a tale

this is a story about a dog, a cat and a third four-legged creature. i'm not sure what to call it, but i'm sure you'll form your own opinion once you read this post and i'd love to hear that opinion.

a few weeks back, we had the back door open as we were making dinner because it was a beautiful evening and this way the animals can easily go out or in depending on their mood. we don't have a screen door on this door, but will someday. i put a new rug down in front of the sink admired it briefly and then left the room briefly. when i returned, my music man said to me, "i'm not sure i want to tell you what i just saw." now, i thought that the dog peed on my new rug which wouldn't be the end of the world except for the fact that she hasn't peed in the house for like a year. sorry, back to the story....

but tell me he did. evidently our precious laila was playing with something over by the OPEN door. when she lost her grip on it, it ran straight for the stove and dove under. all that was seen was a tail and some legs. eeek!! a mouse? well. ok. let me get back to the story. so we tip-toe around the stove for a few days, then sorta forget about it. then remember, you know how it goes. then one day, fina is sitting on that new rug (which she NEVER does) and is staring under the stove. hmmmm. then she gets up and starts smelling under the fridge. hmmmm. we're guessing she might have seen our visitor. ok. this is good. this is what a cat does. so i make a deal with her. if she catches the thing, kills it and DOESN'T leave it dead on our pillows, i will feed her wet food for a week. i think she understands.

again, we kinda forget about our visitor. and then 4.30 one morning we are awakened by a squeaking coming down the hallway. my music man jumps up on the bed, turns on the light. and sure enough, there's fina with the visitor in her mouth. ok, decision time, does he pick her up and put them both outside all the while taking the risk that fina will keep the thing in her mouth? no time to think because fina drops it. the visitor runs into the bathroom (the one without a toilet -- that's a story for another time) and fina runs after it. remember folks, it's 4.30 IN THE MORNING! my music man grabs the bucket and the plunger and tries to catch the thing. it runs out, into the bedroom, then into the closet. at this point, i say, lock the cat and the visitor in the closet, shove a towel under the door and let them have it out. we'll deal with it in the morning. but no, my hero goes in there after it. catches it and throws it outside. we're back in bed by 4.45.

phew that was a close one.

but now the question is, was it a mouse? was it a rat? was it a field mouse. this sucker was not one of those cute tiny mice you see at the pet store. this was a fat sucker. without a tail (we think fina may have gotten that in the scuffle). i guess we'll never know.

PS - camping photos

the camping trip that almost wasn't

we started out saturday morning -- a bit later than we had planned, but we knew we didn't want to rush and especially didn't want to forget anything. as we turned the corner from our house, "the pillows! we forgot the pillows!" the "camping trip forgetful troll" almost got us there. but NOW we KNOW we have EVERYTHING!

drinks - check
food - check
sleeping bags - check
dog - check
dog crate - check
TENT! - check
cooking stove - check

we were on our way! about an hour from home, we realized we didn't have a pot to cook in. whops! but easy enough. stopped at the HEB (in the town where my sister lives!) and got a pan. now we're all set! we decided to take the back roads, so even though the drive would be longer, it would be pretty and make us really realize we were getting outta town.

two hours later, "chairs?"
"damn, forgot those too."
"that's ok, we'll do our best to camp near a picnic table. we'll be fine"

we arrive, there's a fire ban in effect. no big deal. would have been nice to have a camp fire, but not necessary to the whole camping experience. but the seaweed is really bad on the beach. high tide's not for 24 more hours (we're on the gulf here folks), so we should be ok for the night. we decide to camp on the beach. we find a spot -- not far from the toilets and we grab the dog and run toward the water. only she doesn't want anything to do with this big, huge, moving water thing! (but have no fear, we get her over that fear and she evenually does love it.) we frolic, my music man swims, i walk with the dawg. we discover that using the cooler as a back rest doesn't work so well, and besides, it's so windy that the sand just hits you in the face. so we start to think about dinner.

"guess what? ... we forgot the fuel for the stove at home"
"left the cans on the kitchen table, right?"
"yep."

we had actually thought at this point about packing up and coming home. seriously. but we couldn't. i didn't want to be on the road for another 4 hours! so i volunteered to go get food. instead, i found an academy sports store, bought chairs and fuel for our stove with the thought that we could then also have breakfast without having to break camp. we cooked us some camping dinner. had our chairs. and sat down for a nice night. took the dog for another walk. she has an issue with pooping in unfamiliar places, so we weren't surprised, but we had to TRY to get her to poop. she didn't. came back to the camp site. sat down, my music man played some guitar. my mind started wandering... to breakfast... pancakes.... mmmm.... syrup? butter? nope. forgot those too.

at this point, i just started laughing. hysterically. couldn't stop. the icing on the cake. guess it's ihop for breakfast!

(i'll post some photos in the next couple of days -- the sunrise really was gorgeous)

i spy...

BLUEBONNETS!!

that's right, ladies and gentlemen, spring has arrived in central texas. throughout the latter part of march i had been searching for the bluebonnets along the highway and my search was finally rewarded. my bookclub met out in bastrop this past weekend (hi brea!) and the wildflowers on the way out there were absolutely gorgeous. not to mention the brisket we had for lunch...mmm mmm good!

so now back to the topic of bluebonnets, i mean, brisket is yummy, but bluebonnets...be still my heart! did you know that LBJ (that's LADY BIRD, not LYNDON B.) was instrumental in beautifying our highways? there's some info on the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center site, but here's the essential info:

Right after the 1964 election, she decided that "the whole field of conservation and beautification" had the greatest appeal to her. Soon after that, she was urging her husband to see what could be done about junkyards along the nation's highways.

Today, perhaps most people think of Lady Bird Johnson as the reason why we see wildflowers blooming along the nation's highways and fewer junkyards and billboards. The Beautification Act of 1965 was one tangible result of Mrs. Johnson's campaign for national beautification. Known as "Lady Bird's Bill" because of her active support, the legislation called for control of outdoor advertising, including removal of certain types of signs along the nation's Interstate system and the existing federal-aid primary system. It also required certain junkyards along Interstate or primary highways to be removed or screened and encouraged scenic enhancement and roadside development.

It is part of that legacy that today the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987 requires that at least 0.25 of 1 percent of funds expended for landscaping projects in the highway system be used to plant native flowers, plants and trees.

ok, education over! go out and enjoy the spring, and check out Faylas Follies because there are some new designs posted. ENJOY!

PS -- i'll get some photos of bluebonnets up for sale as soon as i get out there to get some good pictures of 'em