Good work, Black Hand! All that practice running an assassin must have paid off (knowing where vital organs and important circulatory and nerve centers are, etc.)

Congrats Black Hand! ...uh...feeling funny...GAAAAH! ...need...EMT...

* mALX turned green, grew humungous, tore shirt off... BLEAH! ... keeled over keyboard... *

No more Maxical? My life is officially over. I defy you stars, if Max is gone so is Zal.

Yeah! Zalphon !!!!!! <333333333

Thats a Hulk problem, you may have been exposed to Gamma Radiation. We call Fire Department HAZMAT team for that!

And for those not in the know, sorry, most people don't even seem too know what an EMT is around here either, lol. EMT= Emergency Medical Technician, like a paramedic but a much lower grade, in fact you have to be an EMT for a year before you can even apply for Paramedic School. As to what the difference is, its within the level of training and scope of practice. As an EMT, the rule of the thumb is I can only perform externally, I can't put an airway tube in, or an IV, though I may assist with them. I can perform CPR, splint fractures, examine trauma patients, etc.

Mostly Im the paramedics gopher and delegate. As in "Go for this, go for that" and "I delegate you to do all the hard work!"



....Yeeeesss...Who knew I would use my powers for good? lol Actually, in spite of my stories, my attitude towards human life is quite the opposite of an Assassin, I would never take a human life if I couldn't help it. Indeed helping people out of their worst moments in life is very fulfilling to me, emotionally and spiritually.

Thats not to say I don't have a dark side, or interests that are best left in the world of imagination, the stories just simply let me express those energies.

I was swimming around in the irradiated waters of the Wasteland maybe? And don't worry if you knock someone's tooth out when forcing that tube down their throat to bag them - if they live through it they won't miss the tooth. My daughter was turned away from the nearest hospital because they were not equipped to handle it. She was bagged for an hour and three minutes and lived to tell about it (brain intact) thanks to the AWESOME EMT's that wouldn't give up on her! She has gone on to have another daughter, so two miracles came of those EMT's dilligent work on her.

Welcome to Bobg!

We met This little sweetie today....Guess if I want her?

My guess is that she is already at your home!

Oh, she's a beauty! New kitties for everyone! I hope you will get to bring her home with you.

Juneipurr is a little sick- she has a bladder infection. But Mrs. Treydog realized something was up pretty quickly and we have antibiotics for her. After a visit with the doctor, she was back to chasing toy mice and bouncing on the bed yesterday.

@minque: Aww, cute! How can you not bring her home!

@treydog: my congratulations to mrs. treydog for knowing something was up with Ms. Juneipurr and taking care of it right away. Having experienced one of those things for myself many years ago, it's not fun!

Yeah Indra will probably sit here beside me in about three weeks from now! She's just adorable! Purrs and plays with me..awwww

oh treydoggie, it's a good thing Mrs T quickly found out about your little Princess! Antibiotics will do the trick, right Hautie, our own vet!

Next week i'll go visit some more kittens, at a colleague who repetedly get kittens...very nice kittens they are, unfortunately there are no more males....so I don't know but there is a cute grey one that I'm interested in as a playmate for Indra...

Who knows, I might start a cattery!!!! ..

Btw Indra is a real genuine Nowegian Forest cat...if anyone wondered

I thought Indra looked like a 'Wegie! They're not too common here, but seem quite popular in Minnesota.

My own Zoria is a Siberian Forest cat - her parents emigrated here from Russia in the '90's.

Well sure. The only thing better than a new kitty is TWO new kitties!

It is probably an old wives tale, but we use it and it seems to work...when the antibiotics have run their course try giving her a teaspoon of "Libby's pumpkin pie mix" on a saucer once every couple weeks. Not sure why but it seems to keep their urinary tracts flowing. I have one cat that seems to have a problem in that area since she was spayed, and it has kept her out of trouble.

minque, how wonderful for you!

Please don't tell me you are going to start a cat house!

I had good news today. My mother came home from the hospital after being operated on last Tuesday to remove the cancer in her right lung. The cancer was only in the 1st stage, and they are certain that they removed all of it. Tests of the lymph nodes they took out show it had not spread there, so *phew*.

That is such wonderful news! I know many of us were thinking positive thoughts. Thank you for letting us know.

That is a relief, I had thought many times about your mother and how she was doing these past couple months since you posted that. Wonderful news SubRosa!

What wonderful news, Sage Rose! I'm so glad they caught it that early - my best friend's father wasn't so lucky.

I disappear off on holiday for a weekend and everything happens...

Congrats again Blackie, are you heading for becoming a paramedic then?

Minque, she's lovely, I thought I recognised her as a Norwegian Forest. Those things grow huge right? I can see that you'll be looking forward to getting her home. And two kittens are always better than one, but if you got a male one you could have mounds of kittens...

SubRosa, that's certainly good news and a releif. I'm glad to hear it.

Indeed good news all round for once, a pleasnat change from recently.

Olen, I hope you had nice hols.

minque, I love Indra's little tufty bits on her ears. Norwegian Forest Cat - woo hoo!

SubRosa, good news indeed!

Rosie!!!

I am SOOOO happy to hear that your Mums is out of danger...


*does happy dance*

I'm watching Pokemon...yay...and spent the last...4 hours watching the episodes....which are pretty good IMO.

My friend Josh is becoming a drug-addicted junkie I'm worried about him. Any advice?

It is a really hard thing to see a friend going down a path that may bring them harm. You can't act for them, sometimes you wish you could. You can talk to your friend, but you can't make them listen. Sometimes when someone is self-destructing and you have done all you could it is time to step away from them - not just avoid them, but tell them:

"I care about you, but I'm not going to watch this happen to you. When you want to stop, I'll be back."

It is a tough love, but no one can control what another does. When you feel the need to take the reins for them it is time to step off and let them reach the decision. You can't control them, but you can control what you put yourself through.

I was biting my tongue until what mALX said gave me the courage to speak up. She is right.

Be honest, be supportive, and be firm.

I once had to tell a friend- "I do not want to look in your eyes and see that there is no one home. And I won't. I will walk away before I will do that."

The thing is, you also need to take care of yourself. How good a friend can you be to anyone if you turn into a basket case over things you cannot control?

Please also know that you have friends here. PM or IM or email or whatever you need to do, but do not isolate yourself and do not try to carry the weight alone.

What they said, Zaphlon.

And JUST in case Josh DOES see the light before it's too late....and he reaches out...THEN GET READY to sweat as you do the 1001 things that needs to be done to help a recovering addict. If his repentance to kick the habit is genuine, then you owe his that much.

Change of subject here... which does not mean I am not still thinking of you, Zalphon.

Monday, when I made my usual lunchtime phone call, Mrs. treydog had some excitement to report.

Princes Juneipurr had caught a mouse. Unfortunately, it was not one of her toy mice, but a real one. Still less fortunate, she did not quite know how to deal with it, and it escaped. Least fortunate, this all took place inside the house. (The Princess is strictly an indoor kitty.)

So last night, she caught it (or one of its rodentate relatives) again. And lost it- again. I went to the home improvement store and got a couple of live traps. No luck yet, but I am hoping.

Meanwhile, around 10 p.m., I noticed the Princess checking something out under the kitchen table. Thinking it was a mouse, I grabbed a flash light and saw...

something that was definitely not a mouse. It was shiny and scaly, and a sort of cream color with reddish brown markings- oh, and no legs.

When it began to move away from the excitement, it looked to be about 14 inches long. I eventually got it in a bag and took it outside. My best guess is that it was a young pine snake. (Based on false rattling of the tail, leaf-shaped head, markings, etc.)

Moving is beginning to have a strong appeal. I like Nature as well as the next person- but I prefer to enjoy it in the woods rather than in my kitchen.

Needless to say, Mrs. treydog is not aware of the visit by Mr. Slithers. (I sure hope she doesn't read the forums).

Fourteen inches....Wait a minute, am I missing something -

(checks pants)

SPEW !!!!! Er...What?

I think you got your system of measures confused-

That was standard inches- not centimeters

The snake will eat the mice, what you need now is a pet mongoose to eat the snake.

preferably after the snake eats the mice, not before!

We had no problems with mice while my first pair of kitties lived in the house. Then when the old boy passed away, and we were cat-free for about six months, mice moved in (he died in July, the mice moved in that fall). We put out traps, which caught five over three months. Then I brought my current Siberian (retired breeding queen) home after spaying her, and in that first month she nailed seven mice. Seven! She may be a civilized lady, but she doesn't mess around when it comes to mousing! Needless to say, we've been mouse-free once more for the seven years she has lived with us.

Hmm the joys of vermin, my last flat had major mouse problems to which a veriety of creative things were tried. Traps never caught any, poison (not an option with Juneipurr around I'd imagine) failed, gassing them was only just short of catastrophic... In the end mouse-proofing all the food and letting the flat get really cold persuaded them to leave. Still you've got Juneipurr so I suppose she'll get all the mice given time and then the snakes won't come for them.

But snakes... inside I think I'll stay here where the wildlife is fairly harmless (at least if you avoid the sea).

We have been fortunate in that I have never seen a poisonous snake in the wild, despite the facts that I grew up in the woods and that copperheads and rattlesnakes are both native to the area....

And I really don't mind all the non-venomous ones (or even the others, which would just as soon stay out of our way)- just not in the house. I am just glad Mrs. treydog did not meet Mr. Slithers- she would have ended up getting a hotel room- probably after torching the house. The mouse had her at wit's end already...

And you are right, with the kitty around, I really prefer not to use warfarin- though it may come to that.

I have had a feral cat colony living under the deck since the year 2000, and have a cat inside that is always catching mice even with all those felines outside. Are they just not mousers? - actually, they are, but they don't bother with mice. That is too small of game to tempt them. I have seen them bring in hares, squirrels, chipmonks...etc.

It is def caused by living in the boonies, Treydog. When your house is the only structure for miles it becomes a huge draw to any creature seeking food and a comfortable environment.

Also, right up where you live is loaded with copperhead, so be careful. They love to come indoors, or even just slither into your sleeping bag when camping.

Oh, you can go to one of those farmers coops and buy giant rubber snakes and lay them around in your yard. Spray them heavily with snake urine. Spray the perimeter of your house and underneath with fox urine and you should never have another creature cross into your yard...not even human ones. (or those that lived there before you did this...)

I wonder if he makes house-calls?

ROFL !!! From what he said earlier...

It's funny what sets us off. I don't mind our local coyotes, bobcats, rattlesnakes, tarantulas and even the occasional mountain lion out here in the desert. What makes me nervous however are those slinky little scorpions - they can get or go anywhere it seems.

...reading this thread makes me so happy I not only live in a city but in a country where the most dangerous wildlife is probably seagulls.

Hooray for Princess Juneipurr! Goood kitty! Bolzie used to keep our house and garden mouse-free, and about a month after he passed away ...what did I see? Yes, a mouse slowly strolling beside the veranda!

Now then...good news
This little lady will soon be moving in!

Her full name is S*Vimmerskogens Indra, and she's really a fine kitty with a pedigree full of famous "Wegies"

jippeeeee

@minque: Awww!

@mALX, treydog, et al: I know from my time in wildlife rehab (which included educating people on keeping wild animals out of the house) - used cat litter or man urine works just as well, and probably easier for trey!

Did someone actually get the ever-modest Trey to make a joke about something not-so-modest?!

Well done, sir!

Oh and cute cat Minque! Im sure it will fill your days with companionship and joy!

Now I come to think of that I'll have to laugh all over again.

Kazaera, there's a few fish worth avoiding here (their stings aren't fatal but drowning after can be). And Killer Whales are very high on my avoid list. Fortunately all are very unlikely to come into anyone's house (it would beg questions anyway) and I agree that dangerous wildlife in the house would make me not want to live somewhere.

And Minque, photos of that kitten aught to bear hazard notices due to extreme cuteness.

Olen- agree about the warning label for minque's new kitty.

Well, the Great Mouse Panic of 2010 is over- we hope. After playing "catch-and-release" with the rodent for 3 days, Juneipurr finally dispatched the menace sometime last night.

And, we may have discovered the source of the rodent and colubrid presence. Our central AC had not been working for some time and Mrs. treydog finally called a repairman.

He found that some type of critter had excavated under the outside part of the unit and managed to get into the air return and build a nest. As there is a return air vent under the kitchen table, that is likely the route Mr. Slithers used to follow the scent of the mice into the house.

So I think Princess Juneipurr is in line for a medal I hear has been awarded for similar service in the Imperial City. I will have to apply to Chancellor Ocato. He will be favorably disposed, I believe- after all, just look at the middle 3 letters of his name....

Spray the perimeter of your house and underneath with fox urine




And to think of all the years I was giving it away FREE!!!!

No more.


From now on my golden showers are going to be just that - no golden, no showers!!!!

@Foxy: Good luck holding it in!

@trey: That's the first rule of dealing with wildlife in the house - find out how they're getting in! Heavy screens on the chimneys to keep the 'coons out, covering dryer vents (we had problems with birds nesting in our dryer and gas vents until the association came 'round and put screens over them), gaps beneath doors, etc. Mr. Slithers doesn't need much to get inside, neither does a mouse - half-inch is plenty big enough for them!

I saw a grass snake that was small enough to slither through a 1/4" hole. Fortunately, it was at the county conservation district, outside, not inside my house!

Snakes, snails, and puppy dog tails (and the boys they're made of) don't bother me much, but I hate ticks. Really, really hate 'em. Ugh.

He may insist the Palace chefs make his secret family recipe for Rat Borscht...causing the Palace chefs to take turns spitting in the stew...





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