The Baalands: October 2006

28 October 2006

So long, Barney

Barney came when the hoop house was built, about four years ago. She never left. She took up residence there. I fed her daily. I think that's why she never attacked the rat population with any vigor. She had quite a nice life in the hoop house, never venturing too far. She and Max got along okay. She didn't care for Zak, but they seldom came into contact with each other. Same with McComb. I don't think Sly ever slowed down enough to meet her.

She never completely trusted me. I had to sneak up on her to catch her. Occasionally, I would comb her out. When I stroked her, she would purr, but would never totally relax. I think, perhaps, she was mistreated by humans in her earlier life. She was so skiddish that I didn't even know she was a girl until a year or so after she came. Since she never gave birth to kittens, I had assumed she was a neutered male. That's why I had named "her" Barney, the "barn cat."

When I went to feed the lambs this evening, she was lying in the hay. She looked like she was sleeping. Usually, she curled up when she slept, so I went over to her a little concerned. She wasn't moving. She was dead. Probably, not long. She looked peaceful, not a mark on her body. I will take care of her body in the morning. She will spend one more peaceful night in the hoop house, among her sheep friends.

This morning, she had meowed for her food like always. I'd give her a handful of cat biscuits in the morning and evening. Sometimes, I brought her milk or canned cat food. I caught her this morning and petted her for a few moments. I'm glad I did. She was really starting to look good, like a house cat. Her fur was smooth and pretty, and she was filling out. She was never a big cat. I didn't know how old she was. At least five, she could have been older. I suspect she was spayed.

I hope she died peacefully in her sleep. She wasn't a pet like the others, but I'm going to miss her. She was a fixture in the hoop house, and it won't be the same without her. She touched my heart. I'm gonna hold Max a little tighter tonight.

Barney
???? - October 28, 2006
Say hi to Jesse and Rex in cat heaven
Thanks for stopping by. Sweet dreams.

20 October 2006

A Time To Speak

I'm not a student of the Bible and don't often quote it, but here's a verse that's been resonating with me a lot lately:

For everything there is a season,
and a time for every purpose under heaven;
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weap, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stone, and a time to scatter stones together;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate;
A time for war, and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3, Verses 1-8

18 October 2006

Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down

Thumbs Up

To the school in Texas that is teaching its students to fight back if a gunman enters their school. All this passiveness is killing innocent Americans. You can't reason with these madmen. Doing what they say or being passive just makes it easier to get killed.

To Pennsylvania's Amish community for their forgiveness of the insane gunman who brutally murdered their children, then turned the gun on himself. And to the media for allowing the Amish community to bury their dead with dignity. So many claim to be good Christians and Muslims, but are filled with vengeance and hate. They could learn a lot from the Amish community. If only I could figure out why the Amish can't have zippers on their clothes.

To Linda Faillace for telling her story of USDA's heavy-handed seizure of her sheep in 2001. Her book is called "Mad Sheep: the True Story of the USDA's War on a Family Farm." It'll probably make us all mad.

To the Detroit Tigers who are headed to the World Series for the first time since 1984. Maybe, there's hope for the Orioles.

Thumbs down

To the schools that are banning tag and football from the playground because they're worried about law suits. First, dodgeball. What's next? Kickball and jungle gyms. Let kids play!

To the networks for firing sports commentators for making inappropriate statements during broadcasts. America needs to stop being so damn sensitive. We all say the wrong things sometimes. If they apologize, why shouldn't they be given another chance. What happened to forgiveness?

To the D.A., Duke University, the media and everyone else who "convicted" the Duke lacrosse team before facts were known. Even if the young men are vindicated, their lives have been forever changed in a negative way.

To the media and others for criticizing Madonna's adoption of an African baby. Some commentator called white people adopting children from Africa "modern slavery." He should be fired! The father and aunt of the child have approved the adoption. Why should this boy have to grow up in an orphanage when there's a couple who want to adopt him?

The Deadskins

If they can't even beat a 0-5 team at home, what do you think's goin' happen when they play a 5-0 team on the road? It probably wouldn't even help to knock Peyton Manning out of the game.

Perhaps, it's time to shake things up a bit and play Jason Campbell. The Redskins have got some powerful offensive weapons. It's time to air it out and let 'em play. The running game will only get better if opponents fear the long ball. Maybe, it's not the other way around. If they still lose, at least it'll be more fun to watch.

Mark Brunell is not a bad QB. He's certainly not the only reason why they're losing; it's a team effort. But, he's old in football years (though he's 8 years younger than me and I could have babysat him). Let him be the mentor now. Let Campbell light things up. Sure, he'll make some "rookie" mistakes, but he's big, strong, and mobile. There's gotta be a reason why Gibbs drafted him.

As for the defense, I don't know what the answer is. I don't suppose they're the worst defense in the NFL, but teams seem to run and pass at will. I didn't think they needed to re-learn the defense. That's the excuse the offense uses. Still can't figure out why they let Lavar Arrington go.

No matter what, I still think Joe Gibb's is a great coach. I'm stubborn that way. Perhaps, his better years are behind him. On the other hand, he took the team from 6-10 to 10-6 and a playoff victory in his first two years back.

I'm still a contented fan. I enjoy when the Redskins win, because I can watch them more. But, when they lose, I remind myself that it's only football. I can always root for my favorite AFC team, the Steelers, though they haven't done much better. But, big Ben's back, so winning ways hopefully have returned. I also enjoy it when the Ravens lose. After all, you can't live in Maryland and like both the Ravens and 'Skins. As a Redskin fan, I obviously like it when the Cowboys lose, but they appear to have a pretty good team this year.

12 October 2006

Sweet Autumn

The rams went in with the ewes on October 6 and 7. Lambs will be due March 1, give or take a day. The ewes are split somewhat equally between Bull's Eye, at my dad's house with a group of 19 ewes; and Hurricane, at my house with 21 ladies. They'll switch places in a few weeks.

I'll wait a few weeks before putting rams with any of the ewe lambs. At least that was my plan. Twice now, the ram lambs have jumped over the gates to get to the young girls. If the girls lamb a little earlier than expected, it'll be okay. They're all big enough. Snow Wolf, my homegrown RR ram lamb, is anxious to be a father. So's the black ram. Well, really, all of them. They're young boys!

We weighed all the ewes before putting the rams in. George, my pet wether, tipped the scale at 206 lbs. I knew he was fat, but WOW! As for his condition score, it's probably 5 out of 5. I keep telling George that he needs to go on a diet, but he just ignores me. I might just have to put him on a treadmill.

Fall is my favorite time of the year for many reasons. I love breeding season because it is full of new hope. I enjoy the fall weather and the leaves changing colors. And, I'm a big football fan. Actually, a diehard Redskins fan. Their 2-3 start is nothing to be excited about, but I think they will do okay this year. They're in a tough division, so perhaps they won't make the playoffs, but as long as they're in the hunt, I'm a contented fan. I wouldn't be surprised if this is Joe Gibbs' last year as head coach. Most of us Redskin fans have Joe Gibbs up a pedestal. After all, he brought us three superbowl victories.

Basketball season isn't too far behind football season. I'm a big basketball fan, too, plus it's my favorite sport to play. The Washington Wizards, my home team, should be decent this year. Don't know about the University of Maryland. I've never been much of a fan of Maryland football, but I've always been a Terp basketball fan. I remember the year my Dad and I went to several Maryland games. During one game, we saw an unbelievable shooting exhibition by Ernie Graham. We went to a game a couple of years ago, too, when a colleague gave me a few tickets.

My parents got me interested in Dancing with the Stars. Apparently, Jerry Springer is still alive in the competition. He's hilarious. But, I'm rooting for Mario Lopez, from "Saved by the Bell." He's a natural dancer and has a good chance of winning, if he doesn't keep breaking the rules of the competition. His dimples don't hurt his case either! In a few months, another season of American Idol will start. I suppose I'll watch again. I sure enjoyed it last year. I was tempted to return to the Virginia State Fair to see Elliott Yamin, my favorite Idol, perform in his first concert.