Possum Trivia

I researched possums, or marsupials, yesterday and learned some amazing

facts.  They have a remarkably healthy immune system.  No rabies--well,

one in 800 may succumb to the disease, but basically they are immune,  

Their immune system also keeps the bites of poisonous snakes (the rattler,

the copperhead, and cottonmouth specifically) from harming them.

The tend to be solitary creatures, so Frankie will be the only one we will be

feeding.  They are territorial in that as long as we put food out for him/her,

it will continue to return here to feed. Plus, they are omnivorous--eating both

plant and animal foods. Including pickles.  Yes, pickles!  I had a jar of midget

sweet pickles that weren't crunchy--so the pickles went to Frankie who ate

nearly the entire jar!

The most unusual fact was that males had bifurcated penises and females had

bifurcated vaginas--which means each sex had 2 sex organs.  No wonder 

they have such large litters of young.

The average lifespan is 2 years, but they can live up to 4 years.

More about some other species later.  Researching critters is interesting!

Bring on the Sunshine!

Today, after the mist lifted, the skies were that lovely shade of Carolina Blue,
rich, deep, and endless--and forthe first day in a long time, there was only
sunshine, no rain.  Maybe by tomorrow, the ground will be dry enough to mow.

Daisy, my cat, has not felt well today.  She was wheezing badly this morning,
so I gave her 10mg of Lasix.  This time there was no immediate relief, and
she has stayed close to me all day.  If I leave the room, she follows me.  So
I have been extremely sedentary today.  We'll probably make a vet run in
the morning.

I didn't feel really great today anyway.  I have too many days that I wish I
was the me I was before I was injured.  I want to do so many things--and
the truth is I can't.  I have X amount of energy to expend each day--there
is never any left over.  So I was feeling blue, and the mail came, and one of
my friends sent me a gift of mini jewelry tools.  Mine are still missing.  I was
thrilled.  And ever so thankful.  Maybe I can find the time to make a bracelet
tomorrow--that would make me feel good.

Tomorrow I must work on my plants.  Some need re-potting.  I only have
a few on the front porch that I look after.  The rest, my partner looks after.

All for today--and wishing for sunshine tomorrow.

Possum Orders and Early Morning

Well, my partner does not accept my feeding Frankie the Friendly Possum on
the front porch.  He is right.  (Don't you just hate it when someone else is
correct 99%of the time?  Bane of my existence!) They carry fleas, and other
stuff.  The fleas alone--well, we just do not need to go through the flea thing
again.  But he is putting food at the treeline, so the little fella (or girl?) won't
starve.

I awoke early--around 0600--and the world on our mountain was bathed in
mist--so much so that everything disappeared at the end of the yard.  Beautiful.
BUT--there always is one--We have huge downpours daily since the day before
we cut down the crepe myrtle tree.  It is so wet all the time that we've been unable
to mow.  Our grass is getting really shaggy!  Can't sweep the leaves off of the walk;
they are sodden!  Meanwhile, the weatherman predicted 0 chance of rain yesterday
and today--and we had a goodly thunderstorm yesterday accompanied by another
deluge of hard rain. On the positive side, we have used very little air conditioning
as the temps have been in the 60's each morning and this is a tight house.

We received a letter from the previous owners saying we owed 1/2 years taxes--
Seems I remember paying taxes at closing.  I will check with my lawyer on Monday.

We have received a ton of telemarketing calls from day 1 of phone service.  I
thought we were on the DO NOT CALL list, but just in case, I redid the entire
thing.  Hopefully that will cut out the majority of them.

All for this morning--Kate who is hoping for sunshine!

Kids and Illness

One thing about kids, you can be sure, thanks to school, to be exposed to every new
bug and germ that comes along.  First, I picked up a persistent cold which I was
generous enough to share with everyone.  One that made you miserable, but not
sick enough to stay in bed.  Of course everyone came down with a worse version
of my cold.  (I take a handful of vitamins every day.)  Now my grandson has
delivered this eye ailment. The doctor thought his was allergies, but now my daughter
and my partner have it also.  So far I do not.  My daughter--well, hers looks like
pinkeye. (Oh Joy!)  I am keeping my distance and washing my hands frequently.

That is a drawback to a blended household.  Everyone gets exposed to everything,
thanks to the school's excellent incubation program.

Kids are allowed 9 absences per semester--unless they go to the doctor.  Gee, I
wouldn't have been promoted based on that criteria. I was out of school 3 solid
weeks in my sophomore year--with mono.  That was embarrassing! 

I can understand the home schoolers better now.  My grandson's health is fragile;
he catches everything that comes along.  And his nutritional status is poor, at best.
He does take one vitamin every day, but eats no fruits, veggies, meat or fish.
He does eat pasta--plain with only butter--he does not even like the smell of
cheese.  He will eat peanut butter sandwiches and cereal--certain kinds.  Given
that I can see why he gets sick so often.  His dietary intake is severely limited.
We have all tried to get him to eat different foods, but without success.  It is part
of his Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

Naming of Possum

At 0315, we woke up and I heard some slight sounds from the front porch.
I turned on the porch light and there was my friendly possum.  My partner
was also awake and he was able to see this talked-about possum.  It had cleaned
out the cat food bowl. Even came back to lick it.  My partner got some more
bread and tossed to it, which disappeared rapidly.

He proclaimed it to be a young possum--which is why it is so friendly.  He also told
me a possum's life span is only about 2 years, which I thought to be quite sad.  How
could one do all they wanted in only 2 mere years.  I know possums are not the
smartest of critters, but he is smart enough to keep returning to our front porch.

I decided to name it Frankie the Friendly Possum--since I don't know if it is male or
female, and Frankie will work with either.  So Frankie it is.  Tomorrow we buy some
cheap cat food for Frankie.

Feeding Critters

When I told my partner about the friendly possum, well, he immediately rounded up
all the bread that was slightly old in the house, and put it in the front yard.  A half hour
later, a squirrel was seen scampering up a tree with a huge hunk of bread in his mouth.

One thing is certain--no critter goes hungry around our house.  Human or animal!
Even my grandson's fish is well cared for and well fed.

Tonight I sneaked some catfood (the Blue variety that is loaded with vitamins) to the
front porch for the "friendly possum".  I admit it--when it comes to critters I'm as bad
as he is.
                             

Night Critters

For 3 years now we have been doing the recyle thing.  It is planet conscious, but it
also saves money when we go to recycle landfill.  We have no fees associated with
garbage.  My partner is obsessive about this. So all garbage is carefully sorted.
Cans and heavy plastic containers go in one trash can--and all are washed before
depositing them.  Regular trash goes in another trash can.  Cardboard goes in a carboard
box after being broken down and flattened.  And because we have bottles, cans
and cardboard, our fee for regular garbage is zero.  My partner is very proud of this;
I wasn't so thrilled at first--even though I knew recycling was a good thing earthwise.

Since moving into the Bird House, I have found one distinct disadvantage.  Critters!
My bedroom window is near the front porch.  And we have a large bag of recycle
ready cans/bottles been the cans/bottles on the front porch. The cans are clean, but
I guess they still have a lingering sweet scent--so they attract night critters.  The first
night critter I have actually seen came last night at about 0330.  I was awake from
0200 to 0430.  So the sound of a critter making the bag rattle did not scare me. 
I knew it wasn't a bear--because the front porch light comes on automatically when
someone steps on the steps leading to the porch--and yes, unfortunately, my darling
Bird House is located in what is considered to be "bear country.'  I haven't seen any
bears yet and hope I don't!

Outside on my porch was the smallest possum I'd ever seen.  Turning on the porch
light did not impress it.  That possum was plumb friendly--but I ran it off anyway.  I
don't think it ventured back that night.  Eventually, we will have a small structure just
for recycling, but with recent lawyer fees, that will not happen now.  I have to remind
myself of the poster that used to be (and still is) my mantra, one of them anyway,
"Things Take Time".  The poster showed a huge redwood on a cliff overlooking the
Pacific Ocean.  So very true.  Look how long it took me to buy a house.  This house
was on the market for a very long time when we found it.  The right time and the right
house. 

Picture is of my muse and friend, Daisy, as she sleeps beneath my desk.

Front Yard Cleanup and Porch

Yard

Two views of Butterfly bush in back yard and birdhous perched on a log in driveway.

Work in Progress 2

The first pic is of the 5 year old Ficus bonsai tree.  The rest are of the front
yard in all its whimsy.

Crepe Myrtle in Yard--Work in Progress

More pics of yard and downed tree coming!

Crepe Myrtle Demise

When I signed off yesterday, only part of the huge crepe myrtle had been cut
down--and one limb was wedged between 2 other limbs.  Today the rest of the
tree was cut down--not without difficulty.  One limb was cut--a very long limb--
nearly hit my ficus bonsai tree.  We forgot about its placement in the front yard!
The he began pulling the wedged limb--it did not come down easily.  That one
limb was easily as long as the entire house--it reached over the porch and to the
top of the roof.  Not a good thing for an aging roof that we hope to have last just
one more year.  Tomorrow, we cut all the limbs up and begin to clean up the yard.

Blended Household--Post 4

Problems continue.  New lawyer obtained.  My daughter has 6 weeks of driving my
grandson to school--46 miles one way.  In one week that is 450 miles on the road
for my grandson and 900 for my daughter.  Thus the new lawyer.  Our other lawyer
neglected to show up after she had sent out subpoenas.  To say it was embarrassing
would be an understatment.  So are stuck with this ruling.  For now.

Crepe Myrtle Tree

I love crepe myrtle trees.  Anyone going to Myrtle Beach in the spring knows how

gorgeous they are.  However, the beauty diminishes when the limbs are growing  into
the  top of the roof of the front porch.  My partner started cutting them down, but
one limb kicked back, removing chain from chainsaw and wedging the limb between
2 others.  That limb cannot be pulled down--or it will bring the gutter with it, so
the other 2 limbs it is wedged between must be cut first--after the chain saw is repaired!
And so it goes.

Yardwork

There are all kinds of bushes, trees, flowers at the Bird House.  Translation,
there is a lot of yardwork to do weekly.  Since we moved in so smoothly (Not!),
we started out behind.  Today, my daughter and I moved the succulents from the
shade in the back yard to the front porch.  I re-potted the Jade Tree plant--it
appeared much happier after that was completed. The begonias were placed
in the window box that was attached to the railing on the front porch--not planted
yet, still in individual containers.  I want to change out the soil and put fresh potting
in all the window boxes.  Then I will start my fall container garden of lettuces,
radishes, carrots, and tomatoes--and greens, all kinds.  All the full sun veggies
will be put in 3 gallon buckets and my partner will look after them.

The ficus tree (Bonsai version) is thriving in the front yard.  It will be moved to
the porch also tomorrow.  All of us did some pruning today, with my contribution
being the very least (10 minutes worth maybe--too unsteady on my feet, but it
surely felt good.  Mint was growing everywhere--smells nice, but it is invasive
and difficult to control, so the process of removing it was begun.  I have containers
of mint and lavender that I am going to put in the front yard by the steps, but not
tomorrow.  The yard looked much better, but there is still a lot to do before fall
comes.

It was satisfying doing what we did.  The Mail Carrier delivered out mail, and introduced
herself.  She said that living in the mountains was great.  I moaned about how far
we were in yardwork and her reply was, "A house and yard are always works in
progress."  How true she was!

Downy Woodpecker and Hummingbirds

This little guy, the smallest of woodpeckers, is a frequent visitor to the backyard
plum tree.  The picture is of a juvenile, which is consistent with the one in the
backyard.  His beak is quite small for a woodpecker.

Rufous Hummingbird--seen in backyard and at feeders on front porch and back
deck.  Hummingbirds are amazing.  Facts:  They do perch.  Their feet are fairly
weak.  They fly forwards, backwards, shift sideways, and stop in midair.  Their
wings beat 60-200 times a minute.  They can fly up to 60 miles an hour.  They
live 5-6 years in the wild.  They are the smallest bird in the world.  They consume
1/2 o their weight in sugar each day.

During the night I heard something like a small pebble or stone being thrown at
my window.  Curiosity getting the better of me, I got out of bed and turned on the
light.  There in my window was a hummingbird--very persistent female--it was 1 AM. 
I didn't know they flew at night.  The next day, the humming bird feeder was re--filled
and they have let me sleep at night since.

When I lived in Hickory, I watched a ruby throated hummingbird run off a bluejay.
He would dive down and prick the bluejay with his beak.  The jay left and the
hummingbird seemed happy then.

Birthday and Family Guests

My birthday is on the 27th of July, which was a Friday this year.  The house
was beginning to look like a home--despite flea, cat problems, and a 2 week
long sinus infection.  We got a call from my partner's brother, who had helped
in the moving process, that he and his 2 kids were coming up, after going to
Carowinds.  He hadn't npurchased the Carowinds tickets and my daughter
offered to get them from her bank, which offered a 10.00 discount.  My partner
wanted to go also--so it was set that they would meet at Carowinds and he
would bring the tickets.

My daughter and I finished cleaning the house all day Wednesday.  And thanks
to her super sleuthing on deals, bought a double pillowtop  Serta orthopedic
matress for a twin bed.  That gave us enough beds for everyone to sleep in
comfortably.

The visit went great.  I was apprehensive initially, concerned about teenagers
(17 and 14 years old) being around my grandson.  They were great with him.
They played hide'n'seek with him.  They were fully aware of his diagnosis and
had been around like children in their school.  Their church was very active also,
and they both were heavily involved in church activities.  One was asking about
his school and I said he had trouble writing, and he looked puzzled as he said<
"Why doesn't he take the tests on the computer?  Every special needs student
works on the computer at our school; you walk into the classroom and there are
computers all the way around the room.  I was familiar with the town they were
from and it was not a spectacularly rich town--but they obviously thought it was
important for these kids to learn and take tests on the computer.  I found that
interesting, especially in light of the latest development; ie, Cerebral Palsy.
My grandson maintained that it hurt to color, to write--in light of this newest
diagnosis,now I can understand why.

They ended up staying though the weekend--and we are looking forward to
their coming back again.  They were delightful visitors/family and my grandson
had a blast playing with them.

Blended Household --Post 3

                                         Two views of the kitchen

Blended House --Post 2

Two views of my grandson's room.

Blended Household

Even before we purchased a house, we were aware that it may end up being a
blended household.  I was hoping my daughter and grandson could remain in her
house until the end of summer, but it just wasn't possible.  Her soon to be ex-husband
refused to keep up the necessary maintenance of their house, so the pipe that takes
sewage from the house to septic tank broke the very  first week.  That was a 490.00
repair, which we initially paid.  It was followed the very next week the demise of the
pump that pumps clean water through the house.  Again we paid for this.  Every week,
there was either an auto or home repair that she could not  pay for alone.  Nothing was
minor; everything was a major repair.  We turned the receipts into our lawyer,
who shared them with his lawyer.  He never paid us anything for all the repairs
and for the first two months of separation, November and December, she received
not one dime of child support.  My grandson is a special needs child: thus far he has
diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Pervasive (or Global) Developmental Delay,
Hypotonia, and Attention Deficit Disorder.  Her soon to be ex-husband did not want
him "labeled" and refused to let him be treated as he should have been from age 3.

Just this week he was examined by an orthopedic pediatric specialist and we were
told that he "had never seen such a degree of spaspicity in any other children but those
with CP  (Cerebral Palsy)."   Both my partner and I thought he had CP and Autism
by age 1, but he was not teasted for genetic diseases until age 2.  I asked about CP,
and was told he was tested for "everything" and all was negative. I thought everything
included CP.  I was mistaken.  Her nearly ex said to me, "He went through all those
tests for nothing."  I replied back, "Just because those tests are negative doesn't mean
there isn't something wrong with him."  He needed help, and my daughter and I knew
it, but she was scared of him.  Until things got so bad that she was afraid for her life
and the life of her son--then she took out papers and left him.

About 2  weeks after we moved in the Bird House, my daughter  and grandson
moved in also.  The way this  house is laid out, it works well for a blended
household while providing privacy for each family.  My daughter has one
entire end of the house--complete with hallway, large bathroom with linen
closet, and bedrooms which are spacious, with large closets.  Next is the
living room on one side of hallway.  On the other side is the kitchen and dining
area.  Off of dining area is the sunroom.  Then there is short hallway that
leads to the master bedroom, 2 large closets and the master bathroom.  In
the short hallway is the door to the already remodeled basement, my partner's
mancave and escape from the blended household.  Everyone has their own
TV--my grandson and I both have 32 " TV.  My daughter has a flat screen,
my partner has a huge HDTV in his mancave.  This way no one will drive
anyone nuts with too many cartoons, sports, or NCIS reruns (that would
be me--I have crush on Jethro).

The room everyone hangs out in is the sunroom.  And because of no TV in
that room, there are actual (faint) conversations, communication.  My grandson
has a curious mind and a fantastic memory--there are books about birds,
trees, plants, and his favorite, a book on Science and History. That book I
read to Bailey. 1-2 pages per day--if he wants me too.  We started with
solar energy.  I carefully broke down larger words and explained them to him.
He is fascinated by the ideas and facts within that book.  He really loved
the laser keyboard concept.

The sunroom is also the Nature  Center of the house. Though all the windows
have good views,  the views from the sunroom are more panaramic--and
yield more bird watching opportunities.

Sunroom

The sunroom, intended as my study,  a place to write, is the favorite room of the
house.  When people visit, this is the room to which they are drawn.  It is peaceful,
quiet, harmonious.  It opens on the back deck where a humming bird feeder hangs.
Hummingbirds land in the old plum tree just in front of windows, and both butterflies
and hummingbirds feed from the butterfly bush near the plum tree.  Yesterday  I
spotted a Downy Woodpecker, the smallest woodpecker, lit on the plum tree, and
busily pecking away.

Moving

Moving is always a bear--even with help--and this was no different.  The moving
process took about 3-4days.  And the final clean-up took about 2 days.  Not so
bad--but we were unprepared for the next event.

When the owners were here, they had their cat with them.  I didn't give it too much
thought since we have a cat also--more like a family member than a cat.  So we move
our belongings only to discover the house is infested with fleas.  After a week, 10
bug bombs and 3 different kinds of poison the house was free of fleas.  Thank God!
I am bug-phobic and had been sleeping in a chair--since fleas were sleeping in my
bed!  So I breathed a sigh of relief and settled in for a long sleep that night.  Not to
be had.  Daisy was scratching so hard, so fiercely that I knew something was wrong.
I called her vet the next day, and she said to give her Capstar, a pill that would kill
all fleas on her and was safe to give in conjunction with Advantage 2.  Obtaining the
pill was not easy--PetSmart was sold out; so was a local vet.  I tried a local groomer
and they had it.  One pill cost over 7.00--so I immediately ordered extra pills for much 
less from Amazon.  (I price check everything with Amazon--saves a lot o money!)  But 
she continued to scratch--and I was still sleepless.  Daisy started having problems walking,
was staggering and falling. So back to the vet.

Daisy's history is lengthy--she has epilepsy.  Two weeks later, when checking her blood
pressure, I asked for a chest X-Ray due to wheezing I had been hearing.  After the
X-Ray, she came back with "that look"--the one you never want to see from a doctor
or a vet.  Not only did my Daisy have epilepsy, but end stage cardiomyopathy also.
(I am an old cardiac nurse so I understood what she was saying.)  She examined her more
closely and asked what that was on the outside of her eyeball--I replied that her
previous vet didn't know and told me to "watch it."  She said that is a melanoma.  Second
death sentence.  I was quietly in shock.  We could do nothing about the eye until her
heart was stabilized.  Then she gave me hope (Vet's mane at Cat Care Clinic of Asheville)
She had 2 cats there in the office with cardiomyopathy, ages 12 and 14 and they were
well controlled with 2.5 mg of Benazapril daily.  She told me cats were "smarter" than
humans; when they had good days, they would run and play, and if they felt badly, they
would curl up and sleep, whereas humans would push them themselves.  I knew people
pushed themselves; I had taken care of them. Her eye was removed 2 weeks later--the
tumor was encapsulated, which is a very good thing.

So the vet said given her history, that she probably had brain cancer.  She was treated
for flea allergies and sent home to die.  Two days later, she was better.  No neurological
deficits.  Poor Daisy was severely allergic to fleas.  Then came the worms--2 kinds.
She was treated for tape worms and given OTC medication for round worms.  I goofed
up--Daisy reacted to the medication.  My vet in Asheville said to get her to nearest vet
immediately.  We did.  I think it was Animal Care Clinic--the vet's name was Dr
Stevenson--and Daisy took a shine to him.  Let him pet her, even purred!  Since she had
the eye removed, she fought the vets and assistants tooth and claw--and Daisy is part
Main Coone--a big cat. Due to her heart, we started  using anethesa due to her high
level of anxiety and fear of losing the other eye.  Now Daisy has a vet she likes,
so the story does end well.

And the house was finally flea and worm free!

Beginnings

First, there is the hunt for the right house.  As much traveling as I've done,
picking one place/house to live in was an enormous decision.  Not really
knowing what I was looking for was not helpful either.

My first visit to The Bird House--I loved it, but it was priced at 184,000--
not in my price range.  But I fell in love with it just the same.  The house
has a large covered front porch, a covered deck, a covered screened in
porch downstairs and a large sunporch with 6 windows.  I was certain
we couldn't get this one, so I wrote it off.

We were close to a deal on another house, slightly larger, but sadly lacking
in yard space and porches.  Just about when we were about to agree on
a price, the seller raised the price to 165,000.  At the same time the
Bird House price went down by 10,000.00.  So we turned in a bid on
the Bird House.  And waited.  And waited some more.  Finally an agreement
was brokered with my real estate agent, Micah Solomon (A really great
guy who actually cares about what you want and never pressures you) and
the owners.

The owners came up on May 9th and we met them on May 11.  First closing
date was set for May 16th.  The house was full of furniture--we bought two
chairs that were in the sun room, a drop leaf table with distressed green chairs,
and some twin beds. Closing was set for the 16th, then the 25th, then the 29th--
finally, on May 31st, I signed the mountain of paperwork that officially made the
Bird House my first real home.  Everyone thought I would be elated; I was scared.
The decision was so huge, to one who doesn't wish to remain in any one place very
long.