Stranger at the door

We had an unexpected visitor at the Lake House yesterday.

We drove separate vehicles and I arrived later than DH as I stopped to peruse a community festival in the business sector of town. It was the community’s first event for a fall festival but I would say it was a grand success. Lots of artisans and booths with food, etc. Also two separate stages with musicians.

When I got to the house, DH was inside watching a ball game, so I sat down with him for a couple of innings before unloading my vehicle. When I got up and went to the door, we had a visitor. A beautiful black collie mix. He was sitting on the porch with his back against the sliding glass door as though he belonged here. I called DH and told him we had company. When I opened the door, he gently raised up and stood there as though he should be allowed in. He was covered with those little green seeds and lots of moisture making me think he had been playing in the woods. Since the two of the houses across the street had weekend residents, I assumed he belonged to some of them. He would look up whenever he heard a child’s voice but never acted like he wanted to leave. From the gray on his muzzell we could tell he wasn’t a young dog.

As we unloaded the car, he trotted back and forth with us and acted as like he wanted to play. I had thrown a frisbee in the car to have at the Lake house, so I threw it in the air to see if he played frisbee. He did! He would gingerly bring it back and lay it at my feet. He and I had been playing a few minutes when DH came outside. I was no longer the preferred play partner. The visitor took the frisbee and laid it at DH’s feet as though to say. “It’s your turn!” He was obviously a man's dog. He continued to take the frisbee to DH until he finally tired and took the frisbee to a shady spot to rest.


We checked his neck for a collar and found one underneath his heavy mane. But, I could only find a rabies tag.

DH and I both had errands to run, so I gave the visitor some water and we left again in separate vehicles. When I got back in about 90 minutes, the visitor was still at the house, sitting against the glass sliding door again. When he saw me get out of the car, he brought the frisbee to me, wanting to play again. I played with him again while I unloaded the groceries. I had bought a small bag of dry dog food “just in case”. I laid out a handful of chunks and he politely ate but did not act too hungry. He did go back to the bowl of water I had put out earlier, so I refilled it.

He was such a wonderful dog, I knew he was used to having someone who loved him. I just felt there was someone out there who was really missing him. I run my hand around his neck under all that hair again and found the collar. I keep running my fingers around the collar. Found the rabies tag again but kept going. Then I felt something different. I pulled him closer to me and parted his long hair. There was a name “Slimbo G********” and an address and phone number. I called the phone number and identified myself and asked the lady on the other end if she was missing a dog. She said , “Oh yes! We have looked everywhere for him! Where are you?” I gave her directions to our lake house and she said they would be right over to pick him up. They were about 3 miles from us.

When DH came back from his chores, I told him I had found a tag on the dog’s collar and the people were coming to pick him up. We waited about 2 hours and when they still had not come I called them again. She was so glad I had called back. In her excitement about my finding their dog, she had got the directions mixed up and forgot to get my number.

It was an elderly couple. They told us the dog was a gift to them 11 years ago on their 50th anniversary. The gentleman said the dog had never spent a night outside before in his life and they had been so worried about him. They had looked and looked everywhere but could not find him. The lady remarked that her husband had been so depressed, worried about his dog.

As for Slimbo, he seemed reluctant to go with them. He had enjoyed having someone to play frisbee with but when the man opened the car door, he took one last look at us as if to say "see you later" and jumped into the car.

Our dogs at the farm aren't as spoiled and are so much more rambuncious than the polite and playful stranger had been. He had only been in our life for a few hours but we missed him that evening.

Mayhem on the front porch

First I have to give you some background. Last fall, during the World Series, I was visiting my friend in Houston. Before I left, she gave me a plant that originally came from Hawaii (leas are made from its blooms) but grows well in her area. She had rooted a cutting for me and another for herself. Mine wintered on the windowsill above my kitchen sink; during the winter, the sun is low enough that the plant could get a lot of sun. As spring approached, the plant had put out a number of new leaves and as soon as it stayed warm enough, I put it on the floor of our deck.

My friend and I talked daily about our plants' progress. We had a friendly competition as to who would get the first bloom. Mine had a number of large leaves and was getting very tall. I wondered how I would winter it since it had grown so big.

THEN, one morning I went out on the deck to check all my plants and the top leaves of my plant were gone. Not just broke off-GONE. I also noticed some chewed areas around the stalk of the plant. I moved the plant to the deck railing, hoping that whatever was eating it, would not be able to climb up that high. Nope, that did not discourage whatever it was. DH and I discussed whether the marks would have come from a large squirrel, as teeth marks were clearly visible. They seemed too large for a squirrel but we have some really big red squirrels around. Also, my impatiens and a decorative sweet potato plant had been browsed.

Anyway, because of all the damage to the plant, I had to cut it off below the chewed area that was almost level with the dirt in the pot. Then I took the undamaged top 8 inches and put some rooting compound on it and put it in another pot. Of course the top did not have the leaves on the tip but it appeared that some new sprouts were trying to grow from the sides. I covered the stubby original plant with some chicken wire and put the newly potted top on the front porch where it would get a little morning sun. We are blessed with abundant shade in the summer time so full sun areas are scarce around our house. So far, so good.

Since we live two miles from a highway and 300 feet off the rural road, our dogs are allowed to run free. Both are cattle dogs. One is an older Border Collie and the other a young Red Heeler. They stay very close to home, if they aren't with DH checking the cattle. The Red Heeler has decided that her spot is on the front porch and the Border Collie has decided that her job is to guard the back yard and she stays either on the patio under the deck or under some nearby scrubs. Our deck sits two stories high on the back of the house and is only accessible from outside via a staircase. I have a wooden gate across the opening to keep little children in and the yard dogs out. Since the dogs can not get onto the deck, the marauder seemed to be feeling anything put there was free for the taking.

Last night about 3:00 a.m. both dogs were making more racket than we have ever heard them make. It appeared to be coming from the front porch. First it sounded as if they were fighting (each other?). There was barking and also what sounded like yelps of pain. Then the bedlam moved out into the yard. It finally woke DH and he yelled at them to hush. No such thing! They continued to bark ferociously. DH finally got dressed and carried a shotgun outside. By now both dogs were circling and barking at a stack of corrugated metal roofing. They seemed to calm down by DH being there but quietly maintained their stations at the stack of roofing.

Then, this morning, DH as usual, unlocked the front door and looked on the porch. One of the metal chairs was turned over in the middle of the porch right in the path to the steps. Then he noticed that there was blood and soft feces all over the porch floor. When I looked out, I noticed there were even large spots of blood on the seat of the hanging porch swing. The young Red Heeler was at her usual place on the front porch but had a number of gashes and cuts all over her. DH used some of his spray antiseptic on her to help her heal.

What had happened last night? Was the intruder what has been eating my Hawaiian plant? The plant was undisturbed but maybe the menace was attracted by its smell to the front porch and met up with the Red Heeler. We decided that only a raccoon could have attacked the Red Heeler that way. If the turmoil happens again, I will post about it; 'til then, I guess for my dogs' safety, I will start bringing my Hawaiian plants in each night.