Racoons eating my cat food

We get these nightly visitors.....  Lately we get the whole "Raccoon Family".....  Bye Bye cat food!

Sorry it's a bad photo..... It's my iphone in the dark......

Look at those eyes......So cute yet so "Don't mess with me" all at the same time.....

There is momma Raccoon......and Hunks weedeater....

Another awful -quality- photo but I was zooming in with the iphone in the dark....

He got a little freaked out with all my photo taking and ran up in a tree.... Hunk shined the flashlight on him so I could get a photo...

 He came back and ate for awhile.....when the bowl was empty he decided to go meet up with the rest of his "gang"

 

Bambi in my front yard

When I crawl jump out of bed in the morning and head for my coffee pot it always puts a smile on my face when I look out my slider and see this b-e-a-utiful scenery.

Aren't they adorable??

Momma and baby...

 

I just can't stop taking pictures of them...

How precious is that????  I had to step out onto the porch to get a closer look..

 

Do you see him peaking at me around the rock?  He's like "Oh crud! Someone is on that patio!"

 

He went back behind the rock and then peeked around the other side of the rock at me...  

 

Yes, sweetie, I'm still watching you....

 

He realized I'm harmless....

Feel so blessed to live in the mountains where I get to see all God's creatures roaming around....Except when it's a bear in my backyard or a mountain lion at my tank house then I freak a little 

~Ciao Bellas~

Sometimes you just have to laugh ~ One of our dogs sleeping!!

This is our dog "Buck"...... "Lucky Buck" is what we really call him......





No, he isn't dead..... No, I didn't catch him in mid rollover...... HE IS SLEEPING! This is his favorite position.....





They say dogs are like their owners and my Hunk does usually sleep on his back.....maybe they are on to something........ shhhhhh I didn't say that out loud (I just typed it really softly)

So why do we call him LUCKY BUCK you are wondering??:

Lets start off by saying he was given to us as a housewarming gift. Such a kind and thoughtful gesture. We purchased what happens to be his "aunt" years prior...

One would think this would be great to not have to pay for a "papered pure bred lab"..... one would think......

We had Buck for mere weeks when he wandered his cute little puppy dog self up to the shop and decided to take a nap under one of the trailers.. ....one of the trailers that was hooked to a truck and was being taken to a job site that day..... one that was hooked to my Hunks truck..... yep you guessed it.... Buck was run over by said trailer, by said Hunk.

Hunk brought him down to me.......I was busy scrubbing toilets, doing laundry and baking cookies for all the neighbors this early morning...... errrrrrrkkkkkkkk....... Ok...MAYBE I was sleeping.... details, details.....goodness!

At any rate Hunk woke me up and told me that Buck was in the back of my Suburban and needed to be taken in to the vet and that he had to go to work....

WHAT?!?..... I took him in..... his hip was broken..... They said there wasn't much they could do but he needed to be confined in this cage so he couldn't get up and walk around and it could heal. Well, this lasted about two days.

Buck got CRAZY EYES on me.... I'm not even close to kidding. His eyes were rolling around in his head and he was freakin' out... We broke down and let him out.... he healed and he isn't insane...

So that was strike one for Buck......

Two: Buck shows up to the house looking like he got kicked by a cow or a horse or something mean and mad...... Hunk takes him in (his turn)....

Rattle snake bite. ...right to the jaw.... Buck gets hooked up to an IV's giving him an anti-venom and has to stay the night in the doggie hospital.... The next day and almost $2k later we were able to bring him home. Now don't forget this dog was a free gift.....

Three: Buck gets bit in the chest by a Rattle Snake.... (at least he learned to jerk his head back this time)..... I give him Advil and wish him luck....nooooo I'm not kidding..(they said he should only have the anti venom once).. he makes it...yeah!

Four: Buck gets bit by a rattle snake in the front right leg..... (at least he learned to jerk his head and chest out of the way)..... more Advil..... he makes it again....yeah!

Five: Buck is gone missing...... We live in the middle of NOWHERE...... there was a stray dog roaming around and Buck would take off to play with him.......we assume he is gone with him.. ... days go by.....we morn the loss of our Buck (and our wasted two grand......KIDDING)..... then my Hunk suggests I call the pound. I'm thinking WHAT out here? Get real dude!

So I call. I describe Buck. The lady says "Yes, I am the one that picked him up, he was with another dog.....the other dog ran and your dog ran right to me"...... I'm thinking DUMB FRIENDLY LOVING dog...... (I blame this on the UPS driver for giving him all those dog treats when he pulled up...... Buck thought he was in for a dog treat I'm sure, not a ride to dog jail)

I was so excited I say "OMG, Thank you so much! I thought he was gone"...... Silence on the phone for a minute..... and then "ummm, I'm sorry but he had been here so long we didn't know who the owner was and he was put down yesterday".......

My heart sank, my eyes welled and before I could find my voice to say anything I hear her talking to someone in the background.........she then asks me to hold....... I'm waiting wondering why I really need to hold, maybe she knows I'm losing it and wants to give me a moment to regain my strength....to find my voice....give me time to pick my heart up off of the floor....

She returns to the line.....She says "I can't believe this, he was scheduled to be put down yesterday but we got too busy, he is still here"...... I reply "YES! I am on my way THANK YOU SO MUCH!"

So I arrive at the pound and she takes me to him. He is cowering in the corner of the pin with a couple other dogs. He is sooooooo sad I almost don't even recognize him.... I burst into tears. I can't wait to break him out and get him home. She tells me we need to do paperwork and he has to go back in the pin....... I burst out crying again and follow her back to the front desk......

She tells me what "Bail and hotel charges are"....... She asks if we plan to have him....ya know.....so he can't make babies anymore..... I tell her yes, we were planning to do this before he went missing (maybe he got wind of that and this is why he left.....hmmmmmmmmmm)...

She lets me know that if I Adopt (my own dog) him from them that it will be MUCH cheaper AND he gets neutered. If I bail him out he doesn't get "fixed" and I have to pay about 3 times the price......

No brainer..... I'll fill out the adoption paperwork, take him home and bring him back for his appointment. When will that be? NOPE...... he has to stay the night and I can pick him up the next day.

Ok, my heart just broke in a million pieces. I still can't believe me.....the big soft hearted person that I am.... I chose to leave him and pay the cheaper amount.... I was so upset I burst into big ugly cry tears.... not just crying......I was SOBBING......trying to catch your breath, snot stringing from your mouth when you open it kind of Sobbing...(gross I know, sorry I'm just keepin' it real here)..... I sobbed all the way home....... When his name was mentioned, when I laid down to go to sleep....... my heart broken for him.....

But I picked him up the next day and we were all so happy and he was back to normal very quickly....

Six: Buck is bit by a Rattle Snake in the back left leg....... (at least he is learning to turn and run).... Advil...love you Lucky Buck..... (by the way, less and less swelling with each bit, I think he is becoming immune)..

There are many other stories I'm sure (I know) I'm leaving out (like how lucky he is the neighbor didn't kill him when he went after their goats).... but I think you get the picture....

All those close calls and he still feels comfortable enough to sprawl out on his back and fall asleep......

Lucky Buck! We love Lucky Buck and he still is the BEST housewarming gift (all be it the most expensive) that we have ever received.....

I can't be the only one with a dog with 9 lives.......or the only one who has invested money in a "free dog"....Please......Please tell me I'm not... Lay it on me..... make me feel better..... ;)

Ciao Bellas~

SERIOUSLY... Just how many feathers are there in a featherbed?

What every woman dreams of waking up to....... and I was lucky enough to do just that.....

What the H-E-(double hockey sticks) happened!?!

Really?!? Why? Because I don't have enough crap to clean up as it is?

I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank my teenage Rugrat who somehow felt it would be a great idea to use his little sisters Feather Bed Mattress Topper to sleep on in the middle of our meadow on his camp out (POW WOW) sleepover with his friends......

This allowed me to be able to wash the feather bed and set it outside to dry (YES, I AM AWARE WHEN ONE HAS AS MANY ANIMALS AS WE DO........THIS WAS NOT THE BRIGHTEST IDEA I'VE EVER HAD.).....

But the "best move award".....goes to the person who forgot about it AND left it outside over night.....

Ding......Ding........Ding....... We have a winner! Yahtzee!....... Bingo.!.....

Ya, that would be me........

But I'm pullin' Mommy rank and saying "IF MY TEENAGE RUGRAT WOULDN'T HAVE USED IT IN A DIRT MEADOW............ I wouldn't have had to wash it........ My daughter would still have a feather bed.......and my cats wouldn't be running around trying to find a HUGE BIRD."......

Sighhhhhh.............. that's really all I can do at this point......

Aren't these kittys just adorable?? ........ They are cuddled up behind my potted plant sleeping..

Awwwwwwwwwww, sweet little things........ must have been a LONG hard night of searching the mountainside for the big bird who left all the feathers behind on the front patio.

Are you serious???

I guess it must still be comfortable. "Buck" has decided to lounge in the mess.

When I walked out to take his photo he just slowly turned his head and cut his eyes over at me with a look on his face the screamed "Oh crap! I didn't do it..honest... I'm guarding what is left of the bed from the cats.......THEY did it..".

WHY YES, Nestlie, I do see the feathers on and around you...... But I know you had nothing to do with it.....

Why does she look so sad you ask......? She is probably upset that Buck is hogging what is left of the bed....

I opened the sliding glass door and they all came running....

Could they really think I was opening the door to invite them inside???........Maybe offer them a special treat for their wonderful behavior........... Perhaps a sofa cushion?

I suppose I better get my rear in gear.......it appears I have a little bit of a mess to clean up this morning.......

Sighhhhhhhhhhh

Ciao Bellas~

P.S. Along with my Easy Chili Verde Recipe .........I'll also be posting my "Yummy for my Tummy" breakfast burrito recipe....... that I made this morning.......(BEFORE I knew that I should have been outside cleaning up feathers.......)

Did I mention I love my life? I do I really do....

I can't be the only one this has happened to...... Please tell me it has happened to you before. Or something worse.......that's what I really want to hear.... I want to hear I'm not the only one who has earned the "BEST MOVE AWARD"

Our dogs, a few of our cats and poor dirty faced Paul Sherbert getting a bath

This is our dear sweet OLD dogie Nestlie. She is having a much harder time getting around lately and our hearts are breaking knowing her time with our family will not doubt soon be coming to an end. She was an excellent hunting dog. She followed my 'Hunk a Hunk a Burnin' Love' everywhere. She would run and play with the rugrats and wanted to spend every moment with us that she could.

Now she spends most days laying around and wags her tail when she sees us just hoping we will come over and love on her. Which we always make time to do.

She did make a trip down the hill to our lake where she laid part-way in the water and under the shade of the boat the other day. Unfortunately, she couldn't get back up the hill. My "Hunk of Burnin' Love' had to carry her back t o our door. Made me cry!

This is our LUCKY dog Buck. He was given to us as a house warming gift and has been the most expensive dog we have ever owned. He has been bit by rattle snakes at least 4 times. The first time we took him in, had him hooked up to an IV giving him anti-venom. This was a very costly hospital stay for Mr. Buck.......well for US.... every time after that we have given him Advil and told him we loved him and wished him luck.... (they said the anti-venom should only be used one time).... He has recovered more quickly with each bit.

Next he followed a stray dog and was picked up by the pound. Now we lived in the middle of nowhere so I didn't think to check with the pound. I was afraid an animal or animals got to him. My husband mentioned the pound and I thought well heck I'll give it a try. I called and they told me that they had him but the time limit was up and he had been put down the previous day. My heart hit the floor! How could I have not called sooner? OMGosh! Then she someone in the background said something and she asked me to hold the line. She came back on to tell me that the dog she thought was put down was actually still there. Apparently they hadn't gotten too busy the day before and he wasn't put down. I was so upset to know they put these animals down so quickly, broke my heart but I was so excited to know they thought they had my dog! I rushed to the pound and there he was. I ended up adopting him back because it was cheaper than paying his BAIL! uhhhhhhhh this dog.......

OH when he was a pup he was up at the shop and decided to lay underneath a trailer. My 'Hunk of Burning Love' backed the trailer up, didn't see him and he didn't move, and BUMP.....Buck was run over with the trailer. It broke his hip bone.

There have been MANY MANY MANY other stories of how lucky our Buck is.....but we too are lucky and in love with our housewarming gift!

OH I failed to mention. Our Nestlie is Buck's Aunt!

I think he is saying "GREAT...... MORE PHOTOS!"


Where is kitty kitty??? Hiding in the tree..... He thinks I can't see him! Silly cat.

It's OK Kitty I didn't want to keep the plants that were once in this planter anymore..... I bought it for your bed.......

If you can believe it we have 5 cats who sleep in this! Momma kitty and all five of her NOT SO SMALL kittens. By the way......this is one of the not so small kittens.

A few months ago our momma kitty had kittens (AGAIN) and I was talking to my nephew on the phone. He said "Auntie I want an orange kitty" I told him he could have the orange kitty and I asked him what he wanted to name it. He said "Paul" I was laughing so hard. My nephew is 4 years old. Where did the name Paul come from? So OF COURSE I named him Paul. My rugrats wanted to name him Orange Sherbert because he is orange.... so we have combined the two and have "Paul Sherbert"..... Well, Paul Sherbert has a CONSTANT dirty face.... I mean ALWAYS.... My hunk a hunk of burning love and my animal loving rugrat daughter decided to give this poor kitty a bath. He is so loving that he didn't cause anyone to bleed but lets just say he wasn't happy about it...

His face did look much cleaner though........

I'm so sorry Mr. Sherbert..... it was done out of love......

Have a good night!!!!!

Ciao Bella~