video footage of my friend hoggy

yes it was quite funny the way he was eating wasn't it and he didn't even flinch, even when i got up close he just stayed there, he's been AWOL for the past few nights so it was a treat to actually get him on video...lottie is really gentle with him, maybe because he will prickle her if she attacks him, but she's never done that before, neither has max come to think about it.

oh, hoggy is a ame little thing and the cats don't seem to mind at all, lottie just sits there and watches him, then she will follow him across the garden but she never attacks him, max just doesn't really care what's in the garden, he's even cool with the fox, lol....hoggy is a regular here now, he's like one of my own pets and he always feeds on what i give him, he looked so cute munching away like that, it was like he really enjoyed that piece of cheese, yep, i gave him some cheese....lol....i wish it had have been lighter, i could just barely make out his little face....lol....

well he comes here evry night now, i am confident about alloowing the cats go out because they seem to like him and don't attack him at all, infact they get close to him and it doesn't bother them one bit, he's my pet now and i think i will be seeing alot more of him, i just adore geese mental i would love to see that video of you feeding them, that would be so nice, we have a place nearby called froggie meadows and it has ducks and swans and geese, even sygnets and i just love going for a walk to that pond, the geese are fierce but they don't mind taking food from me, but the swans sook so elegant until you get close up, then they hiss....but just being there on a nice sunny day is a treat, i always take some bread and nibbles with me so i can watch them feed, i even sa a few mice there the other day, not keen on them but they came out of the grss and stole the bread that i left on the floor, i knew i should have taken my video cam with me, the next time i go there i will take it because it's a beautiful little spot.

Oh, how I wish we had swans here, too! I know that they're very much like geese in temperament but they're so beautiful and graceful! Our geese are Canadian geese, or so they're called. They're always here, in Virginia, so I'm wondering if they've changed citizenship yet. LOL

If I could convince my husband to take a video of me shooing them out of my garden, you'd laugh yourself silly! They're definitely bold birds! They won't move until they're convinced I mean business! Then, all they do is meander over to the lake, in no big hurry, even while I'm yelling at them and waving my arms all over the place as I hobble over toward them.

I shot one in the butt with a pellet gun once because they simply refused to take me seriously. They were quite a distance from me as I was on our deck off the back of the house and they were midway between my garden and the lake, about 40 feet or so away from me. They didn't pay any mind to me threatening them to leave, so I got our pellet gun, took aim (which really is bad... I can't shoot straight to save my life) and fired. One of the geese apparently got "goosed" in the behind because it's hind end went down, it's wings flailed out and it started walking towards the lake a little faster. (This pellet gun isn't that strong, plus the CO2 cartridge was running low... very light impact at that point.)

Of course, the goose has apparently forgotten all about that episode. They all still wander up here from the lake. I'm thinking of making a "coyote" for a fox out of chicken wire and papier-mache and coating it with clear acrylic after painting it to look like one of those animals. They are predators to geese and, if it looks good enough, and I move it around every now and then so the geese don't realize it's not alive, it just might work. I've been reading up on things like that because of all the damage the wildlife around here has done to my garden and fruit trees.

Besides, it'll be really nice to do something like that again. I miss doing that kind of craftwork. I made a turkey that way once. My mother, after my father died and before she married my step-father, dated a guy who owned a bar (pub) called "Turkey Joe's" and his logo was a turkey wearing sneakers. So, I made him one out of chicken wire and papier-mache and bought a tiny pair of used tennis shoes from a second-hand store. It was great fun working on that! Somewhere around here I have a picture of me working on that turkey. When I find it, I'll scan it and post it for you.

So, since I made a turkey that actually looked like a turkey, perhaps I can make a coyote and/or fox to keep the varmints away from my garden. They're welcome to wander anywhere else on our property, I just want them to stay away from my garden! I worked in it yesterday, planting some honeydew melons, another tomato plant and some flower seeds and my back is SCREAMING at me right now. I hate to see my hard work get gobbled up by these critters, especially when I'm usually in so much pain the next day!

Oh! While out there pulling weeds from my veggie garden, I came across two onions I had planted last year! They're not really large, but much larger than when I planted them. I was so excited! Today is our fourth of July celebration and both of my boys are coming over later today to shoot off some fireworks (assuming they're still good after spending the winter in our basement...the fireworks, not my sons, lol), and I plan to cook on the grill and make potato salad. I'm going to use my onions in that salad! I just wish I had potatos that were large enough to use, too, but I ate those tiny ones that I found earlier. I put them in potato salad that I made for my son's birthday. They were yummy!

Well, I think, before this turns into a novel and I have to give it a title, I'll end it here. I've gotta move around some because I'm hobbling around like a 90 year old woman! My back can't take too much gardening and I overdid it a bit yesterday.

oh what a lovely story, i was just sat here chuckling away to myself trying to visualize you with that pellet gun, i always like reading your stories because i actually feel like i am there, it's like i am reading a good book, hey maybe you should become a writer...LOL....the next time i go to froggie meadows i will definitely take my cam, the wildlife there is beautiful, just a little tip for you, (bull rush) did you know that if you dig bull rush u from the marshes you can use the stalks as food...yep, i saw that on river cottage, it tastes a little bit like water chestnut and it's very crunch, it looks like a giant spring onion, talking of onions, i hope you get to enjoy them onions you found, there's nothing better than eating home grown food, also i saw some raised beds today and i really wanted to get some, but i didn't have enough money, i wanted to plant my betts inside them because the soil would be loose so that way they would grow into globes instead of long ways, the soil here is pretty hard right now so i don't want to plant anything just yet, so my beets will just have to stay in their pots till i get that raised bed....

I've seen some of those raised beds you can buy but they're very easy to make. All you need are some nails, a hammer and some 2" x 6" or 2 x 8 lumber. Pine boards work. If you could get them home on your bicycle... hmmm... maybe one of your sons could help? 4 foot long pieces are good enough. Then, fill it with garden soil (that you buy) and voila! You have a raised bed woith soft soil with no stones or rocks! The ones you buy might last longer, but those you make yourself should last quite a few years and they're a LOT cheaper! I want to do that myself for my carrots, beets, radishes, and even for potatoes one of these days.

Oh, and about writing, I've written several short stories and one book on dreams. I've been working on another, science fiction kind of book (mostly just fiction but with a little weirdness thrown in) for years now. I've hit a stumbling block (writers block, I guess) and the story can go in either of two directions. I can't decide which direction to take it. Maybe I should pull it out and start writing down scenarios; maybe that will help me decide which way to go with it.

I also have another idea for a book: everything you ever wanted to know about everything. Sort of a dictionary but instead of defining words, I want to write everything you can do with everything, like onions being good for your cholesterol and also good for pulling out bee stingers or splinters. Stuff like that. I know it would be a massive book, perhaps several volumes, which is why I haven't started it, other than collecting facts about certain things. One day, maybe.

I do know that, between you and me, we could come up with a pretty darned funny book about everyday things! You and your hoggy, me and my geese, things like that. The title could be something like, "Short, VERY Funny Stories".

i was amused by his little face while he was eating cheese, yep, cheese, he loves the stuff, lottie and max don't mind at all, they just sit there and watch him, even when the fox comes into the garden they just sit and watch but i have to e careful because foxes are so unpredictable and can attack at any time, so i need to watch lottie with her having kittens, if that fox gets her, then she's a gonner and so are the babies, but my little friend is so sweet, i think i have made another little friend....lol.....