Freeze Frame

While going about my appointed rounds, I spotted someone trying desperately to blend in with the scenery.  

 

 I could almost hear a tiny voice paraphrasing 'Wash' Washburn from Serenity, repeating over and over to itself, "I am a leaf on the ground - watch how I disappear."  Pretty good job, too, don't you think?   

I thought I might get one quick picture before the inevitable dive under the leaves -- if I was lucky.  But no, this little rascal absolutely froze in place, not even twitching a whisker.  So, I was able to take a few more pictures and actually zoom in for a better look. 

It's much easier to see, isn't it?  It looks like I simply took a section out of the first photo and blew it up, but I didn't.  It's just that the mouse is still frozen in place and that allowed me the luxury of adjusting my focus and taking the Cecil B. DeMille closeup.  :)     

Interestingly, Max and Simone (see Mismatched Bookends) showed not the slightest interest in little Whitefoot.  This is just as well, because pandemonium would have been the word of the day!!  LOL!   

Mismatched Bookends

  What has been keeping me busy recently?  

Allow me to introduce you to Max and Simone.  They are currently staying at my house as foster dogs while Second Chance and I figure out what the next steps are.  

They had been neglected for some time, due to their person declining in health and capacity.  Max and Simone had nowhere to stay and nobody to care for them when the temperatures were dipping into single digits, so I have new friends - at least for now.    

Max is about 21 months old and a real sweetheart.  Now that he has gotten accustomed to his new routines, he is beginning to show what a lovely, alert and eager little information sponge he is.  I am told he is a purebred white German shepherd and that his dad bit his right ear when he was a puppy, so that's why one ear is floppy.  I think it gives him a charmingly curious expression.  

He can also be a bit of a goofball and is learning how to play ball and fetch - at least a little.  It doesn't seem like either one of them has had much experience playing, but they do love to walk,and we're all learning how to manage together with leashes.  We're logging miles and miles every day! 
 

Simone is a Black Labrador Retriever - Shar Pei mix and about three years old.  It's hard to get a good picture of her so that you can see her wrinkles, but you can definitely see the Shar Pei snout characteristics.  She's turned into an absolute lover, now that she's feeling confident that she's safe and there will be another meal in her future - she loves her snacks. 

Simone can be a goofball, too, and her funny, earnest little face just cracks me up.  
 

They also love to cuddle.  They love being allowed (by invitation only) to climb up on the futon with me and make a puppy pile - including me as one of the puppies.  I wish there had been someone around to take a picture when they were spooned together lengthwise  along the seat, with both of their heads in my lap.  It was way too cute -  not to mention, nice and warm on a chilly evening! 

Hats Off!

Hats off to the many people who have worked so hard to put together the annual Calvary Episcopal Church Advent Festival Bazaar again this year.  It's a major labor of love, providing substantial funding for community outreach, including dental care for the uninsured, food for the hungry, shelter for the homeless, riding therapy for the disabled and many other grants given to local agencies providing services for those in need.  It's so inspiring to see this dedicated group pull together to help others.  And hats off to people everywhere who open their hearts, homes and piggy banks in this season of thanksgiving  - and every season throughout the year! 

My small contribution?  I donated a felted hat last year that was quickly adopted by one of the bazaar workers, so I was asked to make another one this time around.  It was a near thing, since the bazaar is on December 1st and it the hat was still wet from the felting process and drying on its form last night!  One of these days, I'll choose a yarn that actually *wants* to felt.  My attempts always take about 15 full-length runs through the washer.  Other people tell me that theirs felt in less than a single washing!!  I did love this thick, purple yarn, though, so it was worth the extra trouble.    

I'm also delighted to be contributing another round of my special bird cookie dough for filling log feeders (the feeders, themselves, will be made by someone who has the tools and expertise to create them based on my brother-in-law's instructions -- he made the ones in my yard that have been featured in earlier blog posts).  The woodpeckers and chickadees will be happily snacking in few more yards this winter.  Oh, and the form that I used for the hat?  It was a great big peanut butter jar that I emptied while making the bird cookie dough. Everything is interrelated!  Hee hee!!  

I had grand plans to do so much more than I managed to accomplish (as usual), but I'm glad that I could help spread at least a little good cheer.  :)  Now, I just need to start in January and maybe I'll be ready in time next year -- I have some really cool ideas!!  (I can dream about better organization, right?)

Happy Thanksgiving!!

The Forest and the Trees

My sister, brother and I have been doing a little bit of planned forest management on a piece of land we own in common.  Recently, we had a number of trees removed by a man that uses a team of horses to get into the woods and do the work.  This is nice because it doesn't tear up the ground or the two-track trails we have wandering through the property -- the big trucks and skids tend to leave big ruts and mud holes and other messes.  

It's also nice to work with small, family businesses that do a good job and take pride in their work.  Besides, I think well trained work horses are just awesome creatures. 

While work was in progress, my siblings went out to the site to watch the process and my sister shared some pictures with me.  I thought you might enjoy seeing a couple of them, too.  :)

The team has a snack to get fortified for the day's work. Aren't they beauties?  They're so solid and patient with the set-up, too. 
 

I think they make a very handsome team.  I wish I had gotten to see them in action with my own eyes, but my sister tells me that horses and human worked really well together, as well they might, since they depend on each other for their livelihood!   I have the sense that there was also mutual respect, though. 

Here are the veneer logs, all lined up in a neat little row by the side of the road, waiting to be hauled out of the woods and to the mill.  There are different types of trees in the lineup, some of which were taken out ahead of disease progression in the area - no walnut or anything else of extreme value, just good, solid timber.

And there they go off into the woods.  It sounds to me like they did a good job and we will probably invite them back to do some more work when the time comes.  :)

Mabelline and More...

Some folks who got the carving I did of sweet Mabelline as an invoice image (her photo is in the clue) have been asking if I ever had the chance to see her fawns.  The answer is yes, but it's really hard to get a picture of the little rascals, since they don't stop moving -- ever!  I have some amazing blurred images - even one of nursing babies, but they really are blurry.  I did capture one of the babies in pixels, though, and thought I would share so you could see.  I love the mother and child shot -- I took this one standing on a stool and peeking out the window of the Stampeaz packing room.

Here's one that I took from the deck overlooking the back woods, which is why it is looking down on the little cutie.  Mabel always gets nervous when I come out on the deck and try to take pictures.  I wish some manufacturer would make a digital camera that was really silent.  I don't know why they feel like they have to build in all the shutter noise and beeps that always scare the critters - it makes it way too hard to be sneaky with the wildlife!   

 

You can see that Mabelline has passed along some of her eye shadow expertise to her offspring.  Oh, and Mabel loves watermelon rind.  The little ones aren't convinced, but their mom loves to find the leftovers after I pack up my snacks to take to work (and feed the turtle).  These guys make it difficult to want to leave my house to go to the office every morning.  LOL! 

Balancing Act

My little turtle has learned a new trick!  She can balance a tiny watermelon seed on the end of her nose.  I don't know, do you think we are ready to run away and join the circus yet?  

Every morning she comes to see if I have anything wonderful to give her.  I actually think she may be watching my bedroom window to see if I'm awake yet, because she marches right up to the door, once she sees me peer out at the world.  She still loves her watermelon, although she branched out to eat some lettuce and a few blueberries over the last couple days. Watermelon remains her favorite -- by far.   

Many thanks to all who came and joined my birthday party.   I hope you enjoyed the celebration!  Interestingly enough, there was a piece of PZ Kut that sat around unclaimed for three days before someone finally snagged it --  and that was the day *after* I had planned to turn out the lights and sweep up the confetti!  So, I don't know exactly what that means.  It could mean that people are happy with OZ Kut and don't feel the need to scramble for the last few sheets of PZ, it could mean that everybody thought the celebration only went on for three days instead of seven, or it could mean that everyone's tired of my very foolish little games.  (Or maybe people just ate too much cake and fell asleep....)  In any event, it was fun to scramble the present around and have folks find it -- thanks for playing with me and thank you for the kind birthday wishes. 

Speaking of cake, everybody who ordered something last week has been checking under their labels, right?  I hid some cake under there!!  Really!  I did. Quispy cake...   :)

The Thirsty Turtle - Really Thirsty!

I had posted pictures earlier in the summer of the turtles that came in for blackberry treats.  The saga continues.  I have had at least six different turtles, each with distinctive markings on their shells or heads or legs.  There is a sweet little female three-toed box turtle that has become quite a regular.  Until the last few days, she was happy with her blackberries, strawberries and grapes.  But a couple days ago, she became frantic and actually crawled up past my hand and nearly into my lap looking for something else when what I was offering didn't meet her need.  After trying everything I could think of in the refrigerator (grapes, cherries, blueberries, etc.) I discovered a small piece of watermelon I had left from dinner and wondered if it might hit the spot.  

She chomped right into it (you can see the little beak marks in the piece I'm holding in the picture above where she bit it) and ended up eating the whole thing in very short order.  She was absolutely desperate for the fluids, since we haven't really had any measurable rain around here since around the beginning of June.

 

  

Interestingly enough, I have made a little turtle watering dish that's low to the ground so they can reach it, but I guess it wasn't enough - or maybe it was the electrolytes and minerals she needed - who knows?  

I'm just so relieved that I found something that worked for her, since earthworms, slugs, snails and grubs are in extremely short supply this year, right along with water.  I also watered all the leaf piles in the back and front yards so that the turtles could find a cool, moist place to hide during the day (and maybe attract a beetle or two for them to eat). 

In other news, it's my birthday!  Look for a pretty little wrapped present, if you want to join the celebration this week.  You know what's in the package, of course.  :)  I will be putting a few up every day, so if you miss one, try back again later!  It's going to be a little like the Easter Egg Hunt, but with a less frenetic pace, since it will be going on all week.  LOL!