Geek Surgeon Takes Flight

Spring is flying by down here in the once again windy state of Texas.  Mother Nature is emptying her powerful lungs across our metropolitan area.  (I wish she'd been a smoker...) Tree branches are falling causing power outages and my recently bloomed roses are raining their petals all over the weeds freshly manicured lawn.

Sheesh.   ENOUGH ALREADY!

In other news, Mom has no damage to her eye from her fall.  Yippee!  She is ready to consider her shoulder surgery.  Evil Twin and I have been practicing for the big day:

Scapel.

Oh sorry.

Anethesia.

Now we're good.

A friend of mine took me on one of her favorite running courses.  She's lucky I still call her "friend".  This course is all steep hills (Yes, we have hills in Texas) and I was sure I would need climbing gear to make it up the last hill.   I kept hoping the ice cream truck would show up and distract my friend or maybe I could ride in the back while she finished the course.

No such luck.  We only encountered a city employee knee deep in someone's muddy yard and a redneck with his barking dog in his pickup.  Twice.  We jumped out of our skin when the beast spoke to us. Twice.  We didn't learn.

Hubby installed baseboards in our upstairs hallway last weekend so the least I could do this week was get them painted.   I spackled and painted and painted and painted, working up quite a thirst. I asked Cat for a tall glass of cold tea but he brought me a pile of dirt and some dead bugs. 

Speaking of Cat, he is currently stalking a silly cardinal that built her nest in a shrub about four feet off the ground.  I don't think the pathetic creature gets any rest. The bird; not the cat.  

Now, where is that cat?  I need a pillow.

Photo credit:  Operation game:  Cyndie@smilebig!'s on flickr.com, Creative Common license (see sidebar).

Kissed by a Frog, Foiled by an Armadillo, Ruled by the Ants

I have been attempting to turn my thumb green and become one with nature this week.  I've uncovered several of our earth's smallest creatures.

Dirty Little Frog:  Yes, such an original name for the tiny thing that was hiding in the dirt where I wanted to place my plant.  He was about the size of my thumbnail and covered in dirt.

A friend asked me if I'd ever seen a clean frog.  I told her that of course I had,  because they usually come out in the rain, freshly showered.  Sheesh. 

See? This one has obviously lathered, rinsed, and repeated:

I also disturbed several small garden snakes. I will spare you the photos.

I've mentioned armadillos before.  

 Pretty?  Not so much.

I think there is a multi-family household under my shed.  They are overdue on the rent:

It's either that or Evil Twin's first attempt at making us a tornado shelter.  

It is most likely an armadillo. These "beastards" like grub worms and will stick their pointy noises in your yard to get them.  Unfortunately, they also uproot your grass, don't fill their holes after they're done, and probably make several dirty little frogs homeless.  Or maybe they eat the juicy little things. Those pointy little feet don't bode well for your lawn, either.

Dinner is served.

I've also discovered that it isn't cats or dolphins that rule the world.  It's ants.  That's right.  A N T S !!!!  They are everywhere, even in my mailbox.  ICK!  Just this morning, I saw an army of them trying to carry Cat to their mound.  They kept dropping the 14-pound beast, losing a third of their army each time.  I finally heard the queen say "Give up the fat whining furball.  Go see what's under that outbuilding."

Have a great weekend!

Photo credits:  tiny frog: yumievriwan on flickr.com, armadillo: sunchild_dd, flickr.com,  pie: jannabeth, flickr.com,  Creative Commons license (see sidebar), tunnel entrance:  Reffie