It Was A HOO FEST!

Hoo-Hoo ...... Hoooooo .... Hoooooo.  I heard, but tried to ignore it completely.  It woke me up yesterday morning at about 3:00 am and didn't stop until I finally got up and let Cooper out.  That's funny ... I haven't heard a barn owl in probably 20 years.  

Back on the ranch in our big barn, we had plenty of them in the rafters.  Sometimes even 4 or 5.  There was a big nest up high where we couldn't reach.  These guys are probably one of the messiest birds around.  We were constantly having to clean the poop mess off the hay which we stored in the building.

When I went outside at 7:00, I heard it again, only THIS time there were FOUR at various locations around my yard, hooting at each other one after another.  Oh gosh ... I love to hear them, but not all night long.  Yessirree ... it was a HOOT FEST for the first three hours, meaning no sleep.  They are really LOUD, but I do love that they are back in the neighborhood!

First things first ... I also have a POOP FEST going on.  Between Cooper and the Foxy twins, my back yard and concrete walkways are littered every morning.  I suppose it's a territorial thing, but COME ON!!!  I have to clean up this mess!!!

With that done, I was off to the chiropractor for another check.  I am VERY happy to report that I got one bone back in place and she got the other.  Its quite the relief, though I'm sure it won't stay just yet.  Once they've been out of place for awhile, it takes just as long for them to stick.  

Yes I am still going to take it easy, but the pain level is minimal ... finally.  That is until I got the email from the CHP Office.  These guys .... always with the excuses.  He said he sent an email rescheduling the appointment to this morning.  No you didn't.

Here's how I know.  I have my email account set up to link all incoming emails sent from the same address.  If he sent one, it would be linked, just like the other three I have received, along with a copy of all my responses.  There's nothing.  No need to check junk mail (which I did anyway) because since it's linked, it would be moved automatically.

At any rate, he's supposed to be here at 9:00 this morning, so we shall see.

SO ... since I was already dressed and ready to be exposed to the world, I took my meager list and went off to Walmart.  It always amazes me how the return department works.  I had one shirt to return, but got behind two people who were holding four small boxes of Christmas stuff.  Honestly, they didn't look like they could afford anything, but looks are deceiving.

They received $125.00 in cash.  WOW!  What was in those four boxes, gold??  I got my $13.00 for the shirt and proceeded to head out and maneuver through the crowd.  Rarely do I ever buy cake at the store.  I can make better at home.  I stopped and asked the gal at the counter which one she liked best.  The answer ... oh I don't eat that stuff!  Yikes!  That's a good recommendation!

Then a nice young man walked up and said "I eat THESE.  They are really GOOD!"  Okay then, and I grabbed two.  Checkout was the usual disaster.  The potatoes rang up twice, and some lady behind me dumped all her stuff on the counter and it ran right up into mine.  She hit me with her cart a couple of times before I finally asked her to back off.  Good grief!  It was shades of Bingo!

I had my own bag, but it didn't all fit, so I had to pay for one.  Back home, let me say this dessert stuff was FABULOUS!!!  Oh my goodness it was good.  I went to check the receipt to see how much I paid since I had no idea.  $3.98 ... ummmm that's kind of pricey.  Maybe I won't buy any after all.

That's when I saw it.  I bought FIVE limes, but the receipt said FIFTY FIVE!!  Are you kidding me?  There was $13.75 worth of limes staring at me.  I checked every line item then, to find I was also charged for ELEVEN ... count them ... ELEVEN BAGS!!!  I guess I was lucky I caught the potatoes that rang up twice ... which I had the girl fix.

The accountant in me went ballistic.  So Walmart's SELF CHECKOUT machines are overcharging??  I grabbed the limes and the receipt and drove all the way back to Walmart with steam coming out my ears.  I hate those self checkout things anyway ... and this adds insult to injury.  On the other hand, I do realize this is just my luck laughing in my face!

Manager please ... I need to speak to a manager.  He said oh yeah ... happens all the time.  He took me back to the refund department who after pulling up the receipt and going through every single line item, finally refunded me $13.25.  So BEWARE my friends!  Check every single line item as you ring it up.

Finally back home, I tried to relax my back again as we listened to the hooting.  At least they are excellent at catching mice ... maybe even gophers.  It was quite some time before we went to bed, and another 90 minutes before I fell asleep.  

I woke up instantly.  The bed was shaking.  EARTHQUAKE!!  My mind was racing.  No, that's not an earthquake.  That's Cooper shaking the bed.  Big sigh ... he either has to go out or he threw up.  That's when I heard it.  CHIRP ................ CHIRP.  

Earlier in the day when I was on the phone, it began to chirp, so I hung up and headed to the garage for the ladder.  It's funny how my animals panic when they hear this.  It must be crazy loud to them.  Once up the ladder, I pushed on the door to replace the battery, but it wouldn't open and the chirping stopped.  

So here we are, barely asleep by midnight because of the owls, and we are now up at 2:00 am.  Cooper wouldn't stop shaking, so I grabbed the ladder once again, climbed to the top (yes it's scary because the ceilings are 14' high in this room) and I pried the door open with a screwdriver.

The battery fell out on my head.  OUCH!!  I took one more step up, hung on with my fingernails and stuck the new battery in.  Hallelujah!!  The chirping stopped.  Cooper's shaking did not.  It took another hour of snuggling with him to stop the trembling, and then of course another hour to fall back to sleep.  In thirty minutes, we got up.  

Interesting night it was ... one I hope not to experience again.  I'm pretty sure there will be a nap on this day because there's going to be late meetings at the Elks Lodge tonight.  OH BOY!!!

Oh and one more thing.  The skunk smell this morning was epic.  Guess I'll also be checking the back forty today.