After Thanksgiving--from Tom Cat

[agate]

Message from Tom Cat:

For me Thanksgiving was another workday. I got around 1 1/2 inches of heavy snow, which fortunately evaporated off most of the 1200-foot driveway.

I did take it easy, because the back was sore, among other things, after getting things moved out of the way of the snow dump areas in the front yard. I did manage to get a couple of small piles of cut logs into the work shed garage. Also chopped some logs for the wood stove in the work shop. I didn't chop for more than 20 minutes or so. That's about all the back and arms would take at a time. The days of swinging an axe for an hour or so are long gone, I'm afraid.

I'll have my "well check up" soon with my GP. When they ask about exercise, I ask if swinging an axe, cutting trees up with an 15 lb, 18-inch chain saw, etc., is resistance exercise or what. They look at you as if you've lost your mind or something. I do tell them that I've stopped swinging through the trees with my ancestors and chain saw a couple of years ago. The doctor thinks that's a good thing.


Well, the day is clear but cold, starting out at 10° and maybe getting up to 30°. It dawned on me when I got up that the unheated car garage has a back pack sprayer and pressure washer sprayer. I needed to get them out and into the house. If they have any water left in them and it freezes, it could break the valves. They're inside now. Really am not up to being ready for winter.

And I need to get a letter out. Going to take the car down to the mail box today. At around 8° chill factor, I'm not going to walk or take the open ATV on an 8/10-mile trip to mail a letter.

This has been one crazy year for wet and drought, and hot and cold from spring to now. It looks like a number of you are having erratic weather this year too, eh?

Big baby Smudge is wrapped around Maggie momma right now. I think Maggie is enjoying the warmth of her big daughter now. The chickadees are all over the feeders this morning. Haven't seen any deer for a few days now. Take care.

[Virginia]

Ralph, it seems that North Raleigh where I live has an overabundance of coyotes. I have stopped carrying the trash out after dark even though I turn the lights on on the deck. In a close neighborhood a lady said she let her little dog out and it was attacked in her back yard by two coyotes just a couple of nights ago. It seems things like this keep happening with coyotes in this area. I wonder why. I use to think of them as being out like you live, but they seem to be moving into town now. Are they multiplying at such a rapid rate that they have no place to go? I would like to see them all moved to a prairie that is vacant of dogs and humans, but every place is so crowded now that I don't know where that would be.

We are still having bright sunshiny days, but the weather is quite cool. It gets down in the upper 20s and 30s many nights but the days usually get back up to the 50s or low 60s. Our coldest weather usually comes in January and February with some in December. It used to be cold here in December, January and February, but now we never really know what the weather will be.

I hope when you get your "well checkup" you will get a good report. I thought it was so funny when they started doing that. Someone told me that they are not even allowed to touch you unless you give them permission.

Please do not swing your axe too much. I would think that could cause a heart attack.

Be Careful,
Virginia

[agate]

From Tom Cat (the rest of this message is his reply to Parsi, in another thread):

Now to Virginia's question on the coyotes. Yes their numbers are on the rise, around large cities and the suburbs. They mainly move around at night and stay undercover during the day. Urban areas are great feeding areas for all kinds of game. We have less of a problem in the dual areas where they can be hunted and trapped. Their pelts have high value, and they are not protected like wolves. Their diet is similar to wolves' and foxes'.

And now I'm heading in for the night. Take care.