The Bear in My Backyard

It isn't that bears are common around here, but there have been a few instances of black bears heading into civilization in the last few years. One was struck by a car as it attempted to cross I-40 a couple years ago, and one seen about 5 miles from here as people came out of church a month later. This year there was an attack by a black bear in the Smokies earlier in the spring.

DH and I were sitting in our dining room finishing up lunch one day when I started as I took a look out the window. There was a bear in the yard behind us, lumbering towards the tree that borders both lots. Oh my gosh! Oops, not a bear, but a really big shaggy black dog. Whew, that made me feel better.

As the weeks have gone by, I realize the big black dog only appears with people. Turns out his name is Shadow and he is 11 years old and is part Lab and they think part Newfoundland. I still haven't ruled out the bear connection. His lumbering gait is due to hip dysplasia.

Last week, Shadow again made a move towards our lot - and I have to tell you I really HATE dogs that leave deposits on our lawn. Not to fear, Shadow's dad was heading him off at the pass.
I've been assured by Shadow's owners that he is friendly dog and they do not let him mess lawns other than theirs and it appears they don't even let him do that as they are there to clean up behind him. Such a change from our last dog-owning neighbor!

All in all things are pretty quiet here. When we first moved in, the big thing was to sit on the porch or deck and watch the grass grow. Unfortunately, most of that turned out to be crabgrass. Now we are looking for signs that it really is being killed off - grass and crabgrass in preparation for the re-seeding. That appears to go just as slowly! At least the weather has cooled slightly with nights cooling into the upper 50's with highs during the day around 80. I have to say I love it!

Where Has All My Memory Gone?

Nah, not computer memory - for a change. I'm referring to my internal memory. I had a great idea for a blog yesterday. I even got the same idea twice. But by the time I got home, there was just a blank space there.

Now, I'm not sure whether to blame in on a) DH or b) Menopause. Both can be pretty aggravating, but "a" has its benefits. Menopause has not had any benefits that I can tell.

Older college student shocked me the other day by talking about grad school. She thinks she'd like to teach Political Science at the college level, needs a masters for that. I guess it depends on what job opportunities are out there when she graduates in the spring.

Younger soon-to-be-a-college-student-again needed my spaghetti recipe. Well, it's my late mother-in-laws'. She never did tell me how it turned out. The kid, not my mother-in-law!

Topsoil - Or: Pig Dirt Revisited

Up in the Great Lakes state, when we had our lawn put in, the landscaper came and dumped topsoil on our hard clay wasteland, laid sod on top of that and we watered our hearts out. With the sprinkler system DH and his dad installed.

Here in Tennessee, the topsoil is pig dirt! Well, it is dirt from pig farms. Not that I have ever seen a pig here except for at the county fair and the stockyards. There are lots of cows here in the city, grazing on valuable city property on farms that have been grandfathered in the rezoning. But not pigs. How far do they have to go to import pig dirt?

The company responsible for the road reconstruction project going on a block away has also decided to go the pig dirt route for infill. DH wants to take a walk later to see what has been accomplished today. No way am I walking near that pig dirt. You know what it smells like - well, it smells like pig dirt!

I can't believe we are getting ready to dig up our lawn soon and reseed. That means our pig dirt will become odoriferous again. Blah! Just when you think it is safe to open the windows!

What's the Point?

I'm sorry, I just don't understand why 20,000 people would put themselves AND rescuers at risk by staying in the path of a hurricane. Kudos to the Governor of Texas for advising holdouts to write their social security numbers on their arms to aid in identification. I think that would scare me into getting the he!! out of the way of a hurricane.

So on one of the endless news stations today, they show a family of four - parents and two children - who did survive and were eventually rescued. What the f---! If not for themselves, why didn't those parents take their kids out of harms way?

I hope FEMA, the state of Texas and whatever agencies are involved in rescuing these people present them with a bill for their rescue.

OK, got that out of my system.