Life on Salt Spring

Day 352 - April 29th 2009 - The Dextervator

The Dextervator...

I've taught Dexter a  new word - Dig!

And because dogs like visual body-language cues as well as verbal commands this is also accompanied by me demonstrating with my hands (I look like a demented hamster in a wheel).

And he's great at digging! Sadly none of the photos really captures the energy of Dexter in 'action' digging with dirt flying in all directions. He'll occasionally stop to have a deep sniff of something he uncovers or to chew on a root but all in it's fantastic to have such enthusiastic help!

It's great because it wears down his claws (we walk mostly on trails so his claws get long) and he not only helps us, but also provides a much needed amusement break when you've had enough of doing physical labour. The soil here is pretty rocky, so it's a slow and painstaking process...

Thanks Dexter!

 

Day 347 - April 24th 2009 - Mouse Clearance

We're not ready to die...

So, I took the day off today (from Coaching Tools and writing) to clear out our hall.

Upon further investigation, it seems that the 'hantavirus' carried by the very cute deer mouse is not food poisoning/stomach-related - but a pulmonary virus. Of the people who have to go to hospital with the initially flu-like symptoms - 40% apparently die... And about 14% of the rodent population tested in BC apparently carry it. On a more positive note I also found out that you need to breathe quite a lot of the dust/virus to actually catch it.

BUT, we have been sweeping out mouse droppings and dust from the hall for weeks. I've even worn a scarf which had mouse holes in it. Yes, I disinfected everything, but if I inhaled the virus first it would do little good...

Starsky caught 12 mice and then we still heard scratching. So, we decided not to wait to redo our porch. Unlike the rest of the house - the porch is more island-style. No foundation, the insulation is not airtight (or mouse tight) and the insulation just hangs down underneath the floor within a few inches of the ground... Quite tempting for cold little woodland mice.

Now, our house feels more like we just moved in again, with stuff everywhere. But at least everything is sanitised and we can progress with making the porch mouse-proof and hopefully dice death...

Day 340 - April 17th 2009 - Cleaning Companions

Well, we've made lots of friends on Salt Spring, but now have friends in Vancouver to stay in touch with as well as our friends in the UK.

And I have discovered a great way to do this. The phone. Of course you're saying - I do this all the time!

But for me, by the time the evening comes round, if I don't have something 'on' then I like to chill and switch off. On the weekends, I'm out and about or I'm busy in the garden. And during the day, I want to be busy doing working on my business. So the problem is WHEN to chat with friends?

Well, by accident, after agreeing a Friday afternoon catch-up call with a friend, we discovered we had both been cleaning our bathrooms while chatting!

And there it is. We have become cleaning companions. Pick a job you don't like to do (that doesn't take much thought or you won't be listening to your friend!) and do the job together while on the phone.

I completely forgot I was doing a job I disliked and had a FABULOUS time chatting and catching up with my friend. And at the end we both had clean bathrooms.

Now there's an idea! What 'job' would you do with your cleaning companion?

Day 335 - April 12th 2009 - Easter Bees!

Well, as much as I love chocolate - whether you're gnostic, plain spiritual or religious - that's not really what Easter is about.

So, we decided on a different Easter gift for each other this year. Bees!

Mason bees to be precise. They are small native bees - that are out and about much earlier than other bees - and they work really really hard at pollinating all your flowers and plants.

We bought a Mason Bee 'House' to encourage them to lay eggs - which will then of course hatch out and pollinate all our fruits and vegetables.

Eggs, birth, renewal. What could be better for Easter?

AND SEE: The (paper lined) holes that are 'plugged' with beige 'mush'? That means the mason bees have laid eggs and plugged up the holes. Apparently the male eggs are laid first at the back and then the females UPDATE! female eggs are laid first - then the males. So if predators get at them, the boys get eaten first... 

Day 332 - April 9th 2009 - Mousecapades at an end?

So, it started last Summer when we first moved here. There was a period of about 2 months where Starsky (our 12 year old toothless cat) was catching mice, shrews and voles almost daily. Some lived, some died. The shrews were cutest - tiny with long, bendy noses. Anyhow I digress.

Hiatus. Then in February this year we had two instances of middle-of-the-night mouse 'Bringings'. One was mangled and half-dead which Duncan heroically finished off... And one we never saw again. Eek.

Then another hiatus.

And then recently we had a 2am live-mouse-on-the-bed incident. Somehow it was hazily caught and placed in a non-airtight plastic shoebox but by morning the poor thing had expired. Still this allowed us to successfully identify it as a deer-mouse, so named because they are white underneath and under the tail. They also jump like billy-o.

And scarily, Deer mice also carry the Hanta virus (urine and droppings) which can be fatal so you have to clean up very carefully - my hands are dry because of all the handwashing and cleaning!

And then 3 days later. THREE middle-of-the-night mouse 'bringings'. We learned to recognize the THUMP from downstairs as she jumped on it and were just about awake enough to catch them. Although one (after a thorough bedroom search) wasn't located until the morning - when it gave itself away with scratchy noises having found dog kibble AND eaten some holes in my dog-walking trousers.

Next day another 3 mouse bringings. Thankfully all before 11pm.

TOTAL - 10 mice in a week. And currently no more scratching from the porch (plan to put proper foundation in this year and seal up all walls). Great job Starsk!

SURVIVAL RATE (successful release into the woods) if caught by 12 year old gummy cat? 3/10.

Glad I'm not a mouse!

Day 329 - April 6th 2009 - Givin' it the finger!

So, it's over 2 weeks now since Duncan trapped his finger between the pick-axe handle and a big rock while helping my brother build a wood-shed.The pick-axe apparently sank further into the ground than he expected and he not only ripped the nail right out of the nail-bed but also fractured his fingertip.

Luckily(?) it was on his left-hand but, because of the fracture, he is supposed to be 'resting' it. This makes everything hard; using the computer, washing up, putting crockery away, vacuuming (apparently it's a heavy vacuum), digging the garden, bringing in logs for the fire.

Actually Duncan has been doing a pretty good job of most things, but I am finding I have a few extra chores to do around the house. AND I had to do all the manual labour when we put the raspberry canes in last week (which was well worth it as I LOVE raspberries). Luckily we had dug all our other plants in the previous weekend or I would be completely knackered!

Still, it's made us both realise how much we take for granted. Not our 'health' per se - although I think that's true for most of us until we get sick. But we take for granted our physical mobility and what truly amazing tools are hands actually are.

Also we think it's the same fingertip on the same hand that Duncan's mom lost in an electric window 'accident' a few years back. Could be a spooky-family-thing...

Day 325 - April 2nd 2009 - Dog as Teacher...

So recently we went on holiday to Mexico - my first trip and our first holiday featuring lots of sunshine in over 4 years. Our last two summer 'holidays' were in fact to our place here on Salt Spring where we pulled broom and thistles and moved house.

Anyhow, where am I going with this? While on holiday we saw a lot of stray dogs. And actually they were surprisingly well-treated, fed and healthy-looking (if you discount fleas). Apparently this is unusual - but in the town of Todos Santos on the Baja peninsula this was the case.

So, one night, we're having our dinner at a restaurant in town and this dog comes in. Or should I say slinks in.

BUT, when he made eye contact with a human his whole posture changed, his ears pricked up, and in a way I have NEVER in my life seen before the whole lower two-thirds of his body vigorously wagged his tail. He was so vigorous it looked like he was doing "Extreme Cha-cha-cha". He made each human he connected with feel like THE MOST popular and lovable person on the planet.

Of course every human in the place melted under such adoration. And then when he got fed, he went into TOTAL submission. Puppy-dog eyes, soft, laid-back ears and he was so gentle and grateful for every scrap.

Yes, normal dog behaviour. But taken to an extreme I have never seen before - and he was so SUCCESSFUL!

It reminded me of something Dale Carnegie talks about - that the dog is the only animal that doesn't have to work for a living - it earns its place by giving you nothing but love. And Dale Carnegie translated this as "Make friends by being genuinely interested in people."

But it also got me thinking. How we all just want to be loved and appreciated for who we are. And that dog's focus and adoration just said UNCONDITIONALLY "You're fantastic, you're exciting, I LOVE you right just as you are."

I watched the dog do the rounds in the restaurant and not a single human was able to resist his love, enthusiasm and gratitude. In fact if I lived in Mexico, I would have adopted him and called him "Mr Wags".

So, if it's so easy to make us feel good that dogs have it nailed - how come us 'intelligent' humans can make each other so miserable without trying?

Day 324 - April 1st 2009 - Islanders easily fooled?

I was thoroughly amused by this week's Driftwood (our local weekly paper) front page. It said:

"Bush buys Island Parcel. South End acreage ideal for duck-hunting."

Apparently as told to the Driftwood by a realtor, not wishing to be named, the Microsoft Yacht Octopus was anchored off the South end of Salt Spring Island and the Bushes and the Secret Service were touring properties. The ex-president was also apparently in good spirits joking that his twin daughters and their families will love the free healthcare and won't have to order prescriptions online anymore...

Hilarious. The piece was very well done. I heard from people all over the island that they or their partners were throwing down their papers in disgust and wondering (aloud) what can or should be done. As if we could do anything anyway.

Although I think the best one goes to a sandwich board outside a popular bakery on the main road from Ganges to Fulford a few years back. Red sign, yellow "M" and "Coming Soon" underneath...