Sensational Giveaway - Winner!

The hat from which the winning name was pulled.

I am very happy to announce that the winner of the $25 HomeGoods gift card is ...

KIMBERBATES

Try to imagine her name in lights - flashing and bold - Vegas style.

And also try to imagine a WOOOP! WOOOP! siren clanging in your ears too. Something loud and happy like you might hear at Six Flags or a carnival.

Kimberbates, you WIN!

Handsome pulled your name from this very hip hat. A hat which is so hip, in fact, that neither of us is hip enough to wear it - ever. We just keep it around in hopes of being hipper one day. Handsome was a bit surprised that we actually did the whole "drawing a name out of a hat" thing, but we did, and so for that reason, we were very happy to have a hat - hip or otherwise - available. 

That lil' scrap of paper says "Kim"- short for Kimberbates, of course.

Thank you for playing along everybody!  I loved hearing from each of you.

Kim's gift card.

I am secretly hoping that she will use her winnings to buy a decorative owl ... I hear that they are very popular this year.

*A special note to the winner, I did a little digging this morning, but I don't think that I have your address. Would you please email that information to me? And I will drop your gift card into the mail asap. Congrats!

Sensational Giveaway

Centsational Girl, a home decorating and do-it-yourself project blog, is hosting a 'Mom Cave' link party and contest next Monday, October 25. The top prize is a $250 gift card to HomeGoods, and you can read all about the contest and participate if you are a mom by going here: Centsational Girl

The $250 gift card is a fabulous prize, and the contest sounds like a fun way to celebrate moms, BUT in order to participate, you must be a MOM. That's right, a mom. If you have never given birth, you do not qualify. This hurts my feelings, so in an effort to boost the spirits of everyone left out, I am doing my own HomeGoods giveaway just for us ... though on a much smaller scale.

I hope Centsational Girl will understand.

$25 Gift Card to HomeGoods

To enter for a chance to win this gift card, all you have to do is:

1) Know someone who has been born
 or
2) Love someone who has been born
 or
3) Have been born
 and
4) Leave a friendly comment

That should include just about everyone.

No 100 word entries necessary here. By the way, how many moms do you know have time to sit around and write 100 word entries? Just a thought.

So, to re-cap, be breathing and post a comment (just one please!) below.

Tell me anything. Tell me how you would like to spend $25 at HomeGoods. Tell me who you love. Tell me what you are collecting. Tell me your favorite kind of pie. Any of those answers will do.

Just be sure to respond by Monday, October 25 at 8 p.m. Pacific.

Monday night, Handsome will randomly pull one name from a hat, and I will post the winner Tuesday morning.

I hope it will be you!

Green Hooty - a latest and greatest HomeGoods find. He volunteered to hang onto the $25 gift card until the winner is announced. Ain't he sweet?!

Struggling on the Cement

The day started early.

Before the sun was up, I was behind the wheel and driving Handsome to the train station in the dark because he wanted to get a jump on his work day. The streets were quiet and all the street lights were green - all was peaceful except my mouth.

In my heart, I am truly thankful for Handsome's job and his work ethic, and although I hate to admit it, you should know that I grumbled at him the whole way to the station.

"Why are we up this early?"
"Why aren't we going to the other, closer train station?"
"Why didn't you have a better plan in place for this morning?"

Yep, that is how I helped him start his day.

That I would grumble at him because I had to take him to the station early in the morning is ridiculous.

RIDICULOUS.

Mind you, it is not like I had to hurry home to get ready for work, take care of children, or do anything during the day that I did not really want to do. The day was free and easy - just like every other day. He works and provides, and I live in the lap of luxury. A very cushy deal. I could have come home and crawled back into bed and slept for hours while he, without complaining, began his long commute and work day, and I had the audacity to grumble at him.

Do you ever wonder at yourself? Just sorta, "Who am I and what is the deal?" Some days I could just gag on my own sense of entitlement and laziness. Should do, anyway.

You know, it didn't even occur to me to feel rotten about my behavior until later... much later. Like now later. I was too concerned about the day ahead to worry about how I had treated him.

Next on the morning's agenda was something new and fun; I was meeting up with a new walking buddy, and as I waited outside for her to arrive, I decided to rescue earthworms from the sidewalk. I found a leaf and started scooping up the worms and tossing them back into the grass. I was thinking very highly of myself too for being so merciful and good and patient while I waited.

I scooped and tossed and scooped and tossed until I really started to get grossed out by the slime and the wriggling and the distrust - "I am trying to help ya here!" I became completely overwhelmed too. There were worms everywhere, and there was no way I could rescue all of them. Rain has been falling falling here lately, and I suppose the worms have been rinsed right out of their homes. I looked around and gave up. My mercy reaches a limit at grossed out and overwhelmed - so it would seem.

So, I waited for Laura, averting my eyes from the ground where worms still struggled on the cement. 

When she arrived, I was relieved to leave the worms. Not my problem, and I had done what I could after all, and wasn't rescuing worms weird anyway? 

Laura is an artist and a cancer survivor, and her conversation is full of words like inspiration and create and technique and design. She is the kind of person that when you are done talking to her, you kinda feel challenged to DO something - anything - just stop sitting around and try to be better than you are... or at least do try to be more interesting.

When she and I finished our walk, my head was buzzing. What have I accomplished? Do I have any talent? Purpose? What should I do? Should I start a creative project? What would that look like? Where does Handsome keep those paint brushes? And why did I promise not to draw again this year?

But, by the time we got home from our walk, I was already late for Bible study, so I ran into the house, grabbed my purse and car keys and ran back out again. I was in a mindset to get on track, to find a purpose for my time and get going, but that would have to wait. It was time to shift gears and focus on some other ladies and, oh yeah, Bible study too.

Since I do not know many of the women in the Bible study group yet, I wanted to be at my best - be impressive and witty and pretty and all of that if you know what I mean. But, as you might remember, I had just put my best foot forward with the other new walking friend, and I was all out of decent feet. In fact, as I sat down, I was pretty sure that I could smell my sweaty tennis shoes.

That is about the time that the sweet, elderly woman seated next to me asked how many missions trips I had been on and to where. My answer? "Uh, yah. Some. Way back in high school, but I've moved a lot since then, so ya know..."

Ugg. So lame.

How is it possible to manage so much failure before 10 a.m.?

And then the Bible study began and this is what I heard:

 "Commit your whole life to the Lord, especially if it looks drastically different than what you had in mind. Don't despair and become frustrated in the seasons of waiting that the Lord might allow you to go through. Rather, ask Him to allow your spiritual eyes to clearly see His hand in every aspect of each season. Fully engage and rely on His Spirit to empower you to do what He has called you to do."

Thank you, dear Priscilla Shirer, for that word, but here is the thing, you just totally shifted my thinking.  Any time I am faced with words like frustration and disappointment, my mind immediately goes to infertility. So for a minute, while we finished Bible study, I forgot about my appearance and desperation to fit in and really started to think about my purpose in Christ - without children.  What could there be for me to accomplish instead? How can this life be used? I have no idea. But the theme of the lesson seemed to be all about moving beyond the devastation, anger and fear, and to the relief of trusting that God's plan is best.

For a long, quiet time, I continued along, waiting to get pregnant, caving in on myself some when it didn't happen, and creating a small, self-centered little life. And then, Handsome and I moved. In fact, the move came at just about the time I was feeling a bit more at terms with the idea of never having children. Is it coincidence that I suddenly find myself surrounded with women who are not so concerned with where you are or where you have been, but what are you accomplishing now?   

I was wondering on this idea when yet another new friend, Esther, leaned over and asked me to lunch.  She must not have noticed the stinky tennis shoes, worm-slime still clinging to my fingers, the grumbling guilt, or the look of perplexed confusion, do you think?

Esther is originally from Iran. Her features are dark and lovely and her perspective is different than that of almost anyone I have met. At lunch, she talked about the persecution of Christians and escape and the abuse of unloved women all over the world and the importance of voting in our next election. She talked about things so much more important than the frivolous things which I worry over and become consumed.

Stunned. I left our luncheon stunned.

And horrified at myself.

It was a rough morning. It wasn't even one in the afternoon yet, but my perspective had been completely altered - shaken out of myself - rattled into reality.

And now, all I can say is that I am so glad that God does not give up on us. He is merciful and just. He does not become too grossed out by our self-centered slime but has covered it and washes us clean. He is gentle and loving when He scoops up our lives to move us in unexpected directions. Our problems are never too overwhelming for Him, and He doesn't even give up on us when we do not trust Him and complain that we would have preferred to have struggled on the cement and died because that was our own purpose and plan.  
He is gracious and has been so good to this worm.

I don't think I have a purpose for sharing this with you except to record the morning. I don't want to forget the order of events or their effect.

Truly, I am not sure what to do with the encouragement - the exhortation. Would you?

So, for now, I am clinging to this...

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your path straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

...and you can believe that I will be kissing on Handsome a little extra tonight.

10-10-10

The tenth month is easily my favorite for lots of reasons, but most of all, I love this month because my little sister was born in October. I did not get a chance to post birthday wishes on her actual birthday day because we were busy spending time and celebrating together.

Still, now that the day has passed, little sister, you should know that you make every day -especially the ones in October- special. I am so thankful for you.

Happy Birthday, Lisa!

Sisters - October 1980

Who Is Right? Your Two Cents Please

You might remember that I told you about those dern, fluffy bunnies and the mess they left at our front door.

What I did not tell you is that Handsome, in all his wonderfulness, hopped (bunnies. hopped. tee hee!) to the task of cleaning up the mess. He is my hero, and sweeping away all bunny evidence is the kind of practical thing that real-life heroes do best. Just ask anyone.

Only there was a slight problem.

Rather than grabbing the outdoor broom, which was in the garage set, ready and willing to do his bidding, Handsome grabbed the indoor broom and set to work.

Now, when realizing his mistake, one of us made a sort of an ACK! face and staggered in horror at the sheer yuckiness of it all. Once revived, one of us was fairly certain that the indoor broom had just become the secondary/back-up outdoor broom. After all, bunny trails do not mix with kitchen floors ... says one of us. But, the other one of us thinks that a broom is a broom and that it doesn't matter what is swept or from where it is swept because the ground is the ground and the ground is dirty simply by nature - indoors or out.

So, what do you think?

For your consideration, my lovely assistant, Mama, models the broom in question.

Demonstrating how the indoor broom might have looked during its outdoor excursion.

To keep inside? Or not to keep inside? Is one of us being ridiculous? Go ahead, be honest. We can take it.

Can you guess her opinion just by her expression? I can tell you exactly what she is thinking... She's thinking, "I'm staying outta this. When a hero steps in with practical help, you don't tickle him up with a bunch of criticism."

She might be right. Mamas usually are.

Still, when considering magnitude and importance and consequence of this matter, you must have an opinion, don't you? This issue is obviously dire, and I cannot stress the importance of your vote because I really think that I am right. I mean, one of us really thinks that he/she is right. One of us just needs some support regarding his/her right-ness in order to convince the other one of his/her wrong-ness.

Between you and me, I am expecting to sweep the opponent. 

Regardless of how you vote, isn't my mama lovely? She was just in town for a few days, and her visit was much too short. Too short to be wasted on brooms and their use and the overall indoor vs. outdoor broom debate. What was I thinking? Mama, come back!

If you live anywhere near your mama, go seek her out today. Hug her neck and tell her that you love her, and then, when that is said and done, if you still have time, both of you, please come back and give your two cents regarding my broom. I have no doubt that she will agree with me too.

Stars Align

Something very special and unusual happened at my house today.

This!
I had both mamas in my house! At the same time! BOTH!

This hardly ever happens because one is from a far-far-away land called Idaho, and the other is from Missouri which, miserably, is even further away. But they came here, to my house, and I have been savoring every minute.

I promise to update again soon about their visit and the pending birthday party.

Until then, may your weekend be blessed to the brim with birthdays and mamas and all of your other favorite things too.

The Great Japanese Pumpkin - Part Two

It all started here with a green pumpkin.
To begin, I could say that I sliced open our green pumpkin very carefully, but what I really did was wrestle a knife through its crazy tough rind until the knife got stuck and I had to sorta pound them both on the counter to get the knife to cut through.

I might need sharper knives.

Cut away from yourself *grunt*cut away!
Whew! That took some effort, but there it is! Looks like any pumpkin might look on the inside, don't you think so? No surprises so far.

Next, I threw the halves into the oven to bake for about an hour at 350. In hindsight, they might not have needed the whole hour - they got a bit overdone. Oops.
So, though possibly, maybe, probably, a bit overcooked, I scraped the orange meat out of the rind and decided it would be a good time to sample it too.
It tasted like... well, it tasted like pumpkin to me. Maybe just a little sweeter? Isn't that just what those farmers said to expect? Yep, I think they were right!
Smash! Smash! Sorry that the picture is a bit blurry.

Just looks like regular pumpkin at this point, doesn't it?

When it came time to choose a recipe for our green pumpkin, I did a little more smashing. I pulled a recipe from everybody's favorite, Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, and another from Allrecipes.com, and then I smashed them into one, I hope this turns out, pumpkin bread recipe.

Why two recipes? Because I have terrible time making decisions. Recipes included.
But it all worked out because the recipes are very similar.

They differ the most in their use of spices. The Better Homes and Gardens recipe calls for cinnamon and nutmeg, while the Allrecipes.com version calls for cinnamon and nutmeg PLUS cloves and ginger.

I took the middle ground and added cloves but left out the ginger.

But I had a good reason for excluding the ginger. Personally, I love ginger, but my little sister thinks it is gross, and since it was her birthday over the weekend, I left it out for her sake and in her honor. Not that she got to eat any of the bread.

Still, Happy Birthday, little sis. Can't say I never did nothin' for ya.

The little owls were overseeing the work.
These are the ingredients that went into the green, pumpkin bread - minus the ginger.
Just a side thought... Take a good look at that picture. Now, why do you suppose, I cannot seem to buy the same brand of anything ever? Anyone else have cabinets that look like a cross-section of the supermarket?
Such a sad picture, the ginger is being pushed out - left out - dismissed - disregarded. He stands alone - estranged to the far right. Poor ginger. Though, I suppose by including the ginger here, it is not being completely excluded which should help to make it feel a little better.

Okay, now I am going to attempt to do what the wonderful and talented Pioneer Woman does and show you my baking steps. Just thought I would try it this once.

Uhhh, here we go...

Mix the oil and the sugar.
Then add the eggs.
All the dry ingredients.
Combine.
Alright, there is obviously more than 15 oz of pumpkin-y goodness blopped in there, but what else was I gonna do with it?
Stir.
Pour. We have sooo got this!
Ta-Da!!!!
All said and done, the funny thing about our Great Japanese Pumpkin is that really it is just a less famous pumpkin - but that kinda makes it special, like a best-kept secret, don't you think so?

It was so tasty in the bread. I cut the loaves into halves and shared around with our neighbors, and so far, all the feedback has been positive.

"Delicious!"

"Yummy!"

It even scored a "Divine!"

So, next time you are out and about, if you see a strange looking green pumpkin, don't hesitate to invite it home, set it next to your more common-variety, average, regular, orange pumpkins, look at it, warm up to it, embrace its uniqueness, and when the time comes, feel free to bake/cook it into anything and everything for deliciousness!

It really was fun to experiment with and learn about Japanese Pumpkin. Hope you get a chance to do the same.

P.S. - In case you don't have a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and oh-so very much want to make pumpkin bread, the recipe I (kinda) used is available at Allrecipes.com, posted by Laurie Bennett, and is called Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread. It is absolutely scrumptious!

The Great Japanese Pumpkin

Yesterday, I told you that I would be doing a recipe experiment and that I would then tell you all about the results today. Unfortunately, that statement was both true and misleading because although I did do some adventure baking last night, today, I realized that before I can tell you about that experiment, I need to tell you about what we shall, from this day forward, call The Great Japanese Pumpkin.

In the beginning there was a friendly neighbor and a farmers co-op...

Each week, a couple of my neighbors and I share goodish-sized box of organic produce. What happens is a local farming co-op pulls together boxes of what they like to call produce. What we get is a box filled to the brim with wrinkled, spotted, odd, twisted varieties of things that look like they might have wanted to be fruits and veggies at one time but failed to qualify.

For example, the first couple boxes we received were full of beaten and bruised plums so ugly... you know how that saying goes. We were faced with eating a bushel of plums that were so wrinkly they should have been called PRUNES from birth, and we neighbors blinked and gaped and stared and wondered what we had gotten ourselves into.

But, here is the thing, it turns out that those plums were the best I have ever tasted! EVER! Which leads me to the new belief that the uglier the produce, the better it tastes. Ooo! Much like books and covers, and hearts vs. faces, and so on. No judging till you know what is on the inside, right?

Anyhoo, in addition to filling us with ripe and wonderful veggies (excuse me while I wipe juice off my chin) joining the co-op has also introduced us to some produce that we would have NEVER tried otherwise.

This is what my share of the haul might look like on any given Tuesday.
Tomatoes that taste like tomatoes! Yum! Those pears? To die for!

And that squash? Well, to start, yep, it is, in fact, a squash. Surprise! It is The Great Japanese Pumpkin.

You see, some of the stuff the farmers send is just too weird and wacky to be believed, and looking at the green pumpkin sideways, when it came time to divvy up the produce, my friendly neighbor crinkled her nose and heaved it my direction.
Uhmmm. Lucky me.

It is a pretty sort of harvest-y, gourd-y, pumpkin-y squash, and I was half tempted just to use it as decor, but then I wondered, "How bunnies feel about squash?"

No, no, no! That would never do. No, bunnies, no! If there was any tasting to be done around here, it would be done by us not them!

But how exactly? What to do with it? What is it?

According to the farmers, this is a Kabocha Squash or Japanese Pumpkin.
The above photo provides Kabocha squash details meant to be filed away with "random stuff you know." Sadly the type in the picture might be too tiny to read ... much less file. Sorry.

Oh well. To sum up, the Kabocha squash is sometimes called Japanese pumpkin due to the fact that it is thought to have originated in Japan. Its innards are orange and sweet and similar in taste and texture to a pumpkin, butternut squash or a sweet potato. The green, outer rind is also edible and according to our farmers, highly nutritious. Be my guest if you are feeling that adventurous and let me know what you think.

Anyone else out there ever heard of this squash?
Pictured above is a recipe that the farmers sent along with the squash - also tiny. Sorry again. They actually sent two, but I decided to experiment with a couple of pumpkin bread recipes instead.

So, that brings us around to my adventures in baking last night. Tomorrow, tune in for The Great Japanese Pumpkin experiment results!

Also, if you live in the area, information about the co-op we are enjoying can be found here:
https://www.abundantharvestorganics.com/case_contents.php
If you don't live here, don't be dismayed! Co-ops are available in lots of areas across the states-- just dig around your town a bit for one. They are totally worth the effort!

Antiquing

Over the weekend, Handsome and I went antique shopping. It is a funny thing, but we love to dig through old knick-knacks and junk and dance to the oldies as we meander from booth to booth.

One day, I am hoping to -scratch that- I am determined to stumble upon the greatest rocking chairs ever seen or heard or sat upon.

Sadly, Saturday, we did not find any rocking chairs, but we did find lots of other great stuff. We actually found a pair of green-glass, owl bookends that were SO cute... but they were also eighty bucks. EIGHTY BUCKS! So we left 'em. Sorry, no bookends are THAT cute. I went home with an empty shopping bag, but Handsome found this...

BLUE STREAK
and
Doctor Medusa

For fun, Handsome has been reading excerpts from his new, old book to me at night. Also, sometimes, I have trouble settling down from the day, and the sound of his voice often soothes me right to sleep.

But this book has been action packed!
That is the Blue Streak swooping in to save the day!

Who can sleep with this kind of action unfolding?

"The Blue Streak Whirled and Charged!"

Okay, I did - I do fall asleep as Handsome reads this story.

But I can also tell you that the Blue Streak is the good guy and that Dr. Medusa is the villain.

With a name like Medusa, he would have to be the bad guy, right? And he really is so bad!

"His black eyes stabbed each face!" That is a direct quote.

That is a mean guy! He has an evil and dastardly plan to turn people into crystal statues and to take all their money! No wait, that's not it ... To take their money and THEN turn them into statues. Which is worse, of course, because it is more insulting that way.

With all the statues and a Medusa, it is a little Narnia meets Clash of the Titans.
Our hero is pictured above in his signature mask and tights . He's a bit scrawny and funny looking, but he gets the job done with his super hearing and super vision and super strength and bullet-proof vest (eh, not so super).

He is a ventriloquist too. Ventriloquism is very handy for fighting crime ... so it would seem.

Who knew?

Count Luggar is also bad and is working for Doctor Medusa. He is the guy in the picture below. The guy with the mustache. Probably got in with the wrong crowd in his early teens and just sorta spiraled into crime from there. He is also a fake count for some reason which has not yet been explained, and since we are nearing the end of the story, I am starting to think that it might never be explained. It is probably a fake mustache regardless, wouldn't you think so?

"Louie and Baby Face Taunted Luggar"

Baby Face? Really?

This is just about where we left off with the Blue Streak last night. Or, eh, I fell asleep.

"Hang on Tight, Bess"

Really! Can you see the picture?

Later in the story, Bess, our beautiful, although spoiled rotten, heiress/damsel in distress tells us, "[The Blue Streak] carried me fifteen miles. He certainly makes a fine saddle horse."

Ha!

Can you imagine? He just finished carrying her all that way, and instead of calling him a hero, she called him a horse!

Snicker! This book cracks me up!

Only, I shouldn't scoff too loudly 'cause I like being read too. Shhh, don't tell Handsome I have been giggling at his literature.

Oh, but I have to tell you this too...

During the story, Bess has "flashed her eyes" more times than I would care to count and even "tossed her head." I am not kidding. That's what it said on the page. You might expect her to "toss her hair" or "shake her hair" or even "loose her head ... and do something foolish," but oh no, not this girl, she "tossed her head."

Think about it.

Kinda give you the creeps too? Mostly makes me think of ol' Ichabod Crane and that Headless Horseman friend of his. But then, what is a book if not a means of sparking imagination? And who am I to criticize after all? She might have had a really good reason for tossing her head. But, I don't think I'd recommend it.

Speaking of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and smashing pumpkins and all that, tomorrow I am gonna try a new, pumpkin type of recipe. Or rather, I should say that I am gonna try a new spin on an old recipe. Truthfully, I am gonna go try it right now and hopefully tell you all about it tomorrow.

I wish that you were here to help me in the kitchen. Or better yet, that one of us could read aloud the final, few, gripping chapters of the BLUE STREAK while the other baked so that we could know once and for all how the Blue Streak will outwit Dr. Medusa and save the day!

Since you can't be here, this is us -me and Bentley- waiting for Handsome to come home and finish the story.

Blue Streak and Doctor Medusa was written by Art Elder in 1946 and illustrated by Francis Kirn.

You might have to go antiquing to find a copy, but it will be well worth the hunt.

Effecting Change

Sometimes, some things just don't work out.

The equation, Flowers + Bunnies, does not equal a friendly, mutual agreement and understanding in regard to leaving entryway decor alone as a means of producing joy and pleasure to all who view.

Flowers + Bunnies = Dinner. That's just the way it is.

Can you tell by the picture that the side flowers have been completely gnawed-buzzed-chewed off? If you think that what those bunnies took is bad, you should have seen what they left behind. It was an awful mess, but we will lightly skip, or as the bunnies do, bounce over that and leave the subject in the dust.

These are the struggles that try one's soul.

In an attempt to save our little splash of Autumn color -the very decor that I went on and on about, that I agonized over, that I was so relieved to put into place- it has been relocated to the balcony.

High above the ground and safe from all hungry bunnies.
The new arrangement from the other angle...

I like this angle better too. I love how it looks like the plant on the table is stretching and waving its flowers and saying, "Hey! Look at me! I'm here too!"

Funny thing, this new location should actually be better for the plants. I didn't mention this before, but the tags that came with the plants read, FULL SUN. I just choose to ignore that fact when I shoved them into the shade next to our front door.

I thought that you might like to meet one of our change effecting culprits, so I sneaked up on tip-toes to snap a photo... be very very quiet...

Dern, missed him.

Here, let me draw you a picture - this should give you an idea of what we are dealing with.

Pretty good, huh? Can you tell that I used good, ol' Bugs Bunny for reference? Are you surprised to learn that I used any reference at all?

I know, it's bad. Now you know why Handsome is the paid artist, and I am just the, well, not even the recreational one. Still, the big mouth captures the essence of those rascally, plaguing, chomping-on-my-flowers rabbits.

Anyway, sometimes, some things just don't work out. And sometimes they do. Now, at least this way, if one day soon you find ravenous bunnies in your yard, you will know to grab your potted flowers and run for the hills ... or balconies, whichever suits you best.

If one day, you find a bunny like the one above, you might wanna hike up your skirts and run for your life.

*Please keep reading my posts, I promise not to draw again this year.

Soggy

It's gray and soggy here today. It is not really rainy exactly - just sorta misty-ish. Misty enough though that when cars roll by, you can hear their tires say "squish squish splash."

Bentley and I braved the tempest earlier this morning, and upon returning home, one of us definitely smelled like a wet dog. I won't say who it was, but I will tell you that it was not me.

Whoever the smelly one was and still may be (hint: Bentley), he was a bit embarrassed by the fact.

Scratch embarrassed, incensed is a better word. He hates to be soggy. If the truth were known, I think he rather hates being a dog - prefers to consider himself some sort of high king of everything.

 The face of a crazy tyrant, don't you think so?

Even old King Nebuchadnezzar never looked this raving. Bentley is just lacking the feathers.

So, on days like today, when the obvious is glaringly stinky, he hides out. He thinks that he is hiding anyway.

His public mustn't see him like this. 

Yep, he's in there. I can hear him licking his wounds.

The degradation of being wet and stinky coupled with the inevitable bath that is coming next is just too much to be borne.

Flower Guardian

This week, in an attempt to follow through with the whole "decorating for the seasons" idea, I spent hours and hours and hours - too many hours to be totally normal - perusing the aisles of TJMaxx, Marshalls, Ross, HomeGoods, etc. for decorative stuffs. You name the store, I have probably been there putting things in shopping carts, taking things back out of shopping carts, buying nothing and absolutely NOT making any decisions.

I have serious decision making glitches. Is there anyone else out there in this great, big world who understands? Who can sympathize? Anyone?

I decided, finally, that what I needed was focus - kinda like Handsome's approach to painting the guest bedroom - and realized that I could probably handle decorating the front entry to start.

Secretly, I chose the entryway so that even if nothing else gets decorated inside, the neighbors *will think* that I am on top of all of it... even though you know and I know that I am not.

Shhh, that is a secret between us friends.

Anyway, the focus helped. A few mums and a friendly face were easy enough to choose.

By the way, this is not another owl! You do not see another owl!

Alright, maybe you do see another owl, but this one has purpose - truly. In addition to being the greeter, he is also on flower protection duty. It is his goal and aim to scare away the lurking and ravenous bunnies that live in the bushes all around our home.

I don't think I have told you that we have wild bunnies, have I?

Bunnies bunnies bunnies! Scores and hundreds and thousands of bunnies!

They more or less run the joint. Last Spring, I set a Gerber Daisy beside the front door, and they pretty much made a feeding frenzy sort of a salad bar out of it.

So, to in an effort to discourage bunny snacking, Voila! An owl!

Genius!

Plus, I am able to feed my newly acquired owl addiction with purpose!

Only thing? See the petals?

Bah! It didn't work. I believe that we are dealing with some very smart bunnies. They must have somehow known that greeter owls are a very different breed than the living kind.

My fault for picking a friendly-faced owl, I suppose.

Nibble nibble.

Poor flower.

Such a waste.

Bunnies, this is quite enough from you!

Still, our little owl is ever vigilant and standing guard.

I wonder if it is disappointing to him to realize that he is not so terribly dangerous as was hoped and discussed and planned? None-the-less, he is a happy little greeter, and that really is the point.

After all, what is the point of decorating an entryway if not to warmly welcome visitors? If that is not the point, I have wasted an enormous amount of time.

And all that is to say, if you come to our front door, you will, of course, first have to wade through the sea of fluffy cottontails, but if you are brave, and use the bright, beacon-ing mums to light your path to our door, my hope is that you will find comfort and solace and a friend inside.

On the other hand, if you ring the bell and find that no one is home, by all means, take a flower for your hair (just be quick before the bunnies get 'em all), leave a note in our little guardian's beak (he is getting used to the degradation) and then, please come again soon.