Thwarted!!!

Just before we left for our last vacation Needles decided we could use an automatic feeder for our cats. We are gone a lot of the time with traveling to see family so instead of finding someone to feed and water our furry housemates we decided on the Le Bistro automatic cat feeder. Upon reading the reviews we found that most people were happy with the feeder and that the cats no longer beg food or trip up the feeder person trying to get to the food bowl to feed the cat. While we are happy with the feeder in that we no longer have to find someone to provide sustenance to our demanding cohabitants, we have noticed that they still beg for food and chase after us when we go back to where the feeder is. I suspect it is because they think they aren't getting feed enough. We have adjusted the food allotment several times and if we go any more than what we have now, one of the cats seems to eat too much at a setting and when we get home from work we find mounds of partially chewed food on the carpet. We read in some of the reviews that some peoples cats are super intelligent and get extra food from the feeder. I assure you intelligence plays no part in this action, more like gluttony. The only thing is he is robbing from the next feeding. Needles was concerned that Tugger, the skinner of the two, might not be getting the food since Copper, the plumper of the two, might be getting Tuggers portion. We did some internet research to see if anyone else had the issue and modified the feeder to keep one cat from getting prefeeding treats. We found a solution and after some thought put the plan into effect. Copper would trigger the food paddles by sticking his paw up the food chute and flipping the paddles to dislodge a few morsels of food and have them slide down the chute to a starving cat. He would continue to do this until no more food would dispense. The way we decide to keep the meaty paw from its goal was to half the size of the open area in the chute with a knitting needle going across the chute. This seems to have done the trick. Needles and I will keep an eye on the situation and see if any more modifications might be needed. I do know that when we came back from our last vacation the food bowl was dislodged from the hopper. This might need to be further modified to keep this from happening.

Post Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving went as usual. We went down to Needles Mom's the night before. We sat around the kitchen table and sipped coffee and I did my stomach exercises to prepare for the fest to come the next day. That night the ladies got the fixings for the dressing ready and prepped the bird. Only a 20 pound bird this year as last years was 22 pounds. The next morning after Needles and her Mom put the bird on for its heat treatment, Needles came back to bed and we slept in until 10am. When we opened the door to the bedroom to come out of our hibernation the smell of turkey and dressing permeated my senses and instantly I was hungry. We wandered into the kitchen and had a light breakfast. Before long the Uncles were filing in and we were within an hour of the bird coming out of the oven. The golden bird finally made its long awaited appearance and my belly started to grumble. The table was set and the side items were ready to go. Turkey and dressing sided with green beans, mashed potatoes, home-made rolls and a new item this year sweet potatoes. Our beverage was Needles cranberry slush drink and it was very good. For dessert squash pie with cool whip topping. After I had eaten the equivalent of my weight in turkey I fought to keep my eyes open and keep a coherent thought in my head. We returned home and became couch potatoes for the rest of the evening. Friday I went to work and it as a slow day indeed. We had a friend coming for a visit but a sudden head cold kept her from making the journey. Saturday was a day to sleep late, relax and not leave the house. This morning we had breakfast and after that I went to my parents house to finish mowing up the rest of the leaves for the season. When I got home I did a little straightening up in the garage and put things away in preparation for the winter months. Not much going on in this neck of the woods. Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving and the upcoming Holidays brings you and your family joy and a Happy Holidays.

Deer Season 2010.

Deer season 2010 is over. I was lucky enough to kill out the first season getting a doe Saturday morning and a 7 point buck this morning. If you want to see more check out the Hunting Blog.

Deer Season

Tomorrow after work Needles and I will be loading up and heading to L's house for first deer season. I am excited and ready for it. I just hope I get some deer moving by my stand. Last year I got my doe right off the bat and the second day I missed out on a huge buck. From then on the season took a nose dive with not another deer seen for the rest of first and season season. I had to finish up in the late doe season. I hope the next time I post there will be pics of deer on my hunting blog.

Stealth Camera Update...

Checked the trail cam today. It has been out there unchecked for almost a month. Really didn't have a lot going on. If you would like to see more go to my hunting blog. http://ramblinshunt.blogspot.com/

Also posted some pics from Needles Uncle C's trail camera.