Trees and Plants

Snake!

As if the toad episode weren’t bad enough to end yesterday with, this morning, I woke up to more reptilian horrors.

As I washed the pavers and scooped the poop this morning, Bouchard (yes, again, it’s the Frenchmann) sounded the alarm!

“Snake! Snake! Snake!”
It was amongst the hoses trying to fit in.

I paced back and forth figuring what to do. I didn’t want to have to deal with a snake by the spigot! No no no! But I didn’t want to kill it either. But it was going under the house! That’s when it dawned on me it could end up IN my house! MoG! I didn’t have to kill it! Annie would! I know, you’re thinking Bouchard was the one who sounded the alarm, but he’s not the doer-inner. Annie is, and she did.

Then the rest of the FDSP (today, the S is for snake) got to work parading around with the thing.

Eegads! And I had to pick it up. All three pieces of it. YUCK! Thank goodness for large-sized pooper scoopers!

After I picked up the pieces and put it in the trash barrel with last night’s toad, Bouchard and Luna went looking for more snakes in that hole under the spigot. Now I have to figure a way to close that hole! I wonder if duct tape will work. Hmmm.

Meanwhile, ugh, don’t ask.

Helen

Annie, Bouchard, Trees and Plants

20

May

2008

Baby’s on Varmint-Watching Restriction

Helen

Baby loves to stand in the backyard every night and wait for the varmints. Being she has arthritis, that takes its toll on her daily allotment of painless movement. So during the day, she sleeps and stays on her futon rather than goes outside.

Baby has one more leg to get on her CD, and we have another dog show coming up in just a couple weekends where she can achieve this. So starting tonight, Baby is on varming-watching restriction. She is not allowed to hang outside waiting for varmints till the wee hours of the night, or until the rest of us have bedtime. No, she’s not! Now she has to come in and have family time just like everyone else. She’s not happy about this and has got a bit sulky.

But such is life. I told her once she gets her CD, she can watch varmints till the cows come home. Or the corn grows. We are going to be planting a vegetable garden in that spacious area in the no-dog zone shortly. I ordered the seeds yesterday and they are on their way to Fort Doberdale as I write. So are the sweet potatoes, which is the crop we especially want to grow.

This will be two of the summer month’s goals here in Fort Doberdale. Baby’s CD and a veggie garden. I’m not sure which one will be more challenging!

Helen

Baby, Trees and Plants

14

May

2008

Hoppy Saturday Night!

Helen

Now there are two!
Frosty and Bugsy.

What can I say? Fort Doberdale’s a hoppening place.

Though not for moths.

I’m blinking. I’m blinking twice.
Two pairs of frog’s legs on my window! Mon Dieu!
Bouchard

Bouchard, Trees and Plants

10

May

2008

The Resident Fort Doberdale Frog

Helen

I was bending over to water my plants on Sunday, May 4. I was taking particular note of a cutting of a night blooming jasmine a co-worker had given me, which was sprouting blooms.

Then I stood up… ladedadedaaa… and came face-to-face with the frog on the window ledge! Ahhhhh!

He matched the color of the house and he just sat there letting me take pictures.

He is on the ledge here on the right between the V of the plant. Can you see him? He’s there…a little white blob.

But the sun was going down, and I knew he was going to get active because I usually see him from the inside with his suction cup feet attached to my window. So I stood by, and this is what happened to him as he woke up. MoG! It’s the Incredible Frog Hulk!

I think he’s eating something or someone. I do.

Since that day, this frog has been making this window ledge his home. He poops on the ledge, eats on the ledge, and does who knows what else on the ledge. But he’s OK. He’s not too noisy. In fact, I haven’t heard a croak out of him. However, there are some unusual croaks coming from a more bushy area in the yard.