School Pictures and Stings

Take time to smell the roses and eventually you'll inhale a bee. ~Author Unknown

First off... to Tori, Brandy and Dru: I will do my best to remember to take a first day of school picture when the time comes. I can't promise I'll remember as I suspect there will be nerves and panic and general chaos on that day, but I'll try. And just thinking about it gave me butterflies in my tummy. I may be more nervous than my daughter.

In other news, Dakota was stung by a yellow jacket yesterday. Yanno, there aren't many bugs I just simply hate for their mere existence, but yellow jackets fall into that category. They're mean, attack for no reason and their sting hurts worse than any other bee-type sting (I'm just glad we don't have scorpions here, like Maria Zannini does).

I was so sad -- she was just walking up onto our deck to come inside, I saw something flying around her (she didn't even snap at it like she does to the deerflies) and hurried her in. Just as she stepped in, she whipped her head around and looked at her leg and I saw the &^%$ thing right there stinging her. I scraped it off with my foot and stomped. And stomped. And ground it into the throw rug and stomped again. His corpse is still on my deck where I shook out the rug. I'd kill him again if I could.

She was a trooper, but it was clear it hurt. She stood, her leg raised, for several minutes. Refused a treat (this is UNHEARD of) and then curled up by my feet. I called the vet to ask if there was anything I could do -- there isn't, not really. Benedryl if she has a reaction (she didn't). Poor puppy.

Otherwise things are all about the same. The school's new student handbook comes out on Monday and includes some changes to the dress code, so we'll be able to go clothes shopping next week. I'm making an appointment to get DD's hair professionally cut and styled, and I think I might treat her to a manicure the day before school starts (shhhhhhh... don't tell her). I want her to feel pretty and confident (two things she frequently doesn't feel) when she goes.

Wishing you all a pleasant weekend. I've heard rumblings of a possible tropical storm / hurricane that might blow in down south? One of my author friends lives in Texas and mentioned it. If that's true, y'all be safe, y'hear? *G*

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You Are a Silver Cell Phone

You are quiet, thoughtful, and contemplative. You definitely don't like to show off. You're the type of person who's more likely to surf the web on your phone than text or talk. You probably also have a bit of a thing for gadgets. You're somewhat of a geek.' You are addicted to being plugged in to the world around you. You need to have the internet at your fingertips!

What Color Cell Phone Are You?

That's mostly right.

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School and Chomping Chipmunks

Gardening requires lots of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. ~Lou Erickson

RE: school shopping -- Dru asked if they gave us a list. They did! This school is in close email contact, which is nice. The list wasn't that extensive, and (aside from the two boxes of tissues that Brandy mentioned in comments) I didn't find anything to be too "out there".

DD sat down and organized everything. Very cute. It was like she was dying to touch it all. Paper is in the binders, pencils and pens in the case. Only a month until school starts. While she's in the eighth grade this year, it's really her first day of school... I'm nervous. And excited. And hopeful. I'm trying to be encouraging for her because I think she's going to like it once she starts. But it's going to be a big transition for us both.

DD has a chipmunk in her flower garden. A very voracious one. So far, it's pretty much decimated her liatris ... though this last time it dug down and started feasting on the tuber/root, I covered up the exposed tuber and dumped about a cup of chili powder on it. Seems to have stopped him eating THAT, but he's simply just moved on to other plants.

We're trying to trap him in a humane trap, but no luck yet. He has about ten holes throughout her garden, and I'm not sure which one he uses most, so placing the trap is tricky. Once he got in, stole the piece of apple and got back OUT without getting caught, the little bugger. I don't want to kill him -- I don't, but he's being as destructive as the Cunning Voles of Doom, and that's just not good.

So, we'll put the trap back out today, and keep our fingers crossed.

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You Want to Talk to Someone Confident

You like a person who just tells it like it is. You appreciate boldness. You are self-assured and self-reliant. You have a lot of confidence in yourself. You are a self-starter and very entrepreneurial. You seize every opportunity you can. You are inner-directed and highly independent. You know what's best for you.

Who Would You Talk To?

HAHAHAHAHA! Okay, that's so close to perfect it's scary...

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Back To School Shopping

Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself. ~John Dewey

More crazy weather yesterday. Thankfully, up here we only had a little rain, but south of us got hammered with tornado-like weather again (including poor Springfield, MA -- and they're still trying to recover from the tornadoes last month).

My friend, Michele, lost three trees in her yard -- the top of a very large maple broke off and took down a nearby birch and pine.

Scary stuff. I can't get over this weather -- we aren't exactly in tornado alley, yanno?

In other news, I went school supply shopping yesterday. I'd already gotten some random things at Staples a couple weeks ago (they had a screamin' sale), but this time I landed at WalMart. Binders, paper, liquid paper, glue, folders, pens and pencils, erasers... oh my!!

When I was in school, the school provided most of that stuff. We brought folders (I had Pee Chee Folders ... remember those? They were uber cheap, like $0.03 / each) and binders and that was about it. School provided paper, pens, scissors, glue, etc.

I think what boggles my mind nowadays is that the school system actually gets more money, but the parents have to supply more stuff. When I was in school, I played the flute -- and the school provided the instrument. I was in sports, and the school provided the uniform and transported us to games.

Mind-boggling.

We haven't done clothes shopping as the school is adjusting their dress code slightly. We'll get the new on on August 1st. And then the fun truly begins...

Today, we're going to go see "MegaMind" at the Regal Summer Film Festival. Um, whee?

Have a great day!

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You Are Fired Up

You are bold, adventurous, and even brazen. You feel like the world is your oyster. You value your time, and you treat it like it's precious. No one is allowed to waste it. You function well with heavy work loads. You like being and staying productive. You are direct and to the point. You rather not waste time with small talk.

The Deserted Beach Test

About 75% right.

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The Milkweed Tussock Moth Pillar in Pictures

The poetry of the earth is never dead. ~John Keats

It rained for half the day yesterday, and I have to say I'm truly grateful. A few of you mentioned that you're having droughts. Of all the things that terrify me about weather patterns, that it top of the list. EVERYTHING requires water, and the lack of it is just horrible. I'll do a rain dance for you all.

It was actually cool enough here yesterday that I wore a fleece cover-up inside (I kept all the windows open -- love me some fresh air). It was in the 60s! It's supposed to be back into the 90s and humid again by the end of the week, but this respite has been wonderful.

In other news, I thought I'd share our Milkweed Tussock Moth Pillar stories, since we appear to have NO swallowtails or monarchs this year. We have an abundance of Tussock Moth pillars -- far more than we've ever had before. If I had to guess, I'd say we have in the neighborhood of 600 babies on our milkweed.

They're like locusts -- they "swarm" and completely destroy the plant. No nibbling on a leaf for them. Nope ... check it out (you can click the pix to make them bigger if you want):


Unlike any other pillar I've seen, these guys thrive in mass numbers until they're almost grown. It's amazing. They apparently weave some kind of webbed "holder" to keep them on the leaf as they consume it and then migrate to the next, starting over again. Here are pix of three of the largest bundles I found... easily a couple hundred in each of these.





I admit to being half tempted to bring some in and raise them, though certainly they don't look like their numbers are waning. However, their pupae overwinter, and that's just a pain.

Still, I'm glad something is eating the milkweed and that it's not going to waste. I'm still terribly sad about not having any monarchs. :-(

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You Are a Good Friend

You are reliable and dependable. You can be counted on, through thick and thin. You are full of common sense and every day wisdom. You are street smart. You are conscientious and organized. No detail slips past you. People often say you would make a great therapist. You are an excellent listener, and you never judge.

The Letter Test

About 75% right.

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A Crisp Monday Morning!

When the bee comes to your house, let her have beer; you may want to visit the bee's house some day. ~Congo Proverb

Happy Monday! Here, it's very happy -- because it's COOLED DOWN. Even yesterday was a little cooler than the four days prior, thankfully, but today they're even saying it might rain! HALLALUJAH! My garden is dying, my flowers are dying, my grass has burned spots. Yes, we water, but it's been so hot, you water and 20 minutes later everything is dust dry again. The heat and humidity were just brutal -- so much so that my DH actually discussed getting a small window A/C. That's the first time he's done so. And although we didn't actually GET a window A/C, his almost caving tells you how hot it really was.

But we survived.

It made it difficult to work, however. On Friday, my only "alone" day (a day when I usually get the most done), my computer kept getting so hot that it burned the heels of my hands if I tried to work very long (and, yes, I have a laptop cooler). I got almost nothing accomplished.

Saturday, my friend Michele came up (YAY!) and we hung out all day. We went to see the movie "Thor" at our nearby cheap movie theater that plays the older stuff. It was surprisingly good and fun. It doesn't hurt that the guy who plays Thor is just gorgeous (he has that twinkle in his eye, too, that I'm such a sucker for) and has one sweet Australian accent. Yum. I wasn't a huge fan of the ending, insofar as the "romance" went, but otherwise it gets a thumbs-up from me.

Yesterday, my DH was in a bit of a tear, so DD and I spent the morning cleaning (apparently the house was a mess ... who knew?) and then we did our couponing. It was a good haul. I got hair bands, ball point pens, tampons, toothpaste, and mouth rinse for free. I got a toothbrush for better than free (earned $.50). I got razor blade refills that were marked $21.00 (for SIX!!!) for $6.50, cereal for under $1 a box and shampoo/conditioner for $0.69 a bottle.

I have so much toothpaste now, I'm looking for a women's shelter to donate to. But I can't pass up "free", yanno? It's a disease...

After lunch, DH left to help a friend work on his truck. DD made some jewelry (she had a custom order request) and I worked. I FINALLY got the website pages built for LASR/WC and edited the reviews for next week. It was a close thing, lol...

Oh! For those of you not on Facebook, you have to check out this cool bug we found walking on the table yesterday:




He was SO COOL... all spiky butt and stripey legs. I was fascinated. I picked him up and put him outside near the milkweed -- assuming, based on his coloration that he had something to do with milkweed (most milkweed bugs are black and orange -- the monarch, the tussock moth pillar, etc).

After some discussion on Facebook, I'm pretty sure he's the nymph of the milkweed assassin bug (photo borrowed from the website I just linked to):



I posted the picture up on What's That Bug? to find out for sure.

So far, that's the coolest bug we've seen. Yeah, I like bugs...

Today, DD is going to hang out with her grandma for part of the day. They'll sew, maybe swim and just generally enjoy being together.

How was your weekend?

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You Are a Classic Cone

You are a compassionate and selfless person. You truly care about people - whether they're strangers or friends. You are always aware of and sensitive to other people's feelings. You are tender and compassionate. You're not easily impressed with novelty. However, you do easily impress others. You take responsibilities seriously. You follow through with everything you commit to.

What Kind of Ice Cream Cone Are You?

About half right.

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The Dog Dish with: Candis Terry!

Mom fell in love with the cover of this book before she even knew what it was about, and we agreed we HAD to have the dogs and their person on the blog.

CJ, Maddie and Hank are here to help their person, Avon author, Candis Terry, promote her release, "Last Chance at the Sugar Shack". I hear that there's a prize of a $25 Amazon.com GC to one lucky commenter, so tell them howdy and let us know you were here!

And to read back on her other stops, click on this banner (look at the puppy!):


I didn't get a picture of the dogs who are visiting this time, but they describe themselves pretty darn well. So, with further

So, your human writes books. Does this mean she is home all day and easy to access? Elaborate if necessary.

Woof! Thanks for the inbarktation to your blog! My name is CJ and I’m the top dog around the Simple Dreams Farm on which we all co-inhabit. Me and my main pain-in-the-tail, Maddie, are both German Shepherds and then there’s Hank, a really dorky German Shorthair.

Candis, our Scooby-Snack Mom, as we like to call her, writes romance novels. Oddly enough she even has a puppy on the cover of her first book Second Chance at the Sugar Shack. A golden retriever puppy. Yeck. Unfortunately for us four-leggers she isn’t home during the day. She says she works as a graphic designer too. We think she’s just trying to avoid handing out more treats. Doesn’t make us happy, but we are down with make up snacks.

What are your techniques for distracting your human during crucial writing moments, just because it's fun? Whose primary job is it? What do the rest of you do to support the one doing the main distracting?

We are proud to say we have distracting Scooby-Snack Mom down to a science. Our doggy senses are on high alert when we notice her face starting to scrunch up and she starts to lean closer and closer to the computer monitor. When the big sigh pushes from her lungs we know it’s time to distract. Maddie is a pro nose-pusher. You have no idea what interesting words the Scooby-Snack Mom will type when eighty pounds of annoying pooch pokes, prods, and pushes the human hand with her big wet nose. I do my part by whacking Scooby-Snack Mom’s leg with the full force of my tail. Inserting, of course, the perfectly timed whine. When we see Scooby-Snack Mom’s eyes roll we know its treat time! But then she locks us out of the room. Grrrr.

What indignities and neglect have you suffered because of your human's writing career?

Ummmm, hello? Dog brush. Have you seen how much I’m shedding lately? By the way, I’m a plush German Shepherd, which means I have beeeautiful long hair that humans always compliment me on. What, Maddie? Oh, shut up. You are not as beautiful as me. You are a regular dog. And short hair is soooo dull. Right, Hank. You have no hair. Nice spots though.

Tell me about the animals in your human's fiction. How often do they appear and how big a part do they play?

You mean the pretend dog? The one who doesn’t really add to the dog breath center of our universe? Right. Well, I’m told that Kate Silver, the heroine in Second Chance at the Sugar Shack, finds this oh-so-adorable puppy and takes him home to try to find his parents. Can you imagine that? Kate doesn’t believe in owning an animal, she actually thinks they’re a part of the family. What, Hank? Oh, hmmm, right. We are a part of Scooby-Snack Mom’s family. We even get Christmas stockings and Thanksgiving dinner. Anyway, word on the street is this puppy is a huge, cuddly part of the book. Kate thinks there’s no way she can keep a dog but the puppy has other plans. Smart pooch. Kate is a Scooby-Snack Mom too.

On the off-chance your human has yet to incorporate animals into a story, what are your plans for making sure she rectifies this egregious error and demonstration of poor writing skills?

No worries. There are three books in the Sugar Shack Novels series. Each book has its own special pet. And since Scooby-Snack Mom is a big animal lover, the pets have more than a guest-starring role. You like cats? Oscar, the grouchy puss, is in book two.

What movies involving animals does your human enjoy sharing with you? Books with animals?

Well, we certainly aren’t into any of the Benji movies. Woof. No way. However, we did love Chicken Run. I dig (and I get in trouble for it too) Dr. Doolittle. What, Maddie? Animals most certainly can talk! Hank liked March of the Penguins but he walked kinda funny for a while after that one. And the tiger in The Hangover was pretty purry.

Books? Oh, you mean other than to chew on the corners of the cover? Hmm, Scooby-Snack Mom did recently bring home a picture book called If Dogs Could Talk (which, of course they can). Silly dog photos. Great one-liners.

If you could make one change to your human, what would it be?

More Scooby snacks! Seriously, I think we all would like to have her home more. Sometimes our distraction techniques need a jowl-lift.

Are you happy with your human? If you could tell your human one thing, what would it be?

Happy with her? Hello? She’s the Scooby-Snack Mom.

If we could tell her one thing it would have to be, “Dogs Rule and Cats Drool. Now can we sleep on your bed?”

What things does your human do that would mortify her it if known? What does your human do that most annoys?

Haven’t you ever heard never bite the hand that feeds you? She gives us double scoops of kibble. She rocks! Okay, okay. Maddie has a secret . . . “ Scooby-Snack Mom talks baby talk to the animals. And she gives nose kisses even when she has coffee breath. Ewwww. What do humans eat?”

CJ here again. One thing Scooby-Snack Mom does that drives me doggy is she uses me as a footstool. No kidding. What do I look like, a fur ottoman? Woof.

Has your human named a character for you? Are you pleased? If not, why?

No, she has not named a character for us. That would be totally undignified. Hank! Stop licking your–

And did your human name you for a fictional character? Hate it or love it? If you could rename yourself, what would your name be?

We here down on the farm are all originals. Maddie and I are perfectly happy with our names. CJ, by the way, is the initials for Candi’s Job. Ha! Hank says he is very happy with his name. His previous humans had given him a name that rhymes with Hank but describes a part of the male anatomy. Really.

Well, it’s been a grass-ripping time, but we have to get back to patrolling the farm. Can’t have any wayward poultry escaping the place. Did someone say chicken dinner? Oh, and the Scooby-Snack Mom says she’d love to hear about your animal adventures. Contact her at www.candisterry.com. Woof!

This is the first in a series of coming home stories. In SECOND CHANCE, the heroine, a Hollywood stylist’s estranged mother passes away and she returns home for the first time in 10 years. The high school sweetheart she left behind is now the deputy sheriff and doesn’t quite know if he’s forgiven her for leaving. As she settles back into small town life, the two try to fight their feelings for each other, but the attraction is explosive and they can’t resist its pull for long.

Thanks for visiting!

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Friday Frying

Summer has set in with its usual severity. ~Samuel Taylor Coleridge

A quick post to chat before I put up the next one -- it's another "dog dish" post, and I don't normally do two a week -- but LOOK at that cover! How could I resist?

It's sweltering here. In the high 90s with about 800% humidity (which is what makes it so bad) and we have no A/C in our house. Even with my fan, my laptop gets so hot I almost can't touch it. My glasses won't stay up .... just slide on down on the sweat that drips from my skin. By 9:00 it's not safe to be outside doing much of anything. I walked the dog yesterday at 7 a.m., and by the time I was home I was dripping.

We have two more days of this coming (today and Saturday). While I'm reasonably certain I'll survive it, it's really very uncomfortable.

And, although we still have no monarchs, we're making up for it in Milkweed Tussock Moths. Check it out:



They stay in a group like that until they're quite big, completely decimating the leaf they're on and moving to the next. It's really pretty incredible.

Wishing everyone a cool, pleasant and fun weekend! Anyone have plans? I do! My friend, Michele, is coming up for a visit. I can't wait.

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You Should Play Classical Guitar

You have an idea of how the world should be. You have a very clear vision for your life. People respect you for holding on to your ideals. You don't stray from what you believe in. You're the type of person who still believes in changing the world. You passionately believe that things should be better. You have strong emotions. You listen to your heart... it has rarely led you astray.

What Classical Instrument Should You Play?

That's about 80% right!

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