Clay & Laura's Big Adventure!

       Ground Squirrels.  They are a different creature than our tree-hugging squirrels in Houston.  They tunnel underground.  Barkley, being the terrier that he is, cannot allow these vermin to be in HIS yard.  He has trained Red ( Red previously ignored squirrels and rarely dug...unless he needed to hide a toy ) to identify where the squirrels are, and then they dig, dig, dig to excavate these elaborate tunnels.  And, since we have no grass, it's not too much of an issue....unless they get too close to the fence.  To be fair to the puppies, they really haven't displaced too much dirt, just exposed the underground hollows that were already there. But, this has made our yard a tripping hazard.  I've already filled in about 240 lbs of dirt. Thankfully, the squirrels seemed to have moved on.  They torture Barkley and build new tunnels just outside the fence.  But at least we don't have a terrier that is jumping fences anymore.  These squirrels stick to the ground,  

                                In fiction, one must suspend disbelief, and immerse oneself in a world of make-believe.  Whether it be suspenseful, fanciful, whimsical, charming.  Whatever the case, one puts aside reality and puts herself or himself in the place of believing that the story is real.  Disbelief is what is typically suspended. However, recently I have had to to the opposite...because sometimes reality is a little too real.  Namely, our new friends who have been seen from time to time on the property - bats and tarantulas. Our first tarantula sighting was while leaving the garage.  Our furry friend was outside the garage, glaring at me.  I had to call Clay over to prove to myself it was real.  That this wasn't some furry toy from the dollar store that some impish child had placed in our path as a prank.  But... A) We don't know any impish children, because we really know so few people. B) Despite this desperate hope, the tarantula moved and Clay confirmed i

Today marks an amazing day.  Clay and I finally have internet access at our house.  We don't have to drive to Starbucks for WiFi or go to the library each and every time we want to connect.  We don't have to stand by the chicken coop and hope for enough signal on our phone to look something up on the internet!  Oh glorious day! What has made the last six weeks or so bearable without internet connection is a) an amazing library, and b) This view: We are very blessed!  Houston people, we miss you :-)  Houston traffic, no love lost!