menagerie

What a week! Somehow having Nic and Hannah Ban here has opened the house as a haven for neglected neighborhood pets (and children). At role call this morning, present were: Nicali, Hannah, Chase, Ramon, 4 cats + new kitten (from Ramon), rat we named Cash (from Ramon), 2 box turtles (from Ramon), a beagle (with Chase) along with the usual 4 goats, 12 ducks, 2 geese, bunny and beehive.



Chase and Ramon stayed late last night and we all watched The Last Mimzy (love that show!). Both the girls and Tim crashed out before the end so I was left to walk the boys home. It's a good thing, because upon returning I heard weird sounds coming from the duck pen. I already had the flashlight so went immediately to check it out. Raccoon!! A scrawny, wicked, mean looking thing that was making these nashing and hissing sounds, freaky! Raccoons are known to behead fowl for fun so I chased it up a tree and shut the birds in the barn. The poor goats were on their own, but everyone survived the night. Frank lent us a trap and we'll hopefully be taking another trip to Falls Lake soon.


The girls looked up "pet rat toys" online and decided to make Cash a hammock out of old socks. For a rat who's been kept as boa food his whole life, I think he's doing pretty well. He is really very sweet, doesn't nip and loves jiffypop. Nic wants to take him home with her, but knowing my brother... I think he's staying here.

summer visitors

My Brother and Family finally came down to see the new homestead. It was a great day playing games, chasing goats, holding bunny, making dinner... then ordering pizza. Really fun, so fun that when Philip and Ashli forgot to take the girls home with them we didn't mind too much.




They might come back for them on toward the end of the week. We try to remember to feed and hose them down once in a while. Hannah has been very handy as the morning egg finder (six this morning) while Nicali runs wild with the neighborhood kids.






We all loaded up the turtle and took it out to Falls Lake. He didn't hang around long. We sent him off with well wishes like "live long, but lay off the geese!" and " Watch out for alligators!"

under pressure

My mother called a few weeks ago to announce that I would be receiving a package. She had seen an ad for the Wolfgang Puck Pressure Cooker and decided it was the perfect cure to my ovenless condition. I love to cook. I love to cook almost more than I love to eat... almost. So when we moved in and the stovetop but not the oven worked it was kind of a dilemma. Do we just go get something that will fit? Or do we deal with it, wait for the remodel and get our DREAM range? The decision just kind of made itself because between the crockpot, a wonderful bread maker and twenty other appliances that had been dustcatchers in my last kitchen, I was keeping us more than fed. Okay, so a pressure cooker? My only experience with the pressure cooker was as thriftstore shwag and scary flan explosion stories from the olden days.

I LOVE pressure cooker! How did it ever get usurped by the microwave?!? Let's see... did you wan't that six minute chicken fall off the bone, melt in your face fantastic or rubber? I've made perfect beans, tender goose (pic) and a rabbit fricassee that... well, no words. I'm still learning to adjust my spices, less is more, but it seems one could put a dirty gym sock in there and end up with something at least not bad. Thanks Mom, sorry I ever refudiated [sic] you!


We called in reinforcements from the neighborhood to our spapper battle. This is Chase and Ramon and after seeing the size of the turtle that got our goose they did what every boy should. They went to the dollar store, got nets and have been stalking around the pond for two straight days. Nothing yet, but if was a snapper I'd make myself scarce.

savage nature

Yesterday was not the best day here at Urban Turtle. Our little farm lived up to it's name when our goose caught a snapping turlte... with her foot. It was a sight. We ran outside the moment we heard her unmistakably panicked cry. The goose was struggling, half flying from the other side of pond and came right to us. It was as if to say "Excuse me, but there is an EXTREMELY LARGE turtle biting my foot, little help?". This was no dinner plate turtle either, we're talking full on turkey platter. Tim did the only logical thing given the situation and after a couple kicks the turtle let go then HISSED!!

I wanted to stop and count goose toes, but apparently wanted that thing out of my pond more. Tim had gone to get an oar from the boat, not sure why, so I was left to either grab the tail or not grab the tail. Just as it righted itself and was about to disappear into the murk... I grabbed the tail. If you've never seen a large snapping turtle (and until this moment I had not) let me tell you, they are not exactly cute. And this one is a monster. I dragged it out and yelled at Tim to DO SOMETHING! so he went inside and got the camera. Longest two minutes of my life. After which we finally got it (why does "it" seem like too small a word to describe this THING?) in the recycle bin. Done right? Oh no. I hadn't taken two steps toward the goose before thing tipped the bin and made a beeline for the water. For something so ancient looking, thing can move! Just as thing hit the pond I grabbed the tail AGAIN. We found a bin with a lid, transferred thing and could finally tend to poor goose.


MIRACULOUSLY! no broken bones, but she has a pretty nasty flesh wound. We cleaned her off as best we could and doused the foot in witch hazel, she should be fine in a few days. Bunny is now back in the pet taxi, enjoying the AC while goose is convalescing in the hutch. The other goose has been staying close by, even napping up on the carport which is eye level with the hutch. So sweet.

So now, what to do with THING? Soup anyone?