I have found my next home

Now for that pesky little thing called "Winning the Lotto"


Otter: OMG...perfection!!!

@BECKY.....I Know!

@Susan.....I'll be opening it up for tours shortly after closing! (heh,heh)

@Otter....And the best part is that it was built within the last 5 or so years.

Rains over the Gulf

The rains have finally come to the Gulf.
The trees danced with joy in the outflow
Then bent their backs to the onslot of moisture.
Bullfrogs, freshly emerged from deep, damp soil
Sit stoicly under the cool drops.

Summer heat

So, I couldn't stand it-I had to have a pool. Who cares if it takes over the whole patio! Bigdog strung up a triangular tarp for protection/shade (damned doves). So with the big old oak tree, the house, and the tarp, there's no way to get a sunburn-just floating and relaxing.

First: the pool:filling

next:I couldn't stand it any longer

Bigdog and Whitedog-sharing a moment

Blackdog hiding from the "Big Bath"

Next: the 17hour brisket

Lastly: How I spent my summer vacation

Let Freedom ring

Yard Happenings

Life has been going at a fast clip since I got home from the wedding. I am trying to organize pictures to post later of the fun on the lake.

One thing I have been doing is digging out the area to put the pool on. I didn't last year and the pool could never be completely filled because a barely perceptable slant. I got my son to dig a part of it, but the rest is up to me. Nobody will help.

Yesterday I dug for about an hour, with frequent breaks because it is hotter than Hades out there. I did it in the morning when it was cooler. Sunglasses, do-rag, wipe rag, gloves (after rubbing a blister on the palm of my hand). To my delight, this morning I weighed 2 pounds lighter.....so went back at it. Being a 20ft square, it doesn't seem that I have gone far when I get a shovel and half width dug. The dirt is loose.....and am thinking it would have been a great place for a veggie garden (rats), but the hard part is the gagillion fist sized rocks.

This is the area to be dug...not all in the picture, but 20 ft x20 ft.

And this shows how much I got done yesterday. This morning it is a shovel and half wider. Great exercise.....wrangle the shovel as far down as possible by wriggling it between rocks, turn the dirt, bend down, lift rocks, toss aside....rinse, repeat. You can see the pile of rocks growing along the fenceline. I think this evening I will get out the level and see how much I have to go yet. May not be a whole lot as it slopes from the fence to the truck farm..that being the lowest part. I need to pick up some landscape cloth to put over the area before I set up the pool.

Ahhh....the pool. Looking at pictures of it makes me want to dig till I drop in order to get it up. This is where I want to be right now......

Cubedog: Me too. The advanced weather prediction is for a heat index of 126 on July 1. Man is my elec. bill gonna suck.....

Lost Worlds

Today we found a lost world. A complete eco-system:

All inside the bowl of the tree on the north side of the yard. All within a about 1 cubic foot.

SQUEEEEEEEEE

Just got out of the new Star Trek.
SQUEEEEEEEEEE!
SO worth seeing at the theater.
4 thumbs up (BigDog and I). Highly recommended.

Losing my buddy

This is Missy. She is 16 years old. I took this picture this summer when she was losing weight, but otherwise doing okay. Today is Mother's Day and I am keeping vigil. She is losing the battle for life and we have no idea what is killing her. The vet did tests and they came back fine a couple of months ago. I gave her a steroid pill this morning and she ate about a teaspoon of salmon and drank about a tablespoon of chicken broth. If she is still alive tomorrow, then I will take her in to the vet. It is time and I am finally able to let her go. I have been waiting for her to give me a sign that she is through. I think today she is coming through loud and clear. All the other pets know it too. Lucy was up on the cushion in the window with her for a while. Jack just came in to check on her. Tigger is staying outside.

Cubedog: I hope you know just how intently I am sharing your pain. Momma Kitty is trying like hell to take up Mz.Kitty's space, but just falls short. I love her for trying tho.