Summer---Where Art Thou?

First full week since vacation. John went off to California and the rain came back. Along with the rain came cooler temperatures as well. Although it's June, I had to run the furnace several days. Otherwise, the house was staying around 65 degrees and that's a might cool for my taste. A dry day is promised for today and John has looked at the long-range predictions and some actual summer-like weather is approaching. In Northwest terms, that means I can leave the jacket at home soon.

John arrived home Thursday before I did and discovered that the bird feeders had been molested. Both were laying on the ground. They were empty in the morning but we believe it was our large friend Winnie (the bear) who stopped by for some fast food. And we found the wind chime that was hanging near one in a real state, all discombobulated and wound around the tree branch.Methinks someone was a tad irritated at finding no fast food. We agree to remove the feeders for a while so as not to encourage our visitor.

Still on the topic of wildlife being where it shouldn't, Roosevelt brought a mouse into the house the first night of John's absence. He brought it upstairs and was playing a game of (what else) cat-and-mouse in the computer room when I awoke to the sounds at 3:30. I turned the light on, closed that door, stuffed a towel under the door and returned to bed, hoping the dirty work would be done when I got up at a more reasonable hour. Unfortunately, the cat just wanted out of the room for his breakfast and quickly disappeared, leaving me with the wee intruder. I wasn't able to convince him to voluntarily run out where I could capture him with my trusty mixing bowl cum mouse trapper device. That's probably due to the loud scream that exits my lips whenever the mouse runs. Involuntary, embarrassing, and completely ineffective, I know. Anyway, I left a mouse trap in the room and closed the door, securing it with a towel and hoping that I would return home from work to a fait accompli (French term translated here as "dead mouse"). Apparently, no one else in this house understands French (except for my resident rodent control manager and he was away). I arrived home to find that Roosevelt was busy with a mouse downstairs! This seriously complicated the situation. I was able to capture the small creature and release him into the garden. And then I had to return to the computer room to see what might (or might not) be there. Was the downstairs mouse the same one that was in the computer room, or was it a completely new visitor? Well, the towel under the door had a very small opening which I feel certain wasn't there when I left it. So, perhaps the cat cleverly made a small exit route available to the mouse and then waited for the inevitable. In any event, no mouse was in the trap. And although I did not see any scurrying, I also placed a tall bucket with a small towel taped to the outside in the room, advised by a work mate that this method would successfully contain small scurrying creatures because once they use the towel to climb into the bucket, they aren't able to scale the smooth walls inside to escape. Then I closed the door, replaced the towel securely under the door and left it that way until John arrived home Thursday to check the room for a dead or live mouse. He found none. So, I will believe that the downstairs mouse was, in fact, the one from upstairs. For now. And I have ordered new ultra-high frequency sound blasters to deter the wee terrorists from even thinking about coming into the garage where our prey-driven feline likes to "hunt". Yesterday, I gave the garage a thorough cleaning and removed the birdseed to the shed. Today I'll spread peppermint oil along the bottom edge of the garage door. Truly, I'd much rather have bears visiting.

John spent a busy day outdoors yesterday planting some trees and cutting the grass. The cool wet weather is good for grass. It grows fast and long. I am trying to accomplish something with my baby quilt that may not be possible. But I haven't given up yet. Today I will go to the sewing store and seek advice. However, I did get a new machine that embroiders and that will come in handy for lots of future projects as well. This coming week, we will both be in California. I will attend a conference and John will work in the office. The sunshine will be a welcome change. And we'll have an opportunity to visit a bit with Jake and with Katie & Morey. It's all good....

My Summer Vacation...

We were away on vacation visiting family in Tennessee. The countryside is really pretty out there. In a nutshell, the following thoughts:

12 hour travel days, 90+ degrees, "it's not the heat, it's the humidity", patios and breezes, Cardinals (the bird), fireflies, laughing, pink T-shirts, the Red Top Bargain Barn, "lock the bathroom door!", a vegan, an Atkins follower, and 5 omnivores go into a restaurant, squirrels, more squirrels, Bluebirds, beets, air conditioning, swimming pool, Buddy and Ella, Jack Daniels Distillery, David (not Davy) Crockett, Stones River National Park, pushing the C-button, watch that bottom step, watch that top step, 5 minute showers, shoes, more shoes, let me fix your back pain, canning pickles, Big Lots, lower (much) gas prices, Dana Carvey, eating outside every day every meal, baby bunnies in the garden, new fencing, baby bunnies trying to get in the garden, '53 Corvette, picnic tables at a winery, arriving back home to 65 degrees, ahhh...

Priceless.