Ern.: I'm wet. I'm cold. Nothing feels good. Wind knocked the chicken coop over!
Geo.: We don't keep chickens anymore, E(a)rnest.
Ern.: I know, but I was in it.
Geo.: I thought you bunked in the eaves, downslope from Roofcat.
Ern.: Roofcat snores, Geo., out both ends!
Ern.: " The wind began to switch - the house to pitch and suddenly the hinges started to unhitch!"
Geo.: That's from "Wizard of Oz".
Ern.: Uh, I got flung into a ditch. Lookit me!
Geo.: Can we help?
Ern.: Do you have a little towel?
I feel Ern's pain. He lives a dangerous life.
ReplyDeleteDear Susan, he was born wild and prefers to be. We would never try to domesticate him, touch him or give him food. He does quite well with our almonds and walnuts (for which I'd love to make him a little crowbar but have refrained).
DeletePoor E(a)rnest. Perhaps you should make that little crowbar as a gesture of support.
ReplyDeleteOh EC, I'd flatten and temper one from a nail for him but even when he suffers, it would presently insult him. He is happily feral, content with the sharp leverage of his teeth --and proud of it. We support him with friendship and acceptance, as he does us.
DeleteGlad he survived the wild ride with no bumps or bruises.
ReplyDeleteOur porch/deck and garage cats, Hemingway and Joy got caught out in a heavy rain today. They enjoyed the toweling when the big door finally dropped, but they are not as wild as E(a)rnest.
He is a wily little squirrel, Tom, and trusts his instincts but not much else. Cats are smarter when it comes to comfort. But things change. When I built the chickenhouse 30 years ago, I never imagined my older, feebler, self would have to upright it one day. Working on it. Will wait until the ground dries out.
DeletePoor E(a)rnest. I hope he doesn't catch a cold.
ReplyDeleteHe'll be ok, dear Emma. Not his first thunderstorm. Maybe his third or fourth but not his first.
DeleteOh, how the other half does suffer. Perhaps the coop could be refurbished as a condiminium; a summer residence, a winter residence, and a storm residence. I think E(a)rnest would appreciate that. :)
ReplyDeleteTom, if I was of more suspicious bent I might imagine E(a)rnest guilty of plotting the whole thing as a ploy for better digs --then again, I doubt he could have shoved the coop over by himself. Could the cat be in on it?
DeleteCalifornia E(a)rnest isn’t used to such violent weather so those winds had to be very frightening for him and many others. Definitely not a good time for high flying squirrels or planes. I hope things have calmed down today.
ReplyDeleteGetting that unused chicken coup back up looks like a big project. I hope that some kind, strong neighbor will help you out.
E(a)rnest Squirrel is a tough little guy, Arleen. He'll be ok. Doing better than I am in this inclement weather. As for the overturned outbuilding, I think I'll saw off its stilts and upright it onto pavers with a "come-along" wench and cable. All my neighbors are also geezers, alas!
DeleteHere, it seems when our colder weather moves in the birds disappear. I see an occasional dove but no finches. Then a day like yesterday when the mercury neared 60 and there's a tremendous flocking for about an hour. I saw a bluejay or two, a woodpecker, a pair of robins, finches and doves galore. Probably some others that I couldn't identify. Today I wait for the dawn but from what little I can see out there it's blowing and rainy and supposed to rain all day. Birds may be undercover again.
ReplyDeleteBirds --even little hummingbirds-- were all down here today, Bruce! Last night was another blast of weather that drenched and blew us quite earnestly, but this afternoon a foretaste of spring arrived --giant warm firey ball, between clouds, that I vaguely recall seeing before.
DeletePoor E(a)rnest; he looks a mite bedraggled. I keep telling myself that outdoor animals are MADE to be outdoors and to stop worrying quite so much about them. Our house could never hold all the deer, squirrels, skunks, raccoons and birds that live in this neighbourhood, and they probably wouldn't want to live with two cats anyway . . . I'm glad your little squirrel friend has all those nuts to eat. Take care of yourself in this odd weather the world has been having, okay?
ReplyDeleteOkay, dear Jenny. Yes we have skunks too. They romp in the tall grass and have such fun playing hide and seek with one another that I would never dream of disturbing them. As for cats, they are likewise loathe to alarm skunks. Little E(a)rnest has been with us a few years and has made good friends of Roofcat, of Norma and of me. In winter, he accepts some discomfort philosophically. His mantra is "Brrrrrrr!"
DeleteWow - it sounds like some wicked West Texas winds blew into California! I'm glad everyone is safe - but E(a)rnest took a terrible tumble and got a drenching. Instead of a towel, he could probably use a hair dryer.
ReplyDeleteI smiled when I read "the wind began to switch" because I immediately thought of the "Wizard of Oz".
And now that song keeps going through my mind over and over. It will haunt me all night until dawn. But I like it....
Dear Jon, we could never expect to equal the West Texas winds, but we've come close these past three nights. Too much rain as well! A disused front porch I converted into a pantry got its roof compromised. Norma's dust-mop is holding sheetrock up. This time, we'll have real roofers come out and redo up there instead of, uh, me. I know, I'll be plunged back into poverty but it will be DRY poverty. This past year we've had water shooting up from plumbing and pouring down from the sky. Baptism from Heaven and Hell --both annoying. I complain to E(a)rnest, but he ignores me.
DeleteI have a little towel in my beach kit. Big ones are too bulky. Will share. Sorry for the coop plight - do look out for witches while winching xx
ReplyDeleteThanks, kind Lisa, for towel offer and for caution about witches and winching --both of which share a semantic relationship with "wench", causing me to lose track of which is winch.
DeleteIf it wouldn't insult his dignity too much, perhaps a warm nest could be provided for the wise E(a)rnest once "his" coop is set to rights. After all, a poet such as he deserves special attention.
ReplyDeleteHave a super weekend!
I'll do what I can for the little fella --but we've had rolling thunder, rain and hail off and on all day. Then it's sunny. I have an excuse for not knowing how to dress anymore --nobody knows.
DeletePoor little guy. A squirrels tail is his/her pride and joy. Nuts! Yes, best left to his own devices Geo...he'll be happier that way. Although..you may want to repair the chicken coop for him.
ReplyDeleteThere are, in fact, many other nooks on the property where he can take shelter. I suspect he just wanted to get washed off. True, like all squirrels and some politicians, he is proud of his big bushy tail.
DeleteHi, Geo! I hope that E(a)rnest has dried out by now! He looked bedraggled and miserable. It's been snowy and wet and cold here. The bunnies that live under our front doorstep aren't venturing out much. I think E(a)rnest is much more fun! Kudos to Norma for venturing out to photograph him in the gloomy weather.
ReplyDeleteA lot of windy, wet, cold weather has been making its way east from California recently. I was in Vegas the week before last, and it was downright raw with the wind, wet, and cold. My brother Roy and I were going to fly like Superman, under the canopy of Fremont Street, but it was too miserable for a long zipline ride. We still had fun though.
Too bad about your chicken coop. I hope you get it righted okay. Dry poverty sounds a whole lot better than wet poverty. Good luck with your roof. I hope it's fixed soon.
Dear Louise, thanks for your excellent comment and concern. We've had a crew of roofers and carpenters out 2 days this week and they should be finished with replacing dryrot, felting and asphalt shingles on this crazy old farmhouse by Thursday afternoon. I'm too old to do it myself any more and shall be impoverished by it, but it will be "dry poverty"--good thing too!
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