Smarties Bar & Grill #76

Hussie, our neighborhood cat, has been brawling. While we know he has others caring for him, no one seems inclined to take him to the vet for a snip. Well, since one of his wounds from fighting seems to have gotten infected, I guess we will be footing that bill. And while we are at it, snip snip.

From that point forward, he's our cat, and likely will be relocated to our home on the lake. While that will make it a bit quiet for me at the work house, it's only 6 more months until (semi) retirement for me.

 

I had an expensive vet's bill for my cat recently after a scratch got infected and caused a huge abscess. His eye was swollen shut like a boxer's and it took a couple of antibiotic injections and about a week's healing for it to get better.
I heard the cat fight that caused it and know where the cat came from. If I see it again it will get water bombed.

 

Our cat will chase us down for a ride on the Gator. He will climb up on the top sometimes but most of the time he sits on my lap.

 

I had a dog when the cats came originally but she has since died. She was a chill beagle who didn't much care about anything other than eating and napping so the cats didn't mind her. Problem was neighbors a few houses up moved in with a pitbull who was constantly getting loose and chasing my cats. Since then, that one in particular is afraid of a dog anywhere in his range of senses. The aloof one learned pretty early on the safest place when pitbull was loose was up under my car because it sits too low to the ground for the dog to get under. The tree beside it was her alternate safe spot. I was the happiest person on the planet once that pitbull moved away. Not particularly aggressive as long as you didn't try to touch him. It was just huge, was loose way too often, and annoying as heck. Wasn't even his fault he was loose that much. They put up a cheap wire garden fence with those green metal posts and a crap gate that popped open on its own about anytime the fence moved.

Anyway, I know people with cats like yours. Mine never have been that bounded to me. A friend has one he can take hiking with him and the cat will always stay close. Mine would ditch me in two minutes tops as soon as they saw something interesting they could murder.

 

I got my cat as a kitten. He came from a u-pick farm. I went to pick some berries and came away with a kitten. He was a tiny little thing. I took him to the vet first off and the vet told me he may not make it. He said he was loaded with fleas. The vet sprayed him and I took him home, put him in a tub of warm water and washed him. The fleas started falling off in the water. I washed him till he was flea free. Dried him off and it was like a miraculous transformation, his whole being changed. He was one of the happiest and funniest kittens I have ever seen. He came alive after the bath.. He has been my buddy ever since. He plays with the dogs and will hide and jump at them every chance he gets.

 

Update, Hussie has been MIA since Monday afternoon. Here's hoping one of the neighbors has either treated the wounds or taken him to the vet.

All I ask is that he is OK.

 

Sometimes they run off for a while and then return to recover. A tom cat gets in fights.

 

True. The plan is to take the 'tom' out of him. He is a sweet, mild mannered cat.

 

Overcast and wind blowing hard.…… And 85°, I guess that is so the dust can stick to your sweaty body. The weather here is so speshul

 

He will come home if he is ok, he might be somewhere with the lady cat. Sometime a sweet mild mannered cat can turn tiger mean when another tom is involved.

 

As I was backing into the driveway, there he was, headed for the back deck.... he came and flopped on the path to the front door and went belly up.

His wounds are healing, but it will take a while for the fur to grow back on the neck wound. There is a hole like a piercing in his right ear, so maybe he wants a diamond stud? lol.

I think we may move forward with the snip snip... the spouse says Hussie may have kittens out there, and I would love to see them if he does, but it's time to cut that population machine down.

 

I hope Hussie does well with his surgery.

Having a batch of kittens running around is one of life most treasured happenings.

 

The only problem with a kitten is that....eventually it becomes a cat......... I do believe that we should keep the feral cat population down. It is better for the cats and better for the people. But kittens are awesome.

 

Kittens become cats for sure but some of the kittens that are awesome become cats that are awesome.

 

The other day I found the biggest mushroom I have ever seen it was about 16 inches across and about 6 inches high. It look like a huge orange and white flower absolutely gorgeous. So far from all the pictures it looks like it might be a chicken of the woods mushroom.

 

Is it edible?

I don't know enough about wild mushrooms to even think about eating one. The only thing relayed by a friend of ours who intentionally goes out into the wilds without food (he does bring water and purification tablets) so he has to scrounge to eat for a couple days, is that if other wild life eat it, chances are, it's relatively safe to eat. He's been proven sort of wrong once or twice, with painful results lasting a day or two.

 

Where did you find it?
Chicken of the woods is a bracket fungus found on old or dead trees, usually beach or oak. Bright orange on top and yellow/white underneath.
If it is a chicken of the woods it is edible and highly delicious.
If you can take a photo of it I will be able to identify it.
As with all wild mushrooms, unless you are certain do not eat it!




https://unrulygardening.com/chicken-of-the-woods-mushroom/

 

One of my favorite apps.

 

It is definitely a chicken of the woods. It looks like huge flower, it is so large I spotted it about 15 yards from the trail. From the trail I couldn't tell exactly what it was but it wasn't something common. It is in layers and the layers look like flower petals,. In the pictures you posted the lower left picture looks more like it. The outer edges are white and centers are orange. It is a very striking specimen. Probably as perfect as nature would allow. The texture is a bit thick, and slightly firm. It doesn't have gills the bottom of the mushroom is smooth. I am not able to post the pictures.

 

My prefered recipe is to cut them into strips and breadcrumb them.
They taste so much like chicken you could fool just about anyone.
The outer edges are the best as the parts nearest the tree can be a bit tough.
I've not had them in years but as a vegetarian they are a real treat. Served with a creamy blue cheese sauce on a bed of rice.
I'm quite jealous.

 

I didn’t harvest it. I did read that they would come back in the same spot or near.
This was such a treat to see this mushroom it was beautiful and so large. I am going to take some more pictures because it has faded in color. It was so pretty I really couldn’t bring myself to do anything but look at it and be glad that I saw it. Maybe if there is a repeat it can be harvested.
Thank you for the advice on how to cook them.

 

I brought a map of the world and pinned it up on the wall. I gave my wife a dart and told her wherever he dart lands I'm taking you on holiday.

Turns out we're spending two weeks behind the fridge.

 

here are some pictures of the mystery mushroom.

 

Here he is. Still skinny because he has been through it. Very healthy....looks like.