So I got attacked last week on Facebook and wanted to gripe about it. I put up a picture that my aunt had sent me of a cougar/mountain lion/really really big cat, that was dragging a 4 point buck across the ground. This picture was taken just east of Batavia on Sept 19 around 4 in the morning. I explained the picture and put on my post that I need a bigger gun. One of my Facebook friends posted the picture on her wall and one of her "friends" attacked me. Wanting to know why I was too ignorant to do my research on the wildlife subject and why I needed to go hunt the thing down and blah, blah, blah. So I responded as I so eloquently do and told her that I am a HORSE owner and that it is my concern for them that made my fingers put the comment that I needed a bigger gun on my post. It's my wall, I'll put what I want on it. That's one of my rights as a US citizen/Facebook user. So after I put up my rebuttal, the woman decided to keep going with one of the stupidest statements that I have ever heard. She wanted to know why I couldn't figure out a way for us horse owners to co-exist with the wildlife that is moving into our area. Okay, are you really that ignorant? When I go out to bring the horses in at night, should I tuck the little kitty in the stall next to my horse? Or when the bear is chewing on his newfound horsie friend am I supposed to just watch? Hello???? These are predators we are talking about. My horses are prey. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Catch the difference? Okay. I'm going to explain the difference for the simple minded. Predators are big animals that eat prey animals. Prey animals are the docile beings with their eyes on the sides of their heads so that they can see the predators coming from behind them and hopefully, above them. Prey animals do not eat predators. So it would probably not be a good idea to sit them all down at the kitchen table and try to get them to co-exist. Unless you're planning on having a prey animal dinner. These things only happen in animated cartoons and really bad movies. Now I would like to explain the difference between hunting and protecting. When I said that I needed a bigger gun, it was not because I was going to go out in my orange clothing and HUNT the animal. I said I needed a bigger gun because if a very large predator happens to not follow the co-exist rules, I will do whatever I have to do to PROTECT my family (furry or non-furry). I have a .22 rifle. I can shoot a gun. I can shoot a bow. Quite well as a matter of fact. But I have never killed an animal in my life. And I hope that I never have to but if the need ever arises and I cannot reason with a predator, I will defend myself. That is what weapons are for. Unfortunately, the weapons that I have may be a little ineffective for the size of the predators that are moving into our area. My .22 may actually make big kitty mad. It would sort of be like someone pegging you with rubberbands. Not too painful but irritating. Just like being attacked on Facebook!!

Okay, I have a turtle story to tell. When the farrier was out the other day, I walked out back and found a baby snapping turtle. He was all dried up and didn't look too good so I picked him up and showed him to Sherri, my farrier. She told me to squish him, they are nothing but trouble. I told her that I couldn't squish him, he was still cute (see what I'm talking about?). So I took him over to the neighbors pond and dropped him off. I didn't know if he was going to make it or not but I did what I could. The next day I was out working on fencing AGAIN and I went into the barn to get something and saw some movement on the floor. There was a moist little snapping turtle on the floor looking up at me. I said "hi again, what are you doing back here?" He didn't really answer so I got my tools and went back to pick him up and he had already moved. Someone lied when they said that turtles are slow. He was pretty quick so I named him "Speedy". I picked him up again and put him on my lawn tractor and drove him over to his pond. I set him back down and he actually turned around and just kept looking up at me. I almost felt bad leaving him there but I don't really have a use for a snapping turtle in the barn. We have enough snapping go on with all the naughty horses biting each other. I didn't see Speedy for a couple of days and saw him Monday night. Squished. Mike apparently ran him over with his tractor. Thinking back on it, I was probably putting him in the wrong pond anyways. He kept trying to head west, probably towards our creek. I kept bringing him east. He probably wasn't trying to come visit me, he was probably trying to get home. Probably saying to himself, "dumb broad. Doesn't know how to co-exist with us wildlife". RIP Speedy