Ridgetop - our place and how we muddle along

[Baymule]

That bug is a blister beetle. They are toxic and kill horses if they ingest them.

https://extension2.missouri.edu/g4569

https://www.vet.k-state.edu/vhc/services/equine/timely-topics/blisterbeetleFeb16.html

http://factsheets.okstate.edu/documents/epp-2072-blister-beetles-and-alfalfa/

 

[Ridgetop]

Well the film people are here for the second day. Sheep are in pens, dogs in kennel, and Josie the Mule is very unhappy in her 12' x24' stall. After several lovely cool and overcast days the temperature has shot back up to the 90's again. Very hot after the rain and chill.

I spent the morning cleaning my office, desk, and filing all my paperwork. Booooring! but necessary. Then I walked the entire steep half acre in the front looking for Lewis Ram's green plastic chain collar and bell He removed the bell after one day, and then he removed the collar the next day. The collar is bright green and everything is brown and yellow out there so it should have shown up but could not find it and I searched the entire field. I wonder if Angel found it and took it away to the Area 21 of dog toys and found items. It may or may not turn up some day in the future.

Poor Josie kept calling to her ram buddy, Lewis, who we moved into the front pasture. She hates being in her corral since now she can't walk down the fence line and chat with Lewis. One of the film people annoyed DS1 by telling him that it was too bad Josie had to stay in the corral instead of being able to run around a larger area ??? DS1 told her the only reason every animal on the place was locked up was becaause the film people were parking on the property and we had to keep all the gates open. Duh! Then she said we should keep the piles of poop picked up - there were 2 piles - and put fly spray on her. The lady told DS1 she lives in west L.A. and has a horse. Since there are no horse properties in West L.A., she must keep her horse in one of the affluent areas where people board their horses in box stalls with shavings and stable people to clean them. DS1 was a bit annoyed but he had already told me he wanted to move her down into the half acre front pen with the rams.

DH went out to clean up the pile of poop and I put on Josie's old fly mask (which she had pretty well shredded last April). DS1 had to dismantle the fence to get her in since the other entrance to that sheep pen requires stairs. I put on her halter and walked her down there. Josie is thrilled to be back with her best buddy the older ram, Lewis, and she can move around in the half acre pen. There are also a couple shade trees out there. I am much happier to have her down there where she has a lot more room and is with her buddy.

DH1 has been cleaning out the storage bins on our 5th wheel trailer to get ready for our Texas trip. DS3 told us yesterday that he had to put his 5th wheel in the shop since half the electrical died. He just used the trailer last summer to go on vacation and is stymied as to why it malfunctioned. He tried to repair it but couldn't figure out where the problem was. He is hoping the shop can figure out what happened and fix it in time for DS3, DIL and the 2 grandchildren to leave the end of July.

He said he decided they will head to the Grand Canyon the end of July, then hightail it to Fort Worth in order to spend as much time in Texas as possible. He said he and DIL are getting really tired of California even though they love their new place and have done a lot to it. It sounds like he is considering moving to Texas in a few years. He has already bought 3 rental houses in the FW area so . . . .

However, now DH has discovered that our slide out is not going all the way out on one side. The slide out should be extended completely into the exterior seal. Instead there is a 5" gap on one end. It was just repaired!!!! and we have to take it back to the shop again. Also he found a drip/leak in the water lines under the belly in the storage compartment. I think probably the connectors just need to be tightened but DH says since he has to take it in for the slide out adjustment he will have them check it out. I was going to clean out the trailer, wipe everything down, empty and repack the storage cabinets to make sure we have paper towels, toilet paper, paper plates, plastic silverware, etc., and make a list of what foodstuffs need to be packed. COFFEE first, then ice tea bags, soap, laundry supplies, swim suits, swim goggles, towels, etc. Now I will have to wait for it to come back from the shop again. Getting the 5th wheel ready for a trip is like a small scale moving house. Except we don't have t worry about the livestock or dog. Normally we would take DH's little mini Dachshund, Pretzel, but we lost her 1 or 2 years ago. Quite a heartache storing the dog panels away that we carried to make a small yard outside the trailer door so she could go in and out when she wanted. Eventually I will have to shop for another little puppy for DH but not yet.

Looks like the film people have left - DH is locking the gates and letting Bubba, Rika, and Angel out. The sheep are screaming to be fed. Angel is doing so well, we were so lucky to get Angel. She is only 6 months old and working at night with the big dogs. She often runs with Bubba, but lately when Bubba and Rika are in the front, Angel is guarding the back. I hear her working most of the night now with the other 2. Erick can really choose a good guardian dog. Can't wait to get together with him in Austin again, sit and visit with ice tea, and just enjoy talking LGDs.

Lamb chops for dinner tonight. Oh yeah, I have to go on line and order some wound pine tar for Bubba, and a new fly mask. Make that 2 fly masks - Josie is hard on them. Bubba is chewing to spots on his legs and making sores on them. I wonder if he is allergic to something - he doesn't seem to have any fleas but I will doctor all the dogs for those too.

 

[Ridgetop]

DS2 bought himself a truck. ford 350, crew cab, 4wd, dually, 5th wheel hitch installed, all the bells and whistles - used - 2 years old and a fairly good price. DH found it for him, and called him at work and told him about it. That night he raced over with his girlfriend, met DH at the dealership, and fell in love with it . After DH looked at it with a salesman earlier, some kid had come in and said his dad would buy it for him. (Lucky kid, right?!) The kid started filling out the paperwork but couldn't complete it since his dad was going to buy it. He said his dad couldn't come in that night, did not put a down payment to hold it, told the salesman they would come back in the next day and left. DH and DS2 went in that evening, DS2 filled out paperwork, qualified for the loan, gave the guy a $20,000 down payment, and bought it. Next day the salesman called DS2 and told him to come pick it up fast since the kid and his dad were back screaming that it was their truck and they should have it. DH and DS2 immediately ran down to pick it up and brought it home. It is currently residing on the field beside our lovely tan 350 crew cab known as "Twinkles".

We are going out with champagne now to christen it "My Precious, The Black Dragon of Shadow Hills". No, we will not be breaking the bottle of champagne over the hood. Not only do we not want to scratch "My Precious", but it would be a shameful waste of champagne!

 

[Baymule]

Money talks and bull hockey walks. "Their" truck? I don't think so! Put up or shut up. Haha! Glad that your son got such a nice truck. Maybe a nice glass of wine sitting on the tailgate to celebrate?

 

[greybeard]

After DH looked at it with a salesman earlier, some kid had come in and said his dad would buy it for him. (Lucky kid, right?!) The kid started filling out the paperwork but couldn't complete it since his dad was going to buy it. He said his dad couldn't come in that night, did not put a down payment to hold it, told the salesman they would come back in the next day and left.

Old school I guess but around here, a man's word is still his bond, even if he's a used car salesman. (assuming the salesman did tell the kid or infer that the truck would still be there the next day)
..I've sure seen a few people get a butt whippin for much less..or shot.

 

[Ridgetop]

Maybe a nice glass of wine sitting on the tailgate to celebrate?

A bottle of champagne, 4 glasses, and DS2 showed me all the bells and whistles. I am glad I did not go to look at it with DH because I might have decided to pull our money out and buy it ourselves. Then "Twinkles" would have hurt feelings! I did tale pox of DS2 with his girlfriend holding the champagne with the truck! And he has now decided to buy an engagement ring for her! I am so happy for them! He said "First the truck, now the ring, a man has his priorities!" We have now christened it Black Dragon.

Old school I guess but around here, a man's word is still his bond, even if he's a used car salesman. (assuming the salesman did tell the kid or infer that the truck would still be there the next day)
..I've sure seen a few people get a butt whippin for much less..or shot.

I would agree but I think you really have to know the man whose word you are going to take as his bond to know if he is trustworthy. I am talking about the kid here who said his dad would come in and buy a $65,000 truck for him.

Since the kid did not have any money, could not qualify for a loan for the price of the truck, had to get his daddy to pony up the money, since that salesman was not there when DS2 and DH went in, since the truck did not have a hold on it, and since DH had seen it first and talked to another salesman several hours before the kid ever showed up, and since the kid had not finished any paperwork since he could not qualify for the loan, did not offer any deposit of any size to hold the truck for even 24 hours, and his Dad did not want to come down that day, then maybe that kid should get a job, earn some money, save it up and the next time he sees a truck that he wants, he can go in and put $20,000 down, qualify for the loan, and buy that truck. But maybe you are right, maybe the salesman who works on commission to feed his family should have waited to see if he even came back, and possibly missed out on both sales.

What is that saying? Oh yeah, a bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush!

If you are selling cattle and some kid you don't know comes by and says he wants to buy those cattle but can't give you a deposit, hasn't got the money for them, and says his dad (who you also don't know) will buy them for him but can't or won't come over then, and you have to wait to see if he even returns the next day, and another buyer comes in that afternoon with his cattle truck and cash in his hand what will you do?

A man's word may be his bond when it comes to buying something, but he needs to be able to back it up with the cash. You have to know his word is good. There are a lot of people I know that I would trust with just their word, but there are also a lot that can't be trusted. We have been taken by a couple of "friends" before. Sad but true.

 

[greybeard]

If you are selling cattle and some kid you don't know comes by and says he wants to buy those cattle but can't give you a deposit, hasn't got the money for them, and says his dad (who you also don't know) will buy them for him but can't or won't come over then, and you have to wait to see if he even returns the next day, and another buyer comes in that afternoon with his cattle truck and cash in his hand what will you do?

I would probably ask the guy with the trailer if he keeps his head up his butt for the warmth and then tell him the cows are already spoken for and he dang well should have called before going to all the trouble of hooking up his trailer and dragging it down my road. Anyone that is stupid enough to do that, I wouldn't want to sell to anyway.

But yes, yall taught the young kid a valuable life lesson ie, that some people's word don't mean crap and, that anyone can be taken advantage of, and if you can..do.
I've bought lots of calves (and sold them) on nothing but a handshake, to be paid for when they were weaned and they were always there waiting for me when I went to get them months later.
Money don't mean nothing to me but my word does. It's attached to my name and when I'm gone from this world, all that's going to be left here is my name engraved on a piece of stone and the most I can hope for is that people will see that inscription and know an honest man lays below it.
Diogenes sure wouldn't have stopped and picked me out but I like to think he would have slowed down and taken a hard look at me.

 

[Ridgetop]

But yes, yall taught the young kid a valuable life lesson ie, that some people's word don't mean crap and, that anyone can be taken advantage of, and if you can..do.

Since the salesman did not promise to keep the truck for the kid with no money, and since DH had said he would bring our son to look at it several hours before the kid ever came in, which one of them do you think the salesman was supposed to hold it for? It was for sale on a large dealership used car lot, not privately. No deposit was placed on it and no paperwork filled out. No promises were made. How many people do you think tell a used car salesman they will be back and then never show up? Nobody took advantage of that kid and nobody gave their word about the truck. The salesman has a boss to answer to when it comes to selling.

Are you saying that DH and DS2 did something dishonest when they went onto the used car lot and bought a truck that other people had also looked at? Are you saying that they took advantage of that guy in some way? DH saw the truck early in the day, called DS2 who immediately met DH at the dealership after work. They went in, DS2 test drove it and bought the truck immediately. DH had been looking for a Ford F350 truck for DS2 for some time. DS2 went in with DH immediately because DH told him the truck was great and looked to be a good deal. They did not know anyone else was going to buy the truck. The next evening they found out that the guy came back and was mad because the truck was sold after he left the dealership the day before. How did they take advantage of him? That guy could have bought the truck before they ever came down that night. Or maybe a third party would have shown up and bought it out from under both DS2 and the other guy. Would that 3rd buyer have been "taking advantage" of anyone by buying it before DS2 or the other guy could buy it?

I also have bought and sold livestock on my word. I have also taken other people's word when they told me they were going to buy animals that I held for them without a deposit, and then they didn't show up or backed out of the deal. The worst one was someone backing out after I had refused 2 higher offers for the animals, and after the person for whom I was holding them had extended the pick up date by 2 months. Not only did I end up selling the animals for less when I eventually found another buyer but I was also out an extra 2 months keep. When I buy something I put a deposit on it to hold it. My word is good too, but in business sales other people often require more than just your word, especially if they don't know you. DH told our hay guy that DS3 would drive down from Nipomo (a 3 hour trip) to buy 100 bales of alfalfa because it was $7.00 per bale cheaper than DS3 was paying up north. The hay guy said he would have the 100 bales for him. We arrived on the dot of when we told the guy we would come for the hay but he only had 88 bales left. Did he take advantage of DS3 because he sold those 12 bales? DS3 loaded up 88 bales on his trailer and a couple more people showed up looking to buy alfalfa. Did DS3 take advantage of them because he bought all 88 bales that were left? And DS3 did not kick up a hissy fit because the hay guy was 12 bales short either.

Business is business.

 

[Baymule]

Having been a car sales person before, if I turned down a $20,000 down payment from a customer who was buying NOW versus a "beback" with no skin in the game, my boss would have fired me.

 

[Ridgetop]

The film people are gone - finished early on /Saturday and left in the morning. To Bubba's great relief!

So the first couple of days, he was shocked and saddened at being locked in the kennel all day long. On the 3rd day the dogs got clever. They were doing their rounds out in the brush when DH went out to call them in and kennel them. they wouldn't come. After about 10 minutes DH noticed a big head poking up over the brush, again he called and the head disappeared. He kept watching and in a few more minutes 2 heads peeked up over the brush As soon as they saw DH standing there with the leashes in his hand they ducked down again. DH walked out and sternly called them in. They came in very reluctantly. On the 4th day Bubba was being led to the kennel on his leash when he alerted on something in the gully. Rika dashed into the gully barking and DH let Bubba off since they were after something a few minutes later they both came up and walked back to DH. Poor bubba went back into the kennel but DS1 decided to put Rika in the lower back pen with the fall ewe lambs. She ended up staying back there with Angel for the final 5 days of the shoot. DH and I worried that Bubba, whose protection drive is much higher, would go over the barn pen gate and come up after the parade of strangers walking on and off the property. Also we had to keep the gate open for the cars and trucks coming and going from the field. Just safer to leave him in the kennel during the times the film people were there and then when they left and we closed the gates all the dogs were released. By the final day Bubba was howling his sadness at being kept in the kennel. There were also a lot of sirens that day which contributed to it.

Thank goodness it is over and the dogs are free - they are so much happier. I am noticing that Angel is taking guard duty turns with the others now that she is 7 months old. I can recognize her bark from Rika's and Bubba's. They all work well together. Angel does not like coming in the house at night for family time as much as they others though. It is surprising since she loved coming in when she was a baby.

Poor Bubba has to go to the vet tomorrow. He has been getting 'hot spots" and licking or chewing his skin. He now has several spots on his feet and lower legs that are raw. I sprayed it with Blue Kote today he continued to lick at the spots so I need the vet to take a look. None of the dogs show any signs of fleas. DS1 is thinking he is sensitive to something he is walking in. If it is something on the property we are in big trouble. Maybe he needs to take Benedryl if he has allergies. Off to the vet. I could try spraying it with Alumashield spray but I am afraid it might be toxic. It works great on the horses, but they don't chew their sores. I saw some sort of antibiotic gel spray that is non toxic and stops itching on the Chewy website. I will order that out too. Poor Bubba!

We are finally having a 4th of July BBQ at our place again. We missed the past 2 summers since the patio was crowded with everything from the garage and laundry area, and our gazebo was set up as a "pantry jail". LOL We are finally cleaning off the patio and scrubbing the patio furniture. The cushions have been put away for 2 years in their storage deck boxes (after Rika ate the original set of cushions, we bought 3 giant deck boxes to store them in. It was a real pain to take the out and put the away every time, but after having to spend almost $1000.00 in new cushions for all our wrought iron patio furniture I felt it was worth the extra $500.00 for the 3 huge weatherproof and dogproof deck boxes in which to store them. Especially since the glider and sofa cushions were different sizes and the store bought cushions were too large to fit. The smaller size was too small. I had to buy the large chair size cushions and cut them down to fit. That meant recutting and sewing the cushion covers after I cut the foam cushions down to size. I just barely got them all finished before the July 4th party 5 years ago! After all that work I sure don't want to have to do it all over again! However, those deck boxes sure do keep the cushions in pristine condition.

I was hoping that we could just put the cushions out and then put chair covers over them, but I am not sure if that will work. Angel seems to be entering her teenage chewing cycle now. While Kathleen and I were enjoying an adult beverage on the clean patio watching a gorgeous sunset, we noticed Angel attempting to drag one of the chairs to the dining table away for a chew toy. We stopped her but this morning I saw her with Josie's fly mask taking it across the patio. Josie routinely rips her fly mask off and this one was already in bad shape. When getting the 4th July party goods from the storage shed on the field I found where Angel had carefully placed it with her other treasures - a chewed garden glove and a large stick. Apparently that is her hoarding place. The fly mask, needless to say, was a complete loss - whether from Josie's removal of it or Angel is unknown. I will be buying another couple of fly masks for Josie. Annoying since they are expensive but I really like to protect her eyes from the flies. The fly masks are especially useful when we get the Santa Ana winds that blow dust, dirt and debris into the animals eyes.

Well, DS2 had ben learning that there are even more options on his new truck. Black Dragon is a diesel. DS2 had me come out and sit in the front seat and experience the massage feature. Not only do the seats heat and cool but also massage your tush. The mirrors are automatic as are the running boards, the tail gate is automatic, the truck has full moon roofs, the bed has a tonneau cover. It is fitted out with the attachments for 5th wheel and gooseneck towing. There are some really good features on the truck in the way of storage too. DS2 and his girlfriend, Kathleen, sat in it the other day with the manual for a couple hours to learn all the features. There are some thing they still have not discovered. BD is very tall since it is a 4WD dually and the previous owner put on some very large knobby tires. I told him that I can just see those automatic running boards malfunctioning one day as he steps out of the truck. Splat! He better look first before he steps out. LOL

All I can think is so much to go wrong and need $$$ repairs, but greater love hath no man than that of a man for his first truck.
DS2 takes good care of his vehicles so black Dragon should last him 30 years or more.

I love our reliable old Twinkles and I have a very comfortable back cushion massager with heat that plugs into the cigarette lighter that I enjoy on long trips. Poor DH had pulled a muscle before we went to Idaho for Angel and I talked him into trying my massage cushion. BIG MISTAKE! I DID NOT GET IT BACK FOR THE WHOLE TRIP! Oh well, sweetie was doing all the driving.

Tomorrow I have to go out to complete my shopping for the 4th July BBQ. Almost everything is taken care of so I will make the potato salad and bean salad Tuesday (bridge all day Wednesday), devilled eggs and Ambrosia Wednesday evening. Have the guys chill the beer and soda Thursday am. We used to have great big 4th July BBQs for 50 people every year. Only 14-16 people this year it is easy peasy. This is why old people are so good at everything - decades of practice. LOL

Happy 4th July everyone!