So here's a short update. I haven't done much around here or felt much like blogging about anything, but I did accomplish something tonight.
The sheep have eaten down the west pasture pretty good. It's a dry pasture, so it went quick. In the meantime, I grew up the grass in the backyard and the area next to the dog kennel, so they've been happily chewing on that. And that's good, because my lawnmower is starting to cough and sputter and needs a tuneup.
So the water on the west pasture ... that was going to be tricky. I am not really ready to try to flood it, and even though there are sprinklers out there, I am not into buying a pump and then having the electricity done, etc. That's an expensive option. But ... if you remember ... there was a mobile home out there. So ... there's a pipe that's capped off. I uncapped it, and went to Home Depot and bought all of the little pipe pieces I needed, put a riser on it, and a spigot. From the spigot, I ran a hose to a sprinkler, and I now have water (albeit coming from my well) on to my west pasture. I'm jazzed about that. Now I can clean up the rest of the trash in that pasture and it will be done for the most part for now.
And then it will be time to start working on the east pasture.
Burned a bunch of stuff tonight. Got stuff ready to go to the dump on Saturday. I really need to clean my house. Need to pull up my big girl pants and vacuum up the last of Jag's hair -- something I really really don't want to do. Having it lay there isn't going to bring him back, though.
Reese has been quite the little pup, though. She is a busy busy busy little thing, but she loves to cuddle and is very concerned about where I am and what I'm doing all the time. Her and Echo play all the time. Zip is not nuts about any of it. He sees Reese coming and he starts looking for some place to hide. Crabby old fart.
I have the photos edited from when Carolynn was here, and I'll eventually find the time and drive to post them. Maybe.
Jodi
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Rugless
I knew it was going to be bad, but I had no idea, really. I always said, "When I lose Jag, just put me in the looney bin." Who knew how much truth that would hold?
This has brought me to my knees. The entire house is different. Jag was stability for me. Safety. I knew I was ok with him here. I don't have that now. What I can't get over is that, mentally, he was fine. I can't believe I held him while he died, I wrapped him in a blanket, put him in the back of my truck, and had him burned. He's gone. He's fucking gone.
The depression is kicking my ass. I still lay in the spot I put him down in and just sob. I miss hearing him bark. I miss all his fucking hair all over the place. I miss him nudging my arm to pet him some more. And some more. I miss seeing him waiting for me, smiling and wagging his tail, when I pull up in the driveway. I miss watching him lift his head higher, but still letting Reese jump on him. I miss watching Echo trying to charm his non-existent pants off. I miss everything about him, and I'm sick of knowing he's never coming back. I still can't believe it. I feel like I killed my dog.
What now? What the fuck am I going to do? I can't get another guard dog. That's his spot. The tears give me a headache.
And there are some people in this world who are about as comforting as a porcupine on crack. You know who you are. Please kiss my ass.
This has brought me to my knees. The entire house is different. Jag was stability for me. Safety. I knew I was ok with him here. I don't have that now. What I can't get over is that, mentally, he was fine. I can't believe I held him while he died, I wrapped him in a blanket, put him in the back of my truck, and had him burned. He's gone. He's fucking gone.
The depression is kicking my ass. I still lay in the spot I put him down in and just sob. I miss hearing him bark. I miss all his fucking hair all over the place. I miss him nudging my arm to pet him some more. And some more. I miss seeing him waiting for me, smiling and wagging his tail, when I pull up in the driveway. I miss watching him lift his head higher, but still letting Reese jump on him. I miss watching Echo trying to charm his non-existent pants off. I miss everything about him, and I'm sick of knowing he's never coming back. I still can't believe it. I feel like I killed my dog.
What now? What the fuck am I going to do? I can't get another guard dog. That's his spot. The tears give me a headache.
And there are some people in this world who are about as comforting as a porcupine on crack. You know who you are. Please kiss my ass.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Forever gone, but never forgotten ...
I love you, Jag. I miss you like crazy, and I'm lost without you.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Happy 4th!
I'm so bad about updating this lately. I've been busy, and it's all good.
The sheep are finally fenced into their own pasture (the smaller one) and are taking good care of it ... in quick order. That pasture, however, is not irrigated, so the rush is on to get the fencing up in the other pasture and get the irrigation working right there. Hopefully, next year, this will all be taken care of and I can start fresh. The goal for this year -- complete the fencing and get all of the irrigation working properly. That would be great.
Carolynn is here with Brynn and Beth. It's so nice to see her, and I look forward to spending some time with her.
The dogs are all doing well. Reese is getting big (I think she'll be much bigger than her mother) and I really need to get some photos of her.
We're thinking of going out to Colleen's property tonight ... (if that's ok with you, Colleen!) to watch fireworks over the Snake River / Marsing area. Hopefully the sound won't be too bad (for the dogs) but the visual will be good.
Take care, and be safe! So many idiots on the road tonight.
Jodi
The sheep are finally fenced into their own pasture (the smaller one) and are taking good care of it ... in quick order. That pasture, however, is not irrigated, so the rush is on to get the fencing up in the other pasture and get the irrigation working right there. Hopefully, next year, this will all be taken care of and I can start fresh. The goal for this year -- complete the fencing and get all of the irrigation working properly. That would be great.
Carolynn is here with Brynn and Beth. It's so nice to see her, and I look forward to spending some time with her.
The dogs are all doing well. Reese is getting big (I think she'll be much bigger than her mother) and I really need to get some photos of her.
We're thinking of going out to Colleen's property tonight ... (if that's ok with you, Colleen!) to watch fireworks over the Snake River / Marsing area. Hopefully the sound won't be too bad (for the dogs) but the visual will be good.
Take care, and be safe! So many idiots on the road tonight.
Jodi
Monday, June 28, 2010
Oh Deer ...
I was getting ready for work this morning when a loud noise came over the house. I quickly figured out it was a cropduster! Grabbed the camera -- grabbed the memory disk -- checked the battery -- and ran outside ... way too late. The cropduster was gone, and they weren't dusting the mint field behind my house like I thought they were going to be (got a notice last Friday). So ... while I had my camera in my hand, I figured I'd take some photos while I was standing on the ditchbank overlooking one of my pastures.
Here's the bank I am standing on.
My cute little house:
Part of my little black flock:
I've decided to start the sheep eating this pasture first. We'll see how it goes.
That concrete slab was the back steps to the mobile home that was here.
While I was fartin' around with my camera, I see this:
So I continued snapping away ...
Gotta love it.
Jodi
Sunday, June 27, 2010
The Quack Shack!
Ok ... can someone please turn down the heat? I'm not sure who ordered summer, but it sure wasn't me. Glad the wind stopped ... but yikes. Tomorrow it's going to hit close to 100 degrees. The dogs aren't going to like me ... they'll be crated in the house where it's nice and cool so I don't have to worry about them.
Glenda and Phyllis came over Saturday. Wow! Amazing what happens when those two get going. Just to give you a point of reference ... here is the duck area last July when I was first trying to buy the house.
Ok ... so ... when Phyllis approached me about keeping her ducks at my place, I put the sheep in this area and closed them in and made them eat down most of the weeds. They did a nice job cleaning it up for the most part. In the photo above, what you can't see is the dead branches of the fruit tree hanging all over inside this pen, making it very difficult to do much of anything in here. Well, I had the tree trimmer guy cut those down for me, and i've been dragging those branches out to the burn pile and burning them periodically.
Glenda showed up, and Phyllis was not far behind. They got to work putting up some duck fencing on the inside of this pen as needed, making a gate for the area, and also building a front on this shelter so critters can't get in. Once that was all done, I went in and mowed, and then raked out all of the sticks and fox tails and whatever other prizes were revealed. And here's the transformation.
From the outside ...
From the inside ... looking at the fruit tree all nice and trimmed up:
The Quack Shack itself!
A little bit of paint, and this will be ready for some new residents!
(Hey ladies ... I thought of a great idea for a pond ... I'll need your input to see if it will actually work, so let's chat!)
Here's the backyard. Glenda was a huge help in figuring out the flood irrigation and getting good coverage back here, so I am looking forward to greening this up this year.
We cleaned up some of the panels on the pig pen:
I finally got the head of the driveway cleaned out.
Glenda and Phyllis devised a gate system for the entrance to the canal. The sheep have figure out this very easy escape route -- and now that problem is solved!! Woo hoo!
The never-ending pile of crap to burn.
A bush ... just because.
My truck. Isn't he gorgeous?
You want a closer shot? Sure, here ya go!
This is the back of my storage building.
See the lowest hole where the wires are going in?
You know what that is? An entrance to a bees' nest! Rrrrugh!!! I HATE bees! Need to go spray it tonight.
Phyllis, Glenda ... you guys are great! Thank you SO MUCH for your help!
That's all folks!
Jodi
Glenda and Phyllis came over Saturday. Wow! Amazing what happens when those two get going. Just to give you a point of reference ... here is the duck area last July when I was first trying to buy the house.
Ok ... so ... when Phyllis approached me about keeping her ducks at my place, I put the sheep in this area and closed them in and made them eat down most of the weeds. They did a nice job cleaning it up for the most part. In the photo above, what you can't see is the dead branches of the fruit tree hanging all over inside this pen, making it very difficult to do much of anything in here. Well, I had the tree trimmer guy cut those down for me, and i've been dragging those branches out to the burn pile and burning them periodically.
Glenda showed up, and Phyllis was not far behind. They got to work putting up some duck fencing on the inside of this pen as needed, making a gate for the area, and also building a front on this shelter so critters can't get in. Once that was all done, I went in and mowed, and then raked out all of the sticks and fox tails and whatever other prizes were revealed. And here's the transformation.
From the outside ...
From the inside ... looking at the fruit tree all nice and trimmed up:
The Quack Shack itself!
A little bit of paint, and this will be ready for some new residents!
(Hey ladies ... I thought of a great idea for a pond ... I'll need your input to see if it will actually work, so let's chat!)
Here's the backyard. Glenda was a huge help in figuring out the flood irrigation and getting good coverage back here, so I am looking forward to greening this up this year.
We cleaned up some of the panels on the pig pen:
I finally got the head of the driveway cleaned out.
Glenda and Phyllis devised a gate system for the entrance to the canal. The sheep have figure out this very easy escape route -- and now that problem is solved!! Woo hoo!
The never-ending pile of crap to burn.
A bush ... just because.
My truck. Isn't he gorgeous?
You want a closer shot? Sure, here ya go!
This is the back of my storage building.
See the lowest hole where the wires are going in?
You know what that is? An entrance to a bees' nest! Rrrrugh!!! I HATE bees! Need to go spray it tonight.
Phyllis, Glenda ... you guys are great! Thank you SO MUCH for your help!
That's all folks!
Jodi
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Double Taxation ...
Here is the latest article in the Canyon County Animal Shelter ridiculousness. Why the residents of the cities of Caldwell and Middleton aren't up in arms over this is beyond me. I guess they like paying twice.
Can someone please tell me where the dog owner's responsibility comes in here? When the owner comes to pick up the dog after it's been picked up and brought to the shelter, why does the owner get a discounted rabies vaccination so the rest of the county ... and apparently now the individual cities ... can foot the rest of the bill???? Where is the logic in all of this? And why are we vetting strays instead of euthanizing them at the cost of ... oh ... a few cents for the drugs ... within 24 hours of being brought into the shelter -- unless they're licensed? I'll bet that would encourage people to license their dogs, or microchip them, or something. And then they can foot the bill themselves.
Commissioners plan to make deep cuts to the tax-supported shelter as part of their attempt to trim the budget for the coming fiscal year amid shrinking revenues. Commissioner Steve Rule told the Idaho Press-Tribune Monday that attorneys have been asked to prepare a request for proposals seeking an outside agency or private party to run the shelter.
That has shelter officials concerned about the kind of impact such an action would have on the community.
The sheriff’s letter raises concerns about how the county will continue to handle seizing and impounding stray and unlicensed dogs. If funding were cut or a private party took over management of the shelter, there are still animal control tasks that the state requires a county sheriff’s office to do.
Cities would be responsible for their own animal control.
The shelter costs about $1.2 million a year to run, but only generates about $300,000 in revenue, leaving the remaining $900,000 for the county to pay for.
The sheriff’s office and commissioners “took a hard look at it last year, and we invited the Idaho Humane Society to look at it — tried to negotiate a deal for them to take them over,” Rule said.
Now, Rule said, “If we’re serious about this, (we need to) put out a request for proposals and see who is willing to take it over and manage it.”
“What we’re really trying to do is match revenue with the costs,” Canyon County Commissioner David Ferdinand said Tuesday. “That’s why we’re looking for some private supplier. ... We really need to see what’s out there and see what’s available.”
Rule said he is serious about closing the shelter if private management efforts fall through.
“Somehow we’ve got to cut budget dollars,” Rule said. “This is an obvious way to get rid of several thousand dollars of tax burden for all of Canyon County.”
Commissioner Kathy Alder could not be reached for comment Monday or Tuesday.
Shelter seeks self-sufficiency
Sheltering the cats and dogs — providing them with housing, food and medical care — makes up the bulk of the time and expense of running the shelter, director Lt. Bill Adams said. That, along with animal control, is included in the services the shelter currently provides to cities.
With the exception of Nampa, cities contract with the county for the services, but those annual payments only cover a portion of operating costs — $89,000 per year from Caldwell and $7,867 from Middleton, for example.
Nampa brings in approximately 43 percent of approximately 10,000 animals a year, Adams said. If Nampa contributed financially for its use of the shelter, that would help resolve the excess expense, Adams said. But Nampa officials contend that that is double taxation because county tax dollars already support the shelter.
The shelter will continue to look for support from the community to make the shelter “work on its own,” Adams said.
“I think we could get really close if we had every (city) contributing equally and made some more changes. It would take a huge burden off the taxpayer,” he said. “I would like to see the shelter have the opportunity to become self-sufficient and see that all who use the shelter contribute equally.”
Shelter has already taken cuts
The shelter has already increased its fees and taken cost-cutting measures in an attempt to become self-sufficient, director Lt. Bill Adams said.
“We’re under-budget, we’re not wasting the money we have,” Adams said.
Thousands of dollars have been saved already by operating with fewer staff members, changing dog food vendors and switching to different cleaning products, he said.
Low-cost spay and neuter reduce the intake population, which ultimately lowers costs, and aggressive enforcement of unsterilized dog impound fees and licensing fees has raised revenue by about $10,000 compared to the same six-month period last year, he added.
Can someone please tell me where the dog owner's responsibility comes in here? When the owner comes to pick up the dog after it's been picked up and brought to the shelter, why does the owner get a discounted rabies vaccination so the rest of the county ... and apparently now the individual cities ... can foot the rest of the bill???? Where is the logic in all of this? And why are we vetting strays instead of euthanizing them at the cost of ... oh ... a few cents for the drugs ... within 24 hours of being brought into the shelter -- unless they're licensed? I'll bet that would encourage people to license their dogs, or microchip them, or something. And then they can foot the bill themselves.
Sheriff addresses talk of shelter cuts
Posted: Wednesday, June 23, 2010 12:15 am
CANYON COUNTY — Canyon County Sheriff Chris Smith plans to hand a letter to commissioners this week enumerating the problems the sheriff’s office could face if county funding to the animal shelter goes away.Commissioners plan to make deep cuts to the tax-supported shelter as part of their attempt to trim the budget for the coming fiscal year amid shrinking revenues. Commissioner Steve Rule told the Idaho Press-Tribune Monday that attorneys have been asked to prepare a request for proposals seeking an outside agency or private party to run the shelter.
That has shelter officials concerned about the kind of impact such an action would have on the community.
The sheriff’s letter raises concerns about how the county will continue to handle seizing and impounding stray and unlicensed dogs. If funding were cut or a private party took over management of the shelter, there are still animal control tasks that the state requires a county sheriff’s office to do.
Cities would be responsible for their own animal control.
The shelter costs about $1.2 million a year to run, but only generates about $300,000 in revenue, leaving the remaining $900,000 for the county to pay for.
The sheriff’s office and commissioners “took a hard look at it last year, and we invited the Idaho Humane Society to look at it — tried to negotiate a deal for them to take them over,” Rule said.
Now, Rule said, “If we’re serious about this, (we need to) put out a request for proposals and see who is willing to take it over and manage it.”
“What we’re really trying to do is match revenue with the costs,” Canyon County Commissioner David Ferdinand said Tuesday. “That’s why we’re looking for some private supplier. ... We really need to see what’s out there and see what’s available.”
Rule said he is serious about closing the shelter if private management efforts fall through.
“Somehow we’ve got to cut budget dollars,” Rule said. “This is an obvious way to get rid of several thousand dollars of tax burden for all of Canyon County.”
Commissioner Kathy Alder could not be reached for comment Monday or Tuesday.
Shelter seeks self-sufficiency
Sheltering the cats and dogs — providing them with housing, food and medical care — makes up the bulk of the time and expense of running the shelter, director Lt. Bill Adams said. That, along with animal control, is included in the services the shelter currently provides to cities.
With the exception of Nampa, cities contract with the county for the services, but those annual payments only cover a portion of operating costs — $89,000 per year from Caldwell and $7,867 from Middleton, for example.
Nampa brings in approximately 43 percent of approximately 10,000 animals a year, Adams said. If Nampa contributed financially for its use of the shelter, that would help resolve the excess expense, Adams said. But Nampa officials contend that that is double taxation because county tax dollars already support the shelter.
The shelter will continue to look for support from the community to make the shelter “work on its own,” Adams said.
“I think we could get really close if we had every (city) contributing equally and made some more changes. It would take a huge burden off the taxpayer,” he said. “I would like to see the shelter have the opportunity to become self-sufficient and see that all who use the shelter contribute equally.”
Shelter has already taken cuts
The shelter has already increased its fees and taken cost-cutting measures in an attempt to become self-sufficient, director Lt. Bill Adams said.
“We’re under-budget, we’re not wasting the money we have,” Adams said.
Thousands of dollars have been saved already by operating with fewer staff members, changing dog food vendors and switching to different cleaning products, he said.
Low-cost spay and neuter reduce the intake population, which ultimately lowers costs, and aggressive enforcement of unsterilized dog impound fees and licensing fees has raised revenue by about $10,000 compared to the same six-month period last year, he added.
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