Cold morning

My thermometer said the outside temperature got down to minus 17 F this morning.  It was minus 15 F when I got up.  Inside the house... it was a little warmer: 47 F above.

Around 5 am Daisy went outside.  Very briefly at only a minute two.  Then Daisy slept next to me on the bed the rest of the night.  She stayed in the house when I went outside to feed the cattle.  When I came back in the house she was sitting by the front window in the sun.  The bird feeders were on the other side of the window.  Daisy wasn't 'talking' to the birds so I think she was sitting there for the sun and not bird watching.

The inside of the windows were frosted where I had the window blinds down overnight.

Once I got the wood stove ashes cleaned and a fire started the house warmed up.

After the snow

We got a little over 5 inches of snow Saturday.  Sunday morning I shoveled some paths to buildings.  Even though Daisy had already been outside at 6 am and again at 7 am, she came outside to 'help' me.  If I don't open the door fast enough for her, Daisy will use her paw to help me open the door faster as I open it.

What are you doing over there?

I've been outside a while. Time to go back inside the house.

Here is a 49 second video of Daisy outside.  Nothing spectacular, just Daisy walking:  http://youtu.be/y4QeVLUnuP4

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More snow cat

What a cat!   It started snowing tonight.  When I went out late to give more hay to the cattle Daisy came right with me.  First to give a bale to the calves, then over to give a bale to the rest of the cattle, then to fill up the water trough.  All on snow covered ground while thick heavy wet snowflakes were falling.  Then back to the house.  Now Daisy is laying by the keyboard as I type this.

What a great cat.

Mice and metal

I woke up this morning to a dead mouse by the wood stove.  Daisy has been on a mouse "run" lately.  She got three in a 24 hour period a few days ago.  In the past 24 hours she has gotten four mice.  That last one being while I split firewood by the pole shed.  She came out from a wood pile with a mouse to 'play' with.  This was another feisty mouse as it tried to stand up and then jump up at Daisy when she leaned her head over the mouse.  Daisy took the mouse and disappeared around the corner.

That makes at least 83 mice for the year so far.

Later I heard scratching on metal.  The only metal was the roof on the tall pole shed. The scratching got louder.  Then a long 'scrreeeecchhhh...".  It sounded like Daisy was on the roof.  Did she slide off?  I walked around the building to find Daisy way up a box elder tree near roof level.  She had been trying to get on the roof.  She didn't succeed and later came back to look for more mice.

Daisy also trekked with me out and back when I went out to the pasture to check on the cattle and the feeder.

Right now she is laying on the table and is watching "A Charlie Brown Christmas" with me.

What a cat.

Muddy manure daredevil Daisy

Daisy is not a prissy cat.   Sunday when I worked in the corral she came out to be with me even if meant walking through the mud and manure.

She got pretty dirty.

Daredevil Daisy

Saturday night when I went out to give hay and water to the cattle Daisy accompanied me.  When I was ready to add water to the water trough Daisy climbed on the water trough and from there climbed up the fence right over the water trough.  As you can see below she climbed the rails like a ladder.  They rails were wet and slippery.  I was on the other side of the fence wire so I couldn't catch her if she fell.  I held my breath.  She made it without falling.

After I filled the water trough and went to go inside the house Daisy decided to stay outside for a little while longer.  When I went outside later to check on her Daisy was on the house roof.  She then played her game of coming over to the edge of the entryway roof and meowing at me.  When I reached for her she backed away until I put my hands down then she would come to the edge of the roof again and meow.  I let her find her way down and she did a few minutes after I went back into the house.


At times when I worked in the corral on Sunday, to avoid the mud and manure when she could, Daisy would walk along the fence to stay near me and sometimes sit on railroad tie fence posts.

Here are 13 more photos of Daisy mainly fence walking and railroad tie sitting:

https://plus.google.com/photos/109566462412251958234/albums/6092951778363409601?authkey=CJGWmKaFkLDeRQ


Here is a short video of Daisy sitting on a railroad tie: http://youtu.be/RRRIeaPC84A

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Snow day

Daisy was inside and outside multiple times the day after the snow fell.  Sometimes she was content to sit on the couch and watch me shovel the snow while she warmed up her feet.

Other times she followed me around...

http://youtu.be/rt57rceQ2Fc

Daisy's nose

Daisy's nose is much better from her activities a month (or more?!) ago when she got a very scratched up nose. I still see signs of the injuries on her nose.  This morning I saw how she may have gotten her nose all scratched up.

Daisy accompanied me when I walked out into the snow covered hayfield to spread the wood stove's ashes. Once in the hayfield Daisy got distracted by the 'snow'.  Actually she quickly heard something under the snow and 'stomped' her paws into the snow here and there until she came up with a mouse.  The next I knew the mouse was standing up facing Daisy.  Daisy tried to sniff the mouse and that didn't go well.  A few bats and the mouse again stood facing Daisy.  Again she almost got bitten/clawed on her nose.  The mouse dove under the snow by a clump of tall grass.  The mouse must have found a second mouse hole as Daisy never found the mouse again.

Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me to capture the mouse standing facing Daisy, and the action.

Snow cat

We got up to 6 inches of snow last night.  Daisy had fun in the snow with me this morning.  Here is when I had the camera with me.

Here is a video of Daisy in the snow: http://youtu.be/H6HynLDwz8w

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Window watching

Daisy was in and out of the house much of the day.  The temperature had warmed to the upper 20s F.  Daisy caught mouse number 73 this morning, a big fat mouse.

In the late afternoon it started to snow lightly.  When she wasn't laying near the wood stove she kept an eye on things out this window.

Nicer temps make for a happier cat

The temperature was nicer Sunday and Monday.  The chill wasn't in the air.  Not that it was warm, but it was nicer.

Daisy spent more time outside today, which made her happier.  During the cold temperatures she would lay with her head on her front paws, eyes open, and... bored.  She reminded me of how a dog will sometimes lay with its head on the floor and then will follow you around the room with just its eyes.

Each morning Daisy gets me up around 6 am to open the front door so she can check the temperature.  Usually she decides not to go outside.  Then a half hour or so later she asks me to get out of bed again and open the door for her.  She'll go outside then.  After a half hour to an hour I will wake up yet again and check the front door or call for her.  Usually she is there or nearby and comes running into the house.  She'll run to my bed and jump up on it before I can get back to it.  Then we'll sleep for a few more hours before both getting up.

Today was no exception.  But by noon the temperature warmed up enough Daisy went out for an extended time.  And she was outside more than inside for most of the afternoon.

When I worked on splitting firewood late afternoon until dark Daisy roamed here and there checking for mice.  I found a big fat dead mouse near the house earlier in the afternoon.  Number 72 for the year.

Daisy is laying by the wood stove now warming her paws.

Night moves

The middle of last night I was woken up by Daisy making a commotion in the bedroom.  She was running around the bedroom's floor banging on stuff.  I thought she was playing with one of her toys.  Since she is not going outside sometimes she gets crazy playing with her toys to burn off energy.  I quickly fell back asleep.

In the morning I found a dead mouse by the wood stove.  That makes 71 for thee year (that I know of).

Good job Daisy!

I hope it is the mouse I heard in the ceiling a few nights ago when it first got cold and Daisy would still go outside early in the morning.

The cold weather continues.  Daisy doesn't even ask to go outside at 6 am anymore.  Being inside so much is making her cranky at times.   This morning when I went to pet her head she grabbed my hand with both her paws and clomped her mouth around my palm by my thumb.  She didn't break my skin with her teeth or claws but I definitely felt her teeth and claws.  She knew just how much pressure to apply to get her point across.

After taking a nap this afternoon she was in a better mood.  She came and laid by me near the wood stove and put her paw on my leg and head head against my thigh.  No claws this time.

This evening as we sat by the wood stove, when I was warming up after being outside and splitting wood, Daisy was moaning and complaining about the weather and being inside the house so much.  After as while she decided to go outside.  Not for too long as it is still cold.  But it perked her up as she ran around and around the house to various windows and for the fun of it after she came inside.  She's calmed down now.

Back to her Winter routine

The Arctic weather has modified Daisy's routine.  She wanted to go outside at 5 am.  That didn't last long.  I waited and after a few minutes she came back inside.  But before 6 am she came to the bed and asked to go outside again.  This time she went off to explore and stayed outside until 8:30 am.  After that she stayed inside the house all day.  This evening she is back to her Winter routine of looking out all the house's windows but doesn't ask to go outside.  She is not dumb, she sees the snow and hears the wind outside.

This morning she found a new box to lay in by the wood stove to warm up after her morning outing.

Stump sitting near the irrigation shed

A Winter storm is forecast to come on Sunday and I am trying to get a few projects done, or else to a state ready for the snow and wind.  The fixing of the irrigation shed roof is one of those 'get ready' projects as I won't be done with it by Sunday. 

Friday I spent the afternoon putting a new roof on the shed.  I had to haul material in the pickup to the shed.  Daisy was running around in the morning wanting to be with me.  So I picked her up and put her in the pickup to drive to the river.  She wasn't keen on the idea as she doesn't care to ride in vehicles.  Once at the river she was happy and began exploring while I worked on the shed.  At one point she wanted up on the roof to be with me so I lifted her up there.

Later she sat on a tree stump and watched for mice.   I saw her go after something in the tall grass but never saw her with a mouse.

It was along afternoon and she laid in the irrigation shed for a while - until I dropped a board through the open hole in the roof.  Sorry Daisy!  Then she laid under the pickup.

When it was time to go home I had to coax her out from under the pickup.  Finally she came out and I was able to pick her up and put her in the pickup for the drive home.  She stood and watched out the window as I drove and was very happy to be home and out of the pickup.  And she was hungry.  I got an earful as we walked to the house.

She is one tired cat and is currently curled up and sleeping hard on my bed.   I hope it won't be like last night where she hogged the bed and didn't give me much room to lay.

November mouse hunting

For a while Daisy hasn't brought any mice back to the house.  She is still hunting.  I saw her roaming around the neighbor's house a few days ago and this morning I saw her in the hayfield hunting.

Then around noon I walked out in the pasture to the irrigation shed to do some measurements for my next project. Daisy walked with me.  On the way I left some apples for the cattle.  Daisy waited a safe distance while I gave the apples then followed me to the shed.

While I checked the shed over, and after Daisy was done inspecting the shed, she went hunting for mice.

Yup, she caught a mouse.  Number 69 for the year (that I know of - the number is probably much higher)  In the video below you'll see she didn't get to play with it much as it appears to have died quickly.

Daisy likes to do somersaults around me.  The photo below catches her in mid somersault.

 

Here is a short video of Daisy hunting when I was at the irrigation shed.

http://youtu.be/HvK1KIhgePA 

Bath

I finally tried the skunk cleaning mixture on Daisy this afternoon.  The past few days she has spent most of the day outside and I didn't get a chance to wash her.

The formula:

One quart of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide (or white vinegar)

1/4 cup baking soda

One teaspoon liquid soap

Apply and rinse off with water.

I didn't have white vinegar so I used apple vinegar instead.

Daisy did quite well.  She stood patiently as I rubbed the mixture on her neck, under her chin and on her shoulders.  She wasn't thrilled at what I was doing.  As time went on she was getting unhappy but stood while I washed her fur.  I was surprised at how patient she was with me.

Then she started to do a low moan to signal her displeasure and then she looked at me with sad eyes.

Poor Daisy.

After I was done putting the mixture on her, and since I wouldn't let her go outside, Daisy went down to the basement and laid on the sleeping bag down there.  After a short time I went down and washed and rubbed the mixture off her then dried her off somewhat.  She just laid there looking sad at me.

The sooner one washes the skunk odor off, the better.  Unfortunately, a few days have passed before I could wash her, so while the odor is not as strong, I can still smell it on Daisy.


"Why are you being so mean to me?"

I just want to go outside so you'll stop washing me.

Poor Daisy.

Skunk

Daisy... Daisy... Daisy.

Last night, while Daisy was outside patrolling the grounds, I fell asleep at the computer while working on my blog. I woke up briefly to the smell of burnt coffee. Strange. I don't drink coffee.  Before falling back to sleep I realized it was a skunk smell.  Not typical to smell here, but not unusual.

I woke up again later. The skunk smell was not as strong.  I was groggy.  I shut down the computer and prepared to go to bed.  I checked at the door and Daisy was waiting.  I let her in and she went to her food.  I went to bed.

Sometimes Daisy will sleep on the bed with me and she came later.  I briefly woke up in the middle of the night to a strong skunk smell and groggily thought the skunk sprayed outside a second time before quickly falling back to sleep.

In the morning Daisy waking up, stretching and leaving the bed to go eat breakfast woke me up.  The skunk smell was not as strong when I got up.

After she ate Daisy wanted outside to go to the bathroom and do an early morning patrol.  Kelly stopped by to ask about hunting deer again this year on the ranch.  Daisy came to say hello and then we noticed a strong skunk smell.  We looked and saw her fur was yellow on her neck.



That explains everything.  Last night she was either defending the area or 'playing' with the skunk.   Daisy... Daisy... Daisy.

Daisy followed Kelly and I around the pasture as we checked his tree stand and other potential sites to maybe move it.  When I got back to the house the skunk smell was strong.  Even though the temperature was only in the 50s I opened all the windows.  It got a little chilly in the house.

Later in the afternoon I got some tomato juice and rubbed it on her neck fur.  She didn't mind and continued to eat.  At one point she tried to lick the tomato juice off the napkin I was using.  Really Daisy? You like tomato juice?

After she finished eating she came and laid on her spot on the back of the couch.

After a bit of grooming and licking of the tomato juice from her fur a few times she moved to lay on the couch right next to me.  Her licking of the tomato juice allowed the skunk smell to come through again.  I hadn't put enough tomato juice on her.

While I don't have a good sense of smell, after a while I got a headache from the skunk smell and went outside for fresh air.

Right now it is balance between spraying lots of air freshener and getting used to the smell.

 Tomorrow I will try another recipe to remove the smell:

The formula:

One quart of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide (or white vinegar)

1/4 cup baking soda

One teaspoon liquid soap

Apply and rinse off with water.

The fun never ends.

Fence check and river

After returning from my Washington trip, and before letting the cattle into the pasture, I double checked the fences to make sure they were alright.  Since Daisy was still in 'keep me in sight at all times' mode she came with me.  This is the farthest she has been from the house.  She does not like being carried so she walked the whole distance, even through the taller grass close to the river.

We had to take two rest stops for Daisy as the warm weather and distance was tuckering her out.  She first rested in the irrigation shed while I went to let the cattle into the pasture.  Later she rested along the river.

She is still trying to figure the river out.  She did eventually drink some of the river water.  Mostly she laid on some rocks and watched the water and stuff float by.  She even watched a few small minnows swimming near the rocks.
 

What is this Daisy?

After we got home she laid on the blanket next to me as I snacked.  She was so tired she didn't move when I got up off the couch.

Bruised nose

The other morning Daisy showed up with a bruised nose.  How?  I don't know.

Poor Daisy.

Falling down on the job

Daisy spends so much time outside she is falling down on her job of keeping the house mouse free.   This morning when I went to the neighbor's house to gather more fallen apples, there was Daisy.

Since I found the long dead mouse a few weeks ago I have trapped four more mice.  Tonight I got another mouse - one with a light touch as I had to bait the trap twice with peanut better for I caught it.    This mouse was trapped at its lower body instead of behind the neck.  Since it has a such a light touch the first time I baited the trap, I also put peanut butter on the trigger itself.  That got the mouse.

Since the mouse was alive I carefully picked up the trap and set it outside and then called for Daisy.  After a while she came strolling over from the hayfield.  She was interested in the mouse but acted nonchalant about it.  Eventually I left her to play with it.

A short video of Daisy and the mouse.  I'm surprised she doesn't get bitten more, especially as she tries yo sniff the mouse.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II9XPmY3xaU&feature=youtu.be