Saying yes...

Militant Squirrels

The squirrels are amazingly brazen this year and are not taking no for an answer. I couldn't have been more than 18 inches away when taking this. The squirrel was perched directly above a bird feeder. I could be wrong, but I think he even flipped me off...

Per Request

Additional products have been added...

Teh Zazzle... being uber-simple, has probably caused me to overthink and second guess, so if what you wanted (you all know who you are) isn't there, let me know and I'll won't think when trying to put them up next time...

make custom gifts at Zazzle

It's a wrap...

Update below:

Snag has posted the last letter of the alphabet... What started as some throw-away conversation some 20 months ago, has now finally come to an end.

Thank you, Snag, for letting me put my images to your words. I'm ready to work on the Pissed Unicorn... or a cookbook.

Update: Alternate/B movie ending over here... thanks to fish, as usual, for allowing himself to be the punchline of many jokes.

It was just a lizard...

It was a busy weekend, filled with lots of ups and downs... yesterday entailed an all-day trip... I was thinking as we were leaving that Ponce didn't look right and hadn't for a week or more.  Last night, upon returning home, Ponce definitely didn't look right. Nothing really looks right when it's dead.

We had had Ponce for just a month short of 3 years... longer than she (yes, we found out she was a she) should have gotten due to her less than auspicious start, but still... I read last night that lizards of her kind average around 4 years. Well, she was within the average. But still, they said if they're really taken care of, they can last for up to 8. I felt like a shit, even though I knew I had taken care of that damn lizard even when others seemed to barely notice her.

On the good side?? The crickets I just bought got their freedom. I hope crickets raised in captivity stand a chance on the outside, but even if they don't, they'll have had a taste of freedom if even for a moment.

An aside- wow... I just realized that I've had Ponce for almost as long as I've had this blog... this blog hasn't been looking right for awhile. I fully expect to come in one morning, click on the bookmark and find the blog lying stone-cold on its back.

Alternate Alphabet Ending Happening at Snag's

Join Snag for a very special episode of The Animals Are Scaring Me...

The Alphabet Drought is Over!!!

Head on over to Snag's to bask in all of V's gory glory...  Once again, prose by Snag, illustrations by me.

Selective Brilliance

Over the weekend, our new pooch decided he could headbutt his way out of the screen door. The screen in the front storm door runs down a middle strip with glass on either side. It is in the perfect spot for hitting it with your hip and/or butt if you are opening it with an armful of stuff and trying to keep it open while unlocking the front door so it comes loose all the time. It's been loose pretty much since we put it back in in June. Still, that flimsy screen was enough to convince the dogs that they could not get out... even if they could stick the tip of their snout out, there was still a mental barrier... until Saturday.

On Saturday, Buddy, better known as Weasel Boy, got a flash of inspiration and stuck his whole head out, followed by his water balloon-like body. It almost reminded me of Terminator 2 where the guy turns to liquid silver. He didn't get too far. Grizzled captured him whizzing over at the neighbors' and brought him home and kept the front door shut for the rest of the weekend.

Today, feeling adventurous, I pulled out the spline roller and fixed the screen. Basking in the afterglow of effortless spline-rolling, I enjoyed the afternoon breeze that was once again coming through the front door and went to get a well-earned glass of water only to hear commotion by said front door... I saw nothing, but the end of a dog moving smoothly to his freedom. Had he broken through the screen? No... he grabbed the little 1/2 inch tail of spline that was left and basically unzipped the opening.

Our mailman was a yard away and was kind enough to try and stop him, but he had his arms filled with mail. He asked me if he'd come back, saying none of his dogs would. At this point I said I didn't know and wasn't sure if I cared. Oh, of course I cared... and I'd go after him. I returned to the house to get a leash and to get our other dog (dog bait) who was waiting patiently on the proper side of the flapping screen.

I had gone about 3 houses when I saw a neighbor standing on his porch and asked if he had seen a sneaky, wily, good for nothing black and white pooch... He had not, but said he had just come out. It was then that I noticed our dog... in his side yard... his fenced-in side yard. Mr. Brilliance had somehow gotten the man's gate open, gotten into the yard and then shut the gate. Ha! I'd say this was payback for his easy exit! What's that old saying?? If a screen door opens, somewhere a gate shuts???

It doesn't matter... he's back home and is safe. We've also got a wonderful mailman... and a nice neighbor who didn't mind holding on to my other dog and bag of dog poo while I hooked up the escapee. It's also not going to be warm much longer so I may just put the storm panel back in the front door now... after fixing the screen. I have to admit, there was something rather satisfying about the ease of the spline roller... no jamming the spline in with a screwdriver, no slipping and gashing cuticles. Just a tool doing what it's supposed to do. Now if only I could say the same for the dog.

Reading Minds

Updated with the eloquent words of Substance McGravitas!

What is Mr. Dreamy thinking??

A: I lahve you! You're my favorite owner. I adore you! I'll put up with that other person because he walks me more, but I really lahve you.

B: I lahve you, but really want that piece of banana bread you're holding and will hold this pathetic pose until you give it to me. Did I mention, I lahve you!??! (Take the damn picture!)

C: Please keep that new dog off of me. I'm tired of being chewed on, jumped on, bumped into, thrashed to pieces... the plant behind me says the same...

D: All of the above...

E: None of the above...

F: Fill in the blank...

Bird-tease

About a month ago, when out in the early hours with the dog, I heard one lone bird call. I knew I knew which bird it was, but I couldn't think of the name. It was driving me crazy. It was a kind of lonesome sounding two note call, second note lower than the first. I heard it every morning, but my mind would not chuff up which bird it was. Grizzled was no help and was tired of me whistling it to him again and again.

"No!! Just listen on more time!! I know you know it! It sounds just like this!!

I scoured bird sites on the internet, playing the various calls of birds I know I have seen in our area. I finally hit upon success.

It was the Black-capped chickadee. I should have known that. I did know that. I just couldn't retrieve the name.

I sent Grizzled a link to the call so he could hear it as well, not expecting him to open it and play it while on the train. It was loud... making him jump a little in his seat and many others duck instinctively while looking for the stowaway bird.

A number of weeks later we found ourselves at the lovely Volo Bog for a talk on owls (yeah, I know, we lead an exciting life). After dealing with horrific traffic and missing the talk, we decided to just take a walk through the bog. There's a floating boardwalk that meanders through and has a viewing platform at the largest remaining spot in the bog. We decided to stop and take it all in.

It was a cold and quiet day, not much to hear other than the occasional gust of wind. Grizzled pulled out his BlackBerry and played the chickadee call. And what did we hear?? A lone chickadee calling back. Oh my God. It sounded so lonely! I felt terrible.

Grizzled played his call again...

The chickadee responded... with gut-wrenching sadness... "I'm here!! Where are you???" I know, I know, it could have been a territorial thing with the bird telling Grizzled's electronic one to get the heck out... they say the song is a clear fee-bee, " with a loud version given during territory skirmishes and a soft version given during mate feeding."

But still... in my heart of hearts, I knew this was a soft one... I knew it. It was a sad one. It was a lonely one... and Grizzled was offering up an invitation he couldn't honor.

This morning, after I had rolled out the garbage cans and Grizzled was out with the dog, we stood there for a bit and took in the stillness. I went to see if any plants were starting to pop out of the ground when I heard it...

fee-bee... fee-bee...

I turned to Grizzled to ask if he heard it only to see his shit-eating grin and his hand in his pocket. It was him and his damn electronic bird.

And a mere two seconds later he got his reponse... "I'm HERE!! I'm HERE! And I'm LONELY!!!" Grizzled is going to have to answer for his taunts. One day he's going to find himself in the company of an amorous  black-capped chickadee that is not taking no for an anwer and I will be of no help. He will be on his own.

Added for ZRM:

Squirrelesta

It's warm and sunny today and the squirrels are soaking it in while napping in the yard. I tried to get a photo of the one snoozing on the swing set, but made too much noise and he scurried off. I did get a photo of this one in the maple tree outside our bedroom.

He looked so cute that I wasn't even ticked off that he knocked down the bird feeder again.

Click on the image to see the larger photo to get the full on, squirrel cuteness.