Hello all! Welcome to 2021. I know I've neglected my blog for the last few months. I have been trying to keep my head above water with my Etsy shop along with other homestead things here. This year, I'm taking a slow down on Etsy to address much needed things on the homestead. Guess what! My blog is one of those things! Hurrah!
I have to show this off though. I found this little girl at an antique shop. I try to find dolls that are in need of some love, and am reconditioning them or restoring them based on what's needed. This little girl is a 1955 EeGee Susan stroller/walker doll. She is capable of standing alone, and when you hold her hands and move, she will "Walk" with you. When she walks, her little head moves back and forth as well. She is the latest addition to my Etsy shop. Here is her before and after pic. I hope you can tell which is which.
Now onto my topic at hand. No these are not the pitter pattering feet you're looking for.
We live next to an open field. Said field is for sale at the moment, and if we had the money.....ah! Anyway, I digress. Because we live next to an open field we gets lots of critters in our yard; anything from deer, coyotes, field mice, bunnies, and rats. Yes, rats. You would think our having an indoor/outdoor cat would have nixed that problem, but not so much. Don't get me wrong, he has caught some of them, but he isn't the most enthusiastic hunter.
A few nights ago I awoke to a scratching in the wall of my kitchen. Something had gotten into the crawl space under the house. Whatever it was sounded big. I heard him finally gain access to the house and bump into one of the bar stools around my counter. That didn't inspire confidence in his having a tiny stature. I got up to investigate, but he took off under one of the appliances.
The next morning I brought the cat in. He slept in the house all day. Come night fall he wanted to go outside. I didn't let him, but my son, not knowing he was needed indoors, let him out. That night I awoke to the sound of scratching in my bedroom! NOT COOL! I heard him gain access to the room and he was on my husbands night table. I jumped up to see and he bolted.
So yesterday I made sure everyone knew not to let the cat out. Fast forward to evening and my hubby and I were watching a movie. We had just let the dogs in from their potty break. Our great Pyrenees mix, Sophie walked over to something on the kitchen floor, sniffed it, and grabbed it.
She immediately dropped it. It was the rat! He was just sitting in the floor! Heavens to Mergatroid! He ran behind the fridge. Yall this guy was big! My hubby jumped up, got more rat bait out and started putting it out. What he had put out a few days ago was gone. Now we wait. Neither of us felt like pulling out the fridge to see if he was there. We figured he had gone under the house again. About an hour later I got up and started loading up the dinner dishes. While I'm doing that, I happened to look over at the floor on the other side of the open dishwasher. He had come out and was lying on the floor. He was stretched out. He looked to be about 12 inches long! He was about 5-6 inches in diameter around the belly. I about jumped out of my skin. Hubby got up and tried to get him to go into a bucket we had. I, however was poised atop the treadmill platform and the cat was pawing the back door to be let out. The rat was lethargic now, but had enough energy to go under my stove. Drat! We felt like he was on his way out. It was just a matter of time. The plan was to get him out in the morning.
I woke up this morning around 3:30. I came out into the kitchen with my phone flashlight on to make sure there wasn't anything waiting on me. There he was, laying under the cabinet on the kitchen floor. He was still alive, but the fight was gone. Using the bucket from last night I rigged up a way to get him into it. He tried to fight but really didn't have it in him. Once in the bucket, I was able to put him and the bucket outside. Secure in the bucket, he can at least die in peace. He's protected from the rain and any predators. I don't think the poison is what got him. I think Sophie's bite did. Though she didn't break skin, I think she injured him in some way. I feel bad for him. Had he stayed outside, away from the chickens, and away from our house, he would still be here, but I can't have him threatening the chickens, the chicks, or bringing in who knows what.
Needless to say I was mopping the floor this morning at 4 am, and I have learned my cat is useless! I will probably be doing a major wash down of the kitchen by lunch.
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