Hot day and bad birds

The high temperature today was 101 degrees F.  Hot.

Daisy started the morning sleeping by me.  Even after I went outside to check on the heifers Daisy slept in my bed.  I had to leave my t-shirt as Daisy was using it as pillow.

Early afternoon she laid in the house as it was cooler than outside.

Later in the afternoon, even though it was 100 degrees outside, Daisy wanted to lay outside.  I had a sprinkler going nearby but even so, I didn't think it took the edge off the heat.

The past so many days Daisy likes it when I go and work in the pasture after 4 or 5 pm.   She happily comes with me when it is not as hot or bright outside.  Saturday night I started to rebuild a short section of fence near the river in the north pasture.  The old fence here was a couple of strands of barb wire on 2 by 4s as posts.  That was back when I didn't have fence posts.  2 by 4s as posts don't last many years and this Spring the cattle pushed half the fence over.

Saturday night I pounded five real posts in the ground.  Daisy laid on the log when not checking stuff out.  A bird - not a killdeer - was nearby and was making a racket to distract Daisy from finding her nest.

Sunday evening after 7 pm Daisy and I went back out there.  I had five more posts to pound into the ground before taking down the rest of the old fence and hanging three strands of barb wire.  

Daisy followed me.  When I got to the river I discovered Daisy heading back towards home in a slinky scared fast manner.  Because it was still hot she was panting when she ran.  I went and got her and carried her to the river. She laid at my feet and was on high alert.  When I moved away to go and work on the fence, and only four feet away, a swallow dive bombed Daisy.

Daisy ran a few feet to a small group of short evergreen trees and cover.  A few swallows were circling around.  When one came in to swoop down on Daisy among the short trees I yelled and waved my arms to scare the bird off.  I also scared Daisy and she ran over to a fallen tree. The birds must have been why Daisy earlier had turned around and started back towards home.

She walked under the tree trunk until she found refuge in the tree roots.

I let her be as she felt safe here.   A while later when it seemed as if the birds had gone I got Daisy and carried her back to where I was working.  I didn't see any birds but the trees got noisy from birds making a racket.  That unnerved Daisy.  Even though she initially took cover in the small evergreen trees nearby soon she went back to her safe place under the tree root.

Daisy stayed there until I got ready to leave.  Even with such a dry Spring, the mosquitoes were killing me.  And it was getting dark.  I can finish the last half strand of wire tomorrow morning.  As I packed up Daisy came out.  By now the birds were silent.  Daisy was still cautious.   It is too bad about the birds as Daisy enjoys laying in the grass nearby as I work on fence.

Robins

Lately the robins are having a fit when Daisy is outside.  Often I can tell what part of the yard she is in due to the racket the robins are making.  This morning a robin dive bombed Daisy as she was walking over to me in the back yard. Daisy had to flatten down to avoid the robin.   For the most part (unless they a dive bombing her) Daisy ignores their chattering and racket.

A robin is sitting on the fence and watching Daisy.

Playing in the trench

I plan to bury my electric lines underground.  Sunday I did some hand digging to avoid the septic drain field pipe and an electric wire when I use a trencher on Monday.   Daisy was happy I was outside when she woke up from her afternoon nap and that she didn't have to ask me to come out of the house to be with her.

In the first two photos Daisy is playing in the hole after I found the septic pipe.

While I am renting a trencher on Monday to dig most of the trench for the conduit pipe, Sunday, once I found the underground items, I dug several 'short' side sections to the garage and tool shed, especially since the garage's side section also crossed the septic drain field pipe.  Here I had to quit the garage section as Daisy wanted to lay at the end of the shallow starter trench.

Here you can see where I had to stop digging the trench deeper as she wasn't interested in moving.

Later Daisy ran around and around down in the trench for the garage section.  She would chase her tail or run back and forth for the length of the trench.  Happy cat.

Turtle

Friday, after her afternoon nap and quick lunch, Daisy wanted me to come outside with her.  Shortly after going outside she scratched on the screen door, then ran away a short distance when I came to the door.  Five minutes later she was meowing at the door but didn't want to come inside when I came to the door.  After doing this two more times she gave up.  I was still eating my late lunch.  When I did come outside she came running from the fruit tree area when I called for her.

We walked to the south pasture where I was building a fence near the river.  We first had to pass by the cattle in the middle pasture where I gave them some watermelon rind to eat.  Two calves was very interested in Daisy and came running over to her.  Daisy crouched down and the calves stopped.  She then started walking towards me and then the calves followed her again.  Again she crouched down.  She came when I called her and then I blocked the calves from following Daisy.

At the river Daisy settled in among the tall grass near the river while I worked on the fence.   She came up to where I was working after a while for some more attention.  She laid in the shade I provided her.

 
A bit a bit Daisy went back down to the tall grass along the river to explore.  A little later I was surprised to see a turtle among the small circles of barb wire on the ground.

 
After I took a few photos the turtle decided to head back to the river.

 
Daisy showed up and was curious as to what that strange creature was.

 The turtle slipped back into the river before Daisy dared get close enough.

Daisy settled down to lay near where I was working.

A short time later the turtle climbed up the river bank to find Daisy there.   Again it went back to the river before Daisy dared get close enough.

The third time the turtle crawled to the top of the river bank Daisy was able to get close enough to sniff the turtle.  I don't think care for the turtle and its river smell.  She was trying to get the courage up to lightly pat the turtle with her paw when the turtle headed back down to the river.

The turtle came back up a few more times.  But by now Daisy had other things that interested her and the turtle was left alone to sit at the top of the river bank waiting for us to leave.

Completed fence.  With the recent middle fence rebuild (I'll post about it later) I had some extra old posts and old wire for this project.  The last couple of years the cattle started to go up and down this river bank instead of always walking over to where the bank is shallow to the river.  I don't want the cattle on the steep bank; and I just planted a dogwood tree near the top of the bank to see how it would grow and help stabilize the riverbank and I didn't want the cattle to eat the new tree.

After the fence was done Daisy and I checked the old fence along the property boundary near the river.  The grass was much taller than Daisy and every so often she would call out for my location as she followed me through the tall grass.   Here we are heading back out of the low area along the river.

On the way back home Daisy and I checked the south pasture fence for loose or broken wires or broken fence posts.

Back home after all the walking and adventure you'd think Daisy would rest.  After drinking from the cattle's water trough she went off to do her patrolling.  After dark I heard a cat fight maybe off towards the hay shed.  I went out and looked and called for her.  Nothing.  She showed up an hour later.  After eating she went back outside until early morning.


Here is a 58 second video of Daisy and the turtle: https://youtu.be/FZ94EE9by_8

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Wet feet

Daisy went outside at 3:30 am this morning.  I went hiking so I had an early start.  I had to move the cattle from the yard back into the corral and also get ready for hiking.  I was up by 7 am.  Daisy came from the NE pasture when I was outside.  The dew was heavy, her legs were soaked, and her feet were muddy.  She was also hungry.