Useless Conversation

[Sky]

I can't spend the rest of my life murdering them and disposing of their carcasses.

CSI is really reaching for plot lines now.

[rattran]

A raccoon killed one of the ducks and injured another while I was away from home for work, my wife is now advocating killing the raccoons and spiking their heads on posts as a warning to others.


And I have another rescue cat now. Tiny guy, about 5 weeks old.

[Yegolev]

Raccoons are too large for cats to bother with.  Wife went outside once to feed the cats, and there was a raccoon standing there in line trying to look like he belonged.

I do have almost as many possums as cats now, because they are also too big (and belligerent) for the cats to want to bother with.  I'm actually fine with them to a degree because they dispose of the animal remains that the cats leave.  You know the shit-filled intestines, rabbit spines, and mouse faces that the cats don't eat?  The Cleanup Crew deals with it very well.  It took my wife actual YEARS to discover that I wasn't the one cleaning dead animals off of the porch.

[Abagadro]

So I had a major cramp in my calf, so bad that I threw out my back reacting to it. I put two of those gel ice packs on my back in succession while laying on it with it directly on my skin and managed to give myself a second degree ice burn. 

I am the Side-Show Bob in Cape Feare of self-injury.

[Samwise]

[Abagadro]

Ewewewewewew.

[Fraeg]

If anyone out there is thinking of dating a single parent who is working on a doctorate my advice:

Think about the time that you have been the most patient in your life.  Now multiply that by 10x.   

Weight is still coming off, went for a ~6 mile hike on Sunday followed by a 16 mile bike ride.  Not exactly Lance Armstrong I know, but hey.  Felt good while doing it, felt great after.

[Endie]

If anyone out there is thinking of dating a single parent who is working on a doctorate my advice:

Think about the time that you have been the most patient in your life.  Now multiply that by 10x.   

Weight is still coming off, went for a ~6 mile hike on Sunday followed by a 16 mile bike ride.  Not exactly Lance Armstrong I know, but hey.  Felt good while doing it, felt great after.

Armstrong used drugs and lied about it.  Presumably you're not.  I - no-bullshit, here - admire you more.  Well done and keep going!

[calapine]

If anyone out there is thinking of dating a single parent who is working on a doctorate my advice:

Think about the time that you have been the most patient in your life.  Now multiply that by 10x.   

Weight is still coming off, went for a ~6 mile hike on Sunday followed by a 16 mile bike ride.  Not exactly Lance Armstrong I know, but hey.  Felt good while doing it, felt great after.

Armstrong used drugs and lied about it.  Presumably you're not.  I - no-bullshit, here - admire you more.  Well done and keep going!

Yes. And you lost 20 kg, that really shows some dedication. Impressive.

[Fraeg]

Thanks all appreciated! 

*edit* just stood on scale. 260 :D

[Mandella]

A raccoon killed one of the ducks and injured another while I was away from home for work, my wife is now advocating killing the raccoons and spiking their heads on posts as a warning to others.

Yikes. Glad I didn't get around to suggesting that you just get one of those night vision wildlife cams, since raccoons can be fun to watch.

 

That said, are you certain it was the raccoons? You might have a fox. Foxes lurv some duck meat. They are one of the reasons I gave up trying to have ducks on the pond long ago.

As for keeping them away, medium to big outside dogs work pretty damn well. After that there is shooting or electric fencing. There are live traps that work but they really don't stop the next raccoon from moving in.

And like Yegolev's wife, I once found a raccoon lined up with the cats waiting for food. Difference is I just fed it. Amazingly, it didn't go like everybody said it would with me coming home in a month to a couple dozen raccoons on the back porch. It was just him and me ongoing for a few years, except for breeding season when he would bring his mate and kits over for dinner. Unlike George Raclooney, they never got anywhere near me -- waiting till I was in the house to come up on the porch.

[rattran]

It was a raccoon, she had to kick it off the wounded one, who is currently in a cage in the living room watching tv and recuperating. The raccoon was on the deck again last night, but the ducks were safely in a small shed I built for them. 

[Sky]

My neighbors are feeding the local skunks cheese puffs. We get regular skunk battles in the woods behind my house (or maybe in their yard, too), since I think it's made things a bit too comfy and they overbred. Two nights ago was the worst sounding skunk battle I've ever heard.

And raccoons are also seen there once in a while, though I think the skunks are actually keeping them away for the most part...

Good times in the 'hood.

[Sky]

In other important news, I found some of the most vile shit commercially available. I get a bag or two of manure every year to till into the garden. It's normally very farm-like manure, lots of plant fibers and whatnot.

This stuff is straight up shit. Like someone took a giant dump in a bag. It smells sooo strong. My neighbors now hate me because our yards smell like strong shit.

Black Kow in a yellow bag if anyone is out shopping. Have your gag reflex under control.

[Mandella]

It was a raccoon, she had to kick it off the wounded one, who is currently in a cage in the living room watching tv and recuperating. The raccoon was on the deck again last night, but the ducks were safely in a small shed I built for them. 

Caught him red handed huh? And he's probably developed a taste for waterfoul now, so hard option is probably the only way to go.

I've known some to claim spraying pepper oil will dissuade vermin, but I imagine that might just make the ducks tastier...

[rattran]

In two weeks the ducks go out on the lake, then it's up to them to not get eaten. Between unsecured dogs, the raccoons, the local bald eagle, and the owls, I'll be happy if a few make it.

[calapine]

Funfacts I learned tonight: Austria has the highest per capita pork meat consumption in the world! And we also just won the NATO "Tank Challenge" competition (with Germany 2nd and USA 3rd).



(Don't ask me what that means.)



Edit: I forgot my sources, sorry.
https://www.army.mil/article/187584/
http://www.helgilibrary.com/indicators/pork-meat-consumption-per-capita/

[Trippy]

Huh, I'm surprised Italy is so low, relatively speaking.

[calapine]

I honestly totally fell for the cliches and was surprised the USA wasn't even in the top 15.

After looking some more, the US shows up as 3rd in cattle and 8th in poultry consumption but tops no category.

I like to apologize for being bigoted. 



http://www.helgilibrary.com/indicators/cattle-meat-consumption-per-capita/
http://www.helgilibrary.com/indicators/poultry-meat-consumption-per-capita/
http://www.helgilibrary.com/indicators/fish-consumption-per-capita/

[Chimpy]

The US is only top in "crazy fad diet" ingredients.

[Polysorbate80]

Black Kow in a yellow bag if anyone is out shopping. Have your gag reflex under control.

We have two horses and about 80 chickens (it's hard to keep track of the exact number with free range birds), and next year will add 3 cows.  Critter poop is not something in short supply around the homestead  

My cucumber & squash patches are just large piles of mixed manure with mulch on top.  Works great.

[Merusk]

It was a raccoon, she had to kick it off the wounded one, who is currently in a cage in the living room watching tv and recuperating. The raccoon was on the deck again last night, but the ducks were safely in a small shed I built for them. 

Caught him red handed huh? And he's probably developed a taste for waterfoul now, so hard option is probably the only way to go.

I've known some to claim spraying pepper oil will dissuade vermin, but I imagine that might just make the ducks tastier...

Clearly he should add some other deterrent to the pepper spray. Something that might be painful if it got into scrapes or the eyes. Hmm..

I know, Lemon Juice!

[schild]

The US is top in the "Buys Avocado Toast Instead of Houses" category.

[Sir T]

I'm down to about 340 pounds from about 380 a year ago. Losing weight is slow going when you are too anxious to leave the house a lot of the time. 

[Fraeg]

I'm down to about 340 pounds from about 380 a year ago. Losing weight is slow going when you are too anxious to leave the house a lot of the time. 

progress is progress.  One of the biggest things for me initially was doing my walking, gym, or biking super early or late at night where I wouldn't run into many people. 

[Fraeg]

My neighbors are feeding the local skunks cheese puffs. We get regular skunk battles in the woods behind my house (or maybe in their yard, too), since I think it's made things a bit too comfy and they overbred. Two nights ago was the worst sounding skunk battle I've ever heard.

And raccoons are also seen there once in a while, though I think the skunks are actually keeping them away for the most part...

Good times in the 'hood.

I did not know that Skunk Battles were a thing.    I mean, that is either a steampunk novel or some great stoner desert riffage:  The Skunk Battle Chronicles

[Sky]

Hmm. Been looking for a project to try out my audio interface.

[Fraeg]

Hmm. Been looking for a project to try out my audio interface.

The Skunkening ?

[IainC]

ThunderfartDome. Two skunks enter, one skunk leaves.

[Chimpy]

And no one wins.

[rattran]

Skunk Battle seems more of a Colorado thing. "Winning Strain of the 2017 Skunk Battles!"

It was two trash pandas on the porch last night, big and small. The ducks were safe in their hut. I guess they're desperate for food, they ate some of the scratch grain from the hay and some alfalfa. They fucked off fast when my wife ran out with an umbrella.

[Hawkbit]

I'm imagining two Skunk Baxters have a riff-off to claim the spot in the Doobies.

[Sky]

I'm imagining two Skunk Baxters have a riff-off to claim the spot in the Doobies.

Hawk knows what's up.

[Ironwood]

I'm moving Azure from ASM to ARM and you can't fucking stop me.

Fucking blobs are moving too.  You hear me ?  FUCKING MOVING THOSE BLOBS AND THERE'S NOWT NO CUNT CAN DO.

Ahem.

[Yegolev]

I don't speak Azure but: right on, bro.  Right on.