So, DS and I braved the big city yesterday, even though it was 'parents' weekend' at the college, along with several other city-wide events and the fair. Traffic was as expected, but we stuck mostly to the non-main roads and survived. But first, we detoured over to the next county and spent an hour or so at one of our favourite boat ramp parks. Surprisingly few people were out there, considering the gloriously near-perfect weather. DS took off looking for birds and I sat and watched the inlet from the truck. I had remembered to bring along a couple books and my sudokus, so I would've been content to sit there for hours. DS was thrilled, coz he brought his list for that county up to 100 species.

Duller got me going this morning with a rousing discussion about conspicuous consumption. Shaking our heads over society's ever-increasing celebrity worship. It made me think about Cher's recent closet clean-out. Seriously, what on earth is anybody else going to do with those clothes? Display them in their homes and say, 'look what I'm rich enough to buy'?

After that, I started reading some of the headlines that popped up in my email. The one that really got me referred to protests over Saddam's death sentence. 'We will avenge you Saddam,' they cried in his hometown. I can't begin to fathom the perverse mindset of these people. So I just shake my head and move on to the next headline. Pastor to resign from church amid sex [and drug] scandal. Oh, but he didn't inhale.  Next... Chavez treatens to halt oil exports to US. So? Please do. Then again, that'd be just another excuse to raise our gas prices.

And that reminds me let's not forget the people in Alaska who refused his cheap oil. Check out Rob's entry and find out what you can do to help them.

Y'all have a JESUS-filled day! ^i^

Can y'all believe it's November already?! It's been so warm lately, I almost forgot how close the holidays are! But it turned pretty cool last night and is s'posed to be even colder tonight. The weathermen say it'll start warming up a bit again in a few days. Of course it will. The fair is in town. I love the fair, but it just doesn't seem right to be there without at least a light jacket.

Is anybody else a Rachael Ray fan? She's such a hoot, isn't she? I love that she's so 'real'. KnowwhutImeanVern? Her show today was so great! She did a surprise TENTH birthday party for a soldier about to be shipped out to Afghanistan. How cool was that?!

My good deed for the week:
The other day, I was coming up our road and spotted a huge snake in the road. Naturally, I had to stop for pics. Boy, was I surprised when I got close enough to see that it was a Diamondback Rattlesnake. I'm pretty sure that's the first one I've seen up here. While I was watching and shooting it, another truck came along. Most people around here go out of their way to run over snakes, so I pulled up in front of it, on the wrong side of the road, and made them go around. They started to back up and turn around when they saw it, but I stayed put till it had slithered off into the woods. All you snake-o-phobes can thank me now for not posting any pics here. If y'all want to see him, I did post some on GardenWeb.

The next day, I got an even bigger surprise! I was heading up to town and spotted, about a mile or so up our dirt road, a black cat ambling along the roadside.My first thought was how well-fed he looked. But something just seemed odd about him. He sat just for a second, still with his back to me, then got up and turned to go into the woods. HUH?! What on earth? That's not a cat! . . . . . It's a MINK! DAWG! I wish I'd stopped and used my binoculars for a better look. That is definitely a first for me.

Well, other than the deer, who now come by daily - sometimes twice - that pretty much wraps up my wildlife report for this week. For all y'all who figured out that the 10yo soldier was born on 29 February, give yourself a brownie button. 8-]

Have a JESUS-filled weekend! ^i^

It's been so nice out lately, I've been neglecting all my online activities. When I am online, I have a nice view from my office window. Earlier this year, I planted a rose garden out there. I thought they were all done, but they're blooming again like crazy! The Blue Curls are thinning out, but the Porterweed is still going strong. Since our Butterfly Bush was destroyed by unknown pests we haven't had so many fluttery visitors, but a few still come for the Porterweed, Lantana, Salvia, Cuphea, and Scarlet Morning Glory. Right now, a Gulf Fritillary is nectaring while 2 Buckeyes and a Long-tailed Skipper are getting drunk on the 2-week old papaya. The Cloudless Sulfur is still flitting over the menu, trying to decide. I haven't seen the deer today. They just ignore the barking dog and chow down on the corn and clover. I'm beginning to wonder if we should've put out the corn. Deer like variety and when they're tired of eating what they should, they wander over to my garden. While I don't mind sharing a few leaves here and there, I'm pretty put out over the total destruction of my hibiscus. To be fair, the bunnies may have had a paw in that particular actus reus.

I should post some pictures but that would involve spending more time here and less out there. Maybe later. Meanwhile, check out Floridacracker's blog for some great Flarda nature pics. 8-]

Y'all have a JESUS-filled day! ^i^

The deer finally found the corn we put out. We only saw one yesterday, but she brought a friend along today. Yesterday she came for dinner, so the lighting was better. Today, it was a supper date. I was gonna see if the flash would help, but my batteries were low. >8

Here's one of today's guests. She's starting to get her dark winter coat.

And these are from yesterday.

                  Click this one for larger view

Y'all have a JESUS-filled day! ^i^

EDIT: PS - I forgot to mention, the lighting was better the first day, but I had to take the pics through a window. The dawg had noticed there was something afoot and would've barked her head off if I'd gone out without her. All things considered, I'm pretty tickled to have gotten a few nice shots.

"If I felt my heart as hard as a stone; if I did not love God, or man, or woman, or little child, I would yet say to God in my heart, 'O God, see how I trust Thee, because Thou art perfect, and not changeable like me. I do not love Thee. I love nobody. I am not even sorry for it. Thou seest how much I need Thee to come close to me, to put Thy arm round me, to say to me, MY CHILD: for the worse my state, the greater my need of my Father who loves me. Come to me, and my day will dawn; my love will come back, and, oh! how I shall love Thee, my God! and know that my love is Thy love, my blessedness Thy being.'" - George MacDonald

I'm stoked! My scale, which I avoided like the plague for the past 6-8 years, is becoming my friend. The little needle is just about to hit the -20 mark! I'm starting to feel like my old self again. All thanks to the Drs. Shames' book about thyroid. And I haven't even been able to put everything into practice yet. I am so looking forward to a new wardrobe - or even getting into some of my old, barely worn clothes.

Today is grocery day. It's been eons since I've actually enjoyed this particular activity. Now I wish I could do it more often. Well, that's because it gives me something to work with in the kitchen. Honestly, if I had a macked out kitchen, with all the supplies/ingredients I could ever want, I'd cook till the cows come home. This weekend, we're having hearts of palm chicken rolls, taco salad, potato soup, and maybe chicken parmigiana.

Abbondanza, yall!

Have a JESUS-filled day!

I'm just pasting here something I wrote the other day in response to some people who think anyone who doesn't celebrate halloween is an uneducated, close-minded nutcase who just blindly goes along with whatever their church says.

Many people think I'm close-minded. That's OK, coz God and I know better and that's all that really counts in the end. Duller and I made a decision 25+ years ago to not celebrate h'ween. Believe it or not, it is my open-mindedness that brought me to this decision.

I grew up in a Methodist church, BTW, so I didn't just go along with the crowd. I studied everything I could find, pro and con, and made up my own mind. I'm sure I've been in church with people who disagree. And yes, I do wish it wasn't so entrenched in our culture. I wish that about quite a few things, actually, but it's a free country, right? I'm not calling the ACLU about every little thing that offends me. If you're breathing, you're gonna be offended. Probably daily. To be perfectly honest, it breaks my heart to see little kids out trick or treating. I'm sure it breaks some mothers' hearts that our home schooled children 'aren't socialized'. And I do believe it should be banned from the public schools, right along with every other religious related activity. A lot of y'all will stridently disagree. That's life in the big city, eh? 8-]

My DS's IQ is 10 points higher than mine and he absorbs everything he reads like a sponge, so home-schooling him his entire school life was a breeze. He hasn't suffered from not joining in this pagan holiday. Yes, it is a pagan holiday, no matter how much sugar-coating goes with it. There are plenty of other opportunities to dress up and play make believe. Not that he would. He's an incurable realist. He does, though, have quite an imagination and we've always enjoyed and encouraged that. He's happy, well-read (in spite of having 'missed out' on Harry Potter), well-rounded and well-liked.

So, for those who think I'm some kind of fanatical religious wacko... well, I'll pray for ya. ;]

Have a JESUS-filled day! ^i^

The weather has been soooooo nice the past few days, and nearly perfect today. I'm so in the mood to go to the fair. But every year so far, it's gotten hot again about that time. It just doesn't seem right to go to the fair without a jacket.

And now, I'm getting in the Christmas mood, as well. Duller and DS loved my new creamy Italian dressing recipe (on pasta today) so much, it got me thinking about making some up for gift baskets. I could probably find some pretty bottles at the everything's-a-dollar store. Maybe throw in a box of pasta, some Italian bread, a wedge of cheese and a grater, some biscotti or pasticiotti, line it with a red and white checked tablecloth... So, tell me, do y'all enjoy receiving 'themed' baskets or are they groaners? Enquiring minds want to know.

Oops! Gotta scoot before I fall back into my late late habits again.
Y'all have a JESUS-filled day! ^i^

Ah, yes, life in the country. Deer munching on clover in the front yard, bunnies scampering through the back, birds singing their good morning songs outside my window... And mice! Fortunately, we quickly found, several years ago, the hole they came in and haven't had a rerun of that little episode. No, now they're going after my truck! DS and I were heading out the other day, turned a corner and were engulfed in a horrendous cloud of odour - what smelled like pesticide or some such. Assuming someone had sprayed their yard or the power company had sent out herbicidal crews again, we rolled up the windows and went on our way, trying not to breathe too much till we were well out of the area. We both forgot about it until the next day. We jumped in Ol' Yeller and... hmmm... there's a faint familiar aroma in here... UGH! Well, it's not as bad as before, so no worries. Next day, *sniff, sniff*. OK, what is going on here?! DS said he could smell it by the front of the truck. He checked under the hood and determined it was coming from way down in the passenger side area. Duller came home the next day and they took a closer look. A NESTt! Way under there! Good grief! I was thinking the wrens built a dummy nest and a rodent found it. Until they told me how big it was. Obviously a mouse. Anyhow, they took it to our friendly local grease monkey, who cheerfully blew it out with his air compressor. I'm not sure I want to know exactly what caused the smell to start with. Two days later and I'm still thinking I can taste it.

Y'all have a JESUS-filled day! ^i^