I had the best of intentions. I've begun a review of It Happened in Oklahoma and The Disagreement's review is brewing in my head. But, since the big storm ate a chunk of my roof after I had to drop my husband off for a trip to Norway, where a Coke costs $6 and luggage apparently disappears but reappears just as you begin to smell really gamey, I just can't concentrate very well. And, the Mother's Day promotions are really pissing me off. Plus, I've got to get that gardening done before it's too late, so I've been outside digging, weeding, pulling down vines, planting, watering, and apologizing to lizards.Seriously, they're out there displaying, getting their lizardly groove on, and I keep yanking out their hiding spots. So I've been pulling out weeds and saying, "Sorry, sorry, sorry lizards." The mosquitoes are not apologizing to me. Nasty suckers.
I also have been outdoors with the camera. Who'd have thunk? So, this is a photograph and babble post, only. Warning, the following images are a little disturbing in an "animals chew on each other" way but they're also kind of cute - not gory. Still,I'll just babble a bit more, so you can be forewarned. The picture I'm about to post is a photo of a darling little chipmunk who has, hopefully, just had an epiphany and decided to turn his life around after being chomped (most of this sentence was stolen from Carrie, who is tremendously witty) and then dumped in the grass by the evil vampire kitty who once took a bite out of little old me. It was interesting, though, because the cat dropped the chipmunk and the little chippy froze -- literally, stood as still as a statue, so still that I was able to walk right up to it (and around it) to snap photos. So, this is a photo of cat acting nonchalant and chipmunk playing, "Maybe I'll get lucky and he'll go away."
And he did, in fact, get lucky; I chased off the cat. When the chipmunk only ran partway into the bushes, prompting an attempted return by Vampire Kitty, I yelled at Chippy to "Run! Run! Run!" He took my advice.
Oh, ouchie. You can relax, now. The rest is all easy.A pretty I just planted:
And, what happens when the teenager leaves his dresser drawer open:
I love the OSEI's photo of the day (from yesterday). Actually, I just love satellite photos, but I thought this one was particularly interesting. It made me start singing, "Ain't it voggy outside!" Be glad you missed that moment.Happy, happy day!
Bookfool, off to take a nap
You, my dear, are awesome with that camera. Glad you can't see me, as envy oozing from a middle-aged woman's pores is not a pretty sight.
ReplyDeleteI guessing the lizards will forgive you, but I have my doubts that that chipmunk is gonna forgive Count Kitty Cat so quickly.
By the way, you asked about Memphis. We lived there for four years...my husband got his PhD at the University of Memphis. Does your son like it there in Memphis? I had extremely mixed feelings about the place. Mostly I'm just not really much a city gal though.
Poor lizards getting their little homes hacked down :( Just kidding ;) Vent that frustration and their homes will grow back just fine...and then the Bookfool can tear it down all over again, lol.
ReplyDeleteThat sucks that a chunk of your roof got torn off. Sorry to hear that :( Damn storms....That's a cute chipmunk...glad to hear that he escaped! We don't get chipmunks here...just squirrels, tons of squirrels...
Debi,
ReplyDeleteWhy, thank you, darlin'. I have such fun with my camera. Eww on the word picture of oozing envy. LOL
The lizards seem to be surviving, so far, although they're definitely lower on hiding places. I had a little trouble forgiving that cat when he bit me (he's very enthusiastic -- it was a love bite that broke skin). I can't imagine the chipmunk will ever want to come out of his hole, again, poor thing.
My son's happy in Memphis, but he grew up in little Vicksburg and has this warped image of the joy of being surrounded by masses. He's working in IT at Fed-Ex and apparently they're very good employers, so that's also racks up a few happy points. We've visited him once since he moved (he just graduated in December) and it looked like a whole lot of ugly industrial sprawl surrounded by decrepit urban nastiness to me. Yeah, give me mountains and forests over traffic and bustle, any day. :)
Chris,
Boy, ain't that the truth. Just wait a month and everything will grow right back!!
Well, the news about the roof is good. The insurance inspector came, this morning, and he said we had "old and new hail and wind damage" and they're going to pay for a new roof -- everything but the turbines. We have definitely had some whopper storms, this past few years, haven't we? I'll never forget the sheer terror of Katrina. I paced the whole time the wind was raging, even though (of course) the power was knocked out early and it was hotter than Hades in the house.
No chipmunks? They're just the cutest things. We don't see them very often -- they're a lot more skittish than squirrels, which made the ability to walk up to a frozen chipmunk within a few feet really freaky -- but every now and then one will make an appearance.
Awwww, poor little Chippy! We had them at our cabin and we'd feed them scraps like the cobs from corn on the cob. They'd strip those suckers down to nothing. We would also feed them unpopped popcorn and dry dog food - out of our hands at times. Watching them fill their cheeks was always amazing!
ReplyDeletePoor little lizards! I'm sure they've found other places to hide.
I'm glad to hear that the insurance company is covering the roof... (pun intended, as bad as it is).
cjh
Two very sweet kitties. Our cats have always been indoor cats, but my sister has one who is a little more rebellious. He would sneak out and bring rabbits back to the door. Little stinker! I was in Oklahoma last week with The Innocent Man. Had no idea Oklahoma is so agressive about it's death penalty. Eeks!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the nice weather!
CJ,
ReplyDeleteYou have to feel for the little guy, don't you? I don't think we had chipmunks in OK, but as kids we fed them by hand in Colorado. They're so cute. They'd stand on their hind legs and clap their front paws to beg.
The lizards seem to have handled my weed-pulling fine, probably because I'm nowhere near finishing and there are still hiding places. When I'd pulled out most of the weeds from our herb garden (I smelled like rosemary and mint!), I discovered the little rosemary plant that I put in, last year, is now a bush. It's so big it killed the French lavender, but my lavender cotton and Spanish lavender are going great guns.
LOL. Very punny. I'm relieved. We were planning to start saving to buy a new roof in a few years, but we hadn't started!!
Trish,
ReplyDeleteOne sweet kitty and one vampire kitty, actually. :)
Our cat is mostly indoors, now. She sneaks out, now and then, but doesn't stay out for long -- and gets upset if we forget about her (although I usually stick close). Our beloved Sunshine hated the outdoors. She'd go outside to snack on weeds and slink back in. She was a hoot. Spooky, on the other hand, just loves to loll in the sun for a bit. Fortunately, now that she's older she really doesn't do a great deal of hunting.
Oklahoma is pretty vigorous on its issues. My hometown is an interesting place in that it's like an entire city that's anal. We had leash laws 40 years ago in my hometown. They just got a leash law in the city of Vicksburg, a few years ago, and the county -- where we live -- is exempt. Trash cans are neatly placed on the curb with the lids back on or residents complain loudly, back home. Here, they throw the cans on your front lawn (if you're lucky) or in the street. All our trashcans are cracked. When I go home, I never fail to notice that it's just about the tidiest place I've ever been.
Thanks, I enjoyed yesterday's weather. Today, I'm sore from all the yard work.
I love the cat in the drawer. It makes me want a kitty. Sometimes they are so clever.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your roof!! And your kind of smelly husband off in Norway! But at least you haven't lost your sense of humor!!
ReplyDeleteI love the picture of kitty in the drawer!!
My dog once chewed up a chipmunk. The poor thing hobbled off into the bushes. I don't think the outcome was so cheery for it!
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine all those lizards!
Poor little lizards. It's too bad they don't understand that weeds are very bad.
ReplyDeleteI love the photo of the cat and the squirrel. :-)
I love the cat in the drawer pic too. My sil's cat used to OPEN drawers.
ReplyDeleteWitty aka crazy! At least Chippy is free! free!
As long as your roof has to go, it's good that the insurance will cover most of the cost.
Nikki,
ReplyDeleteThank you. You should get a kitty. I think you need one. But, I also think you should block off the space behind your fridge, before you bring a furball home. :)
Stephanie,
Well, at least the news is good -- the insurance inspector said, "We're going to get you a new roof." I was so relieved.
Smelly husbands need love, too. LOL
Thank you. Kitty's hanging out on the futon, beside me, now. Funny how just having a pet near you makes you feel less alone -- even when they're wiped out. I don't know what I did to her, but she's zonked.
Chris,
That actually wasn't the first chipmunk I've had to rescue. Miss Spooky once brought a chipmunk into the house. Poor thing. I wrote about it in one of my columns, actually. It was quite an episode -- the cat dropped him, he ran away, I yelled at the cat, William screamed, the cat picked him back up. I managed to scoop the little guy up and stuck him at the base of a bush, but I think he was very badly hurt and probably didn't survive.
We have lots of lizards!!
Wendy,
ReplyDeleteI know. The lizards just don't get that. LOL But, they'll be fine. We really do sort of live in a bit of a jungle, here. I can't hack it all down at once and the kudzu I pulled out . . . you know that stuff grows 2' per day? You just can't keep up with it. Miserable thing, kudzu.
Thank you. I think Slim was quite proud of himself. I have never seen an animal freeze the way the chipmunk did. It was quite a sight!
Carrie,
A cat who opened drawers? How cool is that?!
Well, maybe a little crazy. LOL Hope Chippy survived to enjoy his freedom.
Yes, it's definitely great to have help on the roof. We knew it only had a few years left (or thought so, anyway) and had planned to start saving up for a replacement. Just paying the deductible and buying turbines will be much more affordable. And, I would not have thought to have the insurance dudes come look to see if we already had damage, although we kept that roof after Katrina. Most everyone else in the neighborhood got a new roof after Katrina, but we just figured ours was tough. LOL
When we were walking our dog the other night, a squirrel fell out of a tree and landed right in front of us. I don't know who was more surprised - me, Annie or the poor squirrel (who sat in the dirt for a minute, probably stunned, before scampering back up the tree!). Annie was probably thinking Squirrels From Heaven.
ReplyDeleteGlad your roof situation is getting taken care of. Still a nuisance, though, I'm sure.
I completely understand your annoyance with all the Mother's Day promotions. I'd like to say it'll get better in years to come, but I still miss hearing from Rach on Mother's Day. And, I know it will be a teary day for you, too. I'll be thinking of you and sending good thoughts and hugs.
Les,
ReplyDeleteThat's hilarious. Poor stunned squirrel. They're usually so good at leaping from branch to branch that it's easy to forget that they sometimes miss. I've seen one take a tumble, before. Just one, though! LOL on the "squirrels from heaven" comment!
Yeah, the roof is a nuisance, all right. Next up is getting estimates for repairs. Yuck.
I'm going all-out on Mother's Day avoidance. Father's Day has been annoying me for 18 years. It feels more like "Rub-It-In Day" to me.
Great camera work!
ReplyDeleteI just gave you an award on my blog.
Don't you feel bad about ruining the lizards' homes. You should stop weeding immediately and come back to blogging full time. JK
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear about your roof. Hope it's not too terrible.
I love that lizard picture. It's very clear.
ReplyDeleteI am hoping to get my gardening done before Texas mosquito come out in full force.
Just also wanted to invite you over to this free book site
OK, OK, you've allllmost got me LOVIN' the lizards. I might not even freak out if I ran into one face-to-face. Or something maybe a little further than face-to-face.
ReplyDeleteTeddy Rose,
ReplyDeleteWhy, thank you, dear -- on both counts. :)
Booklogged,
I'd feel bad if the kudzu wasn't practically growing back before my eyes. Plus, the lizards are doing fine. I've seen all four of them in their usual locations. Four males, I mean -- three of them have girlfriends but the other . . . not so sure. I leaned down about 18" from him and he displayed at me. I think he saw himself reflected in my sunglasses. I told him I'm not interested. LOL
The roof is going to be replaced -- just need to get estimates, now. I worked on my repair job a bit, yesterday, because there was a wind advisory to the west and it was heading our way. Sure enough, it's blowing a gale. But, my patch job is holding up brilliantly. :)
Midas,
Thank you. If you drop by often, you will be assaulted by lizard pics. I love those little critters.
The mosquitoes are already out, here. Darn. I've got bites from head to toe.
I'll drop by, thank you. :)
Andi,
Any day, now, you will become a huge fan of lizards and feel tempted to pick them up and pet their little heads. Okay, maybe not that last bit, but I'm going to keep working on you! :)
See my note to Booklogged about sticking my face up next to a lizard, yesterday. It was so cute. He opened his mouth and said, "Hi". Okay, he just opened his mouth. But, I'm sure it was his way of saying hello.