Deer Me! Is Autumn Finally Here?!

A couple of afternoons ago, smack dab in the middle of the very broadest daylight, I happened to glance out a window onto our backyard and see-- a deer.  Inside our fenced yard!

Donald grabbed the camera and snapped some photos:

As deer go, this wasn't a very large one, I guess, but still! Right in our backyard in the middle of the afternoon.  What a surprise!

Once Donald had taken his photos, I picked up Luna and held her to the window. Nothing wrong with her eyes, at least. She saw the deer immediately and set off the alarm of growling and barking.

- - - - - - -

Today, we're enjoying our first real taste of fall weather.  It's so nice.  The windows are open and I ventured out with the camera.

Remember the daylily seeds we planted earlier this year?  Those tiny little things growing in yogurt cups?  Most of them are getting to a decent size for young plants. Here are some of the pots:

The English ivy has been growing, too. It feels like it's growing slowly, but then again, I'm not sure how quickly ivy in the shade usually grows. In any case, it's progressing:

Here's another angle, showing that there's still plenty of territory for it to conquer (and also that the box it's in needs another coat of paint):

By way of contrast, here's the passionflower vine, which has gotten huge this summer:

No flowers at the moment, but it did a good job earlier in the season, and it's been attracting Gulf fritillary butterflies, a species that depends on passionflower for part of its life-cycle.  

Cosmos...

Autumn's arrival always reminds me that it won't be long before the spiders take over...

A smiling Trixie...

And a smiling Luna...

88/365 - Eskie Smile

Enjoying some time on the bed before someone ruins the fun by announcing that it's time for the inevitable "Night-Night Walk with Molly".

74/365 - Trixie

We got her a dog bed, but she still seems to prefer the floor.  (Donald had to put her on it and pet her to keep her on it long enough for me to take this photo.)

71/365 - Sunny Spot

A cozy patch of afternoon sun slanting through the blinds-- just the spot for drowsy lounging.

46/365 - Bark-Bug

Trixie likes this spot for sitting and barking to the Neighbor Dogs. It's also her first choice for waiting for us to return from walks to the pond.

22/365 - Sleeping Dog

I should have let sleeping dogs lie, but the intrusive beeping and shuttering of the camera disturbed her, and now she's muffing and biffing at every little thing.  Silly girl.

This is one of her favorite snooze spots-- under the breakfast room table.

Trixie at Mealtime

This is how Trixie likes to eat-- plopped down on the floor so that she eat while lying down.  She takes great pains getting the bowl in just the right position before settling in for a meal, too.  You can easily tell when she's preparing to eat by the sound of the bowl scraping across the floor.  Silly girl!

And because they make me smile, here are two goofy photos of our sweet Eskie:

(Though to be fair, I'm sure you could get some really embarrassing photos of me, too, if you ambushed me with a camera while I was in mid-chew.  (g))

Our Backyard-- the Wonderful World of Wildlife

This has been a great day for wildlife in our yard (and nearby).

This morning, I found a black window spider in one of the dog houses.  The dogs very rarely use them, since they're usually indoors, but still-- I'm never happy to see a black widow, and especially not on our back porch.  Donald was working from home today, and between the two of us, we killed it.  Ok, so he did the actual deed, but I helped.  Anyway, the point is there was a happy ending, after all.  I saw another one near our rock pile a couple months ago, but that one got away from me before I could kill it.  (I have no mercy on black widows.  They all must die.)

I could tell you about the birds that visited our feeder today-- the sparrows and some sort of finch-like bird with a red head... the multiple sizes of doves... the bluebird... the family of cardinals (with the adults still feeding the fluttering-winged juveniles)-- but that's nothing unusual, so I guess I won't (only I just did).  ;o)

Similarly, I won't bore you about the many (comparatively slow, lazy) green anoles and (paranoid, skittery) skinks that can be seen in our yard at practically all times of the day (if you know where to look).  

Instead, I'll tell you that Donald saw what must have been a hognose snake on the easement, today.  From his description-- mean/dangerous-looking, hissing, flattened out like a cobra-- there's little doubt that it was another hognose.  I'm glad it wasn't something worse (like the moccasin Molly found a month or so ago). 

Finally, do you remember that time (not quite two years ago) that Trixie discovered a headless rabbit in our yard, first thing in the morning?  Back then, she came right in when called, like a good doggy.  Well, this time she wasn't so well-behaved after finding another headless rabbit (this time with the front legs missing as well).  Instead of coming when called, she decided that it was a clear case of Finders Keepers.  She was basically a brat about the whole thing, ate goodness knows how much of her prize, growled at Donald when he tried to get her to leave it, and stubbornly ignored even the most tempting of our Emergency Squeaky Toys.  Donald finally managed to put a large leaf rake over the rabbit so that she couldn't get to it, and while she was distracted, he got it out of the yard.  (Molly didn't see what it was, so we got her back inside fairly easily.  Otherwise, there's no telling what might have happened...)

So.  Such is life in the Great Wilderness of Southwestern Alabama.  Trixie has a wild streak of vicious wolf hidden just below the deceptive surface of silky-softness, intelligence, and faithful companionability.  And something needs to stop making a habit of leaving headless animals in our yard.  (Please?  Why not take it home with you for later?)

Trixie Says...

Why not find a cool spot on the floor and take a nap?
Try it; you'll like it! ;o)

What a Sad-Looking Tree!

We finally put up our Christmas tree over the weekend!  Isn't it beautiful? 

Ok, this isn't really our Christmas tree.  It's just the top portion of our (artificial) tree, put in the stand for the fun of it.  Trixie thought it looked pretty pathetic (and was a little concerned that it might topple over on top of her). 

Our (fully assembled and decorated) tree looks much the same as it does every year.  Still, maybe I'll take a photo or two before it comes back down again...

Trixie Jumps Through the Hoop

Trixie jumps through a hula hoop on command. Er, well sometimes she does.

Trixie "Finds It"

We play a game called "Find It" with Trixie. We take one of her toys, hide it somewhere (while she waits in another room), and tell her (as you've probably already guessed) to find it. She enjoys it, and I think it's fun to watch as she sniffs and puzzles out the toy's location.

Trixie Barks at Bones

It's so much fun when the People slide one of the dogs' Nylabones over the hard surface floor and send it flying toward you! (Just take Trixie's word for it.)

...Of course, it's a little anticlimactic, because, in the end, it's still just a gnawed-up plastic bone. Oh well. Such is life.

Trixie Is Famebus!

Again!  ;o)

She likes to hunt (and pounce on) bugs (real or imaginary?) in the taller grass around the yard.  The only real downside of this method of bug-hunting is the mouthful of icky grass. A small price to pay.

Humble: It's a Funny-Sounding Word

Humbling Things, Should I Begin to Think Too Highly of Myself :

• Trying to brush Trixie's teeth when she doesn't want them to be brushed.  (I was trying because I'd noticed that some of them are looking a little dirty around the gum line).  She can make her mouth tiny, and I never dreamed she had such muscular lips.  

• Working hard at cleaning the floor, only to find that it's already getting dirty again by the end of the day.  Or (in some cases) by the end of the hour. 

• Stepping into the front yard and finding 2- or 3-foot high weeds in the foundation plating, where I could swear there were no weeds a day or two ago.  

• The seemingly self-propagating piles of papers and stuff I need to go through, sort, and Do Something With.  (Where do they come from?!)

• Good intentions.  Lack of follow-through.  (That says it all, really.)

Oh well.  That's just life, I guess.

More Random Thoughts

Aren't you lucky?!  ;o)

•  I kept seeing references to something called the "Angry Birds".  I was sure it must be a band, but when I finally remembered to look it up, I discovered it was only some type of little computer game.  The strange thing is that it's been around for a pretty long time (as these things go).  So why is everyone talking about it now?  I have to admit, I'm kind of disappointed.  A band would've been more interesting.

•  We now know that our fence is not Chihuahua-proof.  One wandered into our yard a couple nights ago.  Fortunately, our dogs either didn't see him or chose to ignore him. (Also fortunate:  Bands of ravenous Chihuahuas don't roam the Alabamian countryside with the frequency you might expect.  We'll probably be alright, even with our non-Chihuahua-proof fence.)

•  On a related note, we have also confirmed that Trixie is a coward.  When she saw the Chihuahua through a window (the next day), she acted a little frightened and didn't want to get too close.  (She seems to be scared of most "stranger dogs".)

•  Our dogs are both obsessed with the laser pointer toy they got for Christmas.  We've taken some video of them acting all crazy about it, and one of these days I may possibly manage to edit and upload it.  (I know, you can't wait.)

•  I moved our most-frequently used board and card games into two of the cabinets (with doors) in the bookcases in the main room of our house.  Before, they were all stacked in a closet-- kind of messy to get to-- hard to reach-- difficult to get to the one we wanted without moving some of the others, blah blah blah.  This new arrangement makes much more sense to me.  Now, why did I wait so long to think about this and move everything around?  (Some of us get so used to things being a certain way that we never consider whether there might be a better way.)

•  After seeing myself in some photos, I was reminded that I ought to start exercising and watching what I eat, again.  In other words, I need to shift out of holiday mode.  The thing is, I never did make that batch of sugar cookies I promised myself over the holidays...  I am going to make sugar cookies.  One of these days.  Maybe over the weekend...

•   During recent evenings, I've been weaving in the ends of the hexagon afghan I crocheted a while ago.  There are a lot of them.  (/understatement)  You can find more about this fascinating subject on my sewing/crochet blog-- excellent reading for those times you're plagued with insomnia.

•  I'm glad to see the return of new episodes of some of  the TV programs we watch.  Also, the talk radio hosts are trickling back in, now that the holidays are over.  The fill-in hosts are rarely as interesting as the usual ones.

•  We bought ourselves a space heater a few weeks ago.  It's been a long time since we had one.  When we lived in the trailer, we'd borrowed a pretty old one from my maternal grandparents.  It was the type that had wires that glowed orange (behind a grill) when it was running-- kind of scary-looking.  This new one is a tower-shaped unit that can be set to oscillate-- and there are no (visible) glowing wires.  It is so nice-- perfect for getting toasty-warm.  Why did we wait so long to get one of these?!

•  Those are all the random thoughts swimming around in my head first thing in the morning. 

•  Ah, I remembered something else!  Last week, I don't remember how, but I found myself looking at a list of the 100 most beautiful English words, according to Robert Beard, "a long-time poet and word aficionado".  Some of them I can agree are beautiful... but then we find words like "ailurophile".  Really?  Well, if you say so.  And "bucolic".  (Ok, now I know you're pulling my leg.  "Bucolic" is one of those words only a mother could love.  It has the sound "ick" in it, for goodness' sake!  And "colic"-- not a beautiful thing, at all. )  "Conflate"?  "Fugacious"?  (Gag.) "Onomatopoeia".  (Meh. It's probably just me, but I've always felt that teachers make too much of a fuss over that word.)  "Palimpsest"?  "Petrichor"?  "Ratatouille"??  (C'mon, that hardly even counts as an English word.  It seems like this Beard fellow is extremely fond of words of French origin in general, though.)  "Riparian" makes me laugh, because the only place I recall ever hearing that one is in an episode of "Keeping Up Appearances"-- "waterside supper with riparian entertainments" and not by any means a "riverside picnic", mind you! To each his own favorite words, of course.  Far be it from me to tell you that your beautiful words are ugly...

•  Ok, I think that's really all, this time.

Random Thoughts

•  After letting the floors go for a while, I spent a good amount of time vacuuming today.  (It took forever, so let this be a lesson to me not to wait so long, next time.) I'm still in awe of how well our (no longer so) new vacuum cleaner works, compared with the old one. 

•  I love the Trixie-dog, but if you have a problem with long white dog hairs getting on everything (making it nearly impossible to get out the door without at least one hair lurking somewhere on your clothes, even if you're very careful), the Eskie probably isn't the breed for you.  Neither she nor her hair have a doggy smell, but you will get unscented dog hair on your clothes, if you come into our house for any length of time.  No amount of vacuuming will ever eliminate all that fur.  It's just a fact of life with American Eskimo Dogs.  (You have been warned.)

•  Thanks to gifts and my own purchases, I have enough hand lotion to last an average woman a few years, figuring for moderate use.  And yet I keep noticing that my hands look dry, thinking to myself, "I ought to put on some lotion"-- and then getting distracted by something else and promptly forgetting all about it.  Apparently I need to wear a bottle on a cord around my neck.  It may be the only way I'll ever remember to use it...

•  I saw someone blog about how she's thinking of doing Project 365 again in 2011, with an emphasis on macro photography this time-- and I thought, "Hey, that sounds like a fun idea!"  That's right.  I am tempted to do Project 365 again.  This is probably a bad idea.

•  The last time I made Santa Fe Stew, I made it vegetarian (by omitting the chicken).  I did this because I was feeling lazy and didn't want to bother with the chicken-- and because I didn't think it would affect the stew much, since I typically use less meat than the recipe calls for, anyway.  (I did add a couple bouillon cubes, though, to supply a little chicken flavor... and I also used quite a bit more beans than the recipe calls for, so there'd be plenty to freeze for later.  However, I always use more beans than are called for...)  It turned out fine.  This remains one of my favorite dishes.  Donald likes it better over rice (which I also like but don't absolutely require), and I like to eat mine with some tortilla chips on the side. 

•  The clothes dryer is buzzing.  I could pretend not to hear it, but I don't think Molly will take care of it on her own...

•  As predicted, Molly was just lying in her dog bed in the kitchen, seemingly oblivious to the buzzer.  She's better at pretending not to hear than I am. 

•  Movies we've watched recently include the following:  Splice, Vampires Suck, Devil, Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny (with Rifftrax commentary), and others that fail to come to mind.  (Oh, such as The Legend of the Guardians, which Donald wanted to see because of the quality of the cgi.)

•  TV shows we've been watching together:  Community (just finished Season 1, though we've already seen some of Season 2 as it aired), Monk (we're on Season 3), various sitcoms (Big Bang Theory, The Office, How I Met Your Mother, The Middle, Modern Family, etc.)... and probably some other things I'm forgetting. (We were watching The Walking Dead, too, but of course the first season of that is over now.)

•  Those are all the random thoughts I'll bother you with for now.  But you never know when there may be more.  (That'll give you something to look forward to.)  ;o)
 

Trixie's Great Escape

Trixie's Great Escape:  Long, Rambly Version
(For Short Version, see below.)

One day (sometime this month), the gorgeous fall weather inspired me to take Trixie on a walk down toward the pond.   I hooked the retractable leash onto her collar, and we were on our way.  She wasn't particularly keen on walking, but then she never has cared for walks as much as you'd expect her to, given how enthusiastic she is about fetching, catching frisbees, and generally putting everything she's got into her playtime.  Still, we managed to plod along.  (Until...)

We came to about the mid-point of my parents' clearing (heading from our yard to the pond).  Their dogs (Mandy and Kolby, both Shelties) hadn't seen, heard, or smelled us-- and they never did, despite the fuss to come (probably because it was a windy day, with a northern wind carrying our scent and sound away from them)-- but Trixie was acutely aware of their unseen presence (in their temporary pen adjoining the new house).  She stared straight toward the pen, nose twitching.

I tried to be understanding.  I gave her some time to take in the new smells and then, when I'd concluded that she had become rooted to the spot, I gently pulled the leash to suggest that we continue.  No ma'am, she was having none of that.  There were (ohmygosh) other animals around here!  It wasn't safe!  She'd much rather go back home right now, thankyouverymuch!  Words of encouragement-- another little tug on the leash-- but no, still not interested.  In fact, she went so far as to pull back, and with almost no effort at all, she'd wriggled right out of her collar!  (That's taught me a lesson about leaving collars too loose!)

There was a split second before Trixie realized that she was free (free at last!), and then she turned and was off!  I spoke her name as calmly as I could manage-- I called more urgently-- I said the magic word, "Treat!  Treat!  Treat??"-- all to no avail (and I had treats with me, which Little Miss Super-Sniffer must've known).  I called after her, hoping to convince her that I'd seen how wrong I was to suggest she go on a walk, "Want to go inside?  Want to go see Molly?"  Nope, she wouldn't even afford me a backward glance.  Meanwhile, I was chasing after her, dragging my invisible-dog-style leash and empty collar along behind me.  I knew I'd never catch up to her if she didn't want me to, and I tried not to think what might happen if she took it into her crazy little head to run up to the road-- or even out on the easement, if a neighbor happened to be driving by-- but it looked like she was homeward bound.

There was a little while when she was out of view (because of the zig-zaggy nature of our path back)-- but when I got closer I was relieved to see her standing at the gate, waiting to be let in.  Whew!  Taking care not to spook her with sudden "I'm going to put this leash back on you"-type movements, I spoke more soothing, magical Trixie-words ("Want to go inside?  Want to see Molly?  Inside?  Molly?  Treat?"), opened the gate, and breathed even more easily when she walked right in, just as though this were our accustomed arrangement.  "There now, Michael, was that so hard?  Next time just do what I want and all will be well." 

Good grief!  That dog really doesn't like walks!  At least she ran back home straight as an arrow!

Following the old "get right back into the saddle" method, Donald and I put the harness on her and took her and Molly on a walk almost immediately afterward.  She didn't like the harness at first (tending to spin around, flop onto her side and stay perfectly still as soon as she felt any pull from the leash), but after a while-- with Molly's encouraging presence-- she decided it was livable.  Still, she's a little hesitant going out and pulls on the leash when she senses that we've turned homeward.  I think she may be more of a homebody recluse than I am... which is odd, given how playful and exuberant she is and how much she seems to enjoy meeting new people.

Trixie's Great Escape:  Short Version

I tried and failed to walk Trixie. That dog doesn't like walks.  Fortunately, she does like Home, and that's where she ran when she got away from me. Further walking training is needed.  Or...we could just not do walks, as she gets plenty of exercise from frisbee-fetching.  We'll see.

Impatient Trixie

Here's a sampling of (some of) the weird noises Trixie makes when she feels she's been in her crate long enough:

Trixie Does Some Tricks

We could still refine things, but so long as she gets the treats, I don't think she cares much one way or the other. ;o)

(I filmed this with our new point-and-shoot. We think the quality's pretty good for a such a conveniently small camera!)