Spiders A-Lurking

Image via Wikipedia The other night something rather amusing happened, or should I say, to somebody else. My hubby was sitting on my desk chair talking to his sister on the landline when I noticed a rather large huntsman spider dropping down from the ceiling from one of its butt-strings. When I got control of my senses I yelled out a warning. It was a foot above his head by this time and as soon as I shouted it dropped quicker. The hubby quickly jumped up, slinging the phone to the floor, and the little invader promptly took a perch on his jumper. "Where is it?" he asked. I told him quickly and he did this rather funny dance and hand flicking maneuver that sent the arachnid across the floor to where I squished it with my booted hoof. The critter was rather large at nearly six inches across but I have seen much larger huntsman spiders.

A Bushie's Life: Protecting Your Pet

The death of the family pet has started me thinking about what people fail to consider when they decide to move from an urban environment to something more rustic: how to protect their pets against feral animals. Here are a few tips for maximizing the longevity of your animal companion if you live in the bush:

1. Encourage them to stay close to a populated area. (Home Base)
2. Fence off areas for your pet's protection. Stake it all down underground. (Moat it)
3. Give your pet lots of attention so that they will prefer to be close to their human companions. (TLC)
4. Have more than one animal companion. (Pack animals)
5. Spend time getting to know the area by walking about your property with your pet. (Know your battleground)
6. Be a part of the grapevine so that you know when the wild dogs are around. (Intel)

There are a lot more ways to protect your pet without lessening the quality of life and though, these tips may not guarantee your pet's longevity it is my hope that considering the problems associated with them will enable you to optimize the time with your companion, as well as cut down on the financial and emotional costs related to an attack upon your pet.

Meg: A Tribute

For those of you that haven't heard the family dog, Meg, was attacked by wild dogs over a month ago. Being over fourteen years of age, Meg was unable to protect herself from the vicious attack. She passed on in the middle of the night far away from the house, and was found in the morning after my mother-in-law noticed the other dog acting frightened. I felt really bad when I heard about her passing because Nelly, the other canine companion, was trying to get my attention as we arrived late the evening before. She wanted me to go with her and try to help her older friend but I didn't and this might have made the difference between life and death given the wintry conditions that Meg suffered through.
Meg was a cross-breed brindle whatsit with a heart of gold. She was a loyal companion who had your usual collection of bad habits, such as begging at the veranda table and rolling around in the pungent decay of dead or smelly things. My husband and I nicknamed her the "Wookie" because when she got excited she would let out a whine that came straight out of Star Wars. For a while she used to sleep on some old sleeping 1. bags under our kitchen table but soon worked up to a nice couch when it was moved to Fran's front veranda after she became too smelly for inside of the house even in the cold months.
Although she wasn't my pet I developed a report with her and went out of my way to give her lots of attention whenever I saw her. When I first saw Meg, she was one of four dogs that my mother-in-law cared for. There was Neddy the blue cattle dog with more energy than smarts; Jesse, who was almost Meg's twin in appearance, who was an outgoing dog; and finally Peppy, who was an adoptee of Fran's de facto for the time when he was living in Sydney. She was always pushed into the back of the pack unable to gain the sort of attention that the other dogs did. Eventually Jesse and Peppy died leaving Meg with Neddy. Then Jane, a staffy cross who was cared for by my hubby's brother came out to the farm. Neddy disappeared soon after, then Jane and Meg were attacked by the wild dogs. Jane was mauled to death soon after, trying to protect Meg. Meg was traumatized from seeing what happened to her buddy and wouldn't come off of the veranda unaccompanied until my husband and I moved out to the farm and the couch was placed out front as a place for her to sleep.
I used to spend a lot of time walking with Meg and she seemed to enjoy the attention that I gave her. Then she began to fade quickly, losing muscle density and was stricken by what we believe was the canine equivalent to Arthritis. Fran gave her healthy doses of Quarterzone to relieve the pain, but over time old age resulted in her barely being able to walk fifty meters before needing to rest. By this stage she was having serious problems walking up the stairs to reach her doggy bed. Nelly's presence gave her some boost for a while, as she didn't feel as alone, but didn't stop the degeneration of her weakened body.
Then, on a cold evening in July she walked some three hundred meters from the house to where she pooped regularly and was attacked by the wild dogs. It is a hazard of living out in the bush that there will always be wild dogs to create danger for domesticated animals. No matter how many baits the State Forestry puts out it didn't make much of a difference so you have to encourage safe habits for your animals. And much of this problem is due to irresponsible owners dumping their pets out in the middle of nowhere. It saddens me that Meg's death and the death of many of the other animals in the area could been prevented by a family taking an animal to a refuge where a good home could be found for the unwanted pet.

Another Stray

This morning my hubby's alarm went off so I got up, but when I looked out through the kitchen window across the paddock I saw the biggest stray dog. The other half called me back to bed so I did so, making it my goal to mention the sighting to my mother-in-law when I eventually got up out of bed. Sure enough, she'd been woken up numerous times during the night by the massive canine as he first tried to get comfortable under the house, then as he tried to push Nelly, the remaining pooch of the household out of bed.
The first thing you'll notice is his size: Dog X's head is just on level with my breasts. The next thing you'll notice is the markings: he has a lighter muzzle and underbelly couple by light brown everywhere else. The third thing you will notice is the droopy flaps of his mouth that resemble the dog from Turner & Hooch. He is a sleek but nervous dog with no indentations typically left by a collar, with a clean coat. I suspect that the M-i-L's suggestion of him being a Great Dane cross might not be far off, but there is something else there as well - probably Greyhound based on the streamline body. That being said, the posture of our visitor, tail coiled out in all its glory, is reminiscent of a Saint Bernard.
The household doesn't know what to do about this poor laddie. He obviously has no indication of a previous collar so the possibility is that if he was cared for in the immediate sense, then he likely lives out here where we don't have dog catchers, and many of our neighbours lack the inclination to stick them on their companions. So, unless he is the long lost dog of the local farmer down the road (like $1000 reward for his return) then we will seriously need to spread the word if we ever hope to find his human home.
Update: The stray left the property soon after this post and hasn't been seen or heard from since then. If we ever see him again, we will contact the lady up the road to see if it is her canine companion. Regardless, I wish the majestic old man good luck in his doggy adventures.

Music Review: MAY'S

Earlier this year a Facebook friend living in Tokyo, Herb Q Kendrick, let me know that he'd just recorded a duet with his friend Maico, an up-an-coming J-pop singer. I felt his enthusiasm for supporting the project. He held high hopes for the release once the editing was done and the album released. I sat back and waited to hear more on the LP.
Well, he got back to me via PM and sent me some links along with an update on MAY'S (Maico's artist name) new release. And may I just say that we I have heard was mind-boggling. MAY'S voice is on par with any of the pop singers that I have heard in recent times, and given what Herb has told me, the new album, entitled My Everything, is doing very well in Japan at present. I am now officially a fan of her music, but if you'd like to hear it for yourself, then check out the clips for the title track, My Everything,, and her duet with Herb, Appreciation. If you'd like to learn more about this talented artist as well as many of the people involved in the project, then check out her official website.

Frogs in Winter

I just found a bronze bush frog hopping around on the concrete floor of our shed. It is winter here so the poor little fellow was forced out of semi-hibernation by the wet weather. Another unfortunate problem was the fact that certain unused portions of our house (storage areas) were covered in dust bunnies so his skin was chockablock full of fluff. His poor nose was dark from the lack of moisture as well.
All in all he wasn't in a good way, so I gently removed the layer over his skin and gave him a bit of a bath to loosen up the rest of the rubbish. Knowing that he would be in the same boat if he stayed inside (even in the warmer environ) I picked him up and stuck him in the overgrown grass of my unkempt garden. As I bid him farewell I hoped that if I ever saw him again he would be outside kicking it with his homies.

Music Review: prePOPsterous by Papa Dada

A Jamendo contact sent me a recommendation for another album. I wasn't sure what to expect when I was sent a recommendation for this puppy, but after listening to a few tracks I had to download the torrent. Since downing the album I have listened to it non-stop. It is comical at times, but Papa Dada show that they are more diverse with Leave a Light on for Me, a lovely ballad. The album has consistently high quality recording, editing, instrumentation and lyrics. It is a beautiful album and a must-listen. Similar Bands: The Whitlams

Movie Review: Hancock

Tuesday night, my husband and I had the pleasure of watching Hancock at the Birch, Carol & Coyle Theaters at Indooroopilly's Megaplex in Brisbane. It is the story of John Hancock (Will Smith), a one of a kind hero living in Los Angeles. He is a drunk, is rude and hates himself so much that he vents his frustration by destroying stuff. Although he always catches the bad guys, his manners leave a lot to be desired. As a result of both his bedside manner and the massive collateral damage left in his wake. he is hated by almost everyone in the city.
Then he rescues Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), a Public Relations marketer who wants to change the world for the better. Upon seeing how the people treat the man who rescued him, the grateful PR man offers to play adviser to our hero. Reluctantly Hancock takes him up on his offer and as such our hero will be brought into direct contact with a forgotten past. A special friendship will develop between the two men but will become complicated when Mary Embrey (Charlize Theron) turns out to be John's long-lost ex-wife. In the end, our hero will find that he is not alone in the world, will become more polite, less destructive, and inevitably take his place in the world as a hero worth looking up to.
Based on the numerous trailers for the film, I was expecting a single-focus comedy, but as it turned out, it was more than just a simple laugh-in. I found this movie to be more drama than comedy, although there were some big laughs therein. Hancock offers laughs in between dramatic and epic-level action sequences; good writing from Vincent Ngo and Vince Gillian; great acting from a host of talented actors; and excellent direction from Peter Berg. There is some coarse language, but it really is a must-see film.

Music Review: Ben Hammond

As many of my readers are aware already, I download a lot of music from Jamendo. It is a case of hit and miss most of the time, but yesterday I happened upon Ben Hammond, a very talented roving musician. He has two beautiful albums on Jamendo, [Reasonably] Honest features two tracks, whilst the No History Sessions EP has an offering of four tracks. I listened to [Reasonably] Honest first and was surprised by his smooth voice reminiscent of a young Stevie Wonder if he was merged with the likes of Michael Buble, acoustic work that rivals any high profile guitarist, high quality recording and editing. This was carried through to the other album as well, though it considered more mainstream pop than the previous. Some people might consider this a bad thing, but much of what pop music lacks in recent times is the credibility that an independent artist brings to the table.

Music Review: Blacklight Skies by Neil Leyton

The other day I received an email recommendation from a friend at Jamendo saying that Neil Leyton had released a new album via the website. I was excited to say the least, but the download was delayed due to website maintenance. Today Jamendo was up and running, so I downloaded the torrent and gave the EP a listen. I was not disappointed either. Neil delivers rebellious Brit-Rock that will start your feet a-tapping, all the way up and into the brain. His songs are fun and as always touched by his own political message. Well worth a download!