Ronda, what a coup to book Madame Macie for your garden tour! She definitely gave it that high society touch. And what a gorgeous spring flush! Gee, it doesn't seem proper to say "flush" in the Madame's presence. Really beautiful roses AND dog baby! Sherry

Sheri I live in Elkhart, KS and this cat was shot around 22 miles by highway from town. Closer as the crow flies. He was verified a cougar/cat and picked up by the wildlife dept. Said they plan to mount him in their office after all the necessary checks are performed. I do want to clarify a few things. The person who shot him tried to scare him away. He had killed at least one chicken I'm told and he wouldn't leave even when shot close to. He would just stare at him. The only thing that could make him move were the dogs. He didn't seem that scared of the people trying to scare him. I understand he would just growl. When they pulled the dogs back he would head to the chicken pen. So finally after all else failed they shot him. There have been reports of a few others around this spring. But this is the first confirmed. Which is a lot less than the two previous years. It seems once they get a taste of domestic animals it is hard to get them to stay away. The female that visited the Campo area two years ago with the cubs was the same way. I visited the NE NM area during the Memorial day weekend. My 88 y/o uncle talked about them. Understand they have saw an increase in that area also. A female and at least one baby was trapped in that area and relocated I believe two years ago. The one in the picture was a young male. Another problem now that maybe forcing some to look elsewhere along with an increase in numbers is outsiders are buying some of the ranches where populations have existed for years. The remote, rugged canyons on those big ranches were a perfect home for them. Now the new owners are concerned about trophy deer hunting so many are making efforts to eliminate the cats. They are either trapped or scared to the point where they start looking elsewhere. Whatever the reason there is an increase in confirmed sightings. The wildlife dept officials doubted this was a cat till they got there and seen them. What they forget is that many of the older men west of here and in NE NM like my uncle have seen more in their lives than they have. I understand it has basically removed the sense of security the lady had. Dawn knows all too well about that. I also know there have been some sightings that haven't been reported. And I don't blame them for not reporting. In NM and even CO to some extent if they relocate a cougar many times there isn't much ever said. Once the word gets out then the roads are filled with those hoping to see another. And those who criticize livestock owners for protecting their livestock. Jay

Oh, I really needed a good laugh and this post did it for me. What a personality Macie must have. When I rescued my newest fur baby, the rescuer called her Macie. I wanted to change her name but not too much. She is now Lacy. The roses are great too, Ronda. Kathy

PJ~ Yes, Ophillia has fluffy feet. Actually, only the outside toe has feathers on it. My daughter said we should have named her "Bell Bottoms". She does think that she is the boss even though she is the smallest! fliptx~ Our dog's pen shares a fence with the chicken yard. He does get to barking at the babies when they get active and chirpy. He could care less about our old hens. I guess they don't do anything exciting! Sally2~ I don't think that it takes much room. We converted the bottom of our kid's tree fort. Then, we attached a chicken yard for them to peck around in. They do destroy all of my seedlings if they get out. Plus, they throw all of the mulch out of the beds! Here is a picture of their set-up: In the picture, you will notice that my DH build what looks like a screen door turned on its side. This is to seperate the old hens from the babies. The old Black hen is pecking the brown leghorn and making her bottom bleed. Jacquelyn~ My old hens pace back and forth when they see me weeding. They know that I will be bringing a grub worm to them!