Big Day yesterday

One terrific thing about computers and our new technology is you get to see events you'd never see otherwise.  Andy and Mary went to court yesterday to finalize the adoption papers.  Jake had a new outfit and some really cool tennis shoes for the affair.  Here's Catie, Candi, Andy, and Mary with Jacob outside the courtroom.

Jenni and Wayne had a big day too. They received a letter from the principal (I think?) telling them that Hunter and Maddie were two of the top 50 kids scholastically in the 8th grade and would be honored at a Rotary breakfast where they both would give a speech.
Here's a couple of my favorites (both a few years ago so I need to pick up the pace on my picture taking)

                             At Chetzemoka Park Beach looking for beach glass

                                          Posing for the camera with Jenni a few years back

                                                      First day of school this past September.

Maddie is into sports (all of them) and just made the girls' varsity in basketball.  Hunter is a math whiz and has already started making his million.  He's a pro at buying and selling on Ebay, and loves to work on rebuilding his tractor.

I'm not getting much accomplished today as it's turned into a computer morning.  Between surfing the net, looking at pictures, posting on facebook, and writing letters, I've only managed to get the laundry done so far.  But who cares?  Not me.

I am going to rethink my bird feeding.  Should have thought it over long ago but I'm a slow learner.  It was bad enough that I had to move the bird seeds in the front before going to bed so the deer wouldn't clean me out overnight. (that's how I fell in July --stumbling around in the dark like a damn fool!  I've been noticing these little holes near the back fence and I wanted to think it was maybe a little bunny.  I'm such a goon ball sometimes.

I happened to see something crawl down the fence this morning and went running out there with my camera. (I really need to get a life)  Anyhow, here's what was making himself at home in one of the feeders.....

Yep!  A stinky, gucky, filthy, pukey, scudsey, creepy RAT!  For the longest time he didn't move and I wondered if he was dead.  I was too afraid to lift the feeder off the stake so I found a long stick. As soon as I started to lift, he hopped out and headed for the hole.  Gave me a damn stomach ache!

I don't think I'll chase off the cats anymore either.  I know they were after my birds but could be they smelled a rat too.  Ha ha  I really enjoy watching the birds so I think what I'm going to do is clean up the feeders and maybe stick a couple or three in the front where I can watch while I'm on my laptop.
I think my finch feeder will still attract the yellow finches that I especially like, and if I use a certain kind of feeder, the deer can't get into it.

I also may opt to put the feeders in an area where I can get to them easily if I do decide to move the birdfeeder house at bedtime.  A real nuisance, I know, but seeds are getting expensive and I don't relish the deer eating them up in one evening.  I also intend to hang my humingbird feeders as they're especially fun to watch.  Will abandon that corner of the yard altogether. Even planting something down there would be asking for a return visit from BEN.  (If you get my drift)

My dreams continue to be fascinating.  I ought to put a tablet by my bed and record the action before it leaves.  Last night I was living in several different houses that I've lived in throughout my life.  Most of my activities were centered around housework that just wouldn't end.  A washing machine was in the back yard and full of weeds and blackberry vines that I had to pull out before I could start the next load.  Bob Blaurock was playing in a house next door with his band but I couldn't quite make it over there as I had a lot of toys to sweep up.  It went on and on like that.  I have a lot more activity in my life when I sleep than I do awake.

I watched a documentary on Netflix last night called "The End."  It was about five people who were in hospice.  Sounds like a downer subject (and it kind of was) but yet it made me less afraid of dying at the same time.  I'll probably tune into the Olympics tonight and then I'll dream that I can ice skate -- even though I've never had skates on in my entire life.