Most Unwelcome Guests

We love our yard. We love being surrounded by trees, and having our neighbor's houses be far enough way that we can't see in each other's windows. Apparently the local raccoon population loves our yard as well. Every spring, we put out the trap and usually decline the population by three or four of the little critters. It's really quite sad, because they really are very cute. Unfortunately, we've been told by Animal Control that the odds of them being rabid are very high in this area. Also, they are really destructive! Five years ago, we had to replace our shake shingle roof because they were pulling the shingles out to get to the bugs underneath. We put the new roof on and we thought the coons had moved to more plentiful lands. We were wrong, of course. This spring we've been hearing them a lot, and very loudly. For about two weeks I've been talking about needing to put the trap out before the new babies are born.


Today, I'm convinced the trap needs to go out.... and this time, pest control needs to be called in. They have ripped a hole through the roof and through the ceiling of the living room! Little pests! Please, please, please don't rain tonight!

Yes, that IS a ray of sunshine coming through the ceiling.

Oh, The Weather Outside is Frightful!

We live in Utah. We have a saying here: If you don't like the weather... stick around for five minutes! This (dare I call it?) spring has been no different - one day we're wearing our shorts and t-shirts, the next our heavy parkas. The birds are confused, the flowers can't decide if it's safe to show their heads, and the deer are still roaming the backyard looking for food. There is a wonderful silver lining to our weather, however - sunsets here are beautiful food for the soul. Most of these shots were taken using the camera on my phone.... and the skies are still incredible!