...and, no, it wasn't the dog that did it. He was not outside when the chickens were today. The Beast discovered we had a chicken missing when he went to put them away for the night. He searched all over the place....the lot next door, the neighbors yard, the property in back of us....it was nowhere. I told him to not worry about it since my cousin said that her chickens at times got blown away from her property but they pretty much found their way back within a day or so. It was windy today so it's hard to say.
The Beast kept checking to see if it might have come back once it was dark. He's got one of those incredible flashlights and he made the trek around the yard a couple times. He had taken Dennis out front instead of letting him in the back....just in case. However, after we ate dinner, he finally went out back WITH the dog, figuring that HE would find the chicken if it was anywhere hiding in the yard. Well, Dennis DID find the chicken and it was dead. Something had attacked it (and we couldn't fault Dennis this time) and taken a couple big bites out of it. Bigger than Dennis' small mouth would have taken. I just have no idea what could have attacked it. A big predator should/would have taken the whole chicken, you would think. Unless, of course, the Beast surprised it when he came out into the yard with his flashlight blazing.
We do have coyotes, I read in our local paper (twice a week...LOL). Hell, I think they are everywhere in this country. I know coyotes are very capable of jumping over a fence like ours. They did it in California when we lived there. I found one in our back yard one night...a regular six foot fence....when our dog was in heat. When I didn't let Bella out in the yard after I turned on the outside spotlights, he just jumped back over the fence and away. They make it look so easy! In California, it was not uncommon to run into coyotes quite often. Thankfully, after a moment of being startled, they would run off. They were larger than I imagined but I haven't seen one here....yet.
The poor Beast was really upset over losing the chicken. We didn't dare even try to salvage the meat. No telling what was eating on it. Yuk! I had thought perhaps it died from the cold but they are supposed to be very cold tolerant. I've seen pictures of them in snow. But, when the Beast brought the body into the house in one of the boxes we have sitting around here (don't worry, he put on a pair of heavy gloves to pick it up), I could see why he didn't want to gut it to save the meat. Yikes! It was bitten in a couple places...big bites, too.
Almost all my Christmas presents have finally arrived and I am going to cancel my Amazon Prime account. I placed just two orders and, although they USUALLY make it within two days of their SHIPPING the items (and I do mean USUALLY), I shouldn't still have two items out in never-never land. One of the things I ordered (thankfully, it's a top *I* intended for me), isn't coming until...this is how Amazon put it in their email.....should be shipped somewhere between January 12-30. Can you believe that crap? Sorry, but thats not worth it to me. I'll just use the Beast 's Prime account in the future. Why have two accounts anyway? Crazy. What was I thinking?
Now it 's just a matter of getting all this stuff sorted and wrapped/bagged so I can give it to everyone. I'll do that next week after I buy what I need to do that. I do have some wrapping paper and I have tape. I'll need a couple boxes but I think I will bag a few things. I'm going to enjoy this Christmas since it's been a while since I could buy for so many people I love.
Well, I need to try to get some sleep. I didn't sleep well last night. In fact, I spent most of the night TRYING to sleep and I was really exhausted when I went to see my doctor today. He said my scar is healing well and he was glad I had no pain. He laughed and said I have matching (mirror) scars on my neck now. I think that surprised him. He probably hadn't noticed that about his technique being so precise.
Love you all. Be good and be kind. Many people suffer depression during this time of year due to having lost people they love that won't be there for the Holidays or they may have lost them during this time of the year. A little kindness costs nothing but speaks volumes about your character. Be kind and it even lifts your spirits. ***Hugs***
No comments:
Post a Comment