On Sunday I developed the worst head cold I’ve had in years.
Neti pots, Mucinex, Vicks Vapo Rub, steaming, cold medicine, NyQuil…
nothing is breaking up the nastiness filling my head.
Where does it come from??? Is my brain melting I wonder?

I’m hosting a pity party for myself today. I don’t indulge in them very often but right now I’m just letting it happen.
Tomorrow will be a hard day. We’re going to bury Paddy underneath the crab-apple tree that was right next to her enclosure. She loved to eat those crab apples.
Today we cleaned out her enclosure. Many tears were shed.

The worst part of today though… I went out to Mr. Kowalski’s coop to check on them and found Mr. K. dieing. I picked him up and already knew that there was nothing I could do for him, so I just held him until he took his last breath.
Mr. C and I buried him on the back hill.
I just don’t know how much more my heart can take.

I’m not smiling very much these days. The loss of Paddy has hit me hard and I tend to melt into tears at the slightest little reminder of her.
But I do have some new friends at work that make me smile when I see them. I haven’t learned their names yet, but their faces are already dear to me.

I’ll bet they made you smile too!

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The poor guy is going to be shaved bald in patches forever if he keeps it up.
When Mr.C picked me up from the airport on Saturday he told me that he had a feeling we would have to take Kubota to the emergency vet clinic as soon as we got home. He had spied a large gash on his side just before he left the house to come get me. He said there wasn’t any blood so I was praying it could wait until the next morning since I was way beyond exhausted.
But sure enough, it warranted a visit to get some stitches and even a drainage tube.

They stitched him from the inside with dissolving sutures so I wouldn’t have to make a trip in to have them removed. I did have to take him in yesterday to have the tube removed though. He’s recovering nicely.

This is BFG, me and Capri P

You may think that I’m striking an angry Indian pose, but that is not the case. This was one of those stuck in your mind for the rest of your life experience days.
See that cigarette hanging BFG’s lips???
It was a prop for his costume of course but previous to this photo being taken he had let me play with it and I was walking around acting all grown up and glamorous while pretending to puff away. (as glam as one can be while dressed as an Indian I suppose)
When he took it back from me I had a bratty little hissy fit which is perfectly depicted in this photo.
SO, after this picture BFG took me into my sister’s bedroom and asked me if I wanted to smoke it! Oh yes he did! He lit that lovely KOOL menthol cig and gave it to the bratty little sister.
I took it and really felt grown up when I pretended to puff away. But THEN, BFG decided to actually teach the bratty little sister about the proper way to inhale!
Oh yes he DID!
I sucked in that smoke with an exaggerated inhale and can still feel the burn in my throat and my eyes bugging out of my head as I hacked and choked and felt like I was going to die right then and there as my sweet big brother just laughed and laughed!
He loved me, he was teaching me a lesson. Right BFG?

…and Paddy met Wapi, they fell instantly in love and lived happily ever after. The end.
That is how it was supposed to be, a fairy tale.

But then the nightmare happened. The stress of the trip apparently caused Paddy’s immune system to shut down which allowed the bacteria inside her to multiply uncontrollably which in turn caused her stomach to rupture. She died in my arms on Saturday morning.
To say we were shocked and devastated is an under statement.
We have lost a number of extremely loved pets in the past, but usually to old age or illness, this grief is different.
Our hopes and dreams for Paddy were so high. Her death was so sudden and unexpected. The emotions are more profound and painful than anything we’ve ever experienced. It left both myself and Mr. C feeling empty and angry and confused about God’s plan.
With the blessing of family and friends we managed to get through the horror of it all and we’ve come to an acceptance, but are still left with feelings of guilt, confusion, pain and emptiness.
We both knew we would be returning from this trip with broken hearts but we were NOT prepared for this.
Please keep us in your prayers as we try to find understanding.

I’m getting a little bit queasy. In just two days we will set off on the road to take Paddy to her new home. I’ve been spending extra time with her, lovin on her, walking with her, wrestling. I swear she’s getting snugglier too which is sweet, but will make things harder on me.

People keep telling me that it’s just like when a parent has to let their child go. In a way that’s true, BUT in the case of a child, they are making the decision to go. They have stated that they are ready to go out and live their own life.
With Paddy I worry that she will feel abandoned. Will she think I don’t love and want her?
THAT is the hardest part for me… I’m not worried about MY broken heart, I worry that I might be breaking HER’S!

I know that many people will think that I shouldn’t be putting human emotions onto an animal. They think that animals are “just animals” and that they don’t feel emotions.
Well I’m here to tell you that I have surrounded myself with animals for a good part of my life and animals feel every single emotion that humans feel!
They feel scared, they feel sad, they feel happy, they feel angry, they feel abandoned, they feel lonely, they feel joy, they feel pain… THEY FEEL!
I can’t stand the thought that Paddy will feel that I don’t love and want her anymore. I just hope and pray that she really takes a shine to her new guy and that I can clearly see that she feels happy to be with him. Otherwise, how do I leave her?


I know that she will miss Mr. C. and I.

I hope that she can just walk away and be happy in her new life.

So I’ve been telling Paddy all about her furture arranged marriage with Wapi and she decided to get herself all dolled up and sexy to meet her new man…

(Actually, she had just eaten a plum, but seriously, she’s lookin sexy huh?)

24 years ago today Mr.C and I made that trip down the aisle together.
Best thing that ever happened to me.
I will NOT be posting a wedding picture because it was in the 80s, I was a trendy hair dresser and my fashion choices were NOT classic.
Nuff said.

I will post some pics of my dream guy though… recent ones to show just a couple of the reasons he’s the best guy in the world.

#1… He makes me breakfast sometimes… the worlds best fried egg sandwiches!

#2… He helps with yardwork!

#3… He paints all the doors!

#4… He loves the kitties…

#5… He loves Paddy

#6 He helps with all the critter care

#7… He takes great care of his Dad

And the most important thing of all…
He loves ME!

Of course there are a gazillion other reasons he’s great…
He loves my family and my friends.
He never puts up a fuss when the Capris come and take over the house.
He’s a good provider.
He takes care of me when I’m sick.
He brings me coffee in the morning.

Oh I could go on and on… suffice it to say that I am one very blessed wife and I thank God every single day that Mr C is my guy!
Happy Anniversary Mr.C, I’ll love you till I croak too!
(that’s an inside frog-joke)

I’ve been busy working on some flower arrangements for my friend and former employer’s son’s wedding.
We worked together on all of the table arrangements last week. (we used branches and artificials) and I forgot to get pics.
Last night and this morning were the fresh arrangements for the buffet tables and the bar. I think they turned out pretty cool.

For the two buffet tables…

And for the bar…

I had nothing to do with the cake, but it is so pretty I needed to take a picture even though it was still in the box….

Wally and Stella are HOME!!! That is what the Crazy Dog People decided to name Dog-Ducks 1 & 2.
They went all out and built them a beautiful enclosure and even a house with cedar shake shingles! They moved in yesterday afternoon and they are very happy there…

They seemed to enjoy being a part of this pack…

but then who wouldn’t be!

Fall is starting to show her colors here on The Hill, this tree in Neighbor Mike’s pasture always seems to be the first to change…

(Hey, I just noticed there is a deer in that picture!)

The Cut-leaf Sumac turns a firery red but the leaves fall off very quickly afterwards…

We ummmm forgot to bring in the feeders the other night and mama bear and babies showed up again…

…I was working at the Wildlife Center when we got the call that changed our lives here on The Hill.
One year ago today I came home with this pitiful little bundle of skin and bones…

The vet told me later on that she didn’t think our little Paddy would make it through the night. But she did.
She did, and we battled through a number of health issues with her for quite awhile. She had fungal infections of the skin…

But antibiotics and some good clean water in the tub eventually cleared that up.

She also suffered with infections in the joints of her legs which caused them to swell so she could barely walk. And digestive problems…. oh let me tell you that a beaver with chronic diarrhea isn’t a pleasant thing!

But, sleeping snuggled up with her dad always made her feel better though…

She has truly been like a child to me for this past year. I’ve watched her grow from an adorable little furball

into a beautiful young adult

And soon, much toooooo soon, Paddy will be headed to her new home in Michigan. It is a HUGE blessing and a total GOD-THING that she has a wonderful place to go where she will be safe from hunters and trappers and predators for the rest of her life and I will get to visit her anytime I want to! AND she’ll have a boyfriend!
I will post more about that later on.
My heart, while joyful, is also very heavy with the thought of bidding her good-bye.

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Yesterday was my birthday although I don’t really like to count them anymore!
On Tuesday and Wednesday I spent the day with my friend and former employer Lindy. I was helping with the centerpieces for her son’s wedding and doing some decoration.
She had forgotten about my b-day so she took me to this decadent bakery to have a little celebration…

We enjoyed a plate of delicious macaroons and some cappuccino.
They offered samples of a couple of cakes and one of them was to DIE for! Walnut something or other… can’t remember the fancy gourmet name right now though.
Anyway, my eyes literally rolled back into my head when I tasted it so Lindy bought one for me for my b-day present!
OH MY GOSH!

Mr C. and I were in heaven last night!

Well, the 2nd Dog-Duck arrived yesterday after a mix-up on the Friday arrival time.
This guy is a bit older and was rescued from even more deplorable conditions than Dog-Duck-1.
He was also housed in an outdoor kennel with dogs but the difference is that all of them were starving. It’s amazing that the dogs didn’t kill and eat the duck… just amazing!
It was clear how malnourished he was when I put him in with D.D.-1
D.D.D.’s bill and feet were extremely pale compared to the bright orange of D.D.-1’s and his neck is sooooo skinny. I can feel the bones beneath his feathers.

When first introduced, the ducks did not know what to make of each other. Neither has ever seen another duck since they were tiny babies!
D.D.-1 showed a bit of territorial behaviour at first but after only one night together they are happy little buddies that just MAY be starting to understand that they really aren’t dogs after all!

I can really see a big difference in D.D.-1’s personality already! He/she seemed depressed before but now he/she is so happy to have a buddy to swim with!

(By the way, I’m convinced it’s a SHE)

We had quite an adventure this morning when I put both of them in Paddy’s pond together for the first time I’ll have to write about that later though. Suffice it to say, Paddy was NOT happy and I think the ducks will have to stay in their own enclosure under the deck until the Crazy Dog Couple have their new home all ready for them!

Apparently Princess Paddy didn’t want to wait for her evening stroll yesterday!
Mr. C and I were out picking up a new chain saw bar and a few other things when Neighbor Mike spotted what he assumed to be a ground hog headed across the pasture, then he realized it was Paddy wanting to go for a swim in the pool!
I guess I didn’t put enough tension on the bungee that holds the 2×4 across the gate so she can’t muscle her way out. She pushed up the 2×4 and pushed the bottom of the gate out and she was on her way. Thank You Lord that Mike saw her and rounded her up and thank You too that Duck-Dog didn’t escape along with her!
A trip to the store for some chain to double lock the gate is on the list of chores for today.
Speaking of Duck-Dog… I found a new home for him/her! Appropriately, the crazy dog couple from down the street is adopting him/her! AND, believe it or not, I got a call from a lady whose hairs I cut telling me of yet another duck-dog that was being held at a near-by humane shelter that was looking for a home! She’s bringing it out today to meet Duck-Dog # 1 and the crazy dog couple will give them both a good home where I KNOW they will be spoiled rotten!

I have an unexpected day off of work today since it’s RAINING!!! Thank You again God!

How cool is this???!!!…


Mama is teaching her babies how to raid bird feeders! Too cute…
I know, I KNOW…we’ll stop leaving the feeders out!

Well…. not really, we got a DUCK that THINKS it’s a dog!
Here’s the story…
I got an e-mail from a friend telling me about this girl in town that had rescued one baby duck out of the road after it’s entire family had been hit by a car and killed.
Bless her for doing that, BUT for some reason she thought it was ok to keep the duck in a 10×10 chain link kennel with a Blue-tick Hound and a Beagle! Apparently, the dogs must not be aware that they are hunting dogs because they accepted the duck and slept curled up together in the less-than clean kennel. He/she grew into a big dirty white duck-dog.
At some point the girl finally came to the conclusion that it probably wasn’t the best environment for a duck… gee, ya think?
When I picked it up it smelled like a very dirty wet dog that had never had a bath in it’s life! I put her/him into Paddy’s pond and the poor thing had no idea what to do in deep water! So, I filled a shallow container and set him/her up in the holding pen under the back deck. It took quite awhile for the duck-hound to get into that water but I’m finally seeing some duck-like behaviour coming out.

Yesterday I put him/her back into Paddy’s pond and he/she swam and and actually had fun!


That is ,until Paddy came out to see what was going on…
Paddy slowly swam back and forth, eyeing the intruder, sizing him/her up.
Then suddenly she literally torpedoed herself towards that duck and scared the bejeebers out of the poor thing.
Apparently, Miss Paddy-Cake isn’t very good about sharing!

I will put him/her back in Paddy’s pond today while Paddy is sleeping. She doesn’t like to rise and shine until mid-afternoon at the earliest!

My plan was to release this duck at Chesley but I’m afraid it would think some coyote or fox was his friend and end up being a meal! I’m currently looking for a new home for him/her.

We bought the Tasco 3 Mega Pixel trail camera for $79.00 at Wally World.
It has given us proof positive that we have at least THREE different bears raiding our bird feeders! There are never more than one at a time. There is the one that I posted pics of before… she came back after I left for work yesterday!

Unfortunately for her, this big guy had emptied the feeders at around 11:30 the night before…

His coat is very thin… he may have mange or something… I hope he finds a warm place to hibernate!
This one came a few nights nights ago… we are pretty sure it is the smaller one we saw with neighbor Mike the other day.

I put seed in the feeders yesterday and we set the camera up again last night. It’s still too dark out to see if the feeders are down this morning.
I’m home from work today because… YAY, it rained last night and I’ve got to go and get some supplies later on. I’ll be anxiously watching to see if our morning bear comes back today!
After today we’ll start bringing the feeders in before we go to bed. As much fun as it is to see the bears, we really don’t want to encourage them to hang around.

I’ll highly recommend this trail cam if you’re thinking of getting one. Mr.C was looking through his Cabelas catalog and there are some that sell for over $500! This one is great entertainment and does a great job at a great price!

I think we’ll set it up on the porch for a few nights to see what critters are coming and eating the cat food!