Gosh I honestly don't know how a week can go by so fast! I've been blessed to have my mom visiting me so of course the time flies even faster than normal. We even baked a pie together see?

We could have made LOTS of pies since we have an apple tree in our yard that produces hundreds of apples but we have one (million) little four-legged bushy-tailed problem.......squirrels! You know I wouldn't mind them eating the apples....I suppose they have to eat something (instead of my log cabin.....which, come to think of it, they do!) but they don't eat them they just pick them! Once the apple gets about the size of a ping pong ball they randomly pick them off and throw them on the ground.....truly it's maddening. I wasn't totally out of luck this year because they missed 13! Just enough for me and my mommy to make a pie and it was delish!

I've tried to make my peace with the fauna of the woods but honestly, although they were here first, I'd just as soon see them all move away to the neighbor's house and never let their furry little presence(s) darken my window (door, deck, rooftop, garbage can, gas grill, hot tub) again! .....if you know what I mean.

When we moved here I was (insert sweet girlish voice here) simply enchanted by the racoons. They were so CUTE! That was before they vandalized all the bird feeders, ate the hoses off the gas grill (on more than one occasion) and generally wreaked havoc upon my abode. They are very bold and will come right up on the back deck to stare in at us through the french doors (they don't seem to mind that I'm saving up to make my own racoon fur coat!) I've never known them to be outwitted by any contraption we think up to try and save the bird food for the birds. At one point HH hung the feeders from the eaves of the house so they couldn't climb the pole and get them anymore.

HA! As if this would stop the rascals.......the following night we saw one burly fellow eating the seeds off the ground as his "friend" hung by one hind leg from the roof, reaching out with his "hand" to bat at the feeder which caused immense quantities of the seed to fall as it swung wildly to and fro......yup, they're smart.

The squirrels are not nearly as clever but twice as fast and there must be millions of them! They destroy the apple tree, hide nuts in my dryer vent, chew on the dormers of the house, harvest "nesting material" from the canvas cover of the gazebo and frankly.....drive me crazy.

All I wanted was a little house in the woods among the peace and quiet of nature.....what did I get? A little lesson or two (most every day) on exactly WHO is in charge around here......and need I say it.......it certainly ain't me!

Sure Love ya!