Category Archives: home

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Particles

Oh, dear. My not so cheerful take on “micro” today is the tiny particles in the air from the fires. The sky held this front yesterday and the weather changed. The air was brownish by afternoon. Yesterday at 5 the Air Quality Index was 36, not too awful. This am it is 78 here, though a map of Washington State AQI shows that it is really severe in Eastern Washington. Fire season.

The screen shot is from here.

I set up my home air filter: a box fan and four filters. I had my windows open last night and woke with a headache from the air. It also makes me irritable. When I really smell the smoke, my brain keeps sounding an alarm: “Fire! fire!” I have to reassure it: yes, there is a fire, but it is not here right now. Cross your fingers. Now I’ve closed the house and have the fan running. Inelegant but very effective at filtering the tiny particles and cleaning up the air.

Consider wearing an N95 if you have to be out. We do not want those tiny micro particles in our lungs. I am holed up in the house today. We may have rain tomorrow which will quiet it down.

When the air gets really bad, the cats even refuse to go out.

Be careful out there.

For the Ragtag Daily Prompt: micro.

Filter instructions: https://encycla.com/Corsi-Rosenthal_Cube.

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Barbie stole

The cats find this in my house and carry it around. I had Barbies in the 1970s. You can see the tag in this picture. Barbie/Mattel. The stole is made of rabbit fur with a nylon lining. Very 1970s, since I doubt Mattel would sell rabbit fur as a Barbie accessory now. The cats think it is fabulous.

The doll holding it is not a Barbie. It is a Get Real Girl, who has more normal proportions and normal feet. This one came with a backpack, hiking clothes and all she needs for camping. She is from the early 2000s. She’s better at driving the ambulance than the Barbies because her joints are much more fluid.

For the Ragtag Daily Prompt: stole.

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Sol Duc

Mom walked Elwha first today. There is fine mist from the sky. Mother slipped outside with Elwha early. I did not hear the click of the harness until after the door had closed. I had to wait.

Mother came back in and makes coffee before taking me out! Sometimes she and Elwha and I go out together. She is taking us out early today. Yesterday she slept in until 7:00, which is annoying. I prefer that my breakfast is ready at 4:00.

I lead Mother to the wild part of the back yard today, when she won’t let me dig in the neighbor’s garden. I am heading through the yard and realize: one of the four foots is there! A big one!

Black cat and buck meeting.

I go closer and he is quite big. I think it is best if I lead Mother away. I can handle him, of course, but Mother is more vulnerable and after all, she brings me food.

Black cat and buck 2.

Mother backs out of the yard and around the garage. I go further into the yard and there is a lady four foot. She and I exchange greetings. Mother comes around between our garage and the neighbors. She waits until the lady four foot and I are done and the lady four foot goes to the apple tree. Then Mother and I go inside.

I would like more food now, but Mother can be stubborn.

I am Sol Duc and I like the four foots.

For the Ragtag Daily Prompt: cat.

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Bucking trends

Terrible photograph, right? But look for the deer. Two can be seen, and there was a third, another fawn.

First I see the buck in my yard.

Buck eating apples in a driveway.

Then I see him across the street with two fawns. I didn’t get a good picture of all three. But he did that deer thing where they tell the fawns to stay put. I go over to that neighbor’s house for coffee and here are the fawns.

Fawn lying under an apple tree on a lawn.

This is the second year that I have seen a buck with fawns. This time two fawns. The fawns are still spotted but about twice the size of newborns.

I don’t know if the buck is babysitting for the day or if something happened to mom. The fawns don’t move when I walk past and go in the house. I only see the second one because I am looking for it. This is a busy street, but the deer are pretty safe as long as they don’t get hit by a car. We have to pay attention in the early morning and twilight. The deer do teach the fawns to cross at crosswalks too, at least, the moms with fawns are. I think the big bucks have decided they can cross where ever they want.

“White-tailed deer mate in the fall (October – December). The male deer (buck) plays no role in raising fawns.” from here: https://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Pages/plants_wildlife/Deer_Fawn_FAQ.aspx. That is a different species. Ok, try information on Washington deer: “Adult bucks take no part in raising fawns, and generally remain solitary or form bachelor groups throughout the summer.” from here: https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/living/species-facts/deer#. Apparently our deer have not read the manual. Or maybe those two spotted ones are males, but I can’t really tell yet.

Our deer are bucking the trend, aren’t they? Deershines instead of monkeyshines?

For the Ragtag Daily Prompt: monkeyshines.