March 1, 2007

There's nothing quite like starting off the month with severe storm warnings and tornado watches...one of which doesn't end until 8:00 a.m. this morning.  Oklahoma weather can be brutal at times.  In the summer, temperatures are often over 100 degrees and it is humid, making it feel much hotter.  The winters are usually mild, but this one hasn't been.  In the spring, there are all the wild and severe storms to contend with.  Fall, however, is fantastic.

Zoe is doing so much better today, it's hard to believe she was spayed on the 27th.  She seems to have forgiven me for putting her through the ordeal. 

So, here we are, rolling into a new month and taxes have to be completed in about 6 weeks.  Yikes!  That's worse than the tornado warning!!!

March 9, 2007

Zoe is such a funny little dog!  She likes to take her Nylabone or Iam chew treats and "bury" them around the house.  She uses her nose to try to push the carpet or some other material over her "bone" so she can save it for later.  Consequently, I find her treats in some of the oddest places!

Here she is trying to bury a treat in her bed.  She is furiously and industriously using her nose to try to cover her "bone."

The other night, she was rooting in the carpet with great diligence.  Once she finally felt satisfied with her efforts, I saw she had "buried" another treat.

I never know where I will find them...

One was laying along a baseboard in plain site.  Another was behind a door...again, laying along the baseboard. I can't help but wonder about these funny little instincts she has.  She also "makes her bed" every night before she lays down.  I certainly didn't teach her to do that!  Nor did I show her how to "bury" a bone with her nose!    But it is her quirky habits and silly things she does that make me love her more!!

March 13, 2007

I have discovered that I have a family of hawks living in my back yard!  There is a nest high up in one of the big trees behind my house and there are baby hawks in the nest!!!  I'm trying to get a picture.  Unfortunately, hawks are skittish and the babies aren't visible unless one of the parents is there to take care of them.  If I get close enough to take a picture, even with my telephoto lens, they tend to fly away.  But I'm not giving up yet.  I hope to be able to get a picture or two to share.

I noticed these two hawks were flying around my house a lot.  I was concerned because Zoe is still a tender morsel (from a hawk's point of view), so have been staying pretty close to her every time I let her out.  I didn't know if they had seen her and had decided to target her as a future food supply or if they just liked my yard.  But then I saw one of them land in the tree and I heard baby birds squeaking and realized they were being fed! 

I AM looking forward to the hawks killing off ALL of the snakes in the area.  Snakes are NOT WELCOME on my property.  I worry about my rabbits - hope they can escape in the brush.  But there are still squirrels, raccoons, coyotes, owls and zillions of song birds to enjoy. 

Speaking of coyotes, the night before last in the middle of the night, a pack was running the creek behind my house and all started yipping and howling outside my bedroom window.  Suddenly Zoe, who was obviously touched by some primeval urge, joined in - loudly!  She was howling with the best of them!  It's the first time I've heard her howl.  She listens as other dogs in the neighborhood howl when they hear fire or police sirens, but she doesn't feel compelled to add her voice to theirs.  However, something those coyotes said must have been too much, because she let loose with some mighty deafening and surprising howls before they moved on!

Just another fun day in the city!

March 18, 2007

The hawks have proven to be camera shy.  I have tried and tried to catch them at the nest long enough to get a picture, but the minute I start moving in their direction, they are gone, swooping among the trees to stay out of sight.  So in spite of my desire to provide you with a picture of baby hawks, it looks like I'm going to have to enjoy that pleasure by myself and simply describe it  to you.

I also have poison ivy...bummer.  I had a very place on my arm consisting of three bumps.  It's amazing how badly a few little bumps can itch!  But then, Zoe attacked me and scratched right through the middle of them.  I immediately went to the kitchen and washed the heck out of my arm, but alas, a few days later I had poison ivy all down my arm.  It seems to have gotten in the scratch and the bumps are now welts that ITCH LIKE CRAZY!!!!!  In fact, sometimes they make me feel a little crazy!!!!

Other than that, life goes on and on.  Now if I can just keep Zoe from scratching my arm again and spreading this mess even more...

March 19, 2007

This came from a friend of mine who was lamenting the fact that she no longer lived in south Texas.  It tickled my funny bone.  Hope "ya'll" enjoy it too!

SOUTHERNISMS

Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit.

She fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down.

She's so stuck up she'd drown in a rainstorm.

It's so dry, the trees are bribing the dogs.

He's as country as cornflakes.

This is gooder'n grits.



I'm 'bout as........

Nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

 Busy as a moth in a mitten.

Happy as a clam at high tide.

Advice for Northerners moving to the South:

Save all manner of bacon grease. You will be instructed on how to use it shortly.

Just because you can drive on snow and ice does not mean Southerners can.  They stay home the two days of the year it snows.

If you DO run your car into a ditch, don't panic. Four men in the cab of a four-wheel pick-up with a 12-pack of beer and a tow chain will be along shortly. Don't try to help them. Just stay out of their way. This is what they live for.

You can ask Southerners for directions, but unless you already know the positions of key hills, trees and rocks, you're better off trying to find it yourself.

Remember: Y'all is singular. All y'all is plural. All y'all's is plural possessive.

Get used to hearing, "You ain't from around here, are you?"

Don't be worried that you don't understand anyone. They don't understand you either.

The first Southern expression to creep into a transplanted Northerner's vocabulary is the adjective "big ol' ," as in "big ol' truck," or "big ol' boy."

"Fixin'" (as in "I'm fixin' to go to the store") is 2nd, and "Y'all" is 3rd.

As you are cursing the person driving 15 mph in a 55 mph zone directly in the middle of the road, remember: ALL Southern folks learned to drive on a John Deere and this is the proper speed and lane position for that vehicle.

If you hear a Southerner exclaim, "Hey, y'all, watch this!" get out of his way. These are likely the last words he will ever say, or worse still, that you will ever hear.

Most Southerners do not use turn signals; they ignore those who do. In fact, if you see a signal blinking on a car with a Southern license plate, you may rest assured that it was already turned on when the car was purchased.

If it can't be fried in bacon grease, it ain't worth cooking, let alone eating.

One last warning but probably the most important one to remember:

Be advised that in the South, "He needed killin'" is a valid defense.

March 23, 2007

I bought Zoe this huge chew bone, stupidly thinking it would last her for at least a week.  Whatever was I thinking!  If I hadn't taken it away from her, she would have consumed it in one setting and been asking for more!

She had to check it out for...oh, about 3 or 4 seconds.

Then she headed for the living room to settle down for a good chew.  Wow, that smells good (bacon flavor!).

She's not sleeping.  It's a moment of sheer ecstasy!   Under that beard, she's happily chewing away!

March 27, 2007

I don't know if those of you who are not "green thumb" impaired can fully understand how wonderfully satisfying it is when something grows for those of us who are impaired in this area.  I used to be good at getting things to grow.  But I lost the ability when I was in my early 20's and I have never regained the ability to nurture plants and flowers to adulthood.  They tend to die in infancy when in my hands.  So I have artificial flowers everywhere in my house and weeds everywhere outside. 

Because I have such a deficiency, I am always startled and deeply satisfied when something grows, coming back year after year.  My Lilac bush is one of those wonderful surprises.

It was really tiny the first year I planted it.  Now, in it's third season, it has grown and flourished in spite of me sharing the the same yard.  It doesn't curl up and wither when I drop by to enjoy the wonderful flowers and fragrance they produce.  So, it is with great astonishment that I share these pictures of my healthy and thriving Lilac bush!

Here are the pictures from this year.  It has grown above the fence!!!  And look at all the beautiful Lilacs!  I'm so proud that it's growing in spite of me!

And here it is last year.  It still hadn't managed to grow to the top of the fence.  But it lived!!!!

March 29, 2007

Along the lines of my commentary day before yesterday about my gardening skills (or lack thereof), I was walking around my yard today and couldn't help but notice how many dandelions are flourishing there.  I had a sudden flash of realization.  If dandelions were flowers, I would be a master gardener!!!