Sunday, November 19, 2017

No Question, It Is November

 Mid going on Late....

The critters all know, the hunters are aware as well.  Our valley has been dotted with orange and boom booms.  Our local deer season is typically the first week of November, then a week off with the season returning again for the Thanksgiving week.  At least 2 hunters were very successful in our vicinity.

Deer weren't the only animals busy and about....I had to get busy with the Opossum Relocation Program.


I thought I'd be smart and put the cat dishes up on the porch swing to prevent the robbing of their kibble.  Our Moesha isn't in the best of shape (overly broad), jumping isn't something she's very good at these days so I turned the planter upside down, mostly confident that our "little grinner" wouldn't have the needed skills to access the food bowls.

I greatly underestimated the ability of our recent arrival.

The live trap was put out in the driveway.  Percy, our other barn cat learned to not do that again and the trap was reset.  It didn't take long and I had the proper captive.  Off we went, a fearful and very still opossum clinging to the side of the trap.  5 miles away in an area more isolated and near the State Park, the release was complete.  Proud of myself (for not using a different method to rid us of the pest) I drove home, back up the driveway and swung the corner to the garage only to see another opossum cleaning up the uneaten food where the trap had been previously set.

Repeat.

So far, we're opossum-free.

Last winter, when the very coldest snowfalls required my use of The Plowtruck, the truck's starter wouldn't run.  I discovered after much frustration that if my magnetic heater was attached right to the body of the starter itself, the truck would start.  Of course that meant crawling under the truck, the very coldest snows typically with very coldest winds, making that entire process less than ideal when the whole reason for having the plow truck in the first place was to be able to deal with our driveway enjoying inside the cab comfort.

Starter was ordered, it arrived and on one of our nicer winter days last February, I crawled underneath and started to install the new unit.  Getting only as far as that one impossible to reach bolt, the process reversed, I put everything back together.

I told myself and others...."I'll put up with this Attaching Heater Method for now and then install the new starter when it's warmer and easier."

We had a lovely summer, I spent much of it riding and put the new starter in yesterday afternoon in 32 degree weather.  It was markedly warmer (the lawn green) than the last time I attempted the job.

Ambitious yesterday, I finished rebuilding the snowblower's carburetor and this morning reinstalled it.  The upside is that the blower started on the first pull, something it hasn't done for a few neglectful years.  The downside is that gas was leaking very improperly so that project is not yet finished....I'm going to call it 85% complete.

The sun was shining this afternoon and our thermometer was reading 34 degrees on the shaded side of the house.  They're saying maybe 50 for tomorrow but I'm not retired yet.

The Lake City boat harbor....


Looking downriver...


Looking upriver....





Finally a stop for a hot cup....


8 comments:

  1. It's very kind of you to relocate the opossums instead of using other likely less harmless ways of getting rid of the critters. Thanks for that.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That pretty rig of yours needs to be featured more....especially once there's snow on the roads!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dom, I'm happy to hear these encouraging words. Thanks!! :)

      Delete
  3. Lucky are those who self-store and still have their rides within reach when the weather turns unseasonably warm in October - before the Gales of November.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This sentence made me smile in more than one way...thank you. :)

      Delete
  4. A chilly ride, but at least it was sunny.

    Do you think you could come visit and use your opossum relocation skills on a family of raccoons? They too are cute, but since the forest was cut down behind us they prefer the trees in our yard (and the sunflower seeds in the bird feeders).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brandy, you should know that my success rate with the little bandits has not been good. I had a big one...but he overwhelmed my poor little live trap; that original trap wasn't intended for bear-sized critters.

      If your family of pests is on the smaller side, we can talk.

      Delete