SKUNK PROJECT UNDERWAY AS OUR SUMMER ROLLER COASTER RIDE BEGINS TO SLOW

Just after dark Monday night I checked to see if Mr. Skunk had exited himself from under our wood shed to forage for the night.  He had.  I shovelled dirt into the hole & put a slab of cement over it.  Checked the hole first thing this morning & Mr. Skunk had not dug it out again upon his return this morning.  Suspecting he was smart enough to dig a new hole on the north side of the shed I checked it out & sure enough, a new hole.  Figured I had better go back to the first hole & spend some time making the west end of the shed Skunk proof.  Moved the cement slab & dug down nearly a foot along the wall & set in a long piece of tightly slatted pressure treated lattice work to prevent the skunk from digging under.  Back filled & laid down a couple heavy concrete slaps as well.  I'm hoping that will solve the problem.  Will do the same thing again Wednesday morning after Mr. Skunk exits his new digs after dark tonight.

WORKING AWAY AT TRYING TO SKUNK PROOF OUR WOOD SHED
Pheebs & I hauled a load of tree trimmings to the dump & that was about the extent of our day.  It remained cool & overcast & I'm beginning to think our seasonal mid August weather change may be two weeks early this year although I haven’t seen signs or felt the change in the air yet.  For me it's not official until I hear the early Autumn Crickets chirping.

 

I’VE SURE HAULED A LOT OF YARD WASTE HERE OVER THE NEARLY 12 YEARS WE HAVE BEEN AT THE 5 SEASONS ESTATES

 

IN CASE ANYONE WAS WONDERING WHAT THAT LIGHT AT THE END OF OUR TUNNEL TRAIL LOOKS LIKE THE TELEPHOTO SHOT AT RIGHT SHOWS IT

It has been quite a cycle we seem to have landed ourselves in these past 3 or summers.  Despite always being so happy to get home in early April we seem to somehow both become restless with our house & surroundings just a month or so later.  Not so much about wanting to be back on the road again as finding another house & property in the countryside nearby.  Every summer we seem to board this roller coaster ride up & down round & round.  We come up with all the right reasons to move & then we come up with all the right reasons to stay right where we are.  We might see something in a Real Estate ad that looks right up our alley & we get all excited about it as the roller coaster car reaches it’s peak.  Lasts for a couple days then we’re not as excited & we come zooming back down to earth again.  We look at our own place & talk about why we would like to move & then a day later we talk about all the reasons we like it here.  Every summer the same as we board this roller coaster of indecision & ride through the peaks & valleys of our sometimes on again off again discontent.  But then August rolls around & the seasonal change seems to have an effect on our thinking.  The house idea kind of fades away again as the coaster slows down & pulls into the station.  We jump out & begin thinking ahead to our upcoming & exciting winter travels.  We walk across the platform & climb aboard another car, another roller coaster, another adventuress ride filled with more decisions & uncertainties.  More peaks & valleys.  More plans & more changes.  I love these seasonal mind shifts & how they constantly keep our imaginations challenged………………….:))

  

SOMETIMES I THINK WE JUST HAVE IT TOO NICE HERE TO EVEN THINK ABOUT MOVING ANYWHERE ELSE 

Archive Memory::  Is anyone else out there as confused about garbage bag sizes as I am!!!! Ever since our local garbage collector made everyone change from green garbage bags to clear garbage bags awhile back we've had a heck of a time finding the right size to fit our garbage can. It's doubly confusing up here in Canada because of all this centimeter & liter stuff. For example what is this 66cm x 91cm or 26po x 36po stuff all about.  And 133 liter bags. What are ya going to dump in that one, an old Volkswagen!! One lady store clerk wanted us to measure the width of our garbage can which was a nineteen & a half inches. She said a 26 inch bag would fit....it didn't!! We've got garbage bags coming out our ears now & none of them fit. Whaddya do with 57,492 garbage bags ya can't use. Then we decided to get a bigger sized garbage can with a lock proof lid to keep the coons out. So what are we gonna use for bags in that one......parachutes!!  We later find out the store that sold the garbage can doesn't have the bags to fit them now. "Awwww rubbish" I said to the clerk. "Isle 42 section A sir for the rubbish department" she said to me. Ya, just as I thought.....& exited the store!!

GROANER'S CORNER:((  You're not old UNLESS you can remember ..... -Being sent to the drugstore to test vacuum tubes for the TV.
-When Kool-Aid was the only drink for kids, other than milk and sodas.
-When there were two types of sneakers for boys.
-When boys couldn't wear anything but leather shoes to school.
-When it took five minutes for the TV to warm up.
-When all your friends got their hair cut at the kitchen table.
-When nearly everyone's mom was at home when the kids got there.
-When nobody owned a pure-bred dog.
-When a dime was a decent allowance, and a quarter a huge bonus.
-When you'd reach into a muddy gutter for a penny.
-When girls neither dated nor kissed until late high school, if then.
-When your mom wore nylons that came in two pieces.
-When all your teachers wore either neckties or had their hair done, everyday. -When you got your windshield cleaned, oil checked, and gas pumped, without asking, for free, every time. And you got trading stamps to boot!
-When laundry detergent had free glasses, dishes or towels hidden inside the box.
-When any parent could discipline any kid, or feed him, or use him to carry groceries, and nobody, not even the kid, thought a thing of it.
-When it was considered a great privilege to be taken out to dinner at a real restaurant with your parents.
-When they threatened to keep kids back a grade if they failed...and did!
-When being sent to the principal's office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited a misbehaving student at home.