T.G.I.F. !!!

Friday morning…

Auggie sometimes has tough mornings. He WANTS to go out. But it is dark.

Bear and I go out.

Argghhh!!

When he finally settled in the island chair…

I let him.

And I had my breakfast at the table.

Since getting the Island…which was in part to assist in my eating AWAY from my desk…I have done fairly well.

I’ve had a few lunches at my desk and 1 lunch at the kitchen counter, but mostly I’ve eaten at the Island…HOO RAH!!!

So.

A here or there meal at the table or the desk or the counter top…NOT a bit deal if it IS the exception.

So far, so good!

Meanwhile.

Friday.

The Jeep did not get its service. Rescheduled, in Bigfork (20 miles closer) on Monday!

Bear says T.G.I.F. from Beardog Point.

Auggie says T.G.I.F. from his chair.

And me, too. From the front porch.

T.G.I.F.!!

Another week

It is Thursday evening as I’m writing this after a full work week that went better than last. I was determined to stay on track this week even though I have a short Friday … takin’ the Jeeper for fresh oil and tire rotation tomorrow afternoon…so my plan has been to get my work week in my Friday noon. So far, so good!

But, work has not kept me inside all of the time.

It has been sunny and 50ish since Saturday.

The big snow piles are slow to go…

But the first new Spring growth is poking out of the ground … the day lilies!

This was like a flashback…it looks so like Bob and I’d dreamt of Bob just the other night. It wasn’t a nice dream, but this made me laugh and replaced the leftover bad from the dream with happy memories of Bob hunting in this very spot and sitting just like Auggie was.

Later, Bear on Beardog point. Auggie heard me out front and is watching to see if we will be going for a walk.

Another week.

Last Saturday in March

How did this happen?

It is the last Saturday in March. Sunday, Monday and that is the end of the first quarter of 2014.

Time flies much too fast.

I did have a good Friday workday. I did not work this Saturday as in the work that pays the bills kind of work.

But.

I did get a number of chores done…including getting the yellow jacket traps hung here and there.

And we played and enjoyed the off and on sun of a day that touched 50F.

We walked and dawdled and rolled and chased and had a glorious day all together…much of it outside…

…this Last Saturday in March.

It’s Thursday ???

Yes, Thursday.

I’ve struggled with my work hours this week.

I need a monster day tomorrow, Friday and I’ll still need to work a bit over half a day Saturday. Not my favorite, but that’s the way it goes sometimes.

I’m blaming it on the Yellow Jackets.

You heard me…Yellow Jackets!

Last Sunday, there was one in the house. Auggie made a flying leap after it. I grabbed Auggie and then a paper towel and after a brief battle in the window sill rail I persevered and 1 dead queen went in the trash.

I did some reading and found out that the queens emerge in March and April.

YIKES!

I ordered some traps and attractant. The attractant shipped but the traps were backordered.

And THEN!! Yesterday as in Wednesday…ANOTHER yellow jacket in the house. I won that battle also.

After some online research noted that Home Depot in Kalispell had the traps in stock, I decided that I would head there first thing this morning and get the traps.

Each queen yellow jacket is an egg making machine capable of laying up to 5000 eggs.

Right.

The mission is to trap as many queens as possible BEFORE they start the egg laying thing. According to Scott at Bug Hunters, Inc., the queens emerge about the time the day and night hours become equal and temperatures are about 40F. As in now.

As scary as it was to have the two queens in the house … and I had doors open at the time so they might have flown in… it gave me some notice as to timing. Outside, the queens are sparse enough, I doubt I would have noticed.

So, this morning, off to Home Depot Bear and I went.

This has nothing to do with anything except that this truck was parked in the contractor pick up area and I noticed the dog.

And I laughed.

The truck is an extended cab and the dog is in the back, hanging out over the cab window and lounging on the tool box.

I’m partial to Northern Breed dogs and also it just looked so funny to see the dog casually half out of the window, resting on the tool box…waiting for the person.

Ok.

So, I got the Yellow Jacket stuff and some other Home Depot stuff and a quick stop at my favorite natural food spot: Mountain Valley Foods and then home we came.

Funny.

I thought this was a good supply of stuff.

Then I read the instructions.

The instructions say 8-16 traps per acre.

GAH!

Well, we will see if we get any queens with this lot and if so I’ll consider more.

Srsly.

I do NOT want a repeat of last summer.

Maybe we will have to run away in the motorhome…

But we are so comfortable here.

And we have an island.

It’s Thursday ???

***Really, though, I am so grateful every day for all we have. I’m grateful for Bear and Auggie and this house and the woods. There is so much truly horrendous stuff happening in the world. Every night, before closing my eyes, I tell Bear and Auggie that I love them, I send a prayer of honor to Bob, Karl, Gus, Zack, Jake, my Papa and my grandparents, and I give thanks for another day on earth. It’s Thursday and I’m behind on work and the yellow jackets…but in the whole scheme of things…Life is so very good!