Trying to tame the house

Tags

cooking, housecleaning, postaday2015

  

I spent the day playing catchup with the housecleaning; the laundry, cleaning the toilets and the sinks, dusting and in between walking the dogs several times, making broccoli soup and roasting chickens and potatoes.

I am pooped, so pooped that when my ever not trusty vacuum died as it always does, I said “well if you’re calling it quits, then I am too” I can vacuum the rest of the house tomorrow.

The kitchen and the rest of the house smell really good, a combination of savory, slight caramelization of potatoes and hearty broccoli, it smells like a smorgasbord that keeps on giving.

I think that part of the reason that I love cooking and baking so much is that both give results that don’t go away immediately without any appreciation like housecleaning does, no one ever says “boy are you the best toilet bowl cleaner ever” no; instead everyone just treats the toilet bowl like a toilet bowl and you have to clean it, ick, same goes with vacuuming, dusting and etc, etc.

Blandford animals have woken from winter’s rest

Tags

dogs, postaday2015, wild life

      

These are the latest pictures from the Blandford Conservation Commission’s Facebook page; all from the past few weeks. I liked the page  long ago, so I get the latest news from the Conservation Commission and these three pictures made quite the impression. Last year there was a bear going through a dumpster on Kaolin Road and I dodged that encounter through sheer luck, I wasn’t scared for myself, it’s Jack and now that we have Lulu, for her as well. I am confident that I won’t see a Bobcat anytime soon, those are far out on the secondary roads, the bears on the other hand aren’t shy about coming into the center of town.

My concern about bears and coyotes, oh yes we have those also and they come into town, is really about the dogs. Jack thinks that he is a big dog and he wouldn’t have a moment’s hesitation asserting his protective instincts towards a bear or a coyote and Lulu being his little sister, she follows his lead in everything, would be right behind him. I’m sure that their behavior would just annoy any bear or coyote, so that is my worry.

I have had my own bear encounter and it was fine, he was on the other side of the road, I kept walking with confidence and the bear didn’t show any fear or aggression, the bear kept to its side of the road and we were just fine, each going on our own merry way. 

I hope that if we ever encounter a bear or a coyote, the dogs will follow my lead and will simply proceed along our merry way so that wild life will continue on their way. Respect is such an important word,concept and practice, not just with people but with nature and wild life.