It's another beautiful October day. I love having a week off this time of year, because the weather is as close to perfect as it's possible to be in South Carolina. Warm days, cool night, low humidity, blue skies, and leaves just barely beginning to turn. And it feels so good when summer is finally over!
I went to the farmer's market on Monday afternoon and bought a bunch of apples (mixed varieties) from the mountains. This afternoon I'll turn most of them into an apple crisp, and then any leftovers will be sliced thin, sprinkled with cinnamon, and dried in the dehydrator. Apple chips make a delicious snack that's relatively healthy. And since I'm on my first apple kick of the year, I bought a six pack of hard cider, too. A bottle of cold cider goes down nicely on the porch late in the afternoon.
Yesterday was interesting. First, I found a dead mouse in one of the traps our pest control guy had left behind the refrigerator. I'd started seeing mouse poop in some of the cabinets a couple of months ago, and I cannot live with rodents, so he had to make a special trip out to put down traps. We'd finally caught one little mouse over a week ago, and we thought that was it, but left a few traps down just in case. Then yesterday there was another one. I'm very squeamish about such things and had to use a stick to move the trap into the garbage. Gregg was at work, or I'd have made him deal with it. (I'm not too proud to play the "girl card" when it comes to bugs and rodents and dead things). Then I'd barely had time to recover from the mouse episode, when I walked outside and noticed Poppy chewing on something furry. She'd killed a squirrel!! UGH!!* So that was two dead animals I had to dispose of within an hour.
I'm not exaggerating when I say I needed a drink and a small lie-down after all that. Ahem.
Georgie had to go to the vet today for his yearly heartworm prevention shot. He barks at other dogs, which is embarrassing, but he's super sweet to all the humans. Especially women. George loves the ladies!
Thanks for all the comments on my shoe allergy situation. I'm currently at a bit of a loss as to how to start dealing with it all. It's hard to get information on shoe materials online, and "barrier socks" are freakin' expensive, so I may have to double up on 100% cotton socks for awhile to keep my skin well insulated while I look for good shoe alternatives. Those are going to be expensive, too. I liked Janie's comment, "No more shoes for you! Bare feet from now on!" It's been mostly bare feet this week since I'm at home, but soon enough I'll be back at work and needing to look civilized! This week is already flying by, as I knew it would.
That's cute how Gregg tried to stick up for Poppy! My daughter's dog caught a frog yesterday but luckily my daughter got it out and set it free! I can't imagine what that frog was thinking! Phew!!
ReplyDeletePoppy looks so innocent in your photo. Maybe a hawk did drop it from the sky LOL. I hope you get your shoe situation sorted out, that is an allergy I had not heard of.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, that George is a playa. You can see it in his eyes.
ReplyDeleteLMAO!!!!!! I don't mind the dead mice, but I love squirrels. I 'll never forget when my mother's dog Lilith caught one. She must too have killed it, and it was in her mouth, like a bone, but hanging limp... still, when she arrived to the door and expected to get in. Think again toots!!!! A present we didn't want. Poor Lilith had no idea what she did.
ReplyDeleteI had a chipmunk get in the house and Biggie and Lily thought it was a toy. I did feel bed for it, being chased by play happy dogs. And because I have a 118 year old stone foundation, a year doesn't go by without me find four or five in the traps I set. Usually, I just take the trap out back and fling the mouse up on the hill behind the house. Something always eats them.
ReplyDeleteI know that Dogs love to chase Squirrels, but I'd never heard of them actually catching one; let alone eating it.
ReplyDeleteAs I've had cats living with me most of my life (until my last one died ten years ago), I've always been used to dealing with mice in various stages of life and death - not the nicest thing to do, but just something that had to be (and was) done.
ReplyDeleteLove Gregg's explanation about the dead squirrel! In a way, he is right - you did not actually see Poppy killing it, did you? :-)
Now you've made me want a large glass of chilled cider!
Look at those faces! (Although it might not be easy looking at Poppy without imagining that dead squirrel in her mouth.)
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how many Americans - especially in the sweltering southern states - love to see the back of summer. Here in England we embrace summer days with a passion and feel sad when summer slips away like a sweetheart we won't see again until next year.
ReplyDeleteI agree Yorkshire. As a Northern US'er...I love summer and embrace. I always get a bit sad and melancholy when it comes to a close.
DeleteHey Maddie and Neil....come spend a summers in SC and you'll be singing the praises of fall, too! Ha!
DeleteWhat if Gregg was right and Poppy was just trying to give the squirrel CPR WITH HER TEETH?
ReplyDeleteHa.
I play the girl card too when it comes to dead animals and I HATE it when Glen's gone and I have to deal with it myself. I am not proud of my weakness in this area but it is what it is.
I'm happy you took my comment to heart. The only thing to do is give up on shoes and double up on socks. Maybe wear fabric shoes? Princess goes nuts when she sees a squirrel. I found a dead one in the driveway just out of the backyard not long ago. I think she attacked it and it made its way out of the yard where it drew its last little breath. It was stinky and bug covered and I didn't know what to do with it and I don't have a Gregg to take care of it, so I picked it up with the pooper scooper and without looking at it, I deposited it in the street very close to the curb. It was gone the next morning, as I suspected it would be. What a relief!
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Glad you found a reason for the allergy! There's nothing worse than being all up in the air about something like that. At least you won't have to go pick creosote off the phone pole now! (Grandma put great faith in creosote.)
ReplyDelete