Nature - It's Driving Me Crazy!

One of the great things about being a Stay At Home Mom is that you get to see what goes on during the day around the house. I would never get the opportunity to see where all the birdseed in our feeders goes if I didn't watch all the Cardinals, Blue Jays and Chickadees congregating around that portion of the yard.

I watch the dogs go berserk every 2-3 minutes when the squirrels in the yard dare to venture onto our back deck. Casey, being 7 years old, has finally figured out that even with her 'bullet speed' she is unable to catch a squirrel. Carson, on the other hand, is only 3 and slightly smarter than a box of rocks...he still tries. Both of the dogs can still jump about 4-5 feet straight up - so when Carson hurls his 20 pound frame up and down in front of the screen door - well, lets just say you need to act fast if you value the screen door!

We had an unwanted visitor over the weekend - the fellow pictured above. That ugly guy is a Turkey Vulture. He came to feast on the remains of a squirrel who lost the 'Car vs. Squirrel' race. (Thanks to Pete, my former neighbor in PA, for helping me identify him!) The vulture stuck around for a good part of the afternoon on Sunday. He was right in front of our house, which of course, had the dogs going crazy.


And, speaking of nature, Josie has entered the 'Climbing' phase of her not-so-terrible Two's. She is climbing everything in sight! Her favorite trick right now is to climb onto the couch in the family room and rest at the top. She will step on anything (or anyone!) to get up there. Once there, she likes to "roll" off - leaving Mom to make the mad dash to catch her. She's landed on a sleeping dog once or twice, so they are now adjusting their sleeping habits - staying out of Josie's way!