Thursday, August 06, 2020

Three for three & potpourri

Call her Killer; Poppy killed two more mice in the tack room yesterday! One in the morning, and another in the evening. That makes three in three days; I sure hope that's all of them in there. It has been a mouse-proof room as long as the door is kept shut when not in use, but now I'm wondering if there's a hole somewhere.

This morning as we were walking up from the barn through pasture, she almost caught another one. She dove into a clump of grass and I thought she was just chasing bugs. But a little gray form scurried away and I couldn't redirect her attention before it got away.

Then she comes in and does her best supermodel impression. 🤣


My anniversary orchids are still blooming strong, and my littlest orchid has joined in. Its purple flowers are also little; the perspective in the photo makes them look much bigger.


I'm still spinning along with the Jenkins spindle group on Ravelry. My name was drawn for this braid of Southdown roving for participating in the Tour de Fleece; I got right to work on it and have a couple turtles spun up already.



How about some assorted wildlife just outside our door? English ivy is a big problem here, but I thought it was eye-catching crawling across this boulder.
Poppy saw this fawn from our bedroom window. I've seen it a couple times during the day by itself, and wonder if it has been orphaned.

 Pretty little striped snake on our driveway.

 And who is this little cutey competing with the moon? Someone in the Jenkins group said she got a couple of these solar nightlights at Walmart; I couldn't resist picking one up for myself!

This afternoon Poppy and I finally got to go to our first beginner agility class, after the last two weeks were cancelled. There are seven dogs and their handlers in our group, and it was very hard on Poppy not to meet and greet everyone there; in fact, it wore her out! I intended to snap some pictures but got so involved that I forgot; I especially wanted to get a picture of Poppy's almost-clone – a black try-color male Basenji! Maybe next week.... I did snap a photo of neighboring horse property; isn't it beautiful?


We're down and out at . . .

10 comments:

Mountaingmom said...

Way to go Poppy! Lovely photos of your world, Michelle. Glad you are enjoying the Southdown.

Retired Knitter said...

What a useful skill Poppy has. I thought that catching mice was only for cats. As far as Chuckie not being that good a mouser - I have always found the females of that species were the business end. Maybe you should have gotten a female cat.

thecrazysheeplady said...

Your fawn is probably just fine. The mommas leave them to go eat and come back. She's probably nearby hoping you don't get too interested in her baby. If it's orphaned, you'll see signs of dehydration...pretty quickly.

Florida Farm Girl said...

Earning her keep that girl is!

Mama Pea said...

I'm pretty sure Poppy thinks she's a human baby. But, heck, if she's a good mouser that means you got the best of both in her! I love a pup who likes to cuddle. Our last dog, a Pudelpointer, was not and I missed that. I'm betting once Poppy works through her "social butterfly-ness" in the class, she's going to really excel at the training. Such beautiful orchids you have, Michelle!

Michelle said...

I AM enjoying this new-to-me fiber very much, Fran! Thanks again for donating it as a prize!

Elaine, Chuckie kind of came to us, remember? Our friends offered him to us when he showed up at their house. We love him, though, and he does do SOME rodent patrol. But he's definitely not DRIVEN like Poppy. That terrier drive has been invaluable to farmers for a very long time, reducing loss from mice, rats, and other rodents who choose easy pickings around human habitation instead of staying in forest and field.

Sara, I did get my binoculars out to take a good look at the fawn. It looks fine, but wanders around eating by itself in broad daylight instead of at dawn and dusk like the adults.

Yes, she is, Sue! Rick has put in his request for her to work on the gophers next; Brian wants her to get the ground squirrels. So much to do!

She's either "on" or "off", Mama Pea. Her "on" can be kind of stressful in the house, but it does make her a good mouser and will probably make her good at agility. She'd probably like FastCAT even more, and ADORE barn hunt, but I only have so much time and money for "dog enrichment classes"!

Jeanne said...

I'll bet you're pretty proud of your little mouse catcher!! - We had a funny thing happen this morning at our yarn club. I was holding Rico, my daughter's service dog, and while I was visiting with her, and another gal, Rico snatched a fly! He ate the darn thing right away!! What a kick!

I hope the little fawn you wrote about does well, and survives.

I look forward to some pictures of Poppy's agility classes!

Jeanne said...

P.S. That new yarn you spun from the prize fiber, is really beautiful!!

Jeanne said...

Have a nice evening!

Mokihana said...

I love your sheepie night light. I checked with my local WalMart but they didn't have any. Sigh....

I sure admire your spindle spinning. Your cops are lovely!