When I tried to cook...

Trust me - there was some VERY colorful language after I spilled that boiling sugar/butter on my hands.

My Man...

...cooks!!

What the Shark Left Behind...

2 weeks post op... my man will set off the alarms at airports.


He now has a special plastic card with scotch tape over his name to get him through security (tsa safety knows no bounds).

3, 2, 1 !!!!

iPhone Blunder

Christmas came early... and Santa was goooood to me.. this thing is GENIUS... for the most part.

The only debacle is that I can't text photos!! HOW RIDICULOUS!! I can email them - but the whole point is to get it to someone at that very moment. Apparently if I add a @att.mms.net it's supposed to go through - but I've got zip so far. Not to mention that all the pictures that are sent to me get downloaded on some crappy ATT screen & can't be saved and sent. MADNESS.

My Man Cries Foul

My man's taken offense at how Sam's being portrayed on this blog. So he took this picture which he thinks is a better representation.

Dog in a Box

This is how I best like Sam. She races in the house - dying to get to her box. Based on what she's managed to accomplish in the yard this week, I'm pretty damn excited to get her in the box too.

Shark Attack

Ok - it wasn't a shark... but it looks pretty wicked anyway.

This Can't Be Good for the Garden

My poor garden... the fencing and tarp couldn't hold up all the sleet that fell last night. I don't know if it's going to make it...

Um, It's Cold Out!!

Icky

I swear this is the real size of this ant.

Found it creeping along a window sill. I didn't want to kill it so I brought it outside... where I'm pretty certain Bella or Sam stepped on it. :(

So NOT Innocent

Sam seems soooo innocent. Her little front paws crossed, just kicking it in the sun. The first hint that something is wrong, is hiding in her shadow. One of Bella's "inside only" toys. Inside only because the fuzzy guts tend to end up all over the yard.

But finally, I realize she's just calm because she's exhausted. And really, it's not easy to wear out a lab.

Apparently, this is how she spent her morning:

First, she had to spend as much time possible tearing off the newspaper wrapped around our new Palm trees to keep them from freezing.

Every now & then she'd look up to make sure she wasn't being busted - or to figure out why my man was rapping so hard on the window that it might break. Apparently since he wasn't heading outside, everything was good.

So she got on with her morning.. eating a little of the newspaper.

What she decided not to eat she carefully placed in the yard so the entire yard got at least a thousand tiny shreddings of news paper on it. Unless of course there was poop, and that was left alone because she knows I have to go there anyway.



That must have gotten boring, because when she realized her paws were completely muddy, she decided to wipe them off on Bella... using every inch of that poor child.

You Remember This...

...yeah - the Roller Skate Rink!

They celebrate birthday parties just the same today as they did 20 years ago... ok 30... although the music was far worse!

Dogs are Supposed to be Furry

...and yet this is what I got. Nothing soft on her except the backs of her ears.

Itchy Scratchy

This vine is crawling up my gorgeous Live Oaks in my front yard. I hate the way it pollutes my perfect trees. So I decided I would tear it off the trees and rip-out some from around the bushes on which it was growing.

Do you know what this is? I didn't.. but I'll give you a hint: hydracortisone & benadryl weren't strong enough.

Next Season Pls!

This weekend, as I boxed up all the Halloween stuff that had migrated from the yard to the garage, all I could think about was a work colleague. He & his girlfriend were playing mad libs. His adjective was "gassy" - and the sentence turned into: Have a gassy Halloween.

All day long I had to listen to him say "Have a Gassy Halloween" in his best Hannibal Lechter voice.

Um... I've been told to edit the post & add this photo credit because he would like credit in case "this whole gassy halloween blows up."

How Big is My Buck?

The boys were getting frisky this morning... Wouldn't even let me into the park. Tried to get some good shots of their horns, but they wouldn't get too close after I positioned myself somewhere other between them and the doe.

Just to be clear - this was my not my child chasing the buck. It's a frisky male Weimaraner we see most mornings.

Here's another pic from down the street... have no idea if it's the same guy...

Austin Tradition

The Zilker Tree is an Austin tradition to go with the Trail of Lights. It's massive 155 feet tall with 3300 lights.

And no, they don't plug the lights in before they hang them... but when one does go out.. it takes this many city workers to screw in that new light bulb.

Fall Colors

Austin doesn't have much of a fall, but it's pretty when it does happen!

Mother Earth Giveth & Taketh Away...

My garden is started to change... sadly my peppers seem to be getting too much sun... but on the upside, my lettuce is starting to sprout!!

People... REALLY!!!

I mean I have to admire their dedication to German engineering... but really, when you have 2 infants it's time to get rid of the 2-door sports car.

Wednesday's Wine

A bunch of us busted out this bottle of wine while watching the little kids come by for Halloween candy.

It was definitely not what I expected... kids and the wine. I read this somewhere: "The 337 clone is renowned for lacking the herbal and veggie characteristics that can detract from the Cabernet Sauvignon grape" - maybe that's why.

The kids in this neighborhood are so polite.. they would take ONE piece of candy. I was all: what? Go to town! Take a giant fistful - two if you want! I think every parent in the neighborhood hated the next morning.

Icky Icky Poo

This is so gross, I felt I had to share it with everybody.

The eyes are two matching nasty blood blisters I got while working in the yard this weekend.

In 2 Weeks...

...we'll see what comes up...

Planted: baby carrots, onion, broccoli, spinach, lettuce, onions & waaay on the back left, 2 leek plants (now I have to get my brother to part with his amazing leek soup recipe!).

Killing His Lovin'

This buck was not at all happy with me.

November is mating season, and this boy was chasing some tail on my street. Since Bella was in the car with me.. I pulled up right alongside him & let her whine at him. He was less than amused.. especially since the tail he was chasing made it across the street and he was left with a whining dog & giant vehicle parked in between them.

Wednesday's Wine

Bonterra Merlot, 2004. Mendocino County. Shown with my new frequent shopper card, courtesy of my husband who has just begun to understand the quantity of wine purchased in this household.

85% merlot, 15% syrah, petite sirah & cab sauvignon. 100% organically grown grapes on the 378-acre farm. You'll taste blackberry and cherry - and with the other grapes, it stands up more than a typical merlot.