Peeking and Poking – The Real Peeping Toms

We’re among those in the midst of a dangerous, nasty heat wave. Last week we had temps of 102 with a heat index of 110+ for several days, and it’s still bad. It’s absolutely unbreathable out there. I’ve spent more time indoors this summer than I did all winter!

I heard reports that farm animals (particularly cattle) and wild turkeys have been dying from the heat. I didn’t want that to happen to our little (and big) visitors, so I put a tray of water on the patio near the bird feeder so they wouldn’t dehydrate.

Okay, I didn't realize this old pan of my grandmother's is actually a roasting pan and the water got warm....fortunately we didn't end up with turkey soup!

I guess they consider this a safe haven now, and they’re getting more curious about what lies beyond the walls. First they started peeking:

Then they started poking:

Yes, it’s actually tapping on the glass door with its beak! How wild is that!?

Thankfully, Daisy doesn’t like the heat at all, so she’s been lazying about on any pillow she can find. This keeps her away from the glass door, where I’m sure she’d have gone ballistic!

It's too hot to move!

Stay cool, my friends!

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Daisy and The Roofers….Noise Upon Noise

So Summer Project #1 is finally done – our new roof is in place. Woohoo!

I'm watching you...through every single window....

Roofing means lots of noise, lots of strange workmen, and one very ruffled Havachon.

A very ruffled Havachon means lots of barking, racing around, and whining.

It’s the whining that I can’t stand. 😦

I do have to say, though, that Daisy calmed down after the first ten torturous minutes each day. Well, she calmed down to the point where she didn’t have to bark constantly – she still sat at attention, trotted around trying to locate the source of each BANG and went berserk when she saw workmen climbing up ladders or walking past windows. But hey, at least I didn’t have to endure 10 hours a day of nonstop barking!

These roofers started at 7 AM and worked until 5 PM for three days straight, including Saturday. So much for a sleep-in on the weekend!

Fortunately, the weather was with us. No rain, and the severe heat of temperatures in excess of 100° was replaced by temps in the low 90s. Believe it or not, that actually seemed like a relief!

It was interesting to see that even roofers have become aware of the dangers of sun exposure – they all wore long pants,

And now you're over there...I still see you, you can't escape me!

long-sleeved shirts, and wide-brimmed hats! Gone are the good ol’ days of shorts-wearing, shirtless workmen with muscles glistening in the sun LOL!

Daisy missed all of her daytime naps; needless to say, she was pooped from lack of sleep and having her inner watchdog cued up every second of every day.

Summer Project #2 – complete kitchen makeover!

Daisy’s Summer Park Romp

This weekend we took Daisy for a mile-long walk around the lake in a local municipal center. Naturally, she was VERY happy to be going for a ride….

I don't know where we're going, but I can't wait to get there!

….and VERY excited at the sight of a new place to explore….

It’s such a beautiful place – the Town Hall and Police Department are housed in a classically-styled, unimposing brick building, and they’ve kept the area natural (other than keeping the grass mowed) and let nature do its beautiful thing.

Well we picked one of a string of brutally hot days for this walk (heat index of 102+) – the trail is mostly in the sun. Even though we got out there by 9:30, it was already getting nasty.

So we decided to quit after the single one-mile loop around the lake, especially since Daisy was panting up a storm.

The bullfrogs croaked their love calls, turtles jumped and splashed into the lake, dragonflies flitted about, birds of all sorts created a cacophonous melody, and ducks and geese  floated serenely across water muddied by recent storms.

It was sheer heaven, despite the heat. Daisy loved every second of it as much as we did!

What's over there? Let's check it out!

Talkin’ Turkey – Oh, The Drama!!

Wow oh wow – this is a real turkey of a summer! LOL

Remember those three little wild turkeys who quickly turned into medium-sized turkeys? They come to our bird feeder every morning now and peck at whatever has landed on the ground.

The original trio that's now The Twosome.

WELL….. last week a family of TWELVE wild turkeys showed up – two parents and TEN little fuzzers!

A few members of the Clan of Twelve with Poppa.

They usually come for dinner and spend at least 20-30 minutes dining on whatever has fallen from the feeder.

Today, both Turkey Clans showed up at the same time. Not good.
I couldn’t get any photos because I was riveted to the action and didn’t want to walk away to get my camera.

The medium-sized turkeys (now only two instead of three; I don’t even want to think about that) approached the food area at the same time as the Clan of Twelve. The Twosome were more than happy to share – not so with the Clan of Twelve. Momma and Poppa ran the Twosome off, flapping their huge wings and making never-before-heard (by me) turkey warning sounds.

Poppa was content to push them ten yards away – but not Momma. She went after them, driving them hither and yon, until there was half an acre between those two usurpers and her brood (now down to only 9 babies, but I don’t want to think about that either. They’ll always be the Clan of Twelve to me.).

Momma (light colored), Poppa, and a few kiddies.

One of the babies actually tried to step in and chase off the Twosome as well! Ah, like mother, like daughter. 🙂

By the time Momma came back to her Clan, Poppa had rounded up his group in a tight little bunch, and they all headed out of the yard. I don’t get it – they’d earned Exclusive Feeding Rights, yet they passed up the food and left.

Apparently the Twosome was hiding behind the huge evergreen in the back corner of the yard, because once the Clan had gone, they came back and reaped the rewards of their patience.

This is like a combination of an Aesop’s Fable and a daytime soap opera: The Days of Our Turkeys? The Turkeys of Our Lives? The Young and The Turkeys? 😀

Needless to say, I had to keep Daisy AWAY from the window during this whole fiasco. But she’s back on guard now. 😉

Poppa and a few Poppettes 😉

The Perfect Havachon Bed

Earlier this summer, I switched our thick, heavy fall/winter comforter over to a lighter-weight summer bed cover. I’d folded the winter cover over several times and propped it up so DH could help me put it away.

Well, wouldn’t you know that little Daisy would discover this cushy cover and claim it for her own? She stayed on it almost the whole day, not wanting to give up her new-found bed for anything – not even her favorite back yard window!

No matter how many blankets and pillows she’s curled up on, I don’t think anything compared to the softness of this comforter! Thank goodness she doesn’t shed!!

This is the best bed EVER!

 

::YAWN::

 

Could you please leave this here forever?

What do you get when you leave a man alone with a dog and a clipper?

Man + Clipper + dog with long-haired ears that tend to mat = end result of:

Who knew her ears were so tiny under all that hair?!

Before the cut - which do you think looks better, long or short hair on her ears?

Woman + Clipper + long butt hair that tends to trap you-know-what = end result of:

Daisy's butt cut, a bit too much cut from the butt, I think....