Furtive Fire Ants

Cyndi:  What was the commotion on the front porch about a little while ago?

Marcus:  Oh, that was Jan dropping a 3.5 pound bag of fire ant killer on her big toenail.

Cyndi:  I'm glad I don't go outside.  It seems this is a bad year for fire ants.

Marcus:  Yes, new mounds are popping up all over.  A week or so ago, Jan decided to level the lawn beside a corner at the end of our walk.  She reached down, grabbed two handfuls of grass and yanked.  She then had two handfuls of grass and dirt - and her left hand covered with fire ants. And not a mound in sight!

Cyndi:  Ouch.  That must have hurt.  Those bites not only sting, they blister.

Marcus:  She brushed them off, came inside, washed her hands, and massaged several drops of tea tree oil all over her hand.  She had so many bites her whole hand burned.

Cyndi:  So that's why she went on a mad killing spree.

Marcus:  Yep, she killed every mound she could find.

Cyndi:  If all the mounds are gone, why did she drop the bag of killer on her toe?

Marcus:  It's been raining a lot and this morning she found new mounds being dug all over the yard.  She spent the afternoon "edging" the jungle growing over our front walk.  Pulled all that grass and the weeds by hand.  There was a fresh fire ant mound on each side and about a half dozen more around the yard.

Cyndi:  No wonder she was so tired!  Counting fire ant mounds must be hard work.

Marcus:  According to her, edging the walk was harder.  She got down to the end, yanked some weeds out of a crack, and suddenly she had fire ants inside her left glove.

Cyndi:  How did that happen?

Marcus:  Those things are furtive, sneaky.  We went mound hunting in the evening to kill the new mounds.

Cyndi:  Wouldn't it be easier to kill the fire ants?

Marcus:  That's what I meant.  They sure seem to be hard to kill, though.  Jan said she thinks there is some kind of fire ant telegraph system and when those in a mound are killed, a message goes out to distant relatives to come hold a funeral and then they just decide to stay.

Cyndi:  In that case, we'll never get rid of all the fire ants.

Marcus:  Of course, it could be that fire ants are like cats.  Sometimes, for reason unknown, cats just pack up and move next door or down the street.

Cyndi:  Jan has some totes in the closet.  Do you think if we offer each new mound a free tote, the ant's will move to the neighbors next door that don't like us?


Taylor: Excuse me, but do you cats remember the tree limbs Jan cut down recently? ( Sawing Branch as Percy Turns 14.  And Let There Be Light. )  Imagine our surprise to find Jan mentioned (instead of us Funny Farmer Felines) in a Mousebreath article.  You might want to stop by to read Yard Waste Transformed into Cat Furniture.  What a nifty idea for a cat tree.

Jan was all for cutting down that last branch she's been eyeing, but putting a cat tree together with screws is a bit above her coordination level. Besides, we're all out of log screws.  (Anyone know what a log screw is?)

Da Tabbies Flaky Flounder

Rusty:  Well, here we are again.  What's on the agenda for today?

Micah:  Flounder.

Rusty:  Do you mean we're floundering or we're fishing?

Micah:  Fishing.  But first we want to update a post from last Thursday. (Buddy and Merci Trees )

Rusty:  Jan and the dogs checked out the trees after last Saturday's frightening storm.

Micah:  The Merci tree shed small branches around a pretty good sized area of the ground but despite standing alone without cover, it still stands tall. 

Rusty:  The Buddy tree also made a big mess, mainly in the road, but it too endured.

Micah:  Just like our two older siblings, one of these days those trees will fall or be cut down.  Meanwhile, they endure.

Rusty:  Da Tabbies O Trout Towne left a request to be compared to a tree.  "dood....we think yur ann nal ogeez iz awesum....we wood likez ta bee compared ta one oh yur treez!!"

Micah:  We asked Jan if she could find us a tree for Da Tabbies and she said they are well-known for their grilled fish.  In fact, their favorite foods are  ----

"TROUT, SALMON, PERCH, SEA BASS, FLOUNDER, BURGERS, FRIEZ, HAM, BACON, WHITEFISH, TUNIE, SOLE, SGHETTI, PORK CHOPS, DONUTS, PIE, CAKE, TROUT, COD, ROAST, PIZZA, CHEEZE, COCONUT OIL, AND TROUT;"

Did we really expect her to find a tree that reminded her of fish?

Rusty:  Of course we did!  Then she walked the dogs and the first thing she noticed was a flounder tree.

Micah:  We think she needs glasses for more than reading but she insists it's a flounder tree.  

Rusty:  She hasn't had flounder in centuries -

Micah:  Decades, Rusty.  Don't say "centuries" around Jan.

Rusty:  In decades.  It was flaky and -

Micah:  Are you calling Da Tabbies "flaky"?

Rusty:  A little.  Dipped in batter and fried with fresh lemon and tartar sauce, flounder was the only item on the restaurant menu she would order.  She loved it!

Micah:  Oh, you mean our friends Da Tabbies have to be a bit flaky - as in unconventional - to be who they are and that's what we all love about them?

Rusty:  Exactly!  When Jan ate at a particular restaurant, she knew flounder would be on the menu.

Micah:  And when anything is going on around the pet blogs, we all know Da Tabbies will be there to leave a kind word, or make us smile, or lend a helping paw.

Rusty:  You know they would be a lot happier if Jan had seen a trout tree.

Micah:  I know, but flounder is fish so I don't think they'll mind.


We are joining the Pet Parade hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Basil the Bionic Cat, Barking from the Bayou and Owned by a husky.

Buddy and Merci Trees

Percy: Did you know you're like a tree, Merci?

Merci:  I'm like a what?

Percy:  A tree.  In particular, the tree in the distance on the right.  That's one of Jan's favorite trees.

Merci:  I'm not anything like a tree.

Percy:  Of course you are.  We don't know what kind of abuse you survived before you were picked up as a stray and landed at the county shelter back in 2003.  Or what abuse you might have suffered at the shelter.  To this day, you are afraid of your shadow and terrified of moving feet.  And over the years since Jan adopted you, you heard the (now ex) shelter manager's voice twice and both times you did some serious growling and shaking.

Merci:  That doesn't make me a tree.

Percy:  Ah, but this is what the tree looks like in the summer. Notice the lush green leaves with dead and broken branches sprouting here and there.  It's seen a lot of heat, cold, wind and rain over its lifetime but it still stands strong and beautiful.

Percy:  And this is Buddy.  Tufts of green leaves in the middle of winter amid the many broken branches.  He was dumped when he was three or four weeks old and he's faced a lot of adversity in his own life - seizures, allergies, skin problems - but even in the worst of times, he still shows signs of life.  No big holes in his trunk, but lots of grit.  He still loves his walks and he still voices his opinion on everything, whether or not we want to hear it.  In other words, he's a survivor too.

Buddy:  Did I just hear you call me an opinionated tree?

Percy:  Uh, not quite.

Buddy:  Then what did you say about me?

Percy:  I was just saying Jan loves these trees.  They aren't perfect but when she looks at them she sees beauty.

Buddy:  So I have holes in my trunk and naked branches but I'm beautiful?  Have you been hitting the nip again?

Percy:  No!  It's just an analogy.  You don't actually look like a tree.

Buddy:  I notice you didn't include a picture of what I .. of what that tree looks like in summer.  Are you insinuating I run around naked all year long?

Percy:  Yes ... I mean, no!  I mean ...  I need to think ... I mean I think I need to find a litter pan right away.

Merci:  It wasn't nice to pick on him like that.  He was just trying to be kind.

Buddy:  I know, but it was such fun. I was just voicing my opinion whether or not he wanted to hear it.


We are joining the Thankful Thursday blog hop at Brian's Home.

Autumn Has Fallen

Merci:  Not too long ago we mentioned the only sign of autumn we would see on our walk was one small tree.

Rusty:  Saturday Jan suddenly realized that autumn has truly fallen, as we now have signs all around us and snapped a few pictures.  Don't you just love the beautiful red of that tree?  It's almost as lovely as our red-headed Merci.

 

Cyndi:  It seems strange that last weekend we had freezing nights and this weekend we're having the same type of temperatures.

Merci:  But it is warmer this weekend.  Last Sunday morning it was 52F in the house.  This Sunday morning it was 54F.  (A little joke, in case you missed it.)  Nope, we don't have our heaters on yet.  Waiting on someone to come blow them out with a compressor so they can be started.

Rusty:  While Jan was admiring the trees, a flock of small birds flew over, circled around and headed across the street and up the hill. The flock was much larger but Jan had to zoom in to get any in the frame.  You have seen previous samples of her zoom aim.  For instance, the headless hawk.  So we're very happy she actually captured some birds in the picture.  We could be posting just a blue blank for your viewing enjoyment.

Cyndi:  We thought they were airplanes in the sky when we first saw the larger version of this picture.  That was a bit scary because why would there be a host of planes in the sky unless we were under attack.  Jan said a synchronized poop attack would be the worst we'd have to worry about from them.

Merci:  And this was their landing destination.  We hope all the flocks of birds flying over at this time of the year will arrive safely at their winter home.

Cyndi:  Let's just hope Marcus doesn't decide to invite them all to lunch.

Rusty:  Wait a minute.  That actually sounds like a tasty ... I mean, a great idea!

Headless and Wing Flapping

Merci:  A couple of weeks ago we watched a big bird land high up in a tree.  Jan pulled out her camera as we hot-footed it toward the tree.

Marcus:  We stopped.  While holding tightly to our leashes with one hand, Jan raised the other arm high above her head -

Buddy:  And the bird popped up and spun around with its back to us.

Merci:  Jan has a problem finding a target with one arm in the air.  (Remember when she aimed for the sky between two trees and took a picture of the house instead?  An Aiming Problem.)

Marcus: When she downloaded the pictures, the bird was missing in the first few; however, she did manage to shoot the target in two ... sort of.

Buddy:  As you can see, here is most of a bird from the rear.  We're pretty sure it had a head when it landed, but Jan decapitated it.  

Merci:  With precision timing, it flapped its wings just as Jan took the second shot.

Buddy:  We're curious as to what type of bird it is and are hoping someone might recognize the markings.  It's a long shot, but worth asking.

Marcus:  Whatever it is, the next time we see it, I'm going to invite him for lunch.

UPDATE: We are posting close-ups of the bird.  Sorry for the poor photos, but if Jan can miss the sky to hit a house, she can certainly decapitate a bird.  We would suggest you not let her take your picture - just in case!

We are joining the Pet Parade hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Basil the Bionic Cat, and Barking from the Bayou.

An Aiming Problem

Percy: That was some storm yesterday. Good thing it was a quick one.

Merci: Jan got home shortly after it went through and rushed us off on an early walk before the next one arrived. She took a photo of the sky on our way home.

Buddy: Jan made us walk in the middle of the road so she could get a good shot of the blackness framed between the trees. I can't wait to see how it turned out.

Percy:  I think she already downloaded it.  It should be easy to find.  She hasn't taken any other photos since Monday.

Merci:  Let's go see how it looks.

Percy:  I can't find it.  This is the only new picture I can find but that's the back of our house. 

Merci:  That can't be right.  She distinctly said she was taking a picture of the black sky framed by trees.  I don't see any sky at all.  Do you?

Buddy:  I remember we were about two blocks from home.  She used the zoom and held the camera up and pointed straight ahead.  How did she manage to -

Merci:  Never mind.  If we ask that question, she'll say it was our fault because one of us moved. 

Buddy:  She has said she can't see what she's photographing outdoors.  Do you suppose she's telling the truth?

Percy:  Do you think she has a  -

Merci:  Drinking problem?

Percy:  No, an aiming problem.

Buddy:  I'd say so.  She's probably feeling a bit embarrassed about missing the intended photo.  Do you think we should mention what a good job she did trimming the tree so we could see the house in this accidental shot?  What's so funny, Percy?

Percy:  I'm just wondering how Jan managed to miss the sky.  It's not like it's the size of a splinter.

Merci:  Not a word of this to Jan!  Agreed?

Marcus Exercises Brain

Marcus here again.  Here I am waiting to finally be rewarded with treats for my expert tree trimming supervision these past two weeks.  I have to admit I have never worked so hard in my life.  Trying to motivate a human just wiped me out!

This is a "before" photograph from my Monday post (Supervisor Marcus Report).  The branch disappearing to the left is in actuality two branches on the neighbor's pecan tree.  The higher one is over the neighbor's property, but the bottom one has grown over ours and blocks a chunk of light to our dog pen. 

I told Jan repeatedly she should cut that one while she still has use of the saw on a pole.  But she hemmed, hawed and complained she already hadn't had energy to answer the phone for a week, why should she endanger health and limb any more over a ... well, over a limb.  

But she really wanted to take down that sucker.  And guess what?  It fell off the tree onto our lawn.  With a lot of help from Jan and her borrowed saw on a pole, of course. 

The missing limb improves our view and adds a little more late afternoon sunlight.   Jan said the squirrel that hung around posing on top of the pen (yes, there is a squirrel there between the windows of the neighbor's house) is named Mini Marcus.  You can guess why - because I always stop to pose for photos.

With our tree and the neighbor's tree and high shrubbery behind us, the amount of sunlight in our dog pen will be limited, but for the time being there will be some.  It's a contest as to whether Jan is aging more rapidly than the tree is growing, or vice versa.  Jan says she will never, never, never, never N-E-V-E-R be able to attempt this again. 

I don't know why she is moaning and groaning.  She should be thanking me.  All she had to do was the labor, whereas I had to exercise my brain. 


We are joining Pepi Smart Dog and friends for the Thankful Thursday blog hop.

Supervisor Marcus Report

Hey, Marcus here to tell you about the enormous amount of yard work I have personally supervised lately.  I'm sure Jan will tell you she did all the work, but let me tell you, supervising that human is hard work! 

This is the tree beside our dog pen.  Jan says the person who planted a mighty oak in a small yard only five or six yards from the back door needs a brain implant.   Because of it, the sun is blocked on all four sides from the pen where the only thing growing is green stuff on our back door, steps and siding. 

This is a better view of the branches growing over the pen and telephone line just short of our neighbor's privacy fence. 

This is what the tree looked like in late May.  There were a lot of dead branches  on the underside.  On Sunday, June 26th, Jan went out after a downpour while some lower branches were heavy with water and "easy" to reach.  Mr. Doug saw the big pile of debris at the curb and said Jan needed a saw on a pole.  Guess what he brought by on Friday, July 1st?

Yep, you guessed it.  Here's Buddy checking it out from a safe distance.  The saw is on the long orange pole, next to Jan's loppers.  I've been told - but it's only Jan's judgment - it isn't easy to balance or use a saw on a pole, especially when your human is *mumble mumble* years of age and already in pain. 

Mr. Doug sawed through several of the thicker branches before he left. Then Jan went to work sawing branches away from the telephone line, the electric line (not near), and the neighbor's property.  She added the branches to the growing pile - the second big pile.

It was still too dark in the pen, so Sunday, July 3rd she went back to work and finished opening the pen to the sun.

This is the new view.  Quite a difference.

There, that's better, isn't it!  I'm quite proud of my supervising job, but Jan wanted to fire me because I kept reminding her I work for treats and I wasn't getting any.

In between lopping and sawing, Jan cut the lawn with a grass whip and shears.  It needs another "mow" but she can't swing her arm. 

In case you missed us, we took last week off to help Jan recuperate.  It was a boring week, so we need a little excitement.  I wonder if I can balance a saw on a pole on my nose. 

Optical Illusion

Rusty:  Why are we posting pictures of trees in the rain?

Merci: Because I like them.  And they aren't trees in the rain.  They are trees after the rain. 

Rusty:  But everything looks wet like it's raining. I can see it coming down.

Merci:  That's an optical illusion.  It was a very hot, humid day.  We had rain and when Jan went outside to work in the yard, she saw steam rising from the road near Martha Mill.

Rusty:  What's an optical illusion?

Merci:  That's where you see something that isn't there, except it is, only it doesn't look like itself.

Rusty:  It's a ... what?

Merci:  It's something that appeals to Jan because, as we all know, Jan has a peculiar eye for pictures.

Rusty:  Hey, I recognize that area.  It's where you guys and Jan found Micah after he was dumped. 

Merci:  You're right.  It's a good two blocks from here.  Jan's ancient.  I didn't think she could see that far.

Rusty:  Why would you think that?

Merci:  Because yesterday she stepped on my paw on her way to the kitchen and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there."