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Issue #1164

Including:

Nova Scotia Sus

Russ

Doug

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From Nova Scotia Sus

So far September is giving us beautiful fall weather. There is lots to do with all the

vegetables our gardens have produced. Canning and freezing and giving away as much as possible. We always grow way more than we could possibly eat. The chickens benefit and so do our family and friends. Even when we think we have cut back there is more than we need. This was an amazing growing year with just the right amount of sun and rain.

Our road has been under construction for awhile now. It was so rough and cracked that it was due for fixing. We are now at the paving stage and there are many hold ups for traffic on our road. They have the "follow me trucks" taking cars through all the machinery and pavers. So its slow going if you are wanting to go somewhere. We don't complain though...we will have a beautiful road once they are done.

We are raising our second batch of meat birds now. We had 20 to start and have only lost

one. There is usually a couple that don't make it and no one knows why. We still will have lots of meat until next year. The meat birds are only cute for a couple of weeks and by the sixth week they are hungry beasts who only enjoy eating.

Good to hear from the Squamidians again. Hope everyone stays well.

Sus

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From Russ

Bettie and bats.

She hates them with a passion! But living in their 160 year-old house they get the odd 'visitor' inside. When this happens, she screams for help, and usually runs out of the house. If her husband (Greg, my #2 son) is home it's his job to capture and release the creature to the great outdoors! And how does he catch them? He uses a badminton racquet of course. She says she 'hates' them, but it's really a 'fear' or phobia. Bettie is "terrified" of bats! She 'shudders' just thinking about a bat - show her a picture of one and she goes 'crazy'!

Most of us do not like bats, and would never "befriend"one, or even handle one with bare hands. In fact, Grey Bruce Public Health (GBPH) strongly advises against touching a bat. Why? because they may be exposing themselves to rabies. According to our local rag, the Kincarden News (Aug. 8/24) a bat from Grey-Bruce tested positive for rabies, and a person who was potentially exposed to the virus is receiving post-exposure treatment.

"The little brown bat, which is the first animal rabies case in Grey-Bruce in 2024, was submitted for testing earlier this week as part of Grey-Bruce Public Health's investigation into a potential human exposure.

While the risk of acquiring rabies locally remains very low, this case confirms the presence of the rabies virus in Grey-Bruce and highlights the importance of avoiding contact with wildlife and taking other steps to prevent animal bites and scratches" (Andrew Barton, a senior public health manager and manager of GBPH Environmental Health program)

There were 56 confirmed wildlife rabies cases in the province (Ontario) last year (2023), with the vast majority involving bats. GBPH conducted 592 potential rabies exposure investigations in 2023, with about two-thirds of them following a dog bite, 130 linked to a cat bite or scratch, and 21 involving interaction between humans and wildlife.

The rabies virus is usually transmitted to humans through direct contact with saliva from an infected animal, such as a bite, or less commonly a scratch. Bats, skunks, foxes and raccoons are the most common animals to have rabies in Ontario.

And here's something that will scare your pants off! Once symptoms appear, rabies is virtually 100% fatal in people and animals. But, fear-not- - rabies vaccines are highly effective at preventing the disease if administered before symptoms occur!

How can I protect against rabies?

>Stay away from wild animals

>Avoid feeding

>Keep pets away from wild animals, and don't let them roam unsupervised

>Do not disturb wild baby animals

>Warn children to stay away from wild or stray animals

>Do not trap and transport wild animals to a new location (I didn't know about this one!)

>Have your pets vaccinated for rabies; it is the law in Ontario that all cats, dogs, and ferrets over 3 months of age are vaccinated for rabies

Call the Wildlife Health Information Line at 1-888-574-6656 for information about how to report a suspected rabid animal, or visit the Ontario government's rabies website

We should all take dog bites very seriously - a while back I was bitten by a dog while I was innocently riding my famous 3-wheeler - was treated in hospital (thank God my "shots" were still valid) The dog was placed in quarantine even though it had been vaccinated for rabies.

Stay safe. God bless.

PS I read the news last week and learned about a man from Southern Ont. who went into Northern Ont. where he encountered a bat which bit him. He's being treated for rabies in a hospital in Brant County, Ont. He became famous as he is the first victim of human rabies in the past 72 years in old Ontario.

STOP THE PRESS! It just came over the news that a man who had been bitten by an infected mosquito in Ont. has died of West Nile Virus! The late summer mosquitos are the most likely carriers so take precautions!!

Uncle Russ - still riding and enjoying my 96th year.

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From Doug

How’s it going…..eh?

Oh, I bought myself a new toy. No, not another motorcycle, this time its a chainsaw. Every boy no matter how old needs new toys once in a while and chainsaws qualify as boy toys without being as expensive as motorcycles. I used to have a chainsaw, in fact I’ve owned several over the years but like most things, if they are not used regularly they deteriorate. With a gas powered chainsaw you must have gas, mixed with oil and stored in a gas can for whenever you need to use the saw. Thats fine if you use it a lot but when you only need one once every year or two you run into a problem. The gas goes bad, the saw’s carburetor gets all mucked up and then the saw won’t run, and so on. I only have use for a chainsaw once in a very long while so that wasn’t working and I had given my last saw away years ago.

Well, I had the need for a chainsaw and didn’t want to rent or purchase a gas one. So, I look into the electric ones. That can go two ways, plug in electric or battery. But there would be a problem with the battery type. Same as with gas, if you only need it every year or so, you must deal with a battery that must be kept charged, and batteries do deteriorate, and replacement batteries are expensive. That meant the plug in electric type. They are every bit just as good as the gas type for cutting, are not as heavy, can be stored for years and will still run just fine with the push of a button. As long as anything needed cutting is within extension cord reach, there is no problems at all.

To that end I purchased a Ryobi 16-inch plug in electric and I must say it is the best chainsaw I’ve ever owned. Very quite, easy to use, cuts great with lots of power, doesn’t get hot or smell of gas fumes, and can be stuck on some back shelf until its needed again. It works so well I’m wishing I had more stuff to cut.

Doug

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Have a Good One
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