Training Otto

Last week, when Dennis and Debbie were here, we were out by the backyard pond watching the fish begging for food. Dennis went out in the front pasture, caught a little grasshopper, brought it back and tossed it in the water.

The grasshopper thrashed around a bit, a couple of fish came up and nibbled but backed off. Just as the grasshopper was swimming for a lily pad, "THHUPP!" No grasshopper, Otto had spied him and decided to have lunch.

That was so much fun, Dennis went back for more grasshoppers, I gave him my small fish net and it worked pretty good. Finding grasshoppers is labor intensive, get one, come back and feed Otto and go back after another.

After they left I decided I needed to have a better method of gathering grasshoppers so rummaged around in my 'too good to throw out' box of things and found a net bag. YIPPEE!! This is what you need if you are going to gather grasshoppers, the glove is a must because they have really creepy, sticky legs and one even bit me, that creeped me out so bad I screamed like a little girl and tossed the grasshopper into the air, kind of defeating the purpose.

 

I forgot to see if Otto was visible after my first grasshopper foray, he wasn't around so I tossed some to the fish and a big goldfish nibbled on it, then, to my surprise, gulped it down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fish went to the bottom of the pond and worked on the grasshopper for awhile, I don't think those sticky legs went down all that easy.

 

I kept checking the pond and finally saw Otto, with just his head sticking out of the water so grabbed my bag of grasshoppers. It's not an easy job, placing them just right with all the foliage in the pond so Otto can see them, the first one I bounced off his face. He flinched but didn't leave, I took that as a good sign.

 

We went to the Spencer Fair last week and took in a Big Cat Show. The trainer said all the cats are taught with positive reinforcement, in other word, treats. I decided if a big cat can learn how to jump through a hoop, Otto should be able to learn to come to me when I call.

 

So I'm standing on the side of the pond calling, "Otto, Grasshoppers! YUM!"

 

 I carefully took aim and tossed the grasshopper about 6 inches from his nose.

 

It was a perfect shot, Otto spotted him!

 

 

In a flash he was across the water and slurped up the grasshopper!

 

All the while I'm saying, "Otto! Grasshopper!!"

 

And I'm really hoping no one is around to hear me.

 

Do you think a frog can learn to come?

 

Think there is an app for that?

 

Maybe I'll google it and see if anyone has ever successfully trained a frog.

 

Dang Chickens!

Since when did my barrel of New Guinea impatients become an 'All You can Eat Salad Buffet?"

 

 

Chickens have no boundaries.

Chopping Silage, harvest has begun.

Every year Bruce cuts some, not quite ready to combine, corn with the silage chopper that grinds the stalk, ear and all, piles it on a big cement slab and covers it with a 40x100 foot silage tarp. That feeds our cattle for the next year.

He used to have his two buddies, Roger and Fred, come over and in one fast paced day, they completed the job. One year it didn't work out so Bruce started chopping by himself with a little help from me and a week later he was done. He has done it that way ever since. He chops 4 loads then calls me to come pull them in.

 

One at a time, I haul them out of the field.....

 

 

...to the pile and, while it is small, drive upon the pile where Bruce hooks up the pto shaft to unload the wagon.

 

 

Then I watch the mirror carefully, the hand signals tell me to stop....

 

 

...or to go....

 

...as the silage fall in a line behind the wagon.

 

 

While I go get another wagon load out of the field, Bruce goes to work leveling and packing, back and forth, back and forth.

 

 

So the day goes, a break for a field lunch on the 4-wheeler.

 

 

The pile grows.....

 

 

....soon Bruce is driving the tractor on the pile because I lose my nerve, it's getting too tall!

 

 

And Bruce packs, back and forth, back and forth, lather, rinse, repeat.

 

 

Finally the pile is complete, time for a little shaping......

 

 

....a little more packing.....

 

 

"Hey, you are getting a little close to the edge, that is a 6 ft drop and I'm the one who does your laundry!"

 

 

Since the wind was very light, we decided to put the tarp on, usually we, well I, have to get up early, Bruce is always up early, to put it on before the wind blows. Since I don't willingly do early, I was all for doing it in one fell swoop.

 

 

The tarp actually goes on in three pieces, it fits better that way, piece #1, roll across and down the side and cut.

 

We each pull a side to unfold, fit to the pile and Bruce starts piling dirt around the edges to hold it in place.

 

Morris comes down to supervise and remind me that his food bowl is empty.

 

After all three pieces are in place and weighted down the last job is to pile tires across the top of each splice so the wind doesn't get underneath and rip the plastic. It is a messy job, especially when a tire gets tossed that happens to have water inside, I was too close and got a dirty bath.

 

 

DONE!!

 

 

Years ago they used to blow silage up into this concrete silo, it was a job, the blower would plug. Then in the winter, they had to climb up and chop frozen silage away from the wall, that wasn't exactly the good old days.

 

Bruce said the best thing he did was to pour this cement pad and pile it on the ground, letting the tractor do all the work.

 

 

All too soon winter will be here and Bruce and Morris will be feeding from this pile.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RIP Tiger Woods

Today Bruce and I said goodbye to our 16 1/2 year old cat, Tiger Woods. He was born at the farm and I brought him home one day when I saw a tom cat attack his mother while she was carrying him. (That tom cat had a contract put out on him.)

Tiger Woods lived in the house for several years, he was a very vocal cat. He liked to sleep at the end of our bed but if we were very restless, he would march up to the head of the bed and tell us in no uncertain terms that we needed to be still so he could get his beauty sleep!

This is the last picture I have of Tiger Woods, I was getting ready for my 60th birthday garden party and was going to put flowers in this basket on the picnic table.

 

But a cat is nice too.

 

Whether it is a human member of the family, a 4 legged furry member or even a 2 legged, pea brained feathered member, it's hard to say goodbye.

 

Saying goodbye to a cousin and buddy.

Bruce received a phone call that his cousin, Duane, passed away from a debilitating illness that had plagued him for several years. Being the same age, they went to school and church together all their life and spent their free time hunting and fishing with other cousins nearby.

Bruce was Duane's best man when he and Linda married and Duane was in our wedding. I found some old pictures of the rehearsal and THE DAY.

Duane, on the left, and Dennis, another cousin, looking a little befuddled at the rehearsal, perhaps they did not get coherent directions?

 

Duane and Bruce at our wedding, "They went that-a-way?"

 

The Nielsen cousins are all very close, they get together for weddings, reunions and the sad occasions of funerals. I knew we would have company so kicked house cleaning into high gear to get ready. I'm going to give you a little tip - if it takes an hour to clean the upstairs bathroom, it's been waaaaaay too long!

 

At the funeral home Thursday night, Carolyn, Duane's sister, with Christine and Brian.

 

 

"A man should not be the best man at his cousin's wedding and then have to be a pall bearer at his funeral."

 

 

That poignant thought was voiced by Bruce's sister, Jean as we walked behind the casket bearers at the cemetery. 

 

Back at the church for lunch and fellowship, the cousins reconnect. L-R, Louise and Barry from MN, Sara and Mark from Cleghorn and Roger from Waverly.

 

 

Dick and Marilyn from Clive.

 

 

Duane's middle son, Brent with his girlfriend.

 

Nathan, Duane's youngest, who was showing his best 'back off sucker' move.

 

Quinn and Kelly, who may or may not claim their husbands......

 

...Aaron and John!

 

Some of the WI contingent, L- R, Jean, Debbie and Dennis who stayed at our house, then Foof, Janet and Brian, who was regaling everyone with a story that everyone has heard before but it's so funny, it gets re-told at every get together.

 

Mark was obviously delighted to get a second bag of potato chips!

 

John, also from WI, was telling old stories of when he, Bruce and Duane were palling around together.

 

Dick holding court with Troy, Duane's oldest son, with wife, Jen and their son, Ryan. The day got kind of long for a little boy.

 

Troy with his grandfather, Donald, Duane's father.

 

A lighter moment with Jen and daughter, Kylee.

 

 

There are no pictures of Linda, Duane's wife, she did not want any taken so I honored her request. But it is too bad, because sometimes those pictures because very precious. I don't pretend to be a great photographer but I loved it when Troy asked me to take a picture of him with Donald.

 

As usual, the Nielsen's are the last to leave, at the last funeral they were told to just lock the door when they finally left. We said our goodbyes to everyone but Jean, who was headed back home with Janet and Foof, where she left her husband, John, who was too sick to go to the funeral.

 

They wanted to stop by our house for awhile, it was a beautiful day so we had 'drinks' in the gazebo.

 

 

I think everyone agreed, they were tasty.

 

"YUM!"

 

Mango Daiquiri, Bruce?

 

All too soon the family left and Bruce headed back to the field to chop silage, and I went into the house to clean up a very messy kitchen after company.

 

 

Despite the reason for the visit, I think we all had a good time.

 

 

 

 

 

A phrase that needs to be RETIRED!!!

How many times do you hear some person on the radio or TV say, "At the end of the day...."

There needs to be a moratorium on that phrase!!

It's not rocket science!!

Because, at the 'end of the day' ------- It's NIGHT!!! DUH!!!!