A Prickly Addendum

So... this is a quick addendum or post script if you will to the previous post.

I had mentioned that I cabled the dogs out on the hill on the lakeside and

while I was writing my post I hear this loud... ::tonk:: sounding noise.

Delta had walked... and then jerked on the end of her cable
and was standing staring at something down by the woodpile.

I looked.... and what I saw was a brown ball of fur that seemed to be moving.

Oh geez what now?!

But nothing really to be concerned about, sorta.
It was a baby porcupine.

It was very cute... and squeaking... and moved very... very... slowly.

However, usually where there are babies, there are pissed off Mamas so I took both the dogs inside and got my camera. Click on this movie link below and then just hit return/back in your browser window to come back to finish reading the post.

From Movies

While trying to take pictures and trying to convince myself NOT to touch and comfort the poor little thing I kept looking around behind me just in case.

I know they are slow moving critters... but so am I.

Also, a pissed off Mama porcupine might be faster than one thinks. I had to chuckle though because he saw me (of course) and walked towards me and slowly.. slowly... turned around to show me his tail. This helped to convince me not to touch him because not so hidden inside his pretty brown fur were short pointy spines.

I did not feel like having to explain to a doctor why I grabbed a porcupine. It might be one of those... "you're not from around here are you. Hay?" conversations. I sure did not want to embarrass my peeps by saying, "Well no actually.. I am from California. How did you know?" That response for some reason seems sufficient enough explanation for folks up here without any further expansion.

I was all excited about our visitor.
I told David and his first question was a sympathetic sounding...

"Did you kill it?"

::blink::

"Well dear yes I did. Of course. But I was not wearing my gun so instead I smashed it with a board I had handy."

"No I didn't kill it! I took pictures of it. Geez."

Just a side note for folks who do not know. Porcupines will eat your house... there are many places around here where you can see their teethmarks on the sides of houses. They will eat your trees... ditto for the teeth marks on the sugar maples.... they will absolutely destroy your garden... and as you can guess they are not afraid of dogs. They do not need to move fast. Quills are pretty expensive to have removed at the vets and are quite painful for a dog or a Californian.

A Little Ride

Been packing my knapsack again!
I gotta tell you I just love that.

We put a camper on the truck and plan on taking a drive over to see these fellas...

or at least the place they used to hang out. They look like some party animals. I wonder if they like tequila? I will have to bring some just in case but I have a feeling they are partial to rum or ale.

WAIT!
LOOK UP ON THE SHELF!
There is hope for these New Englanders yet!

Anyway, we have our sights set on Maine... Connecticut... Mass-a-cho-sits for a few days.
Heh heh... well that is the plan anyway.
Let me back up a bit and tell you the story...

After getting the truck we did a ton of research and had many discussions until we finally decided that a Palomino Bronco pop up truck camper would be just the thing we needed.

Light in the truck bed, easy to drive around in, easy to set up, and easy to take off.

So... after David made a few phone calls we found ourselves traveling to Iron Mountain... Iron River..... one of those damn places I always mix them up. Anyhoo, we have been there before and on this trek you have to drive out of Michigan, into the odd happy land of Wisconsin, and then back into Michigan again. Along the way we saw a Michigan Field Moose (look closely.. he is there in the center) :

and an odd Blue Wisconsin barn.

I like it. I am guessing the owners are Finns as Finns are known to paint their houses either bright ass blue or bright ass yellow. Dunno what that the issue is with that but you can bet your lunch money on it.

The truck is a great ride. The Infinity was giving up the ghost so it was time for a change. Delta loves to kick back in the back row seat of the truck but Cosmo is traumatized that he is not allowed up front... he complains that he can not see out the windows back there so he squeezes his face in between the seats to peek through. This is a gentle shot, most of the time he forces his face between the seats so hard it makes his eyes squinty and his teeth stick out. Well... makes his eyes squinty anyway.

pitiful

So we get to the camper dealer in Quintucky (name has been changed to protect the innocent) for our 2 hour orientation... which quickly turned into over 4 hours past closing time and dog patience... but that is all ok now. We eventually did have help with the install:

and in the end it looks pretty sharp. The top is down in this picture below that is why it looks so flat on top. duh. Just kidding, sheesh!

Here are pictures I took of the inside after popping it open at home to clean and start getting packed.

It has a 3 way fridge w/freezer, 3 burner gas stove, sink, Queen bed, dinette/extra bed, shower/toilet combo. It is going to be cozy for the four of us... I have to tell you that after the other day it was almost 3 of us but I will expand on that in a minute.

Anyway, the New England states. Very exciting! David has been to most of them but when he was much younger and he has never been to Maine. I, of course, have not been to any of them and since we are halfway there... why not? We are going to get some good use out of that camper I think... hope it all goes well.

Now for the rest of the story. The 4 musketeers were almost 3 the other day. Delta and Cosmo, in this warmer weather, have been wandering a bit farther and farther from home. To tell you the truth other than the occasional naughty crossing of the road I thought Cosmo the Magnificent was staying relatively nearby chasing squirrels back into their holes.

How easily we are deceived.

They went out for a hunt and were gone quite a while. Then Delta came back by herself.... all muddy and wet from the lake and very tired. I waited and waited but no Cosmo. He had been missing before by himself but he was always just over in the next lot. So I was not super worried yet.

Then the next thing I know Jerry is ringing and ringing the doorbell. He said to grab my dog whistle and come with him as Cosmo was about 1/2 a mile back on the dirt road heading the wrong direction and had taken off running from David.

Oh dear.

You see Jerry, David, and Jim were on their way back from a friend's house and as usual Jerry was driving about 25 MPH down the road... uh huh... when a black and white blur was noticed by David along side the road and he hollered, "THAT WAS COSMO!"

Jerry stopped the truck in a cloud of 25 mph dust and David jumped out and ran back calling to Cosmo. Unfortunately, it freaked Cosmo out and he ran off into the woods. Jerry came to get me and Jim stayed on the road to corral Coz or David from that viewpoint.

Anyway... David said that Cosmo took off from him like he did not know him and seemed afraid. (He has been a bit disoriented at times lately) Anyway, David called and called and lost sight of him for a little bit and David started to think.. well... maybe like an old Indian Cosmo is going off into the woods to sing his song but then he found him. Cos was all freaked out and collapsed into his arms and licked his face... which he never does... and David carried him back to the road. At this point Jerry and I rolled up. Coz was exhausted.

From what we figured we think that he and Delta took off across the road and came back out again and he got turned around and started walking the wrong way down the road. Had David et al not been on the road that way we never would have found him. I would not have thought he would have gone that far.

Lions, Wolves, Coyotes, Eagles, Bears, Wolverines, Fishers, Moose, Bobcats...
we would have been one less Cosmo.



So...

Guess who has been chained all day when he goes outside?
I plan on taking that boy with me to the freedom trail in Boston whether he likes it or not...

::sniffle::

and maybe I will put the arm rest down so he can see out the window in the front.