Monday, September 26, 2022

Chute Repair & Skeet Repair

 In an earlier post, I mentioned that DH was replacing the floor of our hydraulic chute

                                            Putting On My Assistant Hat

Our camp man helped him unload some of the metal and he asked him why DH doesn't just buy a new chute. Yes, that might be easier, but WAAAYY more expensive and DH is wired to fix things instead of replace them if they can be fixed. I know I'm biased, but good gravy, this man is handy! 

He put in a lot of hours, but the end is in site. The old floor has been relegated to the junk pile

And the new floor is in place


DH said it was like a puzzle taking everything apart and then re-assembling it all. Ready to roll for the next umpteen years:

And of course, Skeet helped too

Some of you eagle-eyed readers will no-doubt notice Skeet's wound on his right shoulder and I'll tell the story, but if you're squeemish, stop reading and x-out now.

Well, we've been losing cats all summer. That's just part of ranch life - something has been snatching them at night - one at a time. We had 25 barn cats and are down to one mama - one kitten (they are super wild and live out at the barn) - and Oliver. Yes, even his littermates have gone missing. Skeet sleeps outside and one night he just pitched a royal fit and would have climbed the yard fence if he could have. We let him out to see what direction the source of his consternation had run and when he came back, he had a war wound where he had clearly met up with part of the barbed wire fence

It was 10:00 on a Friday night so we improvised:


We superglued it closed and then superglued a denim patch over the top of it. Then we rigged him up - redneck style - in the form of a denim neck collar that kept him from licking it.

 Poor Skeet! He truly is the BEST dog. 

He wore that silly collar for 8 days and the next day he had removed the patch, but our superglue stitches had held and his hair's growing back. It never slowed him down.

Alas, our cat-burglar is yet to be caught and I've become so attached to Oliver that he now sleeps in the mudroom and I nudge him back outside at dawn each day where he continues to monitor my every move

As well as take on nursing duties for a chicken that came in lame last week

If your floor is rotted out, or you run through a barbed-wire fence, or you show up to the feed trough lame, we'll do our best to fix you up!

9 comments:

Violet said...

Oh my, poor Skeet! So thankful he is on the mend. The pets that we have had through the years definitely become family members in our home. After the last loss, I said no more. Two of them died tragically and I just can't handle that anymore. I look forward to your posts. You do a wonderful job with the photography and regaling us with tales of day-to-day ranch life.

Sherrill said...

Oh NO!!! Poor kitties and POOR Skeet!! That's quite a creative fix him up job but it worked. I'd be so sad about all those kitties going missing... :-(

Anonymous said...

Oliver is working hard to make himself indispensable!

Ceci

Chantal said...

The title of this post got me alarmed a little bit. I had to scroll down to the Skeet story before I could be interested in the chute repair. The fact that his wound didn't slow him down is exactly the reason why some people think animals don't feel pain. I know Skeet has the best human parents and that you took good care of him right away. Hope you catch the cat thief soon. ;^)

Dotti in CT said...

Check out Joanne’s sale fabric by Susan Winget, there is fabric that looks like Skeet with pheasants on sale. Dotti in CT

Dotti in CT said...

Check out Joanne’s ad for fabric by Susan Winget, fabric with “Skeet” and pheasants. On sale. Dotti in Ct

Samplings from Spring Creek said...

We live in such a disposable society—so thankful your DH finds ways to keep things working. Poor Skeet, hope he is okay and thankful you offer a safe haven for Oliver.

RuthW in MD said...

Some critter has discovered that your barn cats made great snacks, so sorry! Oliver is definitely indispensable with that wide eyed look and those whiskers. So glad Skeet is recovering well.

Anonymous said...

I am sure you are so thankful for DH being a fix it man.
it makes life so much better to have someone with knowledge like his.
such a blessing and fix it men are good at figuring out all kinds of repairs.

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