The Good, the Bad, and the Buggy

I despise bugs, but at the same time, I really like them.  (I'm talking taxidermy here, people...)

Bugs are the worse thing about animal mounts, and I for one know that.  Well, if it's not the number one thing, then I don't know what is.  For me, however, bugs have destroyed some of my very first pieces of art and for that I got/get pretty mad at those flying millers. 

If there weren't bugs, I would be a great taxidermist, at least in my humble opinion, and I could enjoy the pleasure of it more than worrying about the amount of Borax I use.  (Do not misunderstand, there are ways to mount a beast and protect it from bugs.  But, since I'm not a real taxidermist, I'm just making do with what I have to use.  Some day, I'd like to do a real mount with the chemicals or at least with something that is strong enough to keep bugs at bay, but until then, I'm just learning.)

Then on the other hand, bugs are great!  I'm even raising my own.  Dermestid beetles is the proper name of the bugs I have.  And, here's a fact: you can buy this type of bug.  Cool, huh?  But, actually, I got mine out in our pasture for free and they've been multiplying since then.  There's a slim chance I'll ever run out.

So, if I don't like bugs and they destroy my hard work and time, why am I raising them?

Because I not only like mounted animals, but I also really like animal skeletons.  And these bugs are just the ticket to get clean, not rotten bones and skulls.  It's the more natural way to clean it.  (There are other ways such as boiling, sun bleaching, time... etc.  But with the bugs, you can watch the process.  And by using the boiling idea, it's extremely hard to know how long to boil small skulls.  I once did a mouse skull and because it's a fragile bone, it crumbled.  However, bugs can get to the tiny spots, clean it, and while doing so, the bone doesn't get weak from water.)

In the picture below are four things my bugs have already cleaned.

On the down side, the bug way to clean skulls and such takes a while, and at times it doesn't appear much is happening in my box.  So, we do boil most of our deer heads, besides, they can handle boiling water unlike mice heads and little things.

~

My bugs live in a blue plastic tub.  For a lid, I have a large piece of cardboard with a hole cut into it.  Over the hole is some screen so the bugs can breathe and the smell of old meat from bones can escape.  The lid is held down by a log.  No, it's not the best looking container, but it keeps the bugs in and it's been working thus far.  It just looks redneck...

I never water them, which is pretty nice.  I just give them something to eat (a.k.a. a bone or skull with meat on it) and they munch on that.  When it's clean, all the meat is gone, I remove the skull from the box and they may or may not eat for a while.  Actually, I forget about the little colony sometimes, so it's a surprise when I open it up and see how far they've come.

At present, the colony is working on Little J.'s antelope skull, a very old badger skull (I think), a fox skull, and a jackrabbit skull.  That's a lot for my little guys, so I'm not expecting them to finish any time soon.  But what fun it is!  : )

Picture Post, Oct. 22

 

 

Well, here you go barn lovers.  : )

 

 

Disclaimer:  This is not our barn.

The "I'm Sorry" Post

I'm sorry. 

You might be thinking, "what is she talking about."  Well, I'm sorry for not writing better blog posts.  Maybe some of you are happy with the ones you're reading, others might not feel the same.  I read some that I like and I read some that I don't like.

I have been working so hard to grow my list of "boardies" (pets I board) that anything other than Facebook and Pinterest hasn't been very active.  In addition to working on my pet boarding page and selling odds and ends on Facebook, I've been doing my junior year of high school, house sitting, taking care of the "fort" when Dad and Big J. were elk hunting, and whatever a ranch life requires.  Therefore, blogging has (Sadly) been pushed to the side. 

I find myself asking, "what should I post?" about every single week!  I don't get much feedback, and I know that's because it's sorta harder to comment on this Blogger setup.  I might not even be writing things worthy of a comment.  So, please, don't start feeling bad for not leaving a comment!  As long as I get a few views, I know my blog isn't dead.  (Though sometimes I wonder if it is...  Again, that's not anyone's fault, but mine if I'm not taking time to write anything good.)  

You know, blogging isn't the easiest thing on Earth.

But, that's where I'm at about now. 

So...

Is there anything you readers want me to talk about on this blog?  Any suggestions would be appreciated. 

Thanks. 

P.S. this doesn't mean I'm going to quit this blog!  : )

Movie

Have you watched this movie?  I highly recommend it!

Name: Temple Grandin

Director: Mick Jackson

This drama/biography of Temple Grandin was very touching.  It takes a certain movie to make me cry and this is one of the few.  I have to admit, I was near tears at more scenes than I can count.  Can I say, "every scene"?  If it wasn't sad tears it was happy tears.

The movie showed how Temple worked through her autism and made her life worth something.  As was said in the movie, "I know there are a lot of things that I can't understand but I still want my life to have meaning."  She faced life, all the down talk from people and tough situations, and eventually succeeded. 

She was tough.  She didn't give up.  Whenever a door was in her path, she'd accept it.  After all, you never know what's on the other side until you open it.

During the movie, we were pulled into her life.  We saw things as she did, at least the best that we could. 

If you were to ask what part was my favorite, I'd say there were too many!  The whole deal was everything a movie should be.

But if you were to ask what part was my least favorite, I'd say, without hesitation, the part when the men changed her ally set up and killed three cows.  It was SO frustrating!

I don't want to tell you everything, so I'll end here.  If you want to watch a movie that at least inspired me, I say watch this one.  : )   

Different

not less

 

Web photo of Temple Grandin

My Taxidermy

 
Some of you may already know that I really like taxidermy.  Last year, I guess it was, I took it upon myself to learn how to mount animals.  With the help of the internet and practice, I have come quite a long ways.  At present I have two pigeons I'm working on. 

Don't get me wrong!  I'm no expert!  I still have bug problems (they eat and ruin the whole mount) and some of my mounts haven't turned out real-looking.  However, I'm still learning.

Here are a few taxidermy projects I have done since I started.  They aren't in any order.  : ) 
  

Antelope Hunt 2015

Yesterday marked the 3rd year I've had my blog, and now marks the day I got my first antelope.  What a big day!

Remember back in March, I wrote a post about winning the guided antelope hunt?  ( http://happyfaceranch.blogspot.com/2015/03/success-is-mine.html )  Well, I was terribly wrong about thinking the hunt wouldn't be fun.  What was I thinking?!  The hunt was one of the best.

Dad and I drove down to Stratford, TX, late Friday afternoon.  We met up with the landowner and his son, the guy in charge, the boy who also won the contest, and his brother.  After we had met everyone and talked for a bit, we drove around the pastures and fields, scouting for antelope.  We saw some right off...on the neighbor's land.  Finally, we saw some on the land we were going to hunt on and at dusk, headed to town for supper.

Early, early Saturday morning, I tossed and turned in bed as thunder and rain filled my ears.  Lightning was almost a constant light in the room and some thunder awoke me.  Finally, I fell back to sleep and then it was time to get up.  There was no light coming into my room as I climbed out of bed and slipped into my jeans.  The sound of thunder had ceased.  It was no longer raining.  My hunt would continue.

All 7 of us met up at a local diner and stuffed ourselves with breakfast.  It was after eight o'clock by the time we started hunting.  It was a very crisp morning.  With over cast skies, heavy sprinkles, and temperatures in the mid 40's, we felt frozen driving around with the windows down.

Then we saw one.  A buck off in the distance. We drove towards him, but nearly got stuck in the mud from the rain during the night.  Instead of standing still, he bolted.  We tried to cut him off, but that didn't work.  The race was on.  With long, smooth strides, he covered ground at a speed which caused us pursue at a faster pace.  He crossed a road and was lost in the CRP ground on the other side.  We attempted to follow him, but the grass grew so tall he was lost forever.

But, there, in the distance, stood a herd of antelope grazing in a field.  Another rain was approaching.  Low thunder rumbled across the sky and a meadow lark called to its buddy.  The grass waved as  a gentle breeze chilled us.  It was as peaceful as it gets.

We had driven around the whole circle of wheat before we found and got a close up look at the herd, and they were splitting.  The four best bucks went with a handful of does and disappeared between two circles of corn.  After a good look at the remaining ones, we followed the herd which had left. 
 
The Ford was close to stuck again and mud was flung everywhere.  We managed to get out and on safer ground before the antelope had left entirely. 

When we stopped on the paved road, we saw them standing there.  Most of them were broadside, the lighting making them silhouette, and if only we had a camera out at that moment!  They moseyed down the other side and we pulled off into the grass.

Every time we got settled and close, they would ease their way from us.  We moved a few times before the distance and angle was just right.  And finally, I had one picked out of the four.  We called the other hunters so that they wouldn't be in the way and I got ready.  

I sat in the back of the pickup (it's legal to shoot from the pickup in TX).  My gun, Zipper Trigger, was loaded, I was mentally ready, and...the antelope laid down to chew his cud.

What?  Really?

We sat and waited for minutes.  Five minutes grew into fifteen, then twenty.  A doe stood up, stretched, shook off the raindrops, and laid back in the grass.  After we had sat there with the windows down, just waiting on that one antelope, they reluctantly stood up.  Of course the one I was going to shoot was the last to stand.  But when he did, it was the end.

Raindrops dripped off Zipper Trigger's barrel as I shot the antelope through the heart.  He fell dead just a little ways from where he had taken his last stance.  My first antelope was in the book! 

The other hunter trailed after the herd after a few pictures and successfully shot his.  More pictures were taken of both of us and of the group and then we took care of the critters. 

I don't know why I was nervous.  The fun--like most times--out weighted the nervousness by a ton. 
Everyone was so polite, helpful, and great.  I would do it again if I only could!
 
And that, my friends, is why I couldn't do a blog post yesterday.  : )     

October 1

Work hard and cheerfully at all you do, just as though you were working for the Lord and not merely for your masters.

Colossians 3:23

 

Happy October 1st to you all!  : )