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| Progress in silver sparkles |
*The critter was retrieved and bagged for possible inspection by our county vector control office.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
How Knitting Gets Done
The girls sent out the alarm. Four hens transfixed, all facing the same direction, cackling in a nervous undertone made me stop mid-chores to look around. A plump rat lay creamy-bellied up a yard or so away from the chickens. In broad daylight rats do not sleep in the open on their backs. Dead was what it was. So I scooped the rat into my pail--for less than a second! With its last ounce of life, it shot back out. A big shovel in hand to scoop up the rat showed how serious I was as I pitched the thing over the hedge.*
Then I noticed that what felt like a scratch from the rapid bucket exit was bleeding--a bite--by a sick rat. My last tetanus shot was 1997. The emergency waiting room is a great place to knit. Got in three rows waiting for the nurse. Knit another four or five while waiting for the doctor. The admissions person allowed me to knit the whole time we were filling in the blanks for the hospital records. I put the knitting away for my drive home. There were several other fun items in my plans for Things I get to do today that were set aside while I had the pleasure of watching this lovely scarf grow. Sometimes that is just how the knitting gets done.
*The critter was retrieved and bagged for possible inspection by our county vector control office.
*The critter was retrieved and bagged for possible inspection by our county vector control office.
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The scarf is beautious, and I hope the rat was just an old man going belly up.
ReplyDeleteI hope so, too. I made it bleed for nearly an hour to wash his germs out of the tiny slit in my thumb. All is well.
DeleteWhat a tale. Thankful for the chicken alarm. Isn't there a way to knit while you drive? hehe... :) Be well my friend. KE
ReplyDeleteAh, Kathy, I've done that in times past, but these days I value my life more (or at least my good insurance record). All is well, indeed.
DeleteYikes! I would have freaked out a little.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Scarf!
Fortunately, Handy Andy is pretty steady and does not generally freak out. I did note, however, that my blood pressure when taken at the ER was a little higher than normal. And an additional fortunate item is that rats don't carry rabies usually. Good thing to know. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteI am sennding you my magic healing bubbles to make you all better!
ReplyDeleteYou must have been so afraid- and the chickys too!!
Your scarf that you are knitting is beautious!
love
tweedles
Thanks, sweet Tweedles. I'm lucky to be SO much bigger than the rat with nothing to fear. I'm enjoying the knitting process very much--turquoise and silver are a wonderfilled combination!
DeleteOuch! But chicken alarms rock. I love knitting so much. That is such a beautiful scarf. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, m'dear. Chickens are great for so many things. I love chickens so much!
Deleteno rabies-just hantavirus and bubonic plague. gr! Sorry couldn't resist. Glad to know there is at least one thing they don't carry. I hate ratus ratus-(common rat)! Hated them every since I studied Medieval history! Maybe that's why I love cats so much.
ReplyDeleteMy husband is not a cat lover, but if we had one that would truly catch rats I know he would change his mind. He hates rats, too.
DeleteThere are always rat terriers! Bred to hunt rats and not a cat. I am in the process of cleaning out my Dad's house and dealing with mice. He didn't know that he had. My worst nightmare. Well one of them. I think I had better check and see when I had my last tetanus shot. Life is funny. I can now add rat catcher to my resume. Hey so can you!gr--
ReplyDeleteDo rat Terriers like chickens? When these dear hens fly to the farm in the sky, they will be the last. That will reduce the food supply at least. Rat catcher--guess so. I done him in--he wiggled a little when I went to retrieve him from the ditch, so I smacked him with the flat of the shovel. Done.
DeleteAll depends on if you get a puppy or not. Dogs are trainable to love anything if gotten young enough. Chene thinks cats are family and curls up, sleeps with them, plays with them and takes part in on going lickfest on a daily routine. SO why not train a puppy to like or even herd chickens. Sheep dogs herd geese. It was always fun to watch when I lived in ND.
ReplyDeleteSo matter of fact about the ratus ratus. I think you should be honoured for doing away with the rat! High fives all around!
cheers and all,
kathe
Thanks for the encouragement. I may be too old for a puppy. But my tetanus-shot arm is feeling better today.
Delete