This Situation Stinks!!

Our hound-lab mix scooted out the front door last night around 9:30 p.m. I grabbed the lead and hustled after him because on the rare occasions that he gets loose he heads straight for the creek in back of our housing area. It's stinky and sludgy and full of high weeds which makes it hard to get him out, especially since the hound part of him gets fresh scents of all kinds of wild critters; we have deer, coyote, raccoons, foxes and oh yes, SKUNKS!

And Kip found him one of those last night; I can't believe that in my 60 second lapse time he had gotten himself sprayed!! I found him thrashing about in the tall weeds and at first thought he was fighting with some animal. He came quickly when I called him, but oh . . . the smell!!

I learned some things last night. First if your dog gets sprayed by a skunk, keep him outside of your home until he's cleaned!! I took him in because I wanted to check him for wounds. He was OK on that . . . then I googled to find what would clean him up the best. A solution of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and a small squirt of dishwashing liquid did wonders. Unfortunately that is not a solution I can use of my carpets, walls, or anything else that came into contact with Kip, including visitors!

So I now have a very sweet smelling dog and a super-stinky home!! Oy! And my packers come Monday. Oy!! Febreeze doesn't cut it with this odiferous malady. I'm trying white vinegar sprayed on everything and getting all of my smaller rugs outside to air.

Ah, the visiscitudes of life!!

Home At Last!

This picture says it all!!

Tie A Yellow Ribbon

I love this tradition!! Ward is on on his way home and the yellow ribbons go up to welcome him back. Our front porch declares to the neighborhood that a soldier is home from a deployment and the blue star in the window can come down . . . until next time.

My Son As A Comic Strip Character

When the Beaver was about five years old we compared him to Calvin; he had so many of the characteristics of that cute, but devious little boy and he even had his own stuffed Hobbes. The comic strip of Calvin and Hobbes in which the broad themes of the strip dealt with Calvin's flights of fantasy and his friendship with Hobbes, his misadventures, his unique views on a diverse range of political and cultural issues and his relationships with the people in his life, especially his parents.(Wikipedia)



Now that he's older he is soooo much like the 15 year old Jeremy of the comic strip Zits! The strip is set in Midwestern suburbia, and centers on Jeremy as he tries to balance life while hanging out with his friends, developing an awkward relationship with his on-and-off girlfriend, struggling through school projects, practicing to become a rock god, and tolerating his embarrassing parents.(Wikipedia) And of course Ward and I fit the stereotype of the long suffering, but loving parents.

Wild Thing, Part Deux

The wildflowers are starting to show a few more blooms; there really needs to be a field of them to truly appreciate the variety and colors . . .

But I have my first morning glory bloom!

Wild Thing

This year I went for totally unconventional plants both in my flower boxes and my little bedding area in front of our quarters. Things are just now beginning to fill in. If we were here until August, I think it would have turned out quite nicely.

Anyway it's different than your standard impatiens bed. The first photo above is from the area in front of the house; the only plants I remember for sure are the yellow lantana; I picked the others for color and dependability. The ivy growing along the brick wall will slowly fill in up to the iron railing and should have pretty blue or purple blooms. It is morning glory and tends to take over.

The two center photos show a little experiment I did. I bought a packet of wild flower seeds and put them in a ground box that is next to our outdoor "patio" area.
They have just started to bloom and for the longest time they looked like a bunch of weeds! Actually unless I get some more blooms, I think it still looks similar to weeds, but I can see that there are a number of heads getting ready to open. Maybe in a week it will look like the a beautiful mountain meadow . . . or not!

Honoring My Children's Father

Happy Father's Day . . . Soldier Dad!


"By profession I am a soldier and take pride in that fact. But I am prouder -- infinitely prouder -- to be a father. A soldier destroys in order to build; the father only builds, never destroys."
Douglas Macarthur

"My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it."
Clarence Budington Kelland

"The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother." Theodore M. Hesburgh