I can say that I’ve honestly never seen that done before lmao, but can definitely see the benefit. Idk where that photo is from, but here in parts of Australia cattle, especially calves, can be in great danger from being attacked by wild dogs, and they will usually go for the tail and rump. I have personally seen animals that have survived attacks like this and it’s not pleasant. I don’t know if eye tattoos would necessarily work for wild dogs, but honestly anything helps in the long run.
We got 110mm of rain last night which means my entire front paddocks are just a series of rivers, we’re flooded out from every town in the district, and the dogs are having a greattime
Eldest cat has come home from her life-saving-but-very-traumatic vet visit. She had a medium sized meal of wet food (I’m going to feed her small amounts every few hours so she doesn’t overload and get sick). She is cuddled in my lap being relieved and slightly stinky. Cat abscesses have a nasty smell - I mean every abscess stinks, but an oral one combines the worst excesses of stinky kitty breath and putrescence. However, she will still get all the cuddles, and possibly a gently salt rinse for her mouth later.
Yesterday, between the vet visit, two fruitless trip to the credit union, and small errands to the pharmacy and discount grocer, I did not get much Me time. However, I DID tack up Hero in the late afternoon and we took a small ride through the forest. Accompanied, of course, by two delighted dogs and a panting, fussing goat. A ride through a May forest, glowing greener than an emerald, is a delight to the soul.
Soon I need to set aside the cat and get my butt out to the garden. The Kaleidoscope carrot seed tape I planted did indeed germinate earlier this week. Even with the seeds stuck to a paper backing there is some thinning needed, but it’s much better than the solid mass of tiny seedlings we get when we just sow the seeds. I am HOPING for a nice crop of every carroty color. The weeds grow three times as fast as the veg, though, so I’d better do something about that.
I forget when we found the first swarm of bees, maybe two weeks ago? Anyway, it was a small swarm and a beekeeper came over and scooped them into a hive. Then, yesterday evening, we found another much larger swarm. They were huddled in a tree near the road. A second beekeeper (brother-in-law of the first) came over right at dusk. He placed the hive under the mass of bees and then gently shook the tree. They plopped into the box, and those who were left out filed neatly and quickly inside after their queen.
At this point, who knows how many bees are still in the wall of the house. And there were three queens? Or maybe the workers made themselves a new queen very quickly after their first swarm got disrupted by cold weather. If we are REALLY lucky, maybe this is all of them, and the wall of the house is beeless, now.
Anyhoo, I very, very much wanted to walk over and gently put my hand in among the bees. I didn’t, but I wanted to.
[ID: An overgrown yard with a tabby and white cat partly hidden in the grass. Second photo is a lush, green bank with tall pink and white phlox scattered across it.]
