This, That, and The Other

31 Replies

The flu bug in my house is thankfully all gone now.  James got lucky… he was not affected.  He thinks it has something to do with having gotten the flu shot.  I don’t believe that for an instant. I think he avoided the flu because he’s meticulous about washing his hands and using hand sanitizer (inside joke because I don’t believe in getting the flu shot). Regardless, we are once again a healthy and happy family!  I’ll be spending the next week bleaching and sanitizing everything we’ve ever touched.  Yay.

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Tuesday was Jamesy’s birthday!  Even though AJ and I had some resemblance of an illness, we still managed to give James a nice, happy evening!  I actually made some home-made cupcakes… with frosting!  And I even made some type of chicken parmesan dinner for him that he really enjoyed.  The secret was in the frying of the chicken pieces… I went full fat and full flavor for this baby!!  Bread crumbs, egg, and milk for dipping, and good old fashioned vegetable oil for frying!!  No oven baking… no boring panko crumbs… full flavor all the way!  (I am such a rebellious soul, hehe)  No worries… we went back to healthy on Wednesday (well, at least until Friday Happy Hour, :D).

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Speaking of healthy, we got a new little toy… the Nutribullet by Magic Bullet!  We’ve always made our shakes and smoothies in the Magic Bullet, but the motor started to die, so enter the Nutribullet!  Much bigger than a Magic Bullet… kind of like a full size blender and super powerful.  You can make 2 servings in one go, and not near as klunky to wash as a blender.  We just love our little gadgets.

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Can’t leave out the recipe book it came with, with lots of healthy smoothies to create!

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As for work, it’s been a week!  Fawns being born, ducklings losing their mothers, bunny nests being uncovered, fledgling birds that really don’t need to be rescued… it’s just crazy.  Some of you may not be aware, but I work at a rescue and rehab for wild animals.  A couple of tips if you run across a wild baby animal:

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Geese will foster orphaned goslings. Ducks will kill ducklings that are not their own.

  • Birds:  Parents will still take care of their young while they’re on the ground learning to fly.  If you see parents in the area, leave the bird alone.  It’s also okay to re-nest the bird.  That thing where birds won’t accept their young after a person has touched it is just a myth.
  • Fawns:  You will never see the mother.  The mother will sometimes leave the baby for up to 12 hours to forage for food; however, she is still in the area.  Fawns are programmed to sit as still as possible until mom returns.  Unless you see obvious signs of it being hurt, leave the baby alone!
  • Bunnies:  If your dog or cat brings you a bunny, get it to a licensed rehabber as soon as possible.  Never, ever, ever feed a bunny milk, kitten replacement milk, or puppy replacement milk, or milk of any kind for that matter.  They will develop bloat and die.  If a nest has been uncovered, cover it back up in such a manner that the mother will have to disturb the covered area to get to her babies, that way you can tell if she’s returned to the nest or not.  If she doesn’t return after 12 hours, take them to a licensed rehabber. (If a bunny is the size of an apple, it’s big enough to be on its own).
  • Squirrels:  Put them back in the nest if you don’t see any obvious signs of injury.  If the nest is too high, gently pinch their little toes until they cry out then leave the area.  Mom will come down to get her baby and take it back up to the nest, but not while you’re still around.

As for this guy below, he was afraid to come down out of a tree because of a nearby barking dog.  A citizen thought he was stuck.  He was “freed” from this position and still wouldn’t come down. But once the dog was quieted and no one was around, he came down on his own accord. (If you’re unable to make out what it is… it’s a raccoon, and a very healthy one at that!)

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I am now about to attempt my first 3-mile run after a 2-week break.  As long as I don’t cough up a lung in the process, I’ll be good to go.  After all, my next half is only a month away.  Holy crap.

Have a great week!!  

 

31 thoughts on “This, That, and The Other”

  3. Meritings

    I always have a flu shot and am a little old school about sanitiser and hand washing. I think half of people’s problems with bugs are brought about because we are too clean nowadays. Let kids play with dirt, eat worms, and mix with others who have colds, measles etc. But there again, I may be an old fossil!!!

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    1. neveradullbling Post author

      Oh, I totally agree with you!! I drank out of hoses, ate plants from the ground, drank out of streams, ate mud pies, all sorts of things, so I’m all about the natural immunity thing which is why I don’t believe in the flu shot. In my lifetime, I’ve only had the flu twice, so I think that’s a pretty good average considering I’m almost 50. The one flu shot I insisted my child have was the H1N1 that was killing seemingly healthy people left and right in 2009… that scared me, and he had ashthma, but as you can see, he’s grown up to be a big healthy boy, so it’s all good!! 😀 And I don’t think you’re an old fossil at all… because that would make me one too, hehe!

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    2. The Happy Healthy Kiwi

      Completely agree with this. I don’t know your reasons for not getting a flu shot, but I get really irate with the people who say they won’t get it because the one time they did, they got the flu. No you didn’t, you got a cold is usually my response because over here for some reason people can’t tell the difference. I also agree with Meritings sanitizer comment. Obviously I wash my hands at the appropriate times, but I don’t use sanitizer, my bench doesn’t get wiped with anti bacterial spray every time I wipe it and my desk at work is probably the least clean place I use and yet I rarely get sick. The occasional cold which never lasts and that’s about it. On the other hand, my workmate sanitizes his hands every hour. He wipes down the phone before answering it. He cleans his keyboard and desk every morning and after lunch. He is off sick more than anyone I’ve ever met before and each time he gets back brings a day or two of even more extreme cleaning. I definitely think his lack of exposure to germs is a factor. So pleased to hear you are feeling better!

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      1. neveradullbling Post author

        Oooo, that’s super interesting about your workmate! That’s almost like proof positive that it’s okay to be a little bit dirty! Very cool! I won’t use the hand sanitizer all that much because it kills both bad AND good bacteria, although sometimes in my job I just have to. Not to mention, that stuff dries your hands out, ugh. It’s so nice to run into like-minded people, 😀

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    1. neveradullbling Post author

      Thank you Sharon! And the run was freaking hard. I coughed quite a bit, but I don’t know any other way to get past it. And glad you enjoyed my little animal tips… anything to keep mom and baby together, because not everything needs to be rescued!! 😀

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  5. Alittlebitoutoffocus

    Glad you’re feeling better. (I hate the flu). Thanks also for the tips, I’ll be on my guard and be sure to leave the little critters alone, unless they’re obviously injured or about to be “ducked” ! Happy belated birthday to Jamesy. (I ran 50k once, which went well, but my 24 hour race was a complete disaster – I’ll blog it sometime… So he’s wise to dabble with a 6 hour race first).

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    1. neveradullbling Post author

      Thanks Mike! And super glad you like my tips!! Yes, you should write about your 50K! We’re both signed up for that 6-hour hamster run… I can’t believe I let him talk me into this stuff, lol! But no way am I going for the 50K… I’ll be happy to get 20 miles, 😀

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    1. neveradullbling Post author

      Thank you, glad you enjoyed!! Oh I know… people still think they’re babies when they’re the size of an apple, but no, they’re good. Leave the bunny alone, hehe! (I have to say this all the time)

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  7. 50in50marathonquest

    It was a fabulous birthday week all week…and those cupcakes are still good! Thank you for the spoilage all week…quite a nice celebratory weekend as well I would say…I’ll be sure to watch out for those ducks and other beasts about to go honey badger – you don’t have any of those, right?! But, talking of critters, you need to mention the Hamster next time 😉

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  9. Rebecca Royy

    Thanks for the interesting animal facts! I see animals all the time on my runs. Haven’t encountered any in trouble yet, but now it’s good to know in case I do.

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    1. neveradullbling Post author

      Thanks Rebecca! Yes, that’s right, you do! You usually see lots of deer! So, yes, if you see a fawn just hanging out by itself with its legs tucked under its body, mom really is nearby!! 😀

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  11. Chocolaterunsjudy

    I’m with you on the flu shot. I get a mild version of the flu sometimes, tho.

    I have a Vitmix, but it’s motor is going (I’ve had it at least 10 years, though, and worked it hard). I also have a veeeeery old Magic Bullet, which I thought I had killed, but it eventually came back to life. It still gets a lot of use, too.

    We have quite the tale of the boys bringing us a baby bunny one time. It’s very long, but it ends with Mr. Judy putting it back out in our garden because he was afraid it would starve. All we know is the next day it was gone!

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  12. creativecritters77

    Happy Birthday to James! Glad you’re all feeling better now 🙂 What an awesome job you have, rehabbing wildlife! I adore animals and have rescued more than a few myself. Thanks for sharing those tips on wild babies 🙂

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