The Long and Short of It

Here is Scooby, king of the matted fur.  Scooby was in dire need of a hair cut, so I took him to the groomer who fed him too many treats and cut off all the mats, which didn't leave much fur at all.  Now, he looks like a skinny Mexican Hairless Cock-a-poo, but with a poofy tail.  For some reason, he can run a lot faster.  Why is that?

Before:

After:

Today a Teen !

Today J is celebrating his 13th birthday!  It's amazing to think about that crazy day so long ago when he decided to arrive two weeks before his due date, which meant going to the hospital instead of staying at home, which meant that only action the birthing tub saw was S in his bathing suit.

    
These years have been so fun and amazing!  Happy birthday, Mr. Stinky-pants!

The Big Wind

In the spring, a big wind forced some trees down in the back woods, some large enough to completely block the trail. We had hoped that they'd be hardwood we could use for the furnace, but unfortunately they were rotted through, spongey and soft.  With trusty chainsaw in hand, P and his pals cleared the trail.  Can't wait to get those snowshoes out!

You're Only As Old As You Feel ...

Or as old as the numbers on the top of your birthday cake.

It was so much fun celebrating my birthday with friends and family, with lots of good food (including a red beet chocolate cake) ... and honestly, I don't feel a day over 85.

An envelope came through the door today and it was marked 'PLEASE DO NOT BEND'. 


I still haven't worked out how I am supposed to pick it up.

Getting Rid of Porky

Well, since the porcupine moved in to the front pine tree, we've been trying lots of methods to encourage him (or her) to move out.  First, I tossed stones up at him but I never actually hit the target (as the kids can attest, I am not a good thrower).  Then, J got the hose, but the pressure wasn't strong enough to hit high enough on the tree.  Then, we got the slingshot, with which I almost busted both my front teeth until I figured out how to work it, but again, my shot was pretty far off.  Meanwhile, J had dug out a few water shooters (formerly known as waterguns) and he had some luck hitting close to the rodent, but it began to get windy and poor J was getting soaked.  

Then P came home and showed off some impressive slingshot skills, thumping that poor animal in the ribs.  He moved up a few branches (the porcupine, not P) but stayed put in that tree.

We slept on it, not sure what to do next, and this morning, the wee critter is nowhere to be found!  I hope that doesn't mean he (or she) is loose in the yard, waiting to terrorize Scooby when I'm not looking.  What to do??

A Prickly Situation

Scooby and I spotted this visitor in the front yard this morning, and we both proceeded to bark and squeal enthusiastically until the critter climbed a pine tree and settled in.  Now what do we do?  Scooby can't be off his leash for fear of this spikey quills ...  

Should we have bought that 22?  What do you think?

Did you hear about the cow who was giving birth and drinking a coffee?
It was decafinated.


Ha ha.

Back to School

Having made good use of the term "labour" on Labour Day, we sent the kids back to school this morning, and I suspect they're happy for the reduction in work hours. Grade 10 and Grade 8 ... I can hardly believe it.

Weekend Chores

The kids are so terrific about working around the house, and today they really worked AROUND the house, cutting the grass with the weed-wacker, the push mower and the best job of all, the riding lawn mower. It's supposed to rain, and they've finished just in time. Now for the indoor chores: laundry, vacuuming, dusting ... sigh.