My Animals

I love animals and seriously would be a vegetarian if I wasn't lazy and didn't want to cook two different meals.  (Heaven forbid when I tried 'meatless Mondays'.  That didn't go over well.  Then, it's a serious dinner dilemma for Matt if I make spaghetti without hamburger in it.  Sigh.)  I did quit eating red meat for about six months after reading a Robin Cook book that totally scared me.  (Not a cookbook...a book by Robin Cook.  I have to be careful about reading books by him because they're scary for a paranoid germophobe like me.)  Matt's a total carnivore.  I'm just thankful he doesn't eat anything rare.  That is so gross!

So, my love of animals has grown over the years and I'm happy to say that we have some animals who come into our yard to visit me.  I've named them (of course) and talk to them every day.  We have George (the rabbit); Chubs, Skittles, Tiny, and Slim (the squirrels...and yes, I can tell them apart); lots of birds; and a pair of raccoons I've named Phil and Lil.  Chubs is my favorite.  He's not afraid of me and actually comes up to the patio door to peek inside the house.  He even comes up on the deck railing if I sit outside on the deck.  Cyrus isn't crazy about Chubs.  I don't think it's because he doesn't like Chubs.  I think it's more like Cyrus doesn't want to share any of my attention.  Keaton recently said that he's half expecting the animals to be living inside the house whenever he comes home.  Silly guy...they'd have to be potty-trained first.

This is George.

This is Skittles.
 

This is Chubs.
The other squirrels didn't come over for their photo op. 
The raccoons are cute, but need to be relocated to a different home.



Ludington

Ludington was lovely!  We enjoyed a fun camping weekend with friends while hiking, kayaking, and biking.  (Is it still a hike if you do it in flip-flops?)  We visited the lighthouse, watched sunsets on the beach, and just enjoyed some time relaxing.  I'm happy to say that my pretty pink kayak was sea-worthy and I didn't tip once!

My kayak got quite a bit of attention and compliments.

 

Even my life jacket is pink.  Now I just have to find a pink paddle!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life Lesson #392

Yesterday, while power-washing the deck, I learned a valuable life lesson:  never, ever, EVER wear flip-flops on a wet vinyl deck while trying to push a huge, heavy, full-of-dirt planter box.  You just might end up head-first and ass-up in it.  Thankfully, I wasn't wearing a skirt. 

 

Spring Cleaning

I'm in the home stretch of my spring cleaning.  And that means pretty much using a toothbrush to clean and scrub every single square inch of my house.  And every single object in my house.  And every drawer, closet, and cupboard in my house.  And taking apart the toilets, shower heads and every light fixture to clean them.  You name it and I've scrubbed it, polished it, and/or taken it apart to soak in hot, soapy water or bleach.  While cleaning the carpet (each direction twice...and then a couple swipes diagonally just to be sure it's really clean), Cyrus decided to park his cute furry self in front of the fan drying the carpet.  He likes to think he's helping.  Or he's just posing for yet another picture.  He does like to have his picture taken.

Jungle Lord

The latest addition to Matt's pinball collection:

Road trip last night to Ft. Wayne, IN to get the new pinball machine.
No trailer needed...Matt's now a pro at getting the machines to fit in the Durango.




Loincloths are optional while playing.

Dressing Up

I've had a few chances over the weekend to put down the cleaning supplies, change out of my sweats, paint my nails, and actually get dressed up.  Our friends' son was married on Friday.  Thanks to I-69 being closed due to an accident, we barely took our seats before the ceremony began.  Whew!  It was a close one...not that our friends would be surprised if we were late.  Somehow over the years, my earliness and Matt's lateness have caught up with one another and his lateness has risen to become the victor.  The wedding was lovely and we enjoyed the reception...especially Keaton on the dance floor.  It's amazing how alcohol can help a person find his dance moves.  Keaton even danced with me and I didn't have to threaten him!

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Saturday, Matt and I went to my niece's dance recital.  Instead of giving her flowers after the show, I made her these adorable ballerina cupcakes.  She said she likes cupcakes better than flowers.  It was a good call on my part...and I always LOVE a chance to make something pink and girly.

 

 

 

 

Last night, Matt and I went to see Wicked again.  It was fabulous!  Sometimes I think how nice it would be to live in New York City so we could see show after show after show.  But, then I remember all those people and all that noise and all that traffic.  So, in the meantime, I'll just have to be patient and let the shows come to us.  But, they need to come faster!  I enjoyed dressing up and getting out of the house.  Now, I'm back to real life:  spring cleaning and wearing my sweats.