Sudokuaholics Anonymous 11

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Perfect TOPP today, Heidi! Happy Valentine's Day!

So sorry about your 3:10 'alarm' Heidi! I sure hope Reeses smells better today!

Thinking of Everyone and sending , , healing energy, positive thoughts, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, and prayers for all!

I caught another skunk in the barn last night. Off to dispose of it, too.

The skunk is deceased. This was another big one, with a lot of white, but not as much as yesterday's skunk. I still have to catch that smaller mostly black one. And the one that sprayed Reeses, which was on the opposite side of the yard, around the hay barn.

Such an eeducation we are getting from Heidi about skunks! And here I was thinking they were just smelly romantics like Pepe Le Pew.
I have hired a house cleaner to do a few hours housework every 2 weeks. Just the stuff I have difficulty doing these days like the vacuuming and the bathrooms. I feel like the laziest person sitting here watching her work. Time is going so slowly. She is a friend of my son ans was looking for some extra work. so far I'm impressed!

Hi all. CynB you are right - I didn't realise skunks could be such pests. Used to make 'skunk pong' in high school but don't think it was anyway near the original. Thre is another Wordle game called Wordling - same type of game, diffeent host. No 1 son and I have a competition going between us. We are both paranoid about incorrect spelling and people making up words - like adding 'ality' to the end of a word - ridiculous.
Heidi, how big do skunks grow? Glad we don't have them here - we received more than our fair share of nasties.Went home last Monday for a look at the progress on the house and found a 2 huge nests of red-back spiders in outside storage area. Hate them - they like being around bark on the trees.
Finished radiation and my back is a red gooey mess - dressings have to be changed twice a day. Hubby driving to Sydney this Mon - think he will be glad to not have to do this chore for the week. Having thyroid biopsy on Wed next week, not looking forward to a needle in the neck.
Son back from Thailand and is isolating in one area of the house - luckily no covid although he said he was sure he would get it whilst he was there. He was supposed to fly out on Fri but Aust govt rules changed in-between time and he had his covid test 4 hours too early so he was stuck for another 2 days.
Heading off to the caravan on Fri night and back to the house on Sat. Not great weather expected but will be lovely to get out somewhere other than the hospital.
My sister's 80th birthday coming up next month and I think I may get her a heater belt. I have one and it is very soothing on aches. She had a nasty fall last Fri and is very bruised.
Hope you are all staying well, cheers.

No time to read or comment. I'm exhausted and need to head to bed.

Thinking of Everyone and sending healing energy, positive thoughts, prayers, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, and to Everyone! Take care.

Skunks are about the size of small house cats.

It's their mating season right now, so they're really active.
I'm off to the barn to check the trap again.

No skunk today.

CynB, you're right about the education we're getting about skunks. It's too bad the reason we're getting it is because there are so many that try to take up residence on Heidi's farm!

Heidi, I hope you find the big one with a lot of white and the smaller one that is mostly black. Only Reeses knows the description of the one that sprayed him.

I hope you're beating No. 1 Son at Wordling, Midge! I haven't given it or Wordle a try yet.

I'm so glad you were able to see your house and check on its progress, Midge! Can you dispatch with the red-back spiders? Will a new group set up 'camp' if the original ones are removed? Perhaps you can help us learn a bit about them.

I'm so glad you are finished with radiation, Midge! Somewhere I read about light therapy being used to help clear up radiation burns. I hope the thyroid biopsy goes well next Wednesday!

I'm glad your son didn't get COVID, but glad he's staying isolated from you! A good time to get away for a day in the caravan! I hope it will be enjoyable!

I hope your sister has a wonderful 80th birthday next month, Midge!

Hooray, Heidi! A day without a skunk is a good day!

Thinking of Everyone and sending healing energy, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, , positive thoughts, and prayers for All! Stay healthy!

Caught another skunk. That's 3 in 5 days.
The Skunk Wars continue!!!

This was the biggest yet, and over 90% white! It was also the most challenging, because the rain is pouring down, and I had to wade through water and mud while carrying the skunk in the trap away from the barn to shoot it. I was aftaid I might slip and fall, and the blanket fall off the trap so the skunk could see me to spray me. Fortunately, that didn't happen.

Heidi, the skunk hunter, has bagged another! Do you think this is the one you saw previously? The word needs to get out to the skunk community that your farm needs to be avoided.

Thinking of Everyone and sending {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, , positive thoughts, healing energy, and prayers for all! Take care and stay well!

I still haven't caught the skunk that I saw walking through the barn at noon. That one was small and mostly black.... and very scruffy looking, with a STRONG odor to it. Nor have I caught the one that surprised me in the feed roon one evening, where it was sitting among the cats waiting for their daily canned cat food. That one was marked like a typical skunk.... and had no odor, so it had never sprayed before. So I still have more skunks to carch.

Off to pick up Robert and take him to the eye doctor. Then I can go to the pharmacy for my pain meds and go to the feed store for horse and dog food.

I have 9 different doctor's appointments on my calendar for Robert!

Here's hoping you'll be rid of the skunks soon, Heidi! (At least rid of them for a while).

I hope Robert realizes how lucky he is to have you as a friend, Heidi! Wow! Nine aoppointments!

Thinking of Everyone and sending {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, healing energy, prayers, positive thoughts, and to Everyone!

Robert would be lost wihtout you Heidi - what a good friend you are to him. As Julie commented, I hope he realises how lucky he is.
How are you Julie - I hope life is getting easier for you.
Laughed when I read the skunk was sitting amongst the cats waiting to be fed. Can skunks be 'de-sprayed' - they sound like a cute pet. You can see I am getting desperate for some animals in my life.
Electric road signs near us say 'covid testing closed. DEVERT to Deakin Uni'. They are drivng e nuts - reported the appalling spelling to the relevant authorities and nothing changed for over a week now. If they can't even spell divert, what hope have we got??
Good on you for having a housekeeper for a short time. When we were at home I had a friend helping and it was so nice to come home from the office to a clean house - although I would spend the night before madly trying to tidy up before she arrived.
Best wishes everyone
House is almont finished and not looking worward to the move back over the next couple of months. I no longer have a garden, just a mess of leaves, branches and weeds. My veggie garden (raised bed) only has lavender in it but at least the bees will like it.
With hubby away this week, I can now spread out my latest jigsaw - The Laughing Cavalier. If it looks good, I will frame this one. I usually just pull them to pieces and pass them on for others to enjoy.

Sorry abut the rambles - my painkillers are working!!

Skunks CAN be de-scented, prederably when young. After that, they can make excellent pets. They're naturally fearless, non-aggressive and very intelligent. They can also be very affectionate to humans and other pets. They're easily trained to a litter box as well. It's best to get them neutered at a young age since females can actually die if not bred every cycle. People who breed them for the pet trade have to breed them every year. The domesticated ones can come in many colors other than black and white. They can come in solids, gray and white, chocolate and white, and gold and white..... that I know of.

No skunk last night.

The skunks sound llike a great pet, but not on a farm. You certainly don't want to encourage them. How interesting they come in so many colours.
Since living in the rented house (it backs on to a very large natural park area), I have been feeding some blue-tongued lizards - much larger than the ones we have around our house. No 3 son used to breed them for a while but they are not easy to look after. The young are very agressive towards each other and if they get in the way of the adults, they can be eaten. We used to have a container for each young to keep them separate.

Midge: Here are some different colored skunks.

Oops.... forgot to include the limk.
https://www.skunkhaven.net/images/Colors.pdf

Got another skunk in the trap last night. This looks like the small, mostly black one that I was wandering in the barn at noon.

No, this wasn't the one I'd seen strolling in the barn at noon. This one was larger and not as scruffy. I have yet to catch that one.

Interesting skunk pictures, Heidi. I never knew...

The small Spotted Skunks are my favorites. If I wasn't worried that my dogs would think that skunks weren't dangerous to them (the spray), I'd try to get a couple of descented ones as pets. They really are cute critters.

Thank you Heidi for the link - it was fascinating reading. I wish we had them here (descented only). The only reference in Australia we have is Pepe le Pew.

Thank goodness...no skunk last night. It's been raining all day today, and I reallt hate carrying a trap with a skunk in it out of the barn and into a pasture while wading through water and mud.

One of the coldest nights of the year and the propane furnace is non functional. Hope the elec. power doesn't go down...

I'm so sorry to hear that, DOrA. I hope you can stay warm and your pipes don't freeze.

Tomorrow morning my 2 youngest cats/kittens go in to the Vet Clinic to be neutered. I still have to trap the ferals, who avoid the live trap like the plague. I have to remove all the wildlife like skunks, opossums and raccoons from the barn so I can bait the trap with canned cat food to catch the ferals.

If the Elec goes down, and the well house temp drops low enough, I have to use compressed air to blow down the water system, then, separately, the caravan water heater & pipes. Takes about an hour. Then head to a friends house that has wood heat...

Just a quick Hello and Good Night.

Thinking of Everyone and sending the usual , {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, healing energy, positive thoughts, and prayers for Everyone!

No skunk last night. Caught a big raccoon instead.

Greetings to All! I'm wiped out; see you tomororow