A Rain of Soup Cans and Macaroni

Somewhere, sometime, I read that when you get into a car accident that whatever is in the car becomes a projectile capable of knocking you out or worse. So, being the good mama duck that I am I began covering the groceries in the back of the car with a blanket to prevent them from flying around should something terrible occur.

And since I started doing that many years ago I feel so much safer. Now I know that rather than being slowly stoned to death by a rain of soup cans and boxes of macaroni, I will face a quick death when the huge, blanket-covered wad of groceries hurls itself to the front of the car and buries me.

Quack!

Footprints At My Door

I love when the birds leave their prints behind in the snow. They are so cute!

Winter visitors

Leaving footprints at my door

Bringing winter cheer

 Quack!

Some Days It's Better Than Others.

You know, I never really enjoyed or drank coffee until the last few years. I always preferred cocoa or nothing when I wanted a warm drink. But these last few years I've embraced coffee like a long lost friend.

And although I enjoy a cup just about every day, in a perfect world where calories didn't count, I would still be loyal to cocoa. There's nothing better than a cup of chocolatey, creamy, hot cocoa! But since calories do count, and I can have a cup of coffee with cream and sugar for 100 calories or less (versus 200 or more for (decent) cocoa), I stick to coffee most of the time. And most of the time it's very tasty.

But every once in a while, as I'm drinking my daily cup at work, I grimace, finish the bitter concoction in one big swallow and rush for the breath mints. Some days it's better than others. 

Quack!

The Mighty Hand of a Plastic Disc-Shaped God

So, a couple of months ago (I know! I am so behind on these blog posts!) the hubby was puttering around the house and he heard the sounds of a cat fight in the backyard. It happens on occasion. There is a big, fat, friendly, tabby cat that owns the entire neighborhood that visits our backyard often. And since putting up a bird feeder, we also often have other cats wandering through to check out the free meals. Once in a while the cats get tangled up with each other. (While our cat watches longingly from the window).

So anyway, there was a cat fight. It stopped, but started up again a short time later so the hubby went out to see what the ruckus was about. As expected, there was a tangle of grey, white and black fur, claws flying, fur flying, terrifying cat yowling echoing across the yard. They were at the far end of the yard and he certainly didn't want to go out there and intervene but he did see a Frisbee on the deck. He picked it up, aimed and tossed it out there.

It was like something from a sci-fi movie, or a Frisbee competition. The Frisbee flew out, arced around, following the line of the fence and landed smack-dab between the two cats! It couldn't have been a more perfect throw! (My hubby is soooo athletic lucky sometimes!)

The cats, startled, started to run off, both in approximately the same direction. And, surprisingly enough, the Frisbee rolled on its side between them, following the same path. They were completely freaked out. Not only did this strange blue thing drop out of the sky between them like the hand of a plastic, disc-shaped god, but it was following them! They scattered like the wind, disappearing into the black-raspberry bushes on the back hill like smoke in a stiff breeze. Then the Frisbee, quest completed, dropped onto it's side, exhausted.

Quack!

Red Squirrels and Blue Ones and Green Ones . . .

We have several squirrels that routinely visit the bird feeder. I'm not sure exactly how many since they all look exactly alike, but it's a bunch. And when I say they all look exactly alike I'm exaggerating somewhat. We've got Rusty - he's the one with the rusty color fur across his back and in his arm pits. And then there's Buffy. He has the ears with the buff colored backs.

But wait, Rusty also has buff ear-backs. And so does that one. And that one.

And, is that Rusty? Or does Rusty have more red fur?

Needless to say, the other squirrel is named Randy. Randy as in 'Random Squirrel that is indistinguishable from every other squirrel'. 'Randy' really refers to all squirrels.

So, if we have one squirrel at the feeder, it can certainly be Rusty, because there is no one else to compare him to. But as soon as another squirrel shows up, guaranteed to be one with buff ear-backs and plenty of rust-colored fur, then suddenly we have Randy1 and Randy2.

But that doesn't stop us from debating endlessly as to whether the visiting squirrels are really Randy, or if one
is Rusty, or Buffy.

If only I could apply fur dye's from 20 feet away! They I'd be able to tell them apart.

Quack!