Can I Keep It?

Baby raccoons!

So Hud came home late today for lunch and found two week old baby raccoon cubs napping in the driveway. As you do. Afraid they would get run over by a car, we scooped them into a box and brought them inside.  You know, as you do. And called several places before getting the advice from Fish and Wildlife to put them back outside. As you should.  But a huge thunderstorm came up and all I could do was put them on the porch.  Our little visitors are napping peacefully, for now.

We waited,as per the advice, to leave them outside for the mother to retrieve them.  But this morning? A victory and a defeat.  Nappy on the left had passed.  As they do.  But Turbo was up and squalling up a storm.  As babies do.

We contacted a rehabilitation facility yesterday who said if they were here in the morning to call her.  I drove the very hungry, very vocal Turbo to Danya this morning.  He fussed around the box the entire  twenty minute drive in a pouring rain. As I encouraged him to do.

If I could hear him and touch him, I knew he was alright.

I dropped him off this morning and whispered good bye to him and wished him to grow big and strong.  And then I left him in good hands.

As I was supposed to do.

 

It's So Pretty

SNOW!  It's snowing!  Big gorgeous flakes.  The baby fish in the front fountain are are huddled around the heater, biting at the flakes as they hit the surface of the water.  Kids are so much fun.

The streets are clear, but everything else is covered in white. 

The neighbor's houses.

Our house.

The ornaments Hud hangs on the pink dogwood in front of the picture window.

All blanketed in winter and it's still technically fall. 

Zali says we should stay inside and watch it from the warmth of the house.  I agree.

Happy snow day.

Season to Taste

That's it.  We've officially turned the page on autumn.  The pool was put to sleep this morning.  We had one last beautiful weekend with it.

And now we'll plant the fall vegetables and pansies.  The air is already changing.  The windows are open.  The vernal equinox has passed.  Everything's changing.

One more bit of our past behind us.

Ze Craft Ees Faire! (Zali Helps a Mother Out)

New York, New York! What a whondurfull sound!  Ah LUVE ze New York!  I LUVE ze hotels! 

Ummm, no, dear.  We were in Nashville at the TACA Spring Show.  We didn't have to fly.  We drove.  Four hours.  You slept on my lap the whole time. 

What?  Ze Zali, he does not understahnd zees, "Nashveele". 

That's where we spent the last four days.  Nashville.  Music City.  Home of Country Music.

Yees, of course.  Zhat ees what I said.  Nashveele.  Eet does not take anytime to geet zhere. A few meenutes with a sandwheech eentermeesion.

 

Zali adores traveling.  By plane or car, he's a stellar companion.  Quiet and well behaved in the hotel, he only barked when some kids slammed a door at two in the morning. It was more of a "Hey!  Zees keeds today!  Ze people!  Zhey are sleeping!" than anything else.  He has a rolling backpack we call "the apartment".  Hud says when Zali disappears in it below the opening that he has gone to the pantry to make a sanwich.  Zali even has his own luggage, pictured above.  It's a round red suitcase that opens to reveal a stainless water  and food dish.  Its tag reads, "Globe Trotter".  The photo is a complete fluke.  Zali sleeps in the bed, on his back for better peepee airing, of course.

Not that he's spoiled or anything.  Nooooo.  Nuh-uh.  Nope.

Ahnd, ze muhzur and fahzur took mee weeth them to ze crafts fair!  Ze people came to ze booth to see how handsome ah ahm!  Oh, and maybee to buy some of ze muhzur paintings.  No!  I jest!  Zhey came to see me! 

The weather on the first day was lovely, but blustery.  Our neighbor's display was toppled by a huge gust of wind.  Show people are normally very nice and we all ran over to help her right it.  The second day started out sunshiney and bright, but it quickly turned sour.  Dark clouds spilled in.  Rain spat out of the sky in the most annoying fashion.  It wasn't enough to soak the festival goers, just irritate them.  It ended as sweetly as it began.  Cloudless on the third day, the temperatures climbed ten degrees higher than the previous two.

On the third day, Zali awoke a bit cranky.  The whites of his eyes were beet red.  He flopped his head on my arm when we awoke and ran his paws over his face.  Breakfast made him queasy.  I wrote out a note per his direction, that read, "So very sorry, but please do NOT pet me.  I am very tired.  --The Zali Lama".

Ten Sousand people have run zheir hands over my magnificent fuhr!  I refuse to be charmeeng today!  Non!

Aside from several strolls throughout the day up to the Parthenon in Centennial Park, he stayed in his apartment sleeping.  He awoke at closing to watch us tear down the tent.  Smiling, he asked me if we were going home?  I told him yes and he beamed with joy.

No, Joie!  Simone!  Ah mees Simone!

A few minutes with a sandwich intermission and we were home by ten.

*Happy Mother's Day out there!  I spent it with my two favorite men, Hud and Zali.

  Hope yours was equally fun.*

Blown Over

Hud came back from running with Zoe this morning.  Misty-eyed, he cradled a small package in his hands, carried it to the garden and buried it. 

He had found a mother robin on the trail.  Still in her nest.  Her eggs broken on her chest.  A sad symbol of the deadly storms that ravaged the south these long three days.

 

To read more, please go to:  http://canikeepit.typepad.com/the_/

Singing in the Rain

The weather forecasters have ominously warned of tornadoes, straight line winds and heavy flooding rains for the past two days.  My anxiety levels have reached Mt. McKinley highs.  But all of the pets?   Look like this:

 To view the rest of this post, please use this link: http://canikeepit.typepad.com/the_/

Tiptoe Through the Tulips

It's that time of year!  The tulips have awakened.  They're tarting up the backyard in their festive party gear. 

And the wisteria histeria is out in full force two weeks early.  Usually it waits to open on my birthday, but this year, impatiently burst forth last week.

 

The bees keep it vibrating.  They're too drunk to do anything but bump into your head and excuse themselves. 

 I love this time of year.  Everything seems so fresh with promise. 

 

Rainy Day

It's a dreary, drizzly day at the Hudarosa.  We ordered an Old MacDonald's pizza from the Trolley Stop locavore restaurant and are piling up on the couch to watch Mad Men DVDs.

Simone's all good to go. 

 

Monsieur aussi!

*Photos today are by The Furry Godmother*

Zoomerang

Ever Spring when  the weather gets nice, I get pulled to the zoo.  I try to do something else, but it snaps me back inside of its gates.  The temps entice all the animals out to play.  Even the pandas gave up lounging and played on the swing set.

Normally, LeLe here is reared back in his enclosure, noshing on bamboo snacks and looking as if he needs a beer and the remote.

 

It was a rare treat to see Tombak and Puti out with their offspring tussling with the climbing ropes.  On the average day, Tombak, the giant male, is perched up top, covered in a burlap sheet.  Uncharacteristically,  he was actively wrestling with the baby.

 

The grizzly bears were having a relaxing day. 

 

This one was scratching his belly with a stick.  Good times.

 

But the hippos,

 

gorillas,

 

otters,

 

and wolves, were all enjoying the beautiful day in a different way.

 

And what a terrific day it was.

 *All of the lovely photos were made by my own sweet Hud Andrews*

 

Cead Mille Failte!

As we drove into the driveway of the Hudarosa, we noticed that spring had sprung in our absense. 

 
The daffodills populated the ground.  The pear trees were covered in a confetti of white.  The tulip trees were dressed in full  pink regalia. 

 

It's been unseasonably warm.  They've stayed around for two weeks now.  It's been so pretty.  Normally, the trees burst open into bright beauties only to hit a hard freeze that same evening.  The next morning, they have become sad brown crones.

This year, we've had the luck of the Irish.

Cead Mille Failte, Spring!