Comments | akirlu: World's Worst Gardener

akirlu

World's Worst Gardener

Jun 03, 2012 00:55

Summer in our house is a bit of a trial -- once things get warm, we tend to leave the windows open a lot. We have awning-style windows all over the house -- hinged at the top, and closing with a latch against the frame at the bottom. Perhaps there were screens for this type of window made when the windows were new, 60-odd years ago -- maybe there ( Read more... )

beasts, domestic disasters, pets, hazel house, funny stuff, tinka

Comments 6

frostfox June 3 2012, 09:15:45 UTC

Aw, bless (the mole, Tinka and you). I rescue little things when I can (and return Max's beanie babies to their rightful owners) but Tinka is really just showing you what a mighty hunter she is in an attempt to improve your own hunting skills.

FF

akirlu June 4 2012, 16:53:35 UTC

Yes, well, Tinka's been trying to teach me to hunt for years. To little effect, since I am a sad excuse for a pupil. So I've been disposing of dead rats, squirrels, rabbits, and opossums periodically since forever, but I really do prefer it when she leaves them on the doormat instead of in my den.

cschells June 3 2012, 18:23:38 UTC

We've been experimenting with leaving a window open without a screen so the cat can let herself in and out at night, but J is getting eaten alive by mosquitoes, so I'm back to getting up to let her in and out... And I've been very worried that she would come and drop a mauled mouse on my pillow. I sleep better when I don't have to worry about that!

akirlu June 4 2012, 16:58:59 UTC

Early one morning, some years back, I blearily got up to answer Tinka's pleading cries to be let in and then stumbled back to bed, all without putting my glasses on or paying much attention to the cat. Woke up for good some hours later to find tiny little black and white feathers All Over the floor of my closet, the bedroom, and the dining room, plus the headless remains of a deceased bushtit on the dining room floor. The biggest surprise to me was that the tiny corpse had shed quite so many feathers considering thre remains of the tit seemed well-fletched still. The lesser surprise was that there was any bird left -- Tinka's pattern is that when she brings home a mammal, it's a present, when she brings home a bird, it's food.

cschells June 7 2012, 02:59:11 UTC

Ew ew ew! We reacted... very negatively to the one mouse our cat wanted to share with us, and she hasn't brought anything back since. I like to believe that this is because we have An Understanding... Yes, I'm probably delusional!

quirky_teal June 5 2012, 00:57:23 UTC

Glad to hear that Tinka is still doing well. I miss her settling down for the night on my chest...occasionally. :-)

Sounds like you need to research one of the retractable screen solutions for future (budgetary) consideration. Check out http://www.geniusscreens.com/products/windows.php or http://www.phantomscreens.com/products/window/product-details/ as examples. I can't remember the specifics of your interior window frames, but this kind of design is perfect for awning style windows. Have no idea what they might cost, though. Probably not cheap. The Genius screen site lists several venders in the Seattle area for you to take an eyes/hands on look at them.

Love, Beth