Rainy Days and Mondays

Yes, I know today it is Tuesday.  But we had both a rainy day and A Monday yesterday.

I was driving down the street toward my house around 1:00-ish. In the last couple of blocks, I noticed the police cars. As I neared my driveway, I noticed the Sheriff's car. As I started to turn into my driveway, I noticed the cop with an assault weapon, strolling out the front of the drive, followed by a cop in a car who was turning around near my garage.

Let me also note that I had the Charley-Monster in the back seat and my aunt in the passenger front seat.

Because unexpectedly, I was taking my aunt to the Emergency Room.

But first I had to stop at our house to drop off the dog and pick up my hubby.

Back to the assault weapons.

Seems a mountain lion was spotted resting in the window well of one of the houses in my neighborhood.  See the story here in the Idaho State Journal. Be sure to click on the little thumbnail pictures underneath the big photo -- so that you can see the living breathing mountain lion who was more than a little irritated by the flash of the homeowner's camera. That is a face I would not want to encounter up close and personal.

So, there we were, having to take my aunt to the ER because her blood pressure was doing crazy, scary things and she was very unwell. Not a good situation at all.  And we also were worried about the Equine Gang of Seven out in the pasture. It's unlikely that a mountain lion would attack horses in a neighborhood, but it isn't completely unheard of.

On the way to the ER, I suddenly remembered that Charley was out on his chain in the back yard. I panicked. We couldn't turn back so I started praying.

Five minutes later our next door neighbor called Tim to ask if we'd heard the news and to see if she could return Charley to the safety of indoors. Bless her!!

Assault weapons done.


Three and a half hours later, it was determined that my aunt had a severe potassium deficiency.

Two mega-sized "horse pills" of potassium later her heartbeat and blood pressure were back under control, and she was feeling much better.

Thank you God, I breathed.  (We will go to the family doctor this morning for the follow-up and some instructions about her diet and potassium needs.)

Tim came to pick us up at the hospital and reported that the mountain lion in question is an old tom who wanders through this outlying part of his range once every couple of years. He's more than likely already back in the hills by now, but we'll all be careful for the next little while.

And it's still raining!

- Catherine