We got home last night from wine tasting in Missoula, and I noticed that some pieces from the woodpile by the fence had been moved. That's weird, I thought. Given that we've had skunks around, and rumors of a bear and lots of deer, I started racking my brain trying to come up with some logical explanation of how any of those animals (or perhaps our cats or dogs) could have moved the wood in this manner.
We walked over to the wood and took a closer, puzzled look. Pretty quickly it became clear that this was one smart animal, since the wood was moved in a very precise way. We looked and looked, and the meaning eventually became clear.
Check out the pictures here
Friday, August 1, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tagged
Skunks! Phew!! Good Grief, what a stink!
Runt got tagged last month..poor thing. By the 3rd bath, he was sure we must hate him. He still has some residual odor. And what foul offensive odor should come in our door tonight????
Romeo...got tagged. I think he got it in the face and shoulder mostly. Poor thing, he is drooling and looks miserable. At least we are getting plenty of practice in animal bathing and skunk odor removal techniques :)
Anyone want to go skunk hunting?? Do you have to have a license or is it justified????
Runt got tagged last month..poor thing. By the 3rd bath, he was sure we must hate him. He still has some residual odor. And what foul offensive odor should come in our door tonight????
Romeo...got tagged. I think he got it in the face and shoulder mostly. Poor thing, he is drooling and looks miserable. At least we are getting plenty of practice in animal bathing and skunk odor removal techniques :)
Anyone want to go skunk hunting?? Do you have to have a license or is it justified????
Monday, July 28, 2008
summer update
Well, the summer is flying by and we still have so much to accomplish before the winter weather returns :)
The barn is complete and paid for (ouch!) and we are happy to have a sheltered place to take care of the boys. We still have quite a bit of work to do inside the barn (no-chew, paint, gates, etc) but we will work on that as time and money allow. Our top priority now is getting the grass growing strong on the hills around the barn before the horses return (They are currently down the street a ways "mowing" our neighbors backyard (about 3 acres of grass :) We do most of our pasture development and maintenance in the morning and evenings when it is cool. I have started composting the horse manure and am looking forward to using it next season in my garden :)
The garden is going well. The potatoes are growing strong as are the onions. I have been fighting with a few pests (lately grasshoppers by the thousands) and am looking forward to having chickens next year!! My carrots and radishes are going well in my herb garden on the patio. However, the carrots and radishes in my garden where consumed before they could sprout well. But, for my first garden, it is progressing well.
They kids are in Germany visiting Oma and Opa. Jamie has been there a week and is having a splendid time playing outside with friends and eating sweets!! Auri just arrived today and is very tired, of course!! Jamie is already planning on returning to Germany as an exchange student next year. I guess we will be learning German and speaking at home this year!! Yea, maybe I will finally learn the language :) Jamie will be returning to Vegas the 31st to spend another week with his father before returning to Montana with his sister Aug. 8th.
I am healing well. Much faster then anticipated (Yea!!) I rode my motorcycle for the first time Sat. It was great! We are tentatively planning a horseback ride this evening (my first since the accidents). I will probably start working with Mave this week to see if we can turn him into a horse that is enjoyable to ride and safe to be around. Sypreme has gotten a bit ornery with me being down for most of the last 7 months; luckily he snaps back into line really easy.
Mom is settling in well. She sounds happier then I have heard her in several years. They have just about finished the Major Overhaul of the apt in WSS. Jan and I will be heading over this weekend to join in the painting party :). Her stuff is scheduled to arrive from Vegas in a couple of weeks. John missed his lifestyle in Vegas and decided to return to Vegas on July 4th. He was in a car accident outside of Cedar City and has whiplash but is otherwise OK.
The barn is complete and paid for (ouch!) and we are happy to have a sheltered place to take care of the boys. We still have quite a bit of work to do inside the barn (no-chew, paint, gates, etc) but we will work on that as time and money allow. Our top priority now is getting the grass growing strong on the hills around the barn before the horses return (They are currently down the street a ways "mowing" our neighbors backyard (about 3 acres of grass :) We do most of our pasture development and maintenance in the morning and evenings when it is cool. I have started composting the horse manure and am looking forward to using it next season in my garden :)
The garden is going well. The potatoes are growing strong as are the onions. I have been fighting with a few pests (lately grasshoppers by the thousands) and am looking forward to having chickens next year!! My carrots and radishes are going well in my herb garden on the patio. However, the carrots and radishes in my garden where consumed before they could sprout well. But, for my first garden, it is progressing well.
They kids are in Germany visiting Oma and Opa. Jamie has been there a week and is having a splendid time playing outside with friends and eating sweets!! Auri just arrived today and is very tired, of course!! Jamie is already planning on returning to Germany as an exchange student next year. I guess we will be learning German and speaking at home this year!! Yea, maybe I will finally learn the language :) Jamie will be returning to Vegas the 31st to spend another week with his father before returning to Montana with his sister Aug. 8th.
I am healing well. Much faster then anticipated (Yea!!) I rode my motorcycle for the first time Sat. It was great! We are tentatively planning a horseback ride this evening (my first since the accidents). I will probably start working with Mave this week to see if we can turn him into a horse that is enjoyable to ride and safe to be around. Sypreme has gotten a bit ornery with me being down for most of the last 7 months; luckily he snaps back into line really easy.
Mom is settling in well. She sounds happier then I have heard her in several years. They have just about finished the Major Overhaul of the apt in WSS. Jan and I will be heading over this weekend to join in the painting party :). Her stuff is scheduled to arrive from Vegas in a couple of weeks. John missed his lifestyle in Vegas and decided to return to Vegas on July 4th. He was in a car accident outside of Cedar City and has whiplash but is otherwise OK.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Flying lessons
Poor Sara. She just can't catch a break.
We had the vet over yesterday to take care of some issues with the horses (animal dentistry, to be precise), and the vet of course sedated both horses to work on them.
While Maverick was sedated, I held his head up so the vet could insert the power-tool to grind his teeth down. He didn't like it very much. Can't blame him.
After that was done, I asked if sara wanted me to spray some stuff on his leg-wound also, while he was out (he doesn't like that either, since it hurts), and so I went to get the stuff from the barn. Next thing I know, there's some weird commotion outside and the vet asked her tech-helper "what happened?!".
I rush outside, and sara is about 8-10 feet away from maverick on the ground. She had been about to look at something on the inside of his leg, when I had started to go into the barn. Apparently he'd had enough, and even though he was sedated heavily (close to falling over, actually), he still managed to kick sara with such force she flew back 8-10 feet.
I was not happy with him, but we haven't killed him yet.
Sara's wrist/ulna hurts where his foot connected with her. Also her thigh has a nasty looking bruise, and of course she fell on her hip when landing, and there's some nasty bruising happening there as well.
We'll have to decide what to do with Maverick. This is not the first time he's hurt her, and she's the most experienced of us where horses are concerned, so really it's only a matter of time before one of the rest of us gets hurt by him.
I guess she'll work with him in a VERY serious manner to get some respect out of him, and if that proves too much work or fruitless, we'll probably sell him and get a different horse. He's just too unpredictable and dangerous. I do like Maverick a lot. When he's well behaved, he's a sweetheart. But being unpredictable and lacking respect is dangerous to all of us.
We had the vet over yesterday to take care of some issues with the horses (animal dentistry, to be precise), and the vet of course sedated both horses to work on them.
While Maverick was sedated, I held his head up so the vet could insert the power-tool to grind his teeth down. He didn't like it very much. Can't blame him.
After that was done, I asked if sara wanted me to spray some stuff on his leg-wound also, while he was out (he doesn't like that either, since it hurts), and so I went to get the stuff from the barn. Next thing I know, there's some weird commotion outside and the vet asked her tech-helper "what happened?!".
I rush outside, and sara is about 8-10 feet away from maverick on the ground. She had been about to look at something on the inside of his leg, when I had started to go into the barn. Apparently he'd had enough, and even though he was sedated heavily (close to falling over, actually), he still managed to kick sara with such force she flew back 8-10 feet.
I was not happy with him, but we haven't killed him yet.
Sara's wrist/ulna hurts where his foot connected with her. Also her thigh has a nasty looking bruise, and of course she fell on her hip when landing, and there's some nasty bruising happening there as well.
We'll have to decide what to do with Maverick. This is not the first time he's hurt her, and she's the most experienced of us where horses are concerned, so really it's only a matter of time before one of the rest of us gets hurt by him.
I guess she'll work with him in a VERY serious manner to get some respect out of him, and if that proves too much work or fruitless, we'll probably sell him and get a different horse. He's just too unpredictable and dangerous. I do like Maverick a lot. When he's well behaved, he's a sweetheart. But being unpredictable and lacking respect is dangerous to all of us.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Grades
Report cards arrived today and the results are....
Auri
4th Quarter, Semester
Spanish 2 - A , A
Geometry - B+ 89.8% , B+
World History (H)- A , A-
Health - A , A
Choir - A , A
Band - A , A
English 2 (H) - B , A-
Chemistry (H) - C , C pleasure to have in class (10 absences)
Most of Auri's absences were related to extra-curricular activities. Due to her problem with following up with missing work she will not be allowed to be a sport manager next year. However, she is planning on trying out for soccer in the fall.
Jamie
4th Quarter , Semester
Learning Lab - B+ 89% , B+
Woods - C , C+ pleasure to have in class
Pre-Algebra - C+ ** , B-
Vocational Skills- P , P pleasure to have in class
General English - B+ 88% , B+
Earth Science - D+ 68.4% , D
Health - A , A
Traffic Ed - P , P good driver, but needs additional experience
**According to PASS system Jamie has a 87.2% for 4th quarter. I am unsure as to why he has a C+ for the quarter unless he bombed his final exam.
Auri
4th Quarter, Semester
Spanish 2 - A , A
Geometry - B+ 89.8% , B+
World History (H)- A , A-
Health - A , A
Choir - A , A
Band - A , A
English 2 (H) - B , A-
Chemistry (H) - C , C pleasure to have in class (10 absences)
Most of Auri's absences were related to extra-curricular activities. Due to her problem with following up with missing work she will not be allowed to be a sport manager next year. However, she is planning on trying out for soccer in the fall.
Jamie
4th Quarter , Semester
Learning Lab - B+ 89% , B+
Woods - C , C+ pleasure to have in class
Pre-Algebra - C+ ** , B-
Vocational Skills- P , P pleasure to have in class
General English - B+ 88% , B+
Earth Science - D+ 68.4% , D
Health - A , A
Traffic Ed - P , P good driver, but needs additional experience
**According to PASS system Jamie has a 87.2% for 4th quarter. I am unsure as to why he has a C+ for the quarter unless he bombed his final exam.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
hummingbird wars
I had no idea hummingbirds were so territorial!! We have about a dozen hummingbirds zooming around our feeders throughout the day. It is not uncommon to see all four perches occupied with thirsty birds with 1-2 extra birds trying to take over or share a perch and then within moments a more aggressive bird will drive them all away.. We actually bought a second feeder to help decrease the battles. They are such fierce little creatures. They dive bomb each other, chirp, flap their wings in warning and hover/stand guard over "their" area!! It is a riot!! We are curious about the different breeds (obvious differences in size, color patterns and markings).
We are going to purchase a "bird book" to help identify our local aviary population. Aside from hummingbirds, we also have several robins, blue jays, blue birds, large and small hawks, owls, geese, several woodpeckers, swallows, various small birds and of course magpies!! We also had a bat resting the the side of the house last week-very cool! We are also discussing building nests/homes for the swallows and bats. We'll take all the free insect control we can :)
We are going to purchase a "bird book" to help identify our local aviary population. Aside from hummingbirds, we also have several robins, blue jays, blue birds, large and small hawks, owls, geese, several woodpeckers, swallows, various small birds and of course magpies!! We also had a bat resting the the side of the house last week-very cool! We are also discussing building nests/homes for the swallows and bats. We'll take all the free insect control we can :)
barn, fence, kids summer, Memorial Day & Jamie Bday
A fence! A fence!! We finally have a fence!! As you have probably guessed, we are very excited to have finally fenced in the back of our property. It is a 3 rail fence, that follows the natural curves and elevation changes of our landscape. We are also building a barn. It is coming right along and should have a roof on Thursday. Jan has taken some pics and posted them in our gallery (vilhuber.com/jan) The horses are really enjoying all the extra room to roam. Sypreme is especially fond of running (and chasing/herding Mave). We love watching them tear across the pasture as fast as they can go, heads up and tails flying.
This Friday will be the last day of school. The kids are sooo ready!! They have a busy summer planned including visiting grandparents in Idaho, Germany and Montana (as my Mom will be in Montana soon), as well as spending time with their father and friends in Las Vegas. Rachel, my niece, is here this week having riding and horse care lessons ( as part of her birthday present from us) and Ryan, my nephew, will be here Friday to hang out with kids for a week before they head to Idaho for a short visit with Giz & Brew before heading to Vegas with their father.
My sister, Tammy, came over last Friday evening and left her kids, Ryan and Rachel, here for the holiday weekend while she worked in Philipsburg (about 1.5 hrs away). Tammy has begun working as a traveling CNA (nursing assistant) and will hopefully be able to come by and visit more often :) While Tammy worked Sat/Sun, we went to a BBQ at the DeCan's. As you may or may not recall, David DeCan was our realtor and rescuer during the fire last August. We really enjoyed visiting with them and had to drag the kids away from playing with the DeCan kids. The Graduation Ceremony for the High School Seniors was Sunday. Auri performed in both the band and Accidentals, an extracurricular choir. She then attended a couple of grad parties, including Val's. Jan and I also went to Val's grad party to hang out with the adults and celebrate their pending freedom :) (Val is their youngest and is going to PA for school). Jamie, Ryan and Rachel stayed home playing in the forest, and on both the computer and the Wii. Tammy arrived late Sunday, exhausted, and practically fell into bed (with a 'gentle' push...you know how hard headed the women in my family are :). Monday, was set up to be Jamie's birthday celebration. However, all he wanted to do was play with his cousins that he hadn't seen all winter. So, that's what he did!! Tammy and I took the opportunity to ride the horses bareback with only a haler/rope to guide them around the pasture. It was so great to be on horseback again!! Of course, I am only allowed to walk (no bouncing to aggravate my ribs), but it was fantastic! Then around 4pm, Tammy hauled the kids to town for ice cream and shopping at the mall. Jan and I met them downtown for dinner at Sushi Hana. It was Ryan's first time eating sushi and he liked it alot!! Rachel went crazy with the Udon noodles. Jamie and Tammy's teriyaki chicken and salmon didn't last long on the communal table. All in all it was a great weekend!
This Friday will be the last day of school. The kids are sooo ready!! They have a busy summer planned including visiting grandparents in Idaho, Germany and Montana (as my Mom will be in Montana soon), as well as spending time with their father and friends in Las Vegas. Rachel, my niece, is here this week having riding and horse care lessons ( as part of her birthday present from us) and Ryan, my nephew, will be here Friday to hang out with kids for a week before they head to Idaho for a short visit with Giz & Brew before heading to Vegas with their father.
My sister, Tammy, came over last Friday evening and left her kids, Ryan and Rachel, here for the holiday weekend while she worked in Philipsburg (about 1.5 hrs away). Tammy has begun working as a traveling CNA (nursing assistant) and will hopefully be able to come by and visit more often :) While Tammy worked Sat/Sun, we went to a BBQ at the DeCan's. As you may or may not recall, David DeCan was our realtor and rescuer during the fire last August. We really enjoyed visiting with them and had to drag the kids away from playing with the DeCan kids. The Graduation Ceremony for the High School Seniors was Sunday. Auri performed in both the band and Accidentals, an extracurricular choir. She then attended a couple of grad parties, including Val's. Jan and I also went to Val's grad party to hang out with the adults and celebrate their pending freedom :) (Val is their youngest and is going to PA for school). Jamie, Ryan and Rachel stayed home playing in the forest, and on both the computer and the Wii. Tammy arrived late Sunday, exhausted, and practically fell into bed (with a 'gentle' push...you know how hard headed the women in my family are :). Monday, was set up to be Jamie's birthday celebration. However, all he wanted to do was play with his cousins that he hadn't seen all winter. So, that's what he did!! Tammy and I took the opportunity to ride the horses bareback with only a haler/rope to guide them around the pasture. It was so great to be on horseback again!! Of course, I am only allowed to walk (no bouncing to aggravate my ribs), but it was fantastic! Then around 4pm, Tammy hauled the kids to town for ice cream and shopping at the mall. Jan and I met them downtown for dinner at Sushi Hana. It was Ryan's first time eating sushi and he liked it alot!! Rachel went crazy with the Udon noodles. Jamie and Tammy's teriyaki chicken and salmon didn't last long on the communal table. All in all it was a great weekend!
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