If you’re getting bored of our backyard zoo…..
Tell me.
I won’t stop posting pictures….
But I could probably be talked into just the highlights.
Or then again….
Maybe not.
So feel free to skip these posts if critters aren’t your thing.
I won’t be upset.
But he might.
But it doesn’t get your deck railing project finished any sooner.
We were back at it and it was still hot.
Unfortunately the heat wave coincided with an extended dry spell and our lawn was starting to crunch.
But old railings were torn down.
And rusty nails exposed.
I stained the new wood we had to waste almost 2 hours going to get that morning because someone… I won’t mention who… cut the other pieces incorrectly.
And then that someone (oops, my bad) discovered a sander in the barn and wanted to play.
He was fine on the flat surfaces, but scared me to death when he started trying to sand in between. That thing would hit a beam, jump out of his hand and spin wildly across the deck. It happened a dozen times but I could never quite catch it on film.
In between his legs.
Close to the power cord.
I knew something was gonna give, and it did.
That thing jumped up and sliced his jeans right open. Thankfully he wasn’t hurt, but at that point I said no more sanding!
Which he completely ignored and kept sanding.
After sanding, and almost slicing his leg off?
He hammered nails.
And swept the same portion of deck I had just swept.
Apparently I didn’t do it right.
We did manage to get a few pieces of wood installed before dinner.
With some gentle persuasion.
So this was basically it.
For a whole days work.
Good thing no one is paying us by the hour……
They’re baaaaaaack.
Well, at least the babies are.
And they’re making themselves right at home on the deck.
A little too much at home for my liking.
Because they’re trying to get back into the hole they all came tumbling out of last month.
Cute? Yes.
Respectful house guests? No.
And then the other day, a friend helped me out.
No, it’s not the same picture.
Look in the lower right hand corner….
Baby woodchuck is finally earning his keep.
Well done sir.
Carry on.
If you have predictive text on your cell phone, grab it and let’s play.
Remember The Princess Bride movie?
No, I don’t either. But apparently there’s a quotable line from the film that goes like this….
So a Facebook friend of mine tagged me to play the 2020 version.
Start texting My name is…..
You killed my….
Prepare to….
And let predictive text do the rest.
My results:
My name is not the big barn. ( seriously, that’s what I got! )
You killed my husband and he didn’t even know. ( it’s true he’s not very observant, but still. )
Prepare to be a little more than the kale. ( I seriously hope I’m a lot more than that foul weed. )
Not kidding, that’s what it said.
Apparently my iPhone is freakishly tuned in to my life.
Which if I stopped laughing, might make me a little worried.
We went over to visit some friends the other night.
Sat outside and had a few cocktails Covid style.
And then out of the corner of his eye…. the husband spied something.
It was this mini chain saw his friend’s wife had bought to clear some small brush in their backyard.
And, because you know it had to happen….
He really can’t help himself.
Don’t get excited, it’s a photo dump. No one wants to see the other kind.
My files are filled with woodchuck pictures.
Mother and baby on the rock wall.
Mother bringing Junior to the back deck.
Junior checking out the back deck.
Junior checking out the new grill.
Two babies on the other rock wall.
Two babies playing tag.
Two babies eating apples.
You see how this goes? I flood you with woodchuck photos and you say awww.
Here’s a woodchuck, a turkey and a duck for variety.
Momma had 6 babies and I have yet to get them all in one picture.
But now would probably be a good time to say awww.
Because if I don’t laugh I might have to hurt someone.
Add a margarita and it sounds like a plan.
Because if you won’t wear a mask, why should I wear pants?
And after almost 4 months of doing nothing?
Trust me… you want me to wear pants.
Ah, Spam. The miracle meat no one wants to eat.
Wait a minute….. do you think they could behind this whole thing?
The virus is a hoax engineered to make people eat 83 year old canned ham!
Or maybe….
It’s a canine revenge plot.
Either way, we’re stuck with it…
And it’s nice to see Maine stores still have a sense of humor.
Just when you thought you couldn’t see anything else that could surprise you.
Huh.
He gives autographs?
Color me surprised.
The woodchucks.
Adorable, but hungry.
And there’s no rhyme or reason to what they’ll eat.
This echinacea?
Stripped to a stalk the same day I planted it.
They devoured it before I could even get a picture, and if you know me? You know that’s fast.
This candy cane Dianthus? Nope. They left it alone.
The exact same plant on the other side of the garden bed?
A mere shadow of itself.
WTF?
So when it came time to replant the bed I had removed the woodchuck chewed mallow from, I went to the experts and got a list.
A list of woodchuck proof flowers they were guaranteed not to eat.
Blanket flower? Check!
Planted two, they haven’t touched them.
(Please note dianthus is on the list and we all know how that turned out.)
Foxglove? Check!
They literally took one bite and ran.
Good thing since it’s the source of digitalis.
Last on the list? Yarrow.
If you’ve ever had deer nibble your gardens to a nub, you know they hate yarrow.
Every critter hates yarrow…. so I planted yarrow.
So…..
Yeah.
The little buggers are screwing with me.
There’s no other explanation.
And look at that belly…
They’re getting fat doing it!
This popped up in my Facebook memories today and since I wasn’t blogging here 5 years ago?
I have to share.
As seen in Goodwill, a rubber chicken.
It was a dog toy, but a more wrong rubber chicken you’re not apt to find.
I suppose you could say they were singing…. but I’m afraid my mind went elsewhere.
And for a further chuckle?
Read the detailed description that came with them.
I dare you not to laugh.
“This rubber chicken is not any ordinary chicken, when you squeeze him he makes a loud screaming sound, it can help you relaxing your pressure and bringing you good mood. This squeaky rubber chicken will make a comical addition to your dog’s toy chest! Screaming sound when you squeeze it “Squeeze me when you are happy. I will make you and your friend laugh” “Squeeze me when you are not happy. I will help you relax” “My shrilling scream will let you have unexpected fun and entertainment, relax and release stress.” Once you have this funny scream chicken you can lose your press and became more smooth.”
So go on….. squeeze your chicken.
Hear him scream.
River's world..... 