hug for Cher

Will do Els....cheers......Cher\

Wow sounds lovely, we certainly are fortunate, and none of us like flies of anysort much, although I love the dragon fly when she comes to visit the pond, I \shall\ have to put a netting over my\ pond.

Tell you what though, \talking of flies, I saw a weird anti fly thing on tv the other day, someone was buying a house in Spain, and when they got there the house had several large clear juice bottles hung\ up sideways from strings across the doors, when the woman asked wh\at they were for, the guy said...\ It keeps flies away, when the fly comes up he sees his reflection in it and it is magnified, and he goes off.....scared....lol

It\ must work I guess cos several houses had them...

"Shillelagh" skrev i melding news:2dXfe.2391$ snipped-for-privacy@news1.mts.net...

... and smell the lemontree and pommegranats, as you told me... I have "seen them" and smelt them all the time after! Early morning is the best part of the day!!! AUD ;-))

We had a dragonfly come to visit our swimming pool a few times last summer, while we were in it I might add. He didn't stay long, just stopped for a quick look around and then he was off to the outside area, and then over the fence and gone. They are neat looking.

I am definitely with Shelagh about the mosquitoes though. Matthew has always had an allergic reaction to mosquito bites. I remember one year when he was only six, it was the first week back to school and the mosquitoes had been out in full force. Matthew had been bitten often and came up in huge red welts on his face, his arms, the backs of his legs, and one of his ears was swollen to twice it's size. When I went to the school with him that morning I noticed a few teachers looking from hiim to me and back again, the welts were so bad I could see how they must have thought it looked like someone beat him with a cane or something. Thankfully he started scratching them (a LOT), and also thankfully most of the teachers knew me well enough to know that I would never allow anyone to beat my child. Poor little guy!

He still comes up in welts, but they don't look half as bad now that he's not a little fellow anymore. When he was little someone told me about Skin-so-Soft by Avon (a bath oil, for those who don't have Avon in their country) working on keeping mosquitoes away. I tried it on Matthew and it worked... he only got two bites while having it on him. Obviously something in the stuff that the mosquitoes can't stand the smell of. Actually, Matthew wasn't crazy about smelling like that while going to school either, so often he would be gone before I could have the chance to get it on him. He wears it more often now though... at the times the mosquitoes will be around more... either that or he'll just stay in the house at the worst times.

Gem

Gem, where do you live that this story made it to you? This happened about

45 minutes south of Boston (very close to my MIL). It was all over the news. I agree that it is terrible but it always surprises me when this kind of story draws such a reaction when there are far more terrible things going on in the world. They spent more time reporting this story on the Boston news than they did the story of a 5 year old boy missing in a not-so-safe part of the city. I am an animal lover as well (though I have to admit that Canada geese aren't my favorite!) but I would hope the people putting together the evening news would give a little more weight to how their broadcast might help find that little boy, especially as it is too late to do anything to help the geese.

LauraJ

Yes, we have had Chickadees in our back yard too. Very cute!

LOL That conjures up some funny images!

Gem

Hi Everyone,

I've so enjoyed reading these posts about the different birds. I have four tufted titmouse that come to the feeder in the winter, but they are gone now. The only winter birds that are still here are two pairs of cardinals, goldfinch and chickadees. I do have a mourning dove that is sitting on her nest behind the light above our garage door and the robins are in the pine tree. Laura, I hadn't heard about the little five year old boy, I hope they find him safe and sound. I did see the news story about the kid though.

In our village there is Collins Lake and the Canadian Geese love it here. We have had over 500 at one time and they now have had to take steps to see if they can move them along, but so far it hasn't worked.

Hugs,

Nora

I am in Ontario Canada. I happened to have the TV set to come on to that channel in the morning (6 AM) to get Matthew off to work in the city.

I totally agree that a child missing is more important news to be reporting, and honestly I only heard a couple of minutes at the end of the report about the geese as I was in the kitchen for the most part getting the dogs fed and put out for their morning jog around the yard. So I didn't hear the rest of the news at all and definitely didn't hear about the child.... it may have been reported before the TV came on, or while I was in the kitchen.

However I think cruelty to animals should also be reported so that people who do like animals can keep their eyes and ears open for the sick twisted people out there who find amusement in this sort of cruelty.

I've never had a problem with Canada geese. They've never even hissed at me. In fact, they have often taken bread straight out of my hand in a most polite way. The few who don't come to me are a little nervous and even walk quickly away if I approach to toss them some bread. While it may be too late for that particular family of geese, the reporting of the abuse could help to keep it from happening in future, or at the very least keep people's eyes open for that sort of cruelty.

Gem

Nora, I found it amusing that a few (about 6 altogether) Canada Geese actually stayed at the park in the city throughout the winter. There were some days when it was very cold and nasty weather happening, and you could see them high-tail it in their little flock to some other location... but when there would be a break in the weather (even a slight break) you could see them flying back toward the park again. Tough Canadian birds for the tough Canadian winters. lol

Gem

I thought you were in Canada! That's why I was surprised that this story made it up there. I agree with you that these types of stories should be reported to hopefully prevent future abuse. I just disagree with the sensationalistic way they get reported. Maybe it is just our news channels here that are particularly terrible. Though right after the goose story they did a great piece on a greyhound track which closed in Connecticut. They are trying to place 1000 dogs in homes and the story showed tons of people coming out to the shelters to adopt them. I'll be driving through CT next weekend on the way to visit my parents and offered to pick a couple up for them but they politely (or not so politely, on my father's part) declined the offer (I'm sure I could have convinced my mother if I had worked a little harder on her but my dad might have never spoken to me again! LOL).

And for the record, they did find the missing boy so that is good news!

LauraJ

Yes, Nora, they did find the little boy safe and sound this morning. I'm sure it was a terrible night for his family. As for the geese, DH grew up near a college campus with a lake and a Canada geese problem. They employed a local resident's sheep-herding dog to chase them away. I have heard of dogs being used around airports to keep the birds away as well. 500 is certainly a lot of geese!

LauraJ

I watch quite a bit of American TV, actually. :o)

hehehe I can just imagine! It would have been ME wanting to keep the dogs though.

The month before Matthew was born my 9 year old mixed breed dog died after having a couple of weeks of going into convulsions and the vet not being able to find out what was causing it. She had been my "baby" since my brother brought her home to me (in the middle of the night after a New Year's Eve party, mind you) when she was actually too young to be taken from her mother... the people who had her had given the rest of the litter away before her and because she was the last one they said if they didn't find a home for her they would have her put down. I could literally hold her in the palm of one hand, she was a tiny ball of fluff.

When I got pregnant, and before I started to show, Tasha would get up on the couch beside me while I was lying there. Normally she would lay right across my stomach, but once I became pregnant she would put her paw *gently* on my stomach, then pull it back and lay beside me with her head resting on my stomach instead. :o) She was at the vet's and they called me a couple of times the night before she died, saying that she was eating from their hand, and she seemed to be feeling better. I went there the next morning to find out how she was doing and was told by the receptionist "Oh, didn't you know? She died during the night!" I was shocked, and heartbroken! I went home and sobbed... my ex-husband (can't imagine why he's my EX) was very insensitive and said "Stop the nonsense, IT was just a dog!" My dad went to the vet to get her, and buried her. My parents loved her too, she was such a baby.... even wrapping herself up in her baby blanket when it was time for a car ride.

Anyway (I got way off track there, sorry about that), after she died and I was so upset... and after my marriage dissolved... I mentioned missing having a dog, and my mom said "After how upset you got when Tasha died... I don't want anymore dogs in the house at all.) Of course I talked her into it when Matthew's 11th birthday was coming up, saying that he had never known the joy of having a dog like we had. ;o) My mom finally gave in, much to my dad - mine - and Matthew's delight.... and we got Buffy from a farm. Matthew picked her out, so she's his dog.

Then four years ago I saw an ad in the paper for free puppies, so I told my mom I was going to look at them. I looked (was thinking about a yellow coloured one as we'd never had one before, and white seemed hard to keep clean so I wasn't even considering one of them), and while on my knees patting one Casper would come over and nudge the other pups out of the way to get the attention. I patted him and then tried moving on to the other pups, and calling them... but guess who was front and center all the time. After doing this for about a half hour, he finally put the finishing touches on and stole my heart by coming over to me *again* and semi-climbing up to me, and planting a little puppy kiss on my cheek. I looked at the woman and said "Okay, he obviously wants me, and he *is* adorable. So he's mine!" Just then I looked and he had gone to his mother who was lying on the ground and started nursing. I looked at the woman and she said "That's weird, they have all been weaned for a couple of weeks." Guess he was saying goodbye to his old family so he could come home with his "Mama". ;o) It will definitely break my heart big time when his time is up and I have to say goodbye.

So as you can tell, I'm a big softy when it comes to dogs. I would have a bunch of them if it wouldn't be so expensive to feed them all, and take them for their shots and heartworm medicine. Two at a time is plenty as far as the expenses go... but my heart could love a lot more. :o)

Thank goodness for that! Had he been kidnapped, or wandered off? That would definitely put the fear of God in you to have your child disappear.

Gem

I like dragonflies, one evening, I was getting Edward ready for bed, it was dark and quite late, and I suddenly heard this tap tap tap at the window, thinking for a minute that the open window was making the curtain cord tap against the side, I ignored it, and then Edward said, it's a bird, I told him it was just the breeze so went to shut the little window at the top, to suddenly see a large green and blue dragon fly banging at the other large window, he must have seen the sheen on the window and thought it was a pond, and more to the point Edward thought it was a bird so it may have happened before, I explained to Edward what it was...lol

We don't get mosquito's like you do over there thankgoodness, but we get little midges that bit and bring us up in welts too. The summer sun or gardening or something out there gives me prickly heat though and I come up in tons of little tiny spots that really itch real bad...Lavendar oil calms it down, or lavendar cream...

"Matthew Hollands" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@corp.supernews.com:

and they eat tons of mosquitoes, blackflies, gnats, flies... we have thousands of dragonflies in the summer buzzing over the gardens & pasture. there are the big blue & green ones, metallic looking ones with black wings (those stay pretty close to the pond), smaller red ones, delicate damselflies (look like dragonflies, but fold thier wings when resting. they are the adult form of antlions AKA doodlebugs, that make those cone shaped traps in dry sandy soil)... the smaller dragonflies tend to be somewhat terratorial. they choose a roost spot & will fly off, grap a bug, & come back to the same spot. if you place your finger near thier roost, but a bit higher, they almost always will land on your finger instead. this thrills the kid no end :) lee

Aw, thanks for sharing, Gem! I love your dog stories. It is amazing how much they can sense about us! My family had two growing up and I would love to get one now but it is hard being in a tiny place in the city. Maybe by the time we retire (in 35 years!) we'll have a place with a yard big enough for a dog to run around in. DH is a cat person so I'll probably have to put up with one of those if I want my dog ;)

I haven't heard much news about the missing boy but it sounds like he wandered off and spent the night at a neighbor's (why the neighbor didn't call his parents I'll never know!). He reappeared at his mom's house at 5 the next morning - they don't even know who dropped him off. Very strange all around but definitely good that he is okay!

Okay, gotta get to work. Hope you all have a nice spring day!

LauraJ

Or possibly he was saying goodnight! :o)

Gem

Cool, I didn't realize that they ate mosquitoes and other bugs. :o)

Gem

That's what I told Edward, but it freaked him a little bit, and I had adickens of a job to get him to keep his window open last summer..he was worried incase the ''bird'' came in..lol I told him, that he had just got lost a bit, he won't do it again, and anyway that was a night time bird not a daytime one, lol

hugs...Cher

Awww, poor boy! I guess that might very well concern him. :o)

By the way, you don't use screens on your windows? Likely because you don't have to worry about moquitoes coming in and having a snack on you while you're sleeping, hmmm?

My Mom told me that when she was growing up in Newfoundland they didn't use screens on their windows. I would have thought being by the sea that with or without mosquitoes there would at least be fish flies to contend with.

*shrug* Katherine? I know you're in Labrador now, but didn't you also live on the island?

Gem Who definitely does NOT like bugs (except dragonflies and butterflies, and I don't mind ladybugs too much either) most especially not the creepy-crawly ones! {{{shutter}}}