Maria’s view of Log Cabin Living

I’ve been gone for a while, and I have missed this place and my blogger friends.  Time really does fly. A few posts back, I told you that my sister, A, had colon cancer.  Well, she had the surgery, and everything went fine!  They were able to get it all (yay!), and we were all celebrating about that.  She is recuperating at home now and will be off work until after July 10th. 

Meanwhile, hubby was having chest pains, so we went to Billings for some tests.  After checking him out, they immediately checked him into the hospital for open heart surgery.  After a quadruple bypass 8 weeks ago, he’s getting a little better day by day.  He also has congestive heart failure and a small aneurism on his aorta.  When it rains, it pours.  Again with the day by day thing.

And me, I’ve been busy with my work-at-home job and taking care of hubby, the house, and the yard.  So yes, time does fly!  But I wanted to pop in to visit my blogger friends and tell everyone hello. 

We ‘lost’ Cowboy the cat back in March.  His “real” owners came home to Montana from Wintering in New Mexico, and they stopped by and picked him up (Grrrrrrr).  He came back to our house once, but his owner came and got him again.  Hubby had fallen hard for Cowboy, so he told her that if Cowboy keeps coming back, we’re keeping him!  She agreed that she would only come to pick him up one more time .  After not seeing him for a week or so, I called her to check on Cowboy, and she said they’re locking him in the garage at night, so he won’t come back here.  Dang!  It’s hard for me to picture a cool cat locked in a garage all alone, but I know these people (at least the wife) care about Cowboy, so I’m sure he’s fine.  I hope he’s back this coming Winter.  I miss that furry orange guy.

The girls, Lucy and Daisy (the terriers), are happily frolicking in the fields around our house.  I call it “mole patrol.” 

And now, back to work!  As soon as I can, I’ll be back on here posting regularly.

Happy Summer! 

And Happy Father’s Day to all of you dads!

We just found out that my older sister, A, was diagnosed with colon cancer.  There’s no history of this in our family, but it does underscore the need for regular testing.  Yes, I know….we all get squeamish at the thought of that test (I know I do!!  Yikes!), but it saves lives.   “A” goes in for more tests this week, so everyone please keep her in your prayers, would ya’?  She lives in New Jersey, and I’ll be flying there, at some point, to be with her for surgery.  That’s all we know about it, so far.

She is only 2 1/2 years older than me.  A thing like this makes me really feel my age.  Usually, my mind feels like age 30…..if only I didn’t have to look in the mirror, I would think I am!  In truth, I haven’t seen 30 in a long time.  It’s funny how, as we age, we keep the same mindset, to a certain degree.  Of course, we gain wisdom (one hopes!), but we still have many of the same desires for fun and adventure that we did years ago. 

So that’s all for today.  It’s hard to write when I’m worried.. 

  I told you all about Daisy in a previous post.  Now, I’ll tell you about my other dog, Lucy.  She’s what I call “the intelligent one.”  She’s a sweet little dogs, and much calmer and quieter than Daisy.  Daisy, being a Jack Russell terrier mix, is very hyper and happy-go-lucky.  Lucy is more introspective… a thinker….a very devoted little pup.  She’s also the alpha dog.  At 20 pounds, she’s a little squirt.

Realizing that there’s a natural pecking order with dogs, I’ve always let “the girls” solve their own disputes.  Not that they fight or anything like that…not at all (well ok, occasionally over a bone)…but Lucy does feel the need to exercise her authority at times.  For example, if I’m petting Daisy, Lucy will strong-arm her way in by me, so that she can be the one being petted. 

I had rescued Lucy before I rescued Daisy, but under much less dramatic circumstances.  Lucy came from the same house…reputed at the time to be a crack house.  It seems that was true, because a few months later, there was a big drug bust at that same house.  But before that happened, Lucy, at about 4 months old, had been wandering around loose in that neighborhood during the cold of Winter.  A neighbor (and fellow animal welfare activist) told me about the poor little neglected tan dog.

My friend and I drove to the neighborhood and knocked on the door of the reputed crack dealer.  We asked them if they wanted the little dog.  They said no, take her.  So I did!  She was in good health and seemed to be well fed, unlike Daisy, as we later found out.

The thing about dogs is that, with them around, you can never get too much of a case of the blues.  Just the fact that they depend on you keeps you going.  And then there are their silly antics to keep you laughing.  They help to keep your mind off your troubles.  Yes, dogs are good medicine.

  In this picture, I’m sure the girls had no idea where they were being taken and what the heck was happening, as we moved me from Florida to Montana last February.  We stopped in motels for several nights, and one of our stops was at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota (a place I’d always wanted to visit).  Before we left Florida, I had bought harnesses and retractable leashes from Drs. Foster & Smith for the girls, and I was glad I did.  By the way, ’scuse how goofy I look…we’d been on a harrowing road trip in the snow and ice for several days!

  The girls, being terriers, absolutely love to dig for underground critters.  In this case, it’s moles.  Daisy does it for fun, but Lucy is very, very serious about her craft.  Consequently, Lucy has caught several of them.  Daisy… well, she has other good qualities!   They entertain themselves for hours with this sport.  

  This little dog can run like a speeding bullet.  I wonder if I can teach her to be a frisbee dog.  Trouble is, I’d have to put Daisy in the house.  I tried it with the frisbee once, but with both of them outside, there was too much confusion….neither dog could concentrate.

I remember when we first moved here (after all, it was only a year ago).  After having a small yard in Florida and never having been off the leash when out of that yard, they were able to run free on the property we have in Montana.  On the first day we let them outside, once Lucy discovered that she was “free,” she took off running ’round and ’round the house as fast as she could.  I swear she was smiling the whole time.   It was so cute to see her that happy!

   Last summer, we took the girls with us on an uphill hike on the Woodbine trail in the mountains nearby.  Hubby convinced me to let the girls off their leashes away from home, for the very first time.  I was a nervous wreck, but he insisted they would not run off.  And he was right!  They happily followed us on the trail, sniffing most everything, as we hiked along.  Once we got to the little wooden bridge that crossed this little river, the girls apprehensively crossed it with us.  We stopped to sit on the rocks and take a break, and Lucy promptly hopped into the rushing water.  It seemed as if she didn’t realize what she’d done, until she was already in the water.  I watched her closely, as she stumbled on the slippery rocks.  Then I called her out and rewarded her response with a ‘biscuit’…….one of the girls’ favorite things in the world!

Every day is a new adventure with the girls.  They light up my life.

 http://facts.hillaryhub.com/  

I can’t keep politics out of this any longer.  Sorry guys, I feel compelled to say this:  It’s a crying shame that so many men are so afraid of a woman in a power position.  I have seen this fear many times in my lifetime.  Years ago, one man I knew repeatedly said he hated Oprah.  When I asked why, he had no answer.  Another time, he said he hated Barbara Walters.  Again, when I asked why, he had no answer.  After this happened several times, always with a woman in a position of power, he said he hated them….never having a reason, when pressed for one…I decided that a type of fear was causing this so-called “hate.”  This characteristic is evident in many men (not all men, of course) to whom I have spoken, over the years.  What I detected with them was a profound fear (either conciously or subconsiously) of women in power, which manifested itself as a type of hate. 

This alarms me.  I hope it does you, too.

I believe that, in spite of all that is said about her, Hillary Clinton would make a great president.  Further, being a brilliant person, she would realize the honor and magnitude of her being elected as the first woman president, and she would do everything possible to manage her presidency in a way in which all Americans could be proud.  She would understand the importance of her legacy to those who follow.

All I can say is that this will be one hell of an election.  

It was a busy day for Cowboy the cat…stalking birds, contemplating the meaning of life, posing for pictures, taking naps on the dog’s bed, and generally enjoying life.  He follows me around the yard, and even comes to the river with me and takes a long drink of the icy cold water.  Hubby is still amazed that a cat would follow a person.  I’m enjoying seeing how much he, a former cat hater, enjoys Cowboy!

Meanwhile, Daisy was playing in the snow, making a point of running as much as possible to keep her waistline trim.  At 6 years old (or is it 7?), she’s still like a puppy in many ways. 

Daisy is a rescue dog.  The previous owners almost killed her from neglect (it makes me furious to think of those idiots!).  As an animal welfare activist, I had heard about Daisy from a fellow activist.  She knew someone across the street from Daisy’s previous owner who told her about the little dog. 

So one day, my friend and I knocked on the previous owner’s door.  My friend, always fast on her feet, told the owner that we were from Animal Control and were following up on a complaint.  The lady went and got the dog and brought her outside, all the time holding her.  Long story short, after 45 minutes, we talked the lady into handing me the dog, after telling her the dog would die without veterinary care.  After she handed me the emaciated dog, we immediately turned and left in my friend’s car.

My friend and I were so appalled and disgusted at the dog’s weakened and emaciated appearance that we discussed involving Animal Care and Control to press charges against the owner, but we decided not to, realizing that they would take the dog as “evidence,” and I didn’t want to give her up.

The vet’s office was closed, so I took the dog home with me, planning to take her to the vet in the morning.  The dog was skin and bones and was so weak that she could not stand up.  I determined that she was not only starved, but she was severely dehydrated, too.  She hadn’t even been given any water!!

That night, the dog began convulsing, which scared the hell out of me.  I stayed by her side for hours, and it occurred to me that her name should be “Daisy.”  The next day, the vet took the dog as an inpatient for 3 days, warning me that the dog would probably not survive.  Somehow, I knew she would survive!  The vet said that without care, the dog would have been dead within 24 hours, due to the severe dehydration.  She told me the dehydration had caused the previous night’s convulsions.  Daisy was in “intensive care” for 3 days.

Once I brought her home, she still had trouble standing up.  I gave her tender loving care, as she began to gain weight and become stronger.  It took 2 months for her to get her full strength back, and then look out!  She’s part Jack Russell terrier, and I found out quick how active they are! 

She has a happy go-lucky, adorable personality.  What a sweet, loving little dog.  How could a person treat her the way those people did?!

  Whew!  This has been a weird week so far.  For one thing…..the other night, we couldn’t find Cowboy the cat anywhere!  We looked and looked and waited and waited and worried, but no kitty!  It was going to go below zero that night, and I knew I couldn’t sleep with him not accounted for..   

We thought…maybe he went back to his owner’s house (even though they’re still in Mexico), or maybe he was out tom-catting around (but he’s neutered…though he could tell the girls he’s had a vasectomy!  ;))…or maybe a coyote got him…or a bear…

Around 1:00 a.m., I was going to try for a few hours of sleep, when an idea finally occurred to me!  I put on my warm booties and heavy coat and grabbed the flashlight.  I went outside and walked quickly to the little barnwood shed (the picture shows the shed last Summer).  I opened the door and shined the flashlight inside.  Looking back at me were two huge cat eyes.  Cowboy had accidently been closed into the shed, when I went outside at 3:00 pm to put out some sunflower seeds for the birds!!

The poor kitty had been closed in that shed for 10 hours in below freezing weather!!  I felt SO bad!   Cowboy forgave me, after a good hugging and a head scratch.  But of course, hubby had fun laying on the guilt for that one! 

Then yesterday, while working on our web site, with a view through a loft window, I spotted a golden eagle flying close to our cabin.  I immediately went downstairs to make sure the dogs and the kitty were inside.  Just as I got down the stairs, I saw the golden eagle flying low alongside the deck.  My heart almost stopped when I realized Cowboy the kitty was outside!  I ran to the edge of the deck and called for Cowboy.  Soon, he emerged from under the deck.  I coaxed him onto the deck and took him inside to safety.  My heart was still pounding as I wondered…had he ducked under the deck to escape the eagle?  Or was it a coincidence that the eagle dove that low? 

I could tell that hubby had some doubt, as I described the close call.  And still, my heart pounded.  We both agreed that an eagle had never flown so close to the house at 4 or 5 feet above the ground!

Then this morning, the eagle was back….again, very close to the house.  I was sure now that he was scouting for a cat or a dog for a hot lunch.  I think I even got hubby to agree, though he argued that an eagle could never pick up Daisy, our 29-pound terrier–she being the biggest of the three pets.   I made the point that golden eagles are known to have picked up dairy calves and baby lambs, which probably weigh 50 pounds, so Daisy’s not safe from stalking, either!

I’ve kept a close eye on the three pets, since then..

I think my heart’s still pounding a little.

We need a few groceries, and it’s a 25-mile ride into Absarokee, the little town closest to us that has a grocery store.  It is such a cute little mountain town!  It’s crazy how people speak to each other on the street or wherever they might pass each other…so different from cities.  I’m glad that I had a chance in my lifetime to live in such a cool place.  Cold, yes…windy, yes, but cool… and gorgeous!

We have a house guest for the rest of the Winter, it seems.  One day about 2 weeks ago, we were airing out 2 feather pillows by putting them on the rocking chair on the front porch.  It was a cold day…very cold…and a windy day, to make it worse.

Late in the afternoon, my hubby said, “come here, I think there’s some kind of wild cat on the porch!”  I went to take a look, and sure enough, it was a cat…not a wild cat, but a beautiful, big orange tabby cat (I stifled the impulse to laugh out loud at the wild cat comment).  The cat had discovered the pillows and was on top of them, trying to hunker down to escape the cold wind.

Keep in mind that my hubby, at least up to that moment, was a so-called cat hater (it’s my opinion that anyone who says they hate cats has never had a cat!).

We added a comforter to the rocking chair to help keep him extra warm, and he stayed there for the next 3 nights.  We had no cat food and weren’t going to town for several days, so I fed him a can of solid white Albacore tuna once a day. 

It killed me to leave him outside, but I never mentioned bringing the kitty inside, knowing hubby “hated cats.” 

On the third day, hubby said he would be mad at me if I left the cat out there for one more night (who woulda’ ever thought!?!), so I picked the kitty up and brought him inside. 

This kitty is not particularly fond of dogs, but the dogs (2 Jack Russell mix) are used to cats (since I’d had a cat who passed away years ago from complications from diabetes), so the adjustment was not too bad…except for a few cat swipes taken at the dogs now and then.

The next day, a neighbor stopped by and recognized kitty and told us the story of him.  It seems that a neighbor about 1/4 mile away is the owner, but they’ve left Montana to “Winter” in Mexico, and they left the cat outside…though he does have a heated dog house.  The neighbor said she has been putting food out for him.  We told her that kitty (named “Pepper,” as we found out) is welcome at our house. 

Now, 2 weeks later, Pepper (he doesn’t answer to that, so we call him “Cowboy”) has a heated pet bed, which he lies on in front of our big window in the living room.  We’ve gotten him food, toys, and a litter box.

So overnight, hubby was converted from a cat hater to a cat person!  I knew he’d like cats if he ever had one!

We don’t know what will happen when his owners return in March or April.  We assume he will go back to his real life.  But I hope that he’ll come and visit us again.  It’s nice to have a kitty in the house again..

 And boy, is it snowing today!  The deer come by every day, rain or shine (or snow!).

An Arctic front rolled in this morning.  As we drove to town, we could literally see it rolling over the mountain top and down into the valley.  Amazing!   By the time we headed for home, everything was covered in several inches of fresh white snow, and the temperature had dropped from 39 to 1 degrees!  Seeing the snow-covered livestock along the way, I can’t help but wonder how they survive these temperatures…but they do.   They huddle together in groups, to keep somewhat warm.

As trucks passed us going swiftly in the opposite direction, they raised a thick, blinding wall of blowing snow behind them.  We could not see anything except a wall of white for several seconds, then it cleared..

We had been sure that, by the time we got to our dirt road, it wouldn’t be snowing anymore…so often, areas around us get snow or rain, and we get nothing.  What a surprise we got as we passed the church up the road and could see that it was snowing all the way!  (Yayyy!!)

Now we have a roaring fire in the fireplace and can watch the beautiful snow fall from our warm retreat..