I was driving home in the most nasty little thunderstorm we've had in awhile... the kind where the rain comes down so fast the wipers can't clear it quick enough to see the road... and finally, it slows down, so I speed up, and then I came up on CUJO the COYOTE standing in the middle of my lane. That darn thing looked as big as a deer. I missed it, fortunately, and so did the car that was tailgating me, and we all slowed down after that. Then I get home to discover the dog is afraid to go outside to take a whiz, because the coyotes have been howling up a storm within 100 yards of the house. (El Jefe says they set off the dogs across the road, too, probably running past their dogrun). Coyote pelts are maybe $20 a piece right now. Maybe the Pirate should start earning some college money by whacking a few...
In other less exciting news, I painted El Jefe's closet yesterday, and now it's ready for me to install the closet organizer. El Jefe got the mouse runways/pipe holes under the sinks plugged with steel wool (chew through that, you little buggers!) and expanding foam (to stop the musty mildew smell from the crawlspace under the bathandahalf (that would be the bathroom with the shower stall, and next week it will also be the laundry room with a real washer and dryer). And he got the door to the hoop house about half done with much yelling and grumpiness.
We also went tractor window-shopping and I'm voting for the CubCadet. This has nothing to do with any emotional attachment from my childhood. It's just cool. And it has a real drive shaft instead of belts. Now we need to sell some timber to pay for the thing. Whoever bought a tractor and wished they'd gotten a smaller one, anyway?
And today I accomplished nowhere near what I wanted to. I got another load from the apt., and cleaned a little more of it, and its garage. And I finished Ellen's quilt block and gave it to her. But not Rosemary's, which I'll do with Carole's for next month's CL meeting. El Jefe, on the other hand, got up to Lowe's to get the order the washer/dryer/24'ladder AND the lumber we need to build the chicken coop. That will all be delivered next week, which is just fine and dandy for me.
Careful of those coyotes if they're that close to your house. They'll send in a decoy for your dog to chase away from the house. Then, when your dog is out and away from the house, the other coyotes will appear and they'll all attack your dog since they feel he's a threat. Not pretty.
ReplyDeleteEl Jefe here -- Thanks for the advice, but it will only be useful for the next dog. Canine behavior experts will tell you there are more levels of dog than alpha and beta. There are also gamma, delta, and omega. Ours is omega. There is no -- absolutely no -- fight in him at all. He barks and runs. When cornered he quivers and his brain shuts down hard. His response to the coyotes the other night when they started up across the street was to quickly finish his business and scurry back inside.
ReplyDeleteA decoy will only work for them because it will scare him to death.