Beauty

[just bee]

---

@geezerette wrote:

@just bee 

That big, bad, dirty-pawed protector of mine got into a tussle with a coyote yesterday.  A couple were passing through and she went after one.  It was big--bigger than most I've seen, at least Carla's size, so it was most likely a male--and it turned on her.  I've never seen one here do that.  They always turn tail and flee when she comes out or even if I just yell at them.

Anyway, she gave a halfhearted attempt to defend herself, then turned around and headed for the house.  (Chicken.)  And it kept after her.  I was still at the house and the only thing I could do was yell at it.  Carla must have thought that if Mommy was yelling, she must need help, so she turned around and tried again.  Thankfully, about that time they both seemed to decide it was a draw and Carla came home and the coyote followed its mate(?) into the woods.

She was very agitated, having never lost a battle before, and didn't settle for a couple of hours.  I checked her over and found no wounds or even scratches, so maybe they didn't even touch each other.  Whew.

After that, I was thankful I spend all that money at the vet for all those vaccinations.

---

@geezerette 

That's probably the only time I'll lose my temper with WGD.  When he starts to go after something.  He's been sprayed by skunks, perforated by porcupines and bitten by a coyote.

Thank goodness she came out of that one intact.  I'm always afraid that the rest of the band is nearby and will attack.

Good thing you were there.  Admit it -- you love that dog.

[geezerette]

---

@just bee wrote:

---

@geezerette wrote:

@just bee 

That big, bad, dirty-pawed protector of mine got into a tussle with a coyote yesterday.  A couple were passing through and she went after one.  It was big--bigger than most I've seen, at least Carla's size, so it was most likely a male--and it turned on her.  I've never seen one here do that.  They always turn tail and flee when she comes out or even if I just yell at them.

Anyway, she gave a halfhearted attempt to defend herself, then turned around and headed for the house.  (Chicken.)  And it kept after her.  I was still at the house and the only thing I could do was yell at it.  Carla must have thought that if Mommy was yelling, she must need help, so she turned around and tried again.  Thankfully, about that time they both seemed to decide it was a draw and Carla came home and the coyote followed its mate(?) into the woods.

She was very agitated, having never lost a battle before, and didn't settle for a couple of hours.  I checked her over and found no wounds or even scratches, so maybe they didn't even touch each other.  Whew.

After that, I was thankful I spend all that money at the vet for all those vaccinations.

---

@geezerette 

That's probably the only time I'll lose my temper with WGD.  When he starts to go after something.  He's been sprayed by skunks, perforated by porcupines and bitten by a coyote.

Thank goodness she came out of that one intact.  I'm always afraid that the rest of the band is nearby and will attack.

Good thing you were there.  Admit it -- you love that dog.

---

@just bee 

Yikes!  😳  I sure wouldn't want to deal with any of those, but porcupine quills are horrible!

I joke that Carla is a chicken (actually 'bully' would be more accurate), but I'm glad.  She comes out of the gate fast, loud and stiff-legged.  If I didn't know her and was on the receiving end, I'd be terrified like most everyone else is.  But she'll always stop about halfway before she gets to her target.  Which is why I don't have to worry about her getting bitten or quilled.  If it stands its ground, she backs off.  But if it starts running away, she's after it.  Which is what this coyote did, like all the others she's run into.  But when it realized she was on its heels, it stopped and turned to defend itself.  Or maybe it was defending its mate.  They may have even had pups somewhere.  This is baby deer season, and I always see a lot of coyotes around looking for where the little ones are hiding.

The thing is, the only animal I've ever seen Carla actually attack is her own cousin.  She's fine with my friend's other dog and all the fosters, but that other Rottweiler just sets her off.  I think it's because she's jealous.  

I swear she knows that dog is another Rottweiler.

[KaySD]

@geezerette I've decluttered my eyeballs by getting rid of TV altogether. I watch movies sometimes, but no commercials, so I still count that as decluttered!

As a huge bonus, I haven't seen a single political advertisement--not one. (Not that I can avoid political news, since I read and listen to some news, and these days all news is apparently political.) But I'm a one-person ad-free zone.

[KaySD]

Early this morning my cat got out--right through the screen door. The door was closed at the time. When I woke up and found him missing, I thought I'd lost him forever. He has no experience with, well, anything, really. 

My neighbors spotted him, but didn't know he wasn't supposed to be out. Two hours later, here he came, to the front door. I fed him, and he was really thirsty, but apparently undamaged. I, however, am a wreck.

Close call. We have coyote and other critters around here, too. I think we will have to sleep it off. Zzzzzzzz.

[Eager2Learn]

@geezerette Wow! I would have peed my pants. Glad Carla is OK.

@just bee Sprays and quills and bites, oh my. Glad they weren't more serious.

@KaySD So glad your cat came home unscathed. I would have been frantic. 

Since Cinnamon and I were charged by one of the pair of dogs that used to run around loose here, I carry a pepper gel when I walk her. She's very timid, and only has one eye. So I've become a protective Mama Bear.

[just bee]

---

@KaySD wrote:

@geezerette I've decluttered my eyeballs by getting rid of TV altogether. I watch movies sometimes, but no commercials, so I still count that as decluttered!

As a huge bonus, I haven't seen a single political advertisement--not one. (Not that I can avoid political news, since I read and listen to some news, and these days all news is apparently political.) But I'm a one-person ad-free zone.

---

@KaySD 

Well, no wonder you're in a good mood!  (They've been particularly awful this year.)

[just bee]

---

@KaySD wrote:

Early this morning my cat got out--right through the screen door. The door was closed at the time. When I woke up and found him missing, I thought I'd lost him forever. He has no experience with, well, anything, really. 

My neighbors spotted him, but didn't know he wasn't supposed to be out. Two hours later, here he came, to the front door. I fed him, and he was really thirsty, but apparently undamaged. I, however, am a wreck.

Close call. We have coyote and other critters around here, too. I think we will have to sleep it off. Zzzzzzzz.

---

@KaySD 

I cringe whenever I see posters for lost cats and small dogs.  Chances are, they were found -- by coyotes.

Thank goodness he found his way back. 

[just bee]

---

@Eager2Learn wrote:

@geezerette Wow! I would have peed my pants. Glad Carla is OK.

@just bee Sprays and quills and bites, oh my. Glad they weren't more serious.

@KaySD So glad your cat came home unscathed. I would have been frantic. 

Since Cinnamon and I were charged by one of the pair of dogs that used to run around loose here, I carry a pepper gel when I walk her. She's very timid, and only has one eye. So I've become a protective Mama Bear.

---

@Eager2Learn 

I worry about loose dogs, too, and people who can't control their pit bulls.  I was a defender of the breed until one attacked BH as he defended our previous dogs.

He was seen in the ER right away.  There was so much blood that the doctors couldn't tell if he'd lost an eye.

I just can't trust them anymore.

[just bee]

---

@geezerette wrote:

---

The thing is, the only animal I've ever seen Carla actually attack is her own cousin.  She's fine with my friend's other dog and all the fosters, but that other Rottweiler just sets her off.  I think it's because she's jealous.  

I swear she knows that dog is another Rottweiler.

---

@geezerette 

Ooooh... competition.

[geezerette]

---

@just bee wrote:

---

@Eager2Learn wrote:

---

@geezerette wrote:

@aprilskies 

It seems like the concept I have the most trouble remembering is the easiest: don't bring stuff in.  Whether it be gadgets, junk food, clothes, whatever.

If I don't bring it in, I don't have to deal with getting it out.  It's like trying to bail out a sinking boat.  If you don't plug the hole first, it's a constant (and often losing) battle.

I need to concentrate on just what I know I'm going to use up for a while.  

ETA:  I'm with ya on the humidity.  Our heat index is 100* today and tomorrow.  Last week we were in the 70s.  No wonder I have near constant migraines.

---

@geezerette Sometimes it's very hard to NOT bring things in. But yes, that is the key.

---

@Eager2Learn 

Gotta watch out for one category in particular:

This is something I will use... someday.

That's the stuff that really piles up.  The dressy outfit you'll wear to the wedding that never happens.  The jewelry that never leaves the velvet box.  The book that's never read.  The hobby project that never actually becomes a hobby.  The tart pan.  The red lipstick.  The Italian-Made-Easy system.

You know the usual suspects.

---

@just bee 

@Eager2Learn 

Ah, yes.  The stuff for that fantasy life we all think we're going to live someday.