. Others will test you – you’ll struggle to keep them from being too fat or too thin. You’ll have their feet shod regularly only to find shoes gone missing. Some are so accident-prone you’ll swear they’re intentionally finding new ways to injure themselves.
If you weren’t raised with horses, you can’t know that they have unique personalities. You’d expect this from dogs (and even cats), but horses? Indeed, there are clever horses, grumpy horses, and even horses with a sense of humor. Those prone to humor will test you by finding new ways to escape from the barn when you least expect it.
Horses can be timid or brave, lazy or athletic, obstinate or willing. You will hit it off with some horses and others will elude you altogether. There are as many “types” of horses as there are people – which makes the whole partnership thing all the more interesting.
If you’ve never ridden a horse, you probably assume it’s a simple thing you can learn in a weekend. You can, in fact, learn the basics on a Sunday, but
to truly ride well takes a lifetime. Working with a living being is far more complex than turning a key in the ignition and putting the car or tractor in “drive.”
In addition to listening to your instructor, your horse will have a few things to say to you as well. On a good day, he’ll be happy to go along with the program and tolerate your mistakes; on a bad day, you’ll swear he’s trying to kill you. Perhaps he’s naughty or perhaps he’s fed up with how slowly you’re learning his language. Regardless, the horse will have an opinion. He may choose to challenge you (which can ultimately make you a better rider) or he may carefully carry you over fences – if it suits him. It all depends on the partnership – and partnership is what it’s all about.
If you face your fears, swallow your pride, and are willing to work at it, you’ll learn lessons in courage, commitment, and compassion in addition to basic survival skills. You’ll discover just how hard you’re willing to work toward a goal, how little you know, and how much you have to learn.
And, while some people think the horse “does all the work”, you’ll be challenged physically as well as mentally. Your horse may humble you completely. Or, you may find that sitting on his back is the closest you’ll get to heaven.
You can choose to intimidate your horse, but do you really want to? The results may come more quickly, but will your work ever be as graceful as that gained through trust? The best partners choose to listen, as well as to tell. When it works, we experience a sweet sense of accomplishment brought about by smarts, hard work, and mutual understanding between horse and rider. These are the days when you know with absolute certainty that your horse is enjoying his work.
If we make it to adulthood with horses still in our lives, most of us have to squeeze riding into our over saturated schedules; balancing our need for things equine with those of our households and employers. There is never enough time to ride, or to ride as well as we’d like. Hours in the barn are stolen pleasures.
If it is in your blood to love horses, you share your life with them. Our horses know our secrets; we braid our tears into their manes and whisper our hopes into their ears. A barn is a sanctuary in an unsettled world, a sheltered place where life’s true priorities are clear: a warm place to sleep, someone who loves us, and the luxury of regular meals. Some of us need these reminders.
When you step back, it’s not just about horses – it’s about love, life, and learning. On any given day, a friend is celebrating the birth of a foal, a blue ribbon, or recovery from an illness. That same day, there is also loss: a broken limb, a case of colic, a decision to sustain a life or end it gently. As horse people, we share the accelerated life cycle of horses: the hurried rush of life, love, loss, and death that caring for these animals brings us. When our partners pass, it is more than a moment of sorrow.
We mark our loss with words of gratitude for the ways our lives have been blessed. Our memories are of joy, awe, and wonder. Absolute union. We honor our horses for their brave hearts, courage, and willingness to give.
To those outside our circle, it must seem strange. To see us in our muddy boots, who would guess such poetry lives in our hearts? We celebrate our companions with praise worthy of heroes. Indeed, horses have the hearts of warriors and often carry us into and out of fields of battle.
Listen to stories of that once-in-a-lifetime horse; of journeys made and challenges met. The best of horses rise to the challenges we set before them, asking little in return.
Those who know them understand how fully a horse can hold a human heart. Together, we share the pain of sudden loss and the lingering taste of long-term illness. We shoulder the burden of deciding when or whether to end the life of a true companion.
In the end, we’re not certain if God entrusts us to our horses–or our horses to us. Does it matter? We’re grateful God loaned us the horse in the first place.
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Hope you enjoyed! We here at Sierra Ranch and
Horsematch.net wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year!
Deb and Rick Stowers
Posted by SierraRanch on December 14, 2008
Dear Horses,
I love you very much, and I truly cherish your presence in my life. I would never wish to criticize you in any way. However, there are a few trivial details regarding our relationship that I think might bear your consideration.
First of all, I am already aware that horses can run faster than I can. I do not need you to demonstrate that fact each time I come to get you in the pasture. Please remember that I work long and hard to earn the money to keep you in the style to which you have become accustomed. In return, I think you should at least pretend to be glad to see me, even when I’m carrying a bridle instead of a bucket of oats.
It should be fairly obvious to you that I am a human being who walks on only two legs. I do not resemble a scratching post. Do not think that, when you rub your head against me with 1,000 pounds of force behind it, I believe that it wasn’t your intention to send me flying. I am also aware that stomping on my toes while you are pushing me around is nothing but adding injury to insult.
I understand I cannot expect you to cover your nose when you sneeze, but it would be appreciated if you did not inhale large amounts of dirt and manure prior to aiming your sneezes at my face and shirt. Also, if you have recently filled your mouth with water you do not intend to drink, please let it all dribble from your mouth BEFORE you put your head on my shoulder. In addition, while I know you despise your deworming medication, my intentions in giving it to you are good, and I really do not think I should be rewarded by having you spit half of it back out onto my shirt.
WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
