THE LOG HOG

Posted on July 11, 2012 by BigFootClub

In our area, the best times to harvest timber are during late fall through winter and during the dry period in summer.  This is partly because there is usually water in the creek and river crossings.  For the veneer quality timber, it is best to harvest after the sap has decreased above ground.  We had some trees that had reached peak maturity and some that we had waited a little too long to harvest.  We had some areas where the trees needed to be thinned.  And after cutting three loads of trees, we still have too many.  It isn’t easy to manage a farm between two people, and the next area that needs attention is the tree lines between fields.  The fields keep shrinking in size because of the tree overgrowth.  It looks like trees will be the farm theme for 2012.

This year, the honey locusts were taking over all of the pastures, approximately one new tree per 3-4 square feet in many areas.  To remove honey locusts, you have to cut every single sprouted tree and apply a tree-killing herbicide.  There were a few mature trees that needed to be girdled and treated as well.  Cattle eat the bean pods and spread the seed.  This may occur worse during drought years.  For someone who uses herbicide products as little as possible, this is a major but necessary concession.  Greg began removing the honey locusts in the north pastures, but spring was coming at a faster rate than he could cut.  This needed to be done before the pastures were bush-hogged, and the weeds were growing.  We hired someone to help with this project, but in this heat, he could only work mornings, and only 3 days/week.  At a rate of maybe 2 acres per day, we are finally near completion, and the pastures look nice again, that is for brown grass.

We caught a break for the past several days.  Rain moved in and the mornings were cooler.  Today the temperature is climbing at a rapid rate again.

The guy who was hauling the timber called this morning to ask me to unlock and open the gate before he arrived.  I had enough time to take Jade for a quick walk, and she needed the exercise.  In the summers when she doesn’t get enough exercise, she is “loaded for bear”.  That is, she must find a way to use her excess energy.  Otherwise, she’s like a Newfoundland on a super-coiled pogo stick.

So, Jade and I took a fast walk, then went back to open the gate.  The sawyers were already busy, with heavy duty chainsaws buzzing.  The “Log Hog” arrived and began stacking trunks on the bed of the truck and on the trailer.  This guy was set up for “quick”.  The cherry picker was mounted on the back of the truck, between the bed and the trailer.  It had two large legs for stabilization and heavy duty hydraulic equipment to operate the arms and the legs.  It didn’t take long for the guy to load the truck and trailer.  There is no doubt he has had plenty of practice!

I recognized that this was a unique socialization opportunity, so Jade and I waited outside the fence.  The guy picked up a log and dropped it to break the remaining connection.  He picked up a very long log and moved it to the outside.  He loaded all of the pieces in that area, then moved his truck closer to the remaining logs.  One of the guys moved his 4 wheel drive diesel pickup close to where we were standing for the log truck to have better access.  It was getting hot, and there was no breeze, so the dust hung in the air.  Jade is accustomed to the tractor and some of the farm equipment, and she was handling the noise and the tree-moving very well, until the guy slammed his truck door.  She jumped.  I was a little off-guard by then, and didn’t react in time to keep the leash.  She ran about 10-12 feet, then spun like a Quarter horse and looked at the rest of us like she couldn’t figure out what was wrong with us.  Didn’t we hear THAT?!  I called her, but she didn’t want to come back.  Finally she conceded and returned.  One of the guys sawing stopped to pet her.  She seems to be fond of the sawing crew, and her perspective was quickly improved again.

The truck was nearly loaded, and the guy was moving a log on the other side of us that was causing the entire load to tip slightly.  I moved Jade further away, to the other side of the gate and waited for him to finish tying down the load and moving the truck out.  Then we went inside for a cool-down break, me with a Dr. Pepper and Jade with a nap, where she can “saw logs” in her sleep.

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HELLO JULY

Posted on July 1, 2012 by BigFootClub

Yesterday was a work Saturday, as most are, but with the focus on house & Newf cleaning that consumes the day and requires a full investment of energy resources. As a proactive measure for flea control, all of the floors are sanitized and all Newfs bathed on the same day. The flea life cycle is about 15 days, so this is part of a typical two week process. However, this time it was another two weeks behind. (Summer is also the season for Tent Theatre and other activities.)

In addition to the usual demands, the long and wonderful spring was met by a sudden and fierce arrival of summer, precisely on schedule.  We were supposed to receive a break from the triple digits on Saturday. The temperature was supposed to drop to 96. When a weather forecaster (aka meteorologist) must report bad news day in and day out, he becomes very enthusiastic about the possibility of a change for the better. However, the 10 p.m. reporter was more ambivalent, reporting a high of 99 with less enthusiasm, and with some apprehension about making the 6 o’clock reporter look silly. Without looking at the actual high, I have doubts that it was below 100 F.

With too many interruptions, and after sleeping a little late to accomodate the late return from the Tent Theatre, bathing didn’t begin until 11:45 a. m. I hadn’t remembered to start the air conditioner, and that would take too long at this point. The grooming room is in a rock building, which moderates temperature change very well. This also results in a cooler temperature inside during the day, at least while the nights are cool, so it wasn’t too warm inside the building. That is, until I began using the warm water for bathing. With two windows and the door open, and a fan moving air on its high speed setting, the humidity jumped so quickly that sweat was rolling down my face and into my eye lashes before half of the bath for the first Newf was finished. I wondered whether we both may melt before we began the cold water rinse. The Newfs seemed to be tolerating it better than I was.

The nice thing about hot dry weather is that you can blow-dry a Newf completely in 20 minutes. Under typical conditions for Missouri, this takes about two hours. For drying, I moved each one to the outside table, avoiding the lingering humidity inside. The table was in the shade of the building for the Newfs, but not for the person holding the dryer nozzle. The shade cloth for this table is still in the box, but that will change soon also!

It took two Dr. peppers and a Gatorade, along with two very old reruns of The Beverly Hillbillies before I was ready to finish the cleaning in the house. The Newfs took naps by the air conditioning vent in the kitchen on a cleaned floor.

This morning, it is quiet and peaceful as I enjoy a freshly brewed, strong cup of cofee in the company of two lovely, clean Newfoundlands in a clean house. This phase of clean congruity won’t ast long. It’s “clean sheet night” (Dharma & Greg) at its best!

Now the coffee mug is empty, and I am being snoogied and given the paw. Parker has a remarkable intuitiveness in many ways, and he knows when a video or television program is almost over, and he knows when something I’m writing or working on is almost over. His breakfast has been cooling, and it’s time to move on.

A pleasant Sunday to all, and to the Canadians, happy Canada Day!

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OZARK ADVENTURES

Posted on June 26, 2012 by BigFootClub

(written 8/27/09)

I enjoy living in this part of Missouri, on the outskirts of the Ozarks.  I like waking up in the mornings and watching the mist rise over the creek as the sun comes up.  I like the clear fast moving water in the creeks and rivers.  I like the diversity of vegetation, although vining plants make upkeep a challenge.  I enjoy seeing the turkeys trot across the road in front of me, and watching the mothers rear their young.  I enjoy seeing the quail and their young trot around the corner of the garden in file, and watching the deer leap across the terrain in the bottomland.  It is, to me, a very beautiful and wonderful place to live.

It is an enjoyable place to ride horses, although I do this less often now.  And, it’s very nice to have Newf swimming locations where the water and the banks aren’t muddy.

There is a bird feeder (or cat feeder, depending on your perspective) outside the dining room window, hanging from an old clothesline post.  Each year, some volunteer sunflowers and millet grow beneath it, and I leave those among the irises.  There is a “wild” flower bed next to the bird feeder, and I put sunflowers in that mix and leave those for the birds too.  The goldfinches feed there all summer long, as well as the hummingbirds.

Newfs fit well into the blend here.  They don’t intimidate the outdoor creatures much, so we see a lot of creatures up close. This includes, however, the long black slithering beasts that are only mildly perturbed that you interfere with their path to gawk at them.  It is heart-startling when you nearly step on one without realizing it.  And, it is somewhat amazing, at least to me, that they look at you without worry.  Most wildlife have in their survival assets a degree of fear of humans, and dogs.

Then there are the other “wild” creatures, the butterflies that visit the “wild” flower bed, the beautiful June bugs, the array of crickets, Katydids and singing frogs, the chubby little windowsill sitters (frogs) and representatives from the diversity of the animal kingdom.  This year, there was evidence of a loggerhead shrike, as a June bug was carefully impaled on a barbed wire fence next to the drive.  But there is more to the diversity than sometimes would be preferred, and it is the time of the year when indoor spaces are being scouted/invaded for potential winter homes.

Yesterday evening, Greg came by to pick me up from work. The dogs (Office Manager & Apprentice) and I had walked to work that morning to enjoy the beautiful day.  So, the dogs would enjoy a forbidden ride in the back of the truck back to the house, with a human sitting between them and holding leashes, of course.  I was the last one out of the building.  As I reached for my laptop bag, my reflexes kicked in.  Something moved, and it was big and hairy and about the same color as that black bag.  This was not a typical Wolf spider, and it was the largest one I have ever seen, and the hairiest.  It was not a Tarantula, although those show up too.  It had orange dots along its abdomen, and a slender orange stripe along its carapace.  It was covered in a thick velvet.

There must be a specific biochemical, in addition to adrenalin, that is released under those circumstances to make you stop breathing for a moment so you can hear every detail of sound in your vicinity.  There is also the sudden surge that feels like an electrical shock when you have an immediate change in blood pressure.  At this point, reason tries to take over control of the circuitry.  I ran out to get Greg so he could see the new “wild” creature, and so I could not be accused of exaggerating of course.  (another meaning of witness protection)  Then I got out the camera, which was fortunately charged.  Greg held the bag up carefully so the spider stayed on the bag, and I got a photo.  Then we proceeded with delicate movement to the outside, Greg carrying the bag and me advising him to not drop that creature inside the lab.  I followed with the camera, where in the outdoor light, I hoped to get a better image.  The spider zipped to the bottom of the bag at that point, but didn’t drop off.  Greg is tall enough that he could hold the bag up while I took more photos.

The dogs waited quietly for us without interest, being patient while humans were acting silly again.  I was glad that they didn’t find it in the building before I did.  Not all fuzzy eight-legged creatures are good office guests!  Some are best removed to the outdoors, the sooner the better!

Wolf Spider in Office

Wolf Spider in Office

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MY DESKMATE

Posted on June 26, 2012 by BigFootClub

Each year for three consecutive years, there has been a summer guest in my office.  And like the Newfs, each one has been unique.

The first year, it took a little adjustment to become accustomed to the company of an eight-legged creature on my desk.  The jumping spiders are almost always docile and entertaining, but they ususally reside outdoors around gate closures.  This one was quiet-mannered and cute.  He was compact, black and fuzzy, with iridescent blue “eyes”.  His “jump-through-walls” routine was pretty amusing.  He would be in one location until I glanced away, then on another side of the desk in less than a second, leaving me to wonder about whether there were two.  He was a regular presence for several days.  Mainly, he was minding his own business, at least as much as the Newfs do <g>, so he was office-compatible.

One day I didn’t see him and became concerned.  He had seemed a little too quiet and it looked like he was losing weight.  I decided that it was time for him to go outside where there may be better food potential, so I looked for him.  He was behind my laptop and it looked like he was taking a nap, like the Big Dogs.   He was lying slightly to one side.  He may have been faint from hunger or near death, but if spiders could snore, he would have been chiming in with the Office Manager & Apprentice, who were taking their mid-morning nap.  Well, their rythmic cadence sometimes makes me sleepy too.

He started scrambling as soon as I picked him up, using a cup with a piece of paper, and when I let him out, he dropped down on a silk to the grass.  Very neat.  He climbed up a blade of grass and watched me for a while.  I may have orchestrated a spider rescue!  <g>  And I hoped that he would find plenty to eat outside.

I had really enjoyed that little guy’s company.  The next year, when summer began to arrive, I began to wonder whether there would be another.  One day, another fuzzy little black guest found its way to my desk!  This one had brilliant “eyes” that were more green than blue.  He seemed to prefer the keyboard on the IBM laptop.  He was a very busy little fellow, much too busy to take naps.  He looked a bit like a gorilla from a side profile, with a hump above his shoulders.  This one, unlike the first guest, was a little shy.  He suddenly realized I was watching him and that he was only inches away from me, and he started backing cautiously across the keyboard, climbed up the screen and is moving along the top of the lid keeping an eye on me.  He grew in size from his first appearance, and stayed around the office for quite a while.  His confidence, or his hunger, or his sense of humor grew also.  (See Payback for Humor at Someone Else’s Expense)

Now the third year has arrived, and I’ve been wondering whether I would have desk company again.  And as regularly as Christmas in December, there is another jumping spider who seems to have taken up residence at my desk, or as he/she sees it, “his desk”.  This one is still getting comfortable with the new surroundings and is exploring all of the nooks, perching points and resting areas.  It looks more similar to the first one.

It is like any first acquaintence:  we are observing each other in the process of trying to learn what we should expect.  As long as they share space well, we will be good desk-mates.  It has disappeared, and they do that, but after last year, I already find myself concerned about a surprise appearance!

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