Rant for the Day (keep it clean)

[backlash]

snip the fingers off, dye them black and make shooter's gloves

Good idea.
I wear a left hand golf glove when shooting a handgun. I don't golf anymore so I don't need a golf glove.
It keeps my finger nails from digging into the palm of my right hand.
I guess I could just bite my nails but I've never been a nail biter.
I have an old pair of leather gloves I will cut the fingers off and I'm set.
Thanks.

 

[Magus]

NP. I got an award for turning junk into useful stuff in shop class.

 

[zannej]

These people were letting them out! So far today they are put up. They don't have enough land for cattle.

Ahh, so they were doing what my neighbors were doing when they first bought some property out here. I think they have maybe 5 acres (possibly less). Although, when they first bought the land and got cattle they asked if they could let their cattle graze in our yard in exchange for helping maintain the fences and stuff. Guy was the best friend of chief of police at the time so my family thought he could be trusted. To be fair, he didn't wrong us before we moved overseas & he became a deadbeat tenant.

The laws used to allow free range cattle but they changed after too many complaints. We used to have a cattle guard but he completely filled it in. The cows jumped right over it anyway so it didn't really do much good. Saw a cow that jumped over the cattle guard AND the gate before.

 

[Magus]

I saw one jump a 6" storm fence, you wouldn't think a fat old cow could do that!

 

[zannej]

They can jump pretty well when motivated. Years ago after my father died, one of the neighborhood people wanted to start building up some cattle. She asked to buy my cows and I thought they might be happier with other cows. She got them corralled and taken away to another property. But when my cow realized she was in unfamiliar territory & couldn't see me, she had a panic attack. She jumped the fence, scraped her belly on the barbed wire a bit, and came running home. She was literally crying. Tears streaming down her face, snot dripping out her nose, hyperventilating-- she hollered for me as soon as she got back. Her daughter jumped the fence and followed her. I went out and had to calm her down. I wiped her tears away, cleaned her nose, and then stroked her face and sang her favorite lullaby. Buyer came back and I handed the check back and said the cow had a meltdown and didn't want to be away from "mommy". She understood and took the check back. I got some hydrogen peroxide and cleaned up where the cow hit the barbed wire and she was fine afterwards.

So, minor nitpick about the new hinge that arrived from Kohler. The bottom plate comes off super easy and fell into the toilet bowl TWICE while I was trying to install the seat. So I had to tape it with clear packing tape to make it stay. Second, they had the thing all assembled for installation and they had the brackets on wrong so when I tried to install the toilet with the brackets they way they were inserted, the plastic parts kept slipping off. Bolts and brackets fell into the toilet a few times while I was trying to do stuff. Fumbled and dropped my screwdriver in. Fortunately, the toilet is still clean but it was annoying. At least taking apart the hinge gave me the opportunity to clean in some of the crevices I couldn't clean before.

 

[Magus]

I had no idea cows could get attached to people like that!

 

[Pearl]

The cows LEFT FOR THE AUCTION tonight!! A neighbor got them into a trailer (feed), and said PROVE they are yours!! The cows have their bellies full right now at the sale barn! That's all they wanted!!

 

[Patchouli]

Rant: people that leave their cats behind when they move. That might be what’s bothering the dog and especially the cat.
@Pearl glad the cattle were taken care of.

 

[Sourdough]

They can jump pretty well when motivated. Years ago after my father died, one of the neighborhood people wanted to start building up some cattle. She asked to buy my cows and I thought they might be happier with other cows. She got them corralled and taken away to another property. But when my cow realized she was in unfamiliar territory & couldn't see me, she had a panic attack. She jumped the fence, scraped her belly on the barbed wire a bit, and came running home. She was literally crying. Tears streaming down her face, snot dripping out her nose, hyperventilating-- she hollered for me as soon as she got back. Her daughter jumped the fence and followed her. I went out and had to calm her down. I wiped her tears away, cleaned her nose, and then stroked her face and sang her favorite lullaby. Buyer came back and I handed the check back and said the cow had a meltdown and didn't want to be away from "mommy". She understood and took the check back. I got some hydrogen peroxide and cleaned up where the cow hit the barbed wire and she was fine afterwards.

This is a GREAT story. I was weeping reading it. Thanks.

 

[zannej]

Magus, cows can actually be very loving and are very social. They have best friends and mourn other cows when they die. I don't know if most cows get attached to people but she was a "dummy calf". Her mother was not interested in her and never groomed her. She also didn't know how to nurse. Vet knew I love animals and gave her to me when she was little and I had to bottlefeed her. We had a large tent out in the back yard (the kind they put up for parties and such) and she slept in that. I would sit on a chair and bottlefeed her and pet her. When she was done eating I would rub her face, cuddle her, and sing her a lullaby. She was super spoiled and followed me around like a puppy. I couldn't go anywhere outside without her wanting to go with me. She made it into the house once and did a Bambi on ice imitation. I think I mentioned that my horse was a jerk. One time he bit me and she saw it & got so mad she charged over and rammed him. She didn't stop being super clingy until after she had her baby (a Brangus bull broke through the fence to get to her). Only she couldn't figure out how to let the baby nurse. She kept wanting to lick the baby's face. I had to bottlefeed the baby some colostrum and then had to grab a teet pull the baby over and literally stick it in her mouth. Then I distracted the mother cow by rubbing her face and singing to her. She still comes over and wants cuddles but she's got big horns so I have to be careful.

Sourdough, I got emotional over it. I'm actually glad she came back because I was really conflicted and I was worried about her. She's dumb as a stump but she's a sweetheart. She also headbutted my brother in the balls when she was little so she scores points with me for that.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to figure out where to put all this stuff:

Organizing has never been my strong suit. My dad was very organized and had things idiot labeled and put in specific places. My mother is a pack rat-stack-stuff-up-cram-it-wherever-it-can-go type and I think I inherited that trait. I *hate* throwing things away so that makes it harder. I've got hoarder issues after having a bunch of stuff stolen in the past. I get frustrated with myself for my lack of organization. It doesn't help that I can't remember things (another reason for the hoarding-- objects help me remember events)

 

[Magus]

That cow is not steaks!
It makes me wonder if constant exposure to humans, for lack of better words, confers a "human" soul? I mean I know they already have regular souls, but this cow is more like family right? I have cats like that.

 

[backlash]

Rant: people that leave their cats behind when they move. That might be what’s bothering the dog and especially the cat.
@Pearl glad the cattle were taken care of.

I had some neighbors that moved and left their chocolate lab. He was a great dog.
They seemed like nice people but obviously they weren't.
We took care of the dog till another neighbor found him a good home.
Watch how people treat animals and you will see what kind of person they really are.

 

[Pearl]

I had some neighbors that moved and left their chocolate lab. He was a great dog.
They seemed like nice people but obviously they weren't.
We took care of the dog till another neighbor found him a good home.
Watch how people treat animals and you will see what kind of person they really are.

That's what happened to my beautiful Shepherd, his owners moved and left that four month old puppy! Thank God for the woman who found and took him in! He lives the good life now, so I'm glad he didn't have to stay with bad owners!! As I always say, some people should not have animals!!

 

[Weedygarden]

The young couple down the end of the road keep letting their cows out to graze the roadsides!! They only have 5 acres, had 5 cows (now 3)! 2 are missing. Several people have almost hit them, they are wandering up on to other roads. The sheriff's dept. has been out several times but hasn't done any good! Time for the cows to find a new home!! There are a couple of people in the area that are going to try to haul them off. Hopefully they can get them in a trailer with grain!! Some people just shouldn't have animals!!

This would not be uncommon in some places, and perfectly acceptable. I wouldn't want my cattle on a busy road! $1000's per head, gone, poof, the damage to other people's vehicles and potential injuries to people.

 

[joel]

That's what happened to my beautiful Shepherd, his owners moved and left that four month old puppy! Thank God for the woman who found and took him in! He lives the good life now, so I'm glad he didn't have to stay with bad owners!! As I always say, some people should not have animals!!

Or children.

 

[VThillman]

That's what happened to my beautiful Shepherd, his owners moved and left that four month old puppy! Thank God for the woman who found and took him in! He lives the good life now, so I'm glad he didn't have to stay with bad owners!! As I always say, some people should not have animals!!

Yours and backlash's experiences highlight another of those Dark Realities: "It takes all kinds to make a world." One reason why it took awhile for us humans to get to 'tribe' from 'family'. I gather that we made it to 'community' beyond tribe eventually, but maybe community is an old-fashioned, obsolescent grouping now. Again. It's happened before. The Scottish Highlands Clearances are a powerful historic example; the Obligations of kith&kin were broken, and the Highlands fell apart.

 

[ClemKadiddlehopper]

Farmers markets have become HOA s. Too many regulations from both the site owners and the health inspectors. It costs money to set up a regulation tent and to pay for the privilege.

The food inspectors were so bad at one point that about the only thing that could be sold was bubblegum.

The food has to be picked washed and cleaned the night before. Special cleaning procedures and root trimming galore. It then has to be trucked into town. Most farms are well over an hour from town. The tent and displays have to be set up and taken down. No one gets sleep for 24 -36 hours.

A cheerful facade must be maintained while people complain they can get it cheaper at the grocery store and why don't you have this or that, not recognizing what growing seasons are.

Next, you have to compete against re-sellers; people who go to the whole saler, buy veggies and pass them off as small farm grown.

Most farmers markets are not worth the trouble to sell at. You want farm fresh, you need to drive the back roads and look for signs nailed to fence posts and trees. There aren't many of those anymore, either.

Where I live, the honor system still works, but many places you need to stand next to your veggies with a pitch fork. Real farmers don't have time for that.

 

[zannej]

People in my area don't give a damn about animals. They abuse them and abandon them. I'm constantly finding abandoned animals. It doesn't help that no shelters in the entire Parish will take cats and the local "shelter" is really a pound, the guy who runs it is an absolute scumbag, & they won't take most dogs. This dude swore up and down that its not a kill shelter but he lied. People let their dogs run amok attacking other people's pets, destroying property, etc and not caring. The ones who are neglectful are one step above the creep who actually murders animals for fun. I almost got into a fight with this guy in Walmart. He trespassed into a neighbor's yard to put poison in their outdoor puppy kennel. If I think more about him my blood will boil.

When we bought this house the former owners left their cats behind. One had cancer and died not too long after. At least she liked us and we kept her comfortable as long as we could and took her to the vet.

Magus, I don't think humans have anything to do with cows growing attached or caring about other creatures. It's in their nature. Empathy is something animals have as well and it helps them to cooperate and survive as a herd. Some animals hare more empathy than humans. I have met some people who have no regard for anything but themselves.

My current minor gripe is that some stuff that sat in my sink stained it. There were some pennies and stuff that sat in water and corroded and stained the sink. There's also hard water stains. I have no clue how to get those stains off and I'm on a septic tank so I'm wary of using CLR-- especially since I have a metal ring around the drain. Any suggestions?

Also, the caulk around the sink is just plain ugly. LOL. They did not even it out when the spread it on and it's all lumpy and very obvious-- but it's been there since the 70s.

 

[Magus]

I'm about to shoot my neighbor's dog. any mutt that comes on MY property chases my cats and has the guts to bow up and growl when I try to run him off is aggressive. time to meet the Judge!

 

[VThillman]

Seems like most dogs understand the concept of Off-Limits. But . . . sigh . . . some don't. Are you and your neighbor on speaking terms?

Just remembered from my time in Colorado. For a while we were harboring a free-ranging turkey. The neighbor dogs had to be "given to understand" that the turkey was off-limits to them. An air rifle loaded with BBs eventually convinced them - though they had to be reminded occasionally by the sight of my brother and the gun, then by seeing my brother, then by any door opening. Then Thanksgiving came, and the turkey was seen no more.

 

[Magus]

I don't speak Mexican, or Guatemala or whatever he is, I do know I'm inches away from wrecking his puppy mill!

 

[zannej]

Some animals can't grasp the concepts we want them to understand. It's not that they are bad, but they lack impulse control, are driven by instinct, and often have bad owners who don't train them properly. Some dogs are encouraged to be aggressive. I blame the owners more than the dogs. But I completely understand being angry about aggressive dogs.

The only time in my life I ever saw my father kick a dog was when a hunting dog chased me in our own yard and tried to bite me but my 16-yr-old Siamese cat jumped in to protect me. He ran around shaking her like a rag doll. When my dad heard me screaming he came outside and I'd never seen him so mad before. Poor Kitty didn't make it & I was devastated. I was only about 10 or 11 at the time.

When I was a kid there was a German Shepherd that got loose. Very sweet dog, we played with him and he was nice and friendly. But a neighbor's kid (who I hope is in prison now) started beating the dog with a stick, kicking it, and chasing it. He got the poor thing cornered and wouldn't stop abusing it so it finally jumped up and chomped his shoulder hard. There was blood everywhere, the neighbors called the cops, etc. When my dad approached the dog after the dog was not aggressive at all. Dad led the dog back to our house and we gave it water and comforted it until the cops arrived. Told the cops what happened and said that the dog was only defending itself. The cops said that since the dog was attacked and showed no signs of aggression when unprovoked it likely would not get put down (this was before some of the zero tolerance rules came into play). I've always wondered what happened to that dog. The neighbors were told that they shouldn't try to sue the owners of the dog for medical bills since their little violent sociopath was asking for it. Same kid would hit & kick smaller kids, throw stuff at them, etc. He knew not to mess with me & my siblings though. Man, I digressed.

 

[Magus]

My judge isn't lethal with bird shot past 20 feet, if that won't keep him off my digs, he can meet the 629 snubby then.

I think I've had trouble out of "Amigo" before when his pit bulls thought I looked tasty. One of them had the sense to run. I bashed one's head in, the other wasn't moving too good when I let him break combat. I'm really torn here because I like wolves, and those huskies look like my old buddies. BUT I don''t tolerate that crap on my turf, so he's got to learn!

 

[Magus]

Ah, damn it! I hate to waste perfectly good Altoids like this! *Opens 410 shell*
I'm getting softer by the day!

 

[dademoss]

But a neighbor's kid (who I hope is in prison now) started beating the dog with a stick, kicking it, and chasing it. He got the poor thing cornered and wouldn't stop abusing it

OK, it's a rant for the decades . Been there, but the little (redacted) hopped my fence and had my dog (Long ago, it was REX, not Teddy, cornered.). Can't explain it really, but it's a different bark from alert when the dog is about to "F" somebody up. The teenage (REDACTED) (REDACTED) (REDACTED) (REDACTED) had Rex cornered IN MY YARD. Tune changed when he looked down the barrel of a 12 gauge. We had a "discussion", then there was a discussion with his grandpa, and he quit visiting grandpa, at least Rex and I never saw him outside again.

 

[Magus]

Probably saved the world trouble if you'd kneecapped the little B*tard.
I'd have beat the living hell out of him and dumped him in the driveway!

 

[joel]

" I've always wondered what happened to that dog. The neighbors were told that they shouldn't try to sue the owners of the dog for medical bills since their little violent sociopath was asking for it. Same kid would hit & kick smaller kids, throw stuff at them, etc. He knew not to mess with me & my siblings though. Man, I digressed."

The dog was not the only one abused, the boy was acting out because he had had a rough time himself.

 

[Magus]

" I've always wondered what happened to that dog. The neighbors were told that they shouldn't try to sue the owners of the dog for medical bills since their little violent sociopath was asking for it. Same kid would hit & kick smaller kids, throw stuff at them, etc. He knew not to mess with me & my siblings though. Man, I digressed."

The dog was not the only one abused, the boy was acting out because he had had a rough time himself.

Maybe he deserved it?

 

[joel]

Maybe he deserved it?

No one deserved abuse, that is why it is called ABUSE.

 

[Magus]

I dunno. some kids/adults are naturally sadistic scumbags.