FAQ Friday, episode 9

The problem with these FAQ Friday posts is that they make the weeks go by too fast. Let's get right to it before next Friday gets here.

From Smooch:
Q. When are we going to do another one of those cool csn|stores gift certificate giveaways?
A. So glad you asked, Smooch. We've got one coming up next week! This time, the prize will be a $90 gift certificate to anything available at csnstores.com. They carry everything from dining room furniture to duffel bags to dog beds.
Q. Does this mean I get a new dog bed?
A. No, this means that one of our faithful readers gets to go on a shopping spree.
Q. But I want a new dog bed for the back porch...maybe a little hammock, something the snakes won't be able to crawl up on.
A. Maybe you should save your allowance and buy it yourself.

Last weekend's crab feast got lots of you drooling and craving some fresh Maryland blue crabs.
From Roseanne, CeeCee, and Sandy:
Q. Where did you get fresh Maryland blue crabs in the middle of NM?
From Sue:
Q. All I want to know is how did y'all keep them buggers alive all the way to New Mexico?
A. My friends at Morning Bray Farm are serious about their crabs. They've sourced a place that ships fresh, live crabs via overnight delivery. The crabs were packed in a styrofoam cooler with some sort of ice-equivalent, and every single one was alive and well ... until he met his fate in the cauldron of steaming beer, cider vinegar, and Old Bay seasoning.

From Lilla:
Q. What? No pictures of the crawfish bread?
A. Sadly, no, because it was so stinkin' good that we devoured it before I had a chance to grab the camera! Folks, Lilla has this recipe posted on her blog for crawfish bread which is To. Die. For. Make it this weekend. I mean it. It's THAT good.

The Photoshopped before/after photos keep some of you coming back for more...
From deejbrown:
Q. Does any particular version of Photoshop give you these options, or will Elements be enough? How does it compare with the editing tools in IPhoto on a Mac that are relatively easy to fiddle with?
A. I'm almost 100% sure that Photoshop Elements would allow you to do any and all of the tricks I've been using in the before and after series. (I tried to download Adobe's free 14-day trial of Elements to verify my assumption, but the trial is only available for Windows, and I use a Mac. A vast right-wing conspiracy, if you ask me.) As far as I can tell, the main difference between the more basic photo editing software (like IPhoto and Picnik) and Photoshop and Photoshop Elements is layers. Layers allow you to work on and adjust portions of your images. Without layers, I'd be unable to function. I might as well just stay in bed all day. Layers are my life.

A post with pictures of Wynonna always brings out a few questions...
From Cheryl:
Q. Is Wynonna's tongue really all coiled up in her mouth? If it is, it must be really long.
A. Yes, the princess does have quite the tongue. Oddly, I don't have any pictures of her sticking it out at me. I'll have to work on that. Meanwhile, I got a request to place Wynonna's "if you've got a voice like a burro with a bad cold" photo on the downloadable photo page. You can find it here.

From Colleen from NC:
Q. Does she stay in the same pasture as Alan, George and Hank? We have horses and I was just wondering how the bunch get along.
A. Wynonna is housed separately from the equines. Once upon a time at our old place, she rolled under the fence and into the horse corral, where she decided to take a nap. Hank and Lyle walked over and woke her up, she freaked out and took off screaming, and a chase ensued. You would be amazed by how fast pigs can run when they have to. Nobody got hurt, but I am not one to take chances, so I keep her separated from the boys for her safety and my sanity. The Shiloh Horse Rescue and Sanctuary in Nevada has quite a few pigs that mingle with some of their horses and donkeys, and they all seem to get along just fine. I guess alot depends on the individuals involved.

Smooch and her imaginary serpentine friend brought forth these questions...
From Pat in east TN:
Q. Are you sure you've had four different snakes and it's not one coming back playing games with you?
A. That thought did cross my mind, but this batch included a large, a medium, and two smalls. I've been aware of an extra-large living under the generator for quite some time; me thinks these are all part of that one's extended family.

From Theresa in Alberta and Carolynn:
Q. You do wear cowgirl boots when you are on snake removal/relocation duty eh?
Q. You wear flip flops?
A. When Smooch sounds the snake alarm, it's a come-as-you-are kind of event. At least I don't run out there barefoot.

From CeeCee and Peppermint Ph.D.:
Q. How did you train her not to put her nose right in the middle of a rattlesnake?
Q. Does Smooch ever try to bite or pick up/play with the snakes?
A. Smooch deals with snakes the same way she deals with everything else that's out of place in her environment - she stands there and barks at it until I can convince her to stop. She doesn't bite it, pick it up or otherwise interact. This goes for snakes, tumbleweeds, house guests, you name it. Just a part of her charm.

From Sandra:
Q. Please advise on the life span of a laying hen.
A. I understand that hens have three or four good laying years, after which they slow down their production considerably. I suspect that once my girls' laying days are over, they'll still lead productive lives trimming the plants in my garden.

From dday:
Q. What suburb of Cleveland are you from? I grew up in Avon.
A. I grew up in Brooklyn, a tiny suburb on the west side sandwiched between Cleveland and Parma. It is an odd little place, best known for being the first city in the U.S. to enact a mandatory seat belt law (in 1966) and the first city to ban cell phone usage while driving (in 1999).

Thanks for all your questions and comments this week. Be sure to check in next week to enter our contest for a chance to win the $90 gift certificate from csn|stores.