Ian McGimsey

I am really being challenged by my environment out here in the hills the last couple of days. I spent a good chunk of my day yesterday taking apart my 2024 Outback to find whatever had died inside it. With most of the center console apart, and 6 dead pinkie mice later, I thought I had it all. Time to call it a day and take my daughter on a date. She was very helpful with searching the car, and since Mommy and big brother have been out of town for a week, it was time for some fun.

Got home from dinner and dessert to find that we had left the chickens out. Our dogs have been pretty good at protecting them. We have 10 alive, 6 dead, and 2 missing. None were eaten. No bite marks or blood. They were chased, I know that much. We are down to 3 roosters and 7 hens. See below for an example of the eggs we were getting.

This morning, after hiking up and down the hills in one specific area looking for any more chickens, I went back to work on the car. I was planning on putting it back together and getting some schoolwork done. I ended up with almost the entire dash removed and more of the console to find 3 more pinkies. I'm glad my wife is out of town so she doesn't have to deal with any of this. She will be quite pleased when she gets home, and her car is detailed down to every piece! At least the dash and console. Dog hair is a permanent fixture in all vehicles...

I have burned so much of my own energy on chickens and mice. The solar batteries are completely full because I haven't been inside to do laundry or anything. We have also had some decently sunny days to help with that. My family is really good about not turning things on unless necessary, like early mornings or evenings. Isn't this the topic? Energy?

So, I have 2 free-roaming pigs that I usually go and hunt down in the late afternoons in my UTV so I can wrangle them back to the house. In the past week, I have been doing it on foot to lessen the emissions from the engine and to get more exercise. I also enjoy getting out and walking through areas of my property that I haven't been through yet, even though I know the pigs aren't there...