Chit Chat in VOLTVILLE Thread #2 :)

[SandySu]

So now I've caught up.

Thanks for the birthday wishes, all.

Trit, what's going on with the possible move to the UK? I think, too, you need to calculate the cost of living and see if the wages there would be any better. What are apartment rents, for instance?

3mg, congratulations on the move. The new place sounds nice.

Ducky, I was saddened to hear about Pingy and her egg. Kill that snake -- or whoever the culprit is.

Not too much news here. The tutoring is coming along as expected. I'm reading The Sound and the Fury by Faulkner now. Has anyone else tried this challenging-to-understand book? I think I've finally figured it out, but still, the stream of consciousness prose and the jumping around of times keeps me on my toes. I wonder what the preoccupation with time and shadows represents.

Next on my reading list is David Hume, a philosopher. I hope I can make heads or tails of it.

 

[wvducklady]

So now I've caught up.

Thanks for the birthday wishes, all.

Trit, what's going on with the possible move to the UK? I think, too, you need to calculate the cost of living and see if the wages there would be any better. What are apartment rents, for instance?

3mg, congratulations on the move. The new place sounds nice.

Ducky, I was saddened to hear about Pingy and her egg. Kill that snake -- or whoever the culprit is.

Not too much news here. The tutoring is coming along as expected. I'm reading The Sound and the Fury by Faulkner now. Has anyone else tried this challenging-to-understand book? I think I've finally figured it out, but still, the stream of consciousness prose and the jumping around of times keeps me on my toes. I wonder what the preoccupation with time and shadows represents.

Next on my reading list is David Hume, a philosopher. I hope I can make heads or tails of it.

We finally caught it tonight! Hubby shot it! Due to it being dark out and chickens in the coup Hubby was afraid he would not be able to get it with the shovel and it would slither off or hide so he shot it.

 

[wvducklady]

We got the thing that killed Pingy and her baby!! I went out to check the coup about 30 to 40 minutes ago, and there was a huge black snake in the nest swallowing the bait egg! I ran and got Hubby instantly. He shot it while I shined the big flaslight. Chickens were flying everywhere...Duddy was upset..and the huskies were trying to see. Mya tried to grab Duddy when he stepped out of the coup. It was total chaos! The snake was a pretty big one, he was 5 feet 2inches long. I am so relieved to get it gone! The neatest thing was Dumfy and her babies were silent as a mouse. She kept them realy quiet, and I figure she made them be quiet every time the snake came in to try to keep thrm safe.

 

[celticluvr]

Yay Ducky... I am so glad you got that killer.

 

[Renolizzie]

Again, I have to respond. I have a Chinese-sounding last name, though it's actually Turkish (by marriage). But I don't look at all Chinese. One time, when I worked in publishing back in NYC, 3 of us were sent out to Jackson, Michigan (somewhere a reasonable distance west of Detroit, if I remember correctly). One of us was Chinese, and her last name was Young. The people at the Holiday Inn just couldn't comprehend our last names, and they kept thinking my last name was Young. I had to keep explaining because I was the one authorized to sign for all the expenses. And they kept handing all the forms to Ms. Young!

I've had plenty of other such confusions over my last name. Out in the SF Bay Area, they kept sending me the Chinese Yellow Pages. And lots of incomprehensible junk mail, too. And sales calls in a language I can't understand.

Is it some kind of weird fate that now I'm so involved with Chinese families via the tutoring?

Made me laugh, SandySu.

Woot, so glad you got the culprit, @wvducklady .

Good morning, only supposed to be 93 degrees today.

Yes, SandySu, Isn't that just the cutest photo of Wiseguy and I in the lake? I am trying to get ahold of the gal that took the photo so I can get a copy. I love the one of my rig! I'd like to have both photos in a frame in the office. One of my friends told me she knows how to email facebook photos to me so I can just do it myself. If this gal won't get back to me, I'll have to try that.

I think we will finish up the horse hotwire today. Let's see how Hubby is feeling when he gets up.

 

[SandySu]

Ducky, I'm so glad you finally killed the snake! Whew! That must be a big load off your mind.

 

[awsum140]

'moanin, Voltizens.

Glad you got the snake, Ducky. Just don't let your guard down, there could always be more of them.

Lizzie, how do you "hotwire" a horse? Attach him to a battery with jumper cables?

This hot, humid, weather, of course, leads to thunderstorms. I was working in the basement yesterday, around noon, and heard some kind of thump from upstairs. Mrs. Awsum went in to work so I was the only one home. I ran upstairs and checked around and didn't notice anything. It was bright and sunny outside, nothing an the cameras and nothing had moved. I chalked it up to my neighbor working on firewood and went back downstairs.

Ten minutes later, the same thing only this time accompanied by the house vibrating and rumbling. Back upstairs in a rush, only this time it was getting dark and breezy outside. I ran out, brought the flag in and opened the driveway gate for Mrs. Awsum in case it was raining when she got home. No rain happened though, just a few, relatively, light wind gusts and dark, threatening skies.

About two o'clock I was at the kitchen sink and looked out the window. A tree had come down from the neighbors in the back and it looked like it had hit our fence. We both went out there and the tree missed the fence. It broke, not a clean snap but sort of a tear, about six feet off the ground so it didn't hit the fence. A bigger branch stopped it from falling completely down and hitting/breaking the fence. It's what I call a sassafras tree, kind of a "junk" tree that has a disctinct odor of sassafras when the woods is exposed. Not good firewood and not structurally strong. The trunk is about eight inches in diameter, not a small tree but not a towering one either.

I trimmed off all the branches, except the one it's resting on, using a pruning shear with gear drive. I will say I was impressed with that pruner. It cut through branches over two inches in diameter with minimal effort. I wanted to get the chainsaw out and cut the rest up, but another storm was coming and Mrs. Awsum was getting nervous, so we put that off for today.

 

[wvducklady]

Thanks guys! I am very relieved! I am going to keep an eye out just in case, because you just never know!

 

[Wuzznt Me]

Good evening Volties. Glad you caught the culprit Ducky. We love black snakes around here but then we don't have fowl or I'd probably be doing away with them.
I've got six deer in the back yard I feed. One doe with two fawns, one with one fawn and one with none. Hope everybody is havin a bodacious Sunday.

 

[Renolizzie]

Good evening Volties. Glad you caught the culprit Ducky. We love black snakes around here but then we don't have fowl or I'd probably be doing away with them.
I've got six deer in the back yard I feed. One doe with two fawns, one with one fawn and one with none. Hope everybody is havin a bodacious Sunday.

That is really neat, Wuzz. I'm picturing your deer.

Good morning, Voltpeeps.

Hubby got my hotwire done. This morning we are going to take the horses out there and I am going to sit with them and make sure they are okay while they learn about the hotwire. I have a place to sit that is outside the pen! Hubby got a lot done yesterday. Nice.

He is going to unload hay this morning. Still dark out but with the heat, I want to get stuff done early.

 

[SandySu]

That is really neat, Wuzz. I'm picturing your deer.

Good morning, Voltpeeps.

Hubby got my hotwire done. This morning we are going to take the horses out there and I am going to sit with them and make sure they are okay while they learn about the hotwire. I have a place to sit that is outside the pen! Hubby got a lot done yesterday. Nice.

He is going to unload hay this morning. Still dark out but with the heat, I want to get stuff done early.

Lizzie, what I used to do with Penny when introducing her to a new pasture is to lead her around the perimeter, alongside the fence, so she could see where it was before I let her loose in the pasture. I think that helped her know where the fence line was so she wouldn't run into it by accident. Maybe it didn't really help her and just made me feel better, but I think maybe it was a good thing to do.

 

[Renolizzie]

Lizzie, what I used to do with Penny when introducing her to a new pasture is to lead her around the perimeter, alongside the fence, so she could see where it was before I let her loose in the pasture. I think that helped her know where the fence line was so she wouldn't run into it by accident. Maybe it didn't really help her and just made me feel better, but I think maybe it was a good thing to do.

There is already a field fence up and they should know where it is since they have been in the big pen before but we added the hotwire. Pony was pushing down the fencing to try to reach the grass outside their pen. I was worried that he would get a leg caught in the fence and hurt himself so we bought the hotwire. Pony should know what a hotwire is since they had one at his old place so now it is just a matter of making sure he doesn't somehow panic and hurt himself. I don't know if Wiseguy even knows what a hotwire is. I guess we are going to find out.

 

[Renolizzie]

Hubby took Pony Balony out to the big pen. Hubby said that Pony was very curious about the new plastic wire holders and the wire. Pony looked at it, examined it, sniffed it but would not touch it!!!! So, hopefully, the fence and the horse are safe from one another now.

 

[Renolizzie]

Good morning, Voltmaniacs.

It is chilly at 54 degrees out. With the new French doors, we have gotten the house down to 60 degrees this morning. Absolutely saving on A/C !!! The A/C won't run until late today.

The temp is supposed to be 91 degrees today. I'll take it although we might go higher. They were threatening us with100+ degree temps starting Saturday but they are scaling that back to 99 and they are putting it off until late next week. Hopefully, it will never materialize

We are trying to get hay today. I found three twine bales of timothy for $9 a bale which is a good price in our area. We bought 25 bales of alfalfa/grass mix for the goats and we should be set for the winter. The 24 bales of orchard grass I bought for the horses is going fast but I was feeding that to the goats, too, since we were out of alfalfa. I'm glad we are taking the time to buy in bulk this year since I paid a premium price for hay all winter. I don't want to run out and then pay double at the feed store.

We still haven't gotten the new bigger doggie door installed so hopefully today is the day.

 

[3mg Meniere]

We were scheduled to have temps in the high eighties to well within the nineties from today through the rest of the week. I have been doing fine without A/C. Was worried because the overnight lows were going to be well within the seventies. Not enough to cool off the apt for daytime temps with windows closed. However, the weather people now want overnight temps to be 68 to 72. By dad gum, I am glad they changed their minds. Hope they stick with that. Cooling is quicker with the bathroom fan on overnight. Dew point at 57, Lizzie.

 

[awsum140]

'moanin, Voltaticalytes.

3, I've found the easiest way to cool the whole house/apartment is to set up a fan at one end, on exhaust, and open another window at the opposite end. That creates a "breeze" through the whole place without really creating a draft. We use those cheap box fans from Home Despot, Lowes or Wally World. One can easily ventilate the whole house for under twenty bucks.

Dew point at 57? We haven't been below 70 for a dew point in over a week, but today that may change and get down into the 60's for a while.

 

[Renolizzie]

Staying cool is everyone's priority in the summer!!!

Glad your new place isn't over hot for you, Three.

 

[Wuzznt Me]

Morning Voltville. I don't mind the heat at all. I work out in it almost daily. I just wish we could get some rain. The grass crunches when we walk across it and if you drive on it it just stays flat instead of springing back up. Hope y'all have a great morning. I'm off to the fat farm for a workout

 

[Renolizzie]

Good morning, Voltmaniacs.

Looks like I need to pick up a shoe and a hat from the back yard. That's a "no", Cash. Looks like it will be hot at 92 degrees but bearable. The over the top hot is scheduled for next week.

Dry and crunchy is the norm for around here, Wuzz We haven't had a bit of rain for quite some time and it looks like even the occasional summer thunderstorm is wishful thinking so far this summer.

We got our timothy hay yesterday. It has some brown clumps in it. It is not moldy or bad. They set the blades a bit low so it cuts into the lower part of the grass. My little guy won't eat the brown part but I'll gather it up and throw it to the goats. The price is excellent so even with the waste due to the brown grass, I'm coming out ahead of the game.

Big day of cleaning followed by errands!

 

[awsum140]

'moanin, Volties.

We are getting low dew points, mid 50's, at least until tomorrow, then back into the broiler with steam assist. Guess I'll be working outside all day today before the real heat comes.

We've been getting enough thunderstorms to keep the grass from drying out but that also means the bugs are in full "bloom" as well. Such is life in New Jersey in the summer time.

Have fun at the fat farm, Wuzz. I've got a gym in the basement but lack the motivation to use it as often as I should. I better find the motivation or I'll be buying new clothes.

Still no Rave, Terry or Uncle.