Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Adopted Motto

"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Monday, December 8, 2014

Hubby ~ Critters lurking

Now I have two patients here to care for.  Hubby hurt his ankle and refuses to have it checked by a doctor or even have an x-ray done. 

Evidently, when he drove to the big city
to watch the Buckeyes play football, he stepped off the sidewalk into a hole and twisted his ankle.  Oh, and as for the football game, the house they planned to watch it at could not get the channel.  I told Hubby, "well it came in just fine here at the house."  The kids snickered at that, because had he stayed home, he could have watched the entire game, and not hurt himself.

And he's a terrible (shh! don't tell him) patient.  Get me this, get me that.  Ugh.  Sadie is a much better patient. 

By the way Sadie brought me her ball yesterday.  She's doing that well right now, but I had to tell her she can't play (sadly).  Her stitches will need removed first.

We have a critter (or two) lurking under the house.  For two days we've heard a screaming and scratching, and it's not the barn cats.  It could be other stray cats or raccoons.  Either way, the space under there is less than a foot, so it (or they) were right under our feet.  There is a tiny access that they got through (which Hubby is going to close as soon as we get whatever is down there out).  Pretty scary when you are on the toilet and screeching breaks out underneath your feet (kind of funny to see a kid run out of the bathroom half dressed, ha ha!).  It was definitely not a mouse this time.

A trap was set, and the barn cats brought in for the night.   We used cat food for bait.  I checked it already, and the food was eaten, and the trap did not set.  Either we have smart raccoons, or it's a very light weight cat (or two).  We've seen Sapphire sit in the trap and eat the cat food, and not set it off before.  I think we need a new trap.

My 18 year-old and I were sitting in the living room discussing what type of animal(s) could be under the house.  Rabid squirrel?  Two raccoons fighting over their space?  A few cats?  We laughed at the idea of a rabid squirrel.  Meanwhile we could hear whatever it was fighting.  I even pounded on the flooring. Whatever it is refused to leave despite noise.  Hmpf.



I needed jars for gifting this Christmas so I baked another (baby food) carrot cake.  Hubby laughed when I told him the baby food I used was organic too.  The jars are simply less expensive that way, versus buying them at the store (even if I don't use the baby food).  The kids think I need more jars, ha ha!

Daughter continues to tease and torment us with her arrival.  Son has a plane ticket to fly home for Christmas.  Hopefully we'll all be together for Christmas this year.  I pulled the turkey from the freezer.  We plan to have a late Thanksgiving with Daughter when she arrives. 

6 comments:

Mama Pea said...

Both your daughter and son home for Christmas! What a holiday it will be for you and your whole family.

Good news about Sadie returning to her old self, too. Must be the great care she's getting!

Hope you can catch your under-the-house critters soon. That would drive me batty . . . plus I always wonder what dastardly damage they could be doing under there!

Susan said...

Having some 'things' in a screaming fight under your feet would be totally unnerving! If you think it might be racoons, try baiting with marshmallows. They cannot resist them. I hope your daughter is home soon - and that your family gets to enjoy the holidays in toto!

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Susan, thanks for that tip on marshmallows. I had no idea.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Mama Pea, it is driving us "batty" here. I keep wondering what it's doing down there.

Patricia @ 9th and Denver said...

Oh yuck... I hate it when critters get under our house!
I hope it isn't a skunk, but then you'd know by now, with all that racket!
A late Thanksgiving sounds wonderful with the kids.
I hope your hubby's ankle isn't too bad and he takes good care not to let it go before heading to the dr. if need be.
...the animal thing would drive me batty, that and 'needy' patients. (my hubby is the same way)
hope your week improves!

Mary said...

Please tell your husband that he really should have that ankle checked. I stepped down wrong before and fractured the fibula where it met my ankle. Some years ago, we had skunks and raccoons set up housing (at different times) underneath our porch.. from the your mentioning screaming sounds I'm betting you have raccoons. Be careful, raccoons can be dangerous and very ornery. One big one came after my husband once on the porch, and all he had to defend himself was a boat oar. When I heard him calling me and saw what was happening, I filled a bucket with water and and splashed the raccoon with it. It backed off, but we called animal control after that.