Another Cheesy Post - Eek 2!

The piece of cheese which seemed to have moved was GONE, the next time I looked! Step 3: Set the mousetrap with cheese.

Flighty suggested it might be "mice" rather than a mouse, but of course he was just kidding, weren't you Flighty? Because if there's more than one, I'm moving out!

Nikki was wondering if I'd borrowed the neighbours cat. Not yet, but it may be an option, although I'm not sure if it would want to come in, as I've often shooed it away from the bird feeders.

It the mouse had just walked the plank to 'the peanut butter kerplunk in a bucket', it could have been running free, by now.







But it didn't, so now ....




We can only wait and see what next will transpire in the continuing saga of "The One and Only Mouse" in the house.

Eek!

Although the cheese is still there, it seems to have MOVED slightly. EEK!

Mr. Sneaky, Oh, Mr. Sneaky (neighbour's cat)....

Weekend Update!

The photo used in my new header was taken yesterday, Saturday ~ the oak tree in my front garden. It was a gorgeous golden autumn day. Today, however, it was blustery! The sky was filled with whirling leaves.

Here's Oakley surrounded by leaves mostly from the Pink Dogwood Tree. He's still hanging on to his own leaves! I don't rake up anything until after Hallowe'en. I like the idea of the children kicking through them as they come up the walkway, even though some of them get tracked in!





It was a day to stay inside and be cozy. I decided to bake raisin bread, make a pork chop crock pot dish, and bake a chocolate cake :) The photos of the food seem to be all autumny colours, however a salad provided the greens!








This is how I'm feeling lately, as I'm not sure if I saw a mouse in the house or not!


I thought I saw something moving under the sofa, and after leaping up on a chair, realized that wouldn't solve the problem, so I searched online for a way to trap a mouse without using a mousetrap. I ended up getting a 5 gallon bucket, taping the handle to keep it upright, and dangling a plastic Christmas ball dabbed with peanut butter from a bungy cord wrapped around the handle. The only thing to end up in the bucket was the peanut butter which dripped off the Christmas ball. Ahha, I thought. I then filled my tea strainer ball with peanut butter and hung that from the handle beside the Christmas ball. I placed a long wide ruler as a ramp for the mouse to climb up to the rim of the bucket, lean forward for the peanut butter, teeter on the edge, and fall in. Kerplunk.

Nada.

There are no tell-tale signs of a mouse around the house other than what I "saw". Perhaps it was a very large spider, but that doesn't bear thinking about. I decided to buy a mouse trap and put a substantial piece of cheese on it. The idea is to get the mouse used to finding the cheese in a safe location and then after a couple of days, set the trap. (If I can figure out how to do that). So the cheese stayed there for a few days until it dried out.

Today I went to the trap to throw the cheese out, but the cheese was GONE! Now I can't remember if I was the one who picked it up already, or if a mouse is now very well fed. EEK! (That's what people say when there's a mouse around.) It is that time of the year when a mouse could have easily followed me in from the outside and through the garage, although it has never happened before. I have now put a fresh piece of cheese on the trap, and will watch to see if it disappears or if I'm playing tricks on myself. I know this is fodder for a poem, and perhaps when I either catch it or find out I'm the one picking up the cheese, I'll write one. In the meantime, I'll just smile and say cheese ... and not touch it!

Happy Birthday once again, Flighty!

It's just past midnight and it's Flighty's real birthday! So, very quietly, I'm tiptoeing in to say



I'm sorry I had to delete the singing frog link from your pretend birthday post, but they were driving me bananas each time I turned on my blog ... I'm glad you were able to retrieve it on your blog entry.

Here are a few locals to wish you the best ~




Not to 'froget', here's another little song for you ~ Hope you have a lovely day!


Singing Frog

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Wind Breaking News

When last we heard from Flighty,
the talk was of the sky,
and how his plants grew up there,
although he’s not sure why.

He said his plants had tubers,
like gingerroot and such,
and that he’s going to eat one…
a nibble…not too much.

The tubers grow so gnarly,
and taste quite sweet when raw,
much like a dug potato,
but crunchier to gnaw.

Suggestions are for steaming,
for boiling turns to mush,
but that is not the worst part!
They kind of make you... flush…

Although I’ve never had one,
Jerusalem, that is,
it seems a risky business -
Not mine, of course, but his.

Apparently the reason
is blowing in the wind,
and when I read about it,
I giggled and I grinned.

It’s not that I like rudeness.
I don’t like to be crass,
but picturing our Flighty
up-tubering in the grass…

And tentatively cutting
a slice, so very thin...
I rolled around in stitches
which nearly did me in.

There’s always something growing
on Plot One Twenty-Four,
but who would think an artichoke
would knock me to the floor?

It’s all because his flowers
grew up to be so tall,
shown in his lovely picture -
The rise before the Fall.

Natural Beauty

Autumn is decidedly here! Cool, breezy, overcast or rainy weather is prevailing. It was overcast on my visit to the lodge on Thanksgiving weekend, so the photos are missing their usual blue skies. Everything was muted ~ and tranquil. I spotted a few bald eagles, but too far away for photos. A Harlequin duck or two are included in the slideshow of my days away, but mostly scenery. I was surprised at the amount of beach wood collected on each side of the spit. Click here for an aerial view of Rebecca Spit on Quadra Island where many of my photos were taken as I walked along the coastal path.

My slideshow:





Last evening I drove north to meet my son who had gone up earlier by train. I wish I was able to take photos of the blackest cloud that I was driving towards. I knew any minute that the skies would open ... which they did, pelting the car and the road! As I neared the city, on my left, the black cloud lifted just enough to let the bright sunshine stream through. The amazing result on my right side, of the bright golden light shining on the colourful autumn trees, contrasted against the black cloud in the background was absolutely awe inspiring! When rain and sun play together, of course, they leave a rainbow trail ~ (photos are clickable)











We stayed for a delicious supper, before heading back home. As we were returning to the car, we noticed the sky holding pink and grey remnants ~ an amazing natural art show!

Thanksgiving Weekend

It is Thanksgiving Weekend here in Canada. Usually I make a turkey dinner with all the trimmings, however this long weekend, I am not :) Today, I am home, but tomorrow I'm heading to a lodge on an island for a little rest and relaxation, just staying Sunday night ~ but supper and breakfast are included, so I don't have to cook at all :) Now that's what I call Thanksgiving! I did make a couple of pumpkin pies, just to get home smelling a bit Thanksgivingy, though!

Where has the week gone? Last weekend was lovely, so I drove to a bay/marina to see what my camera could find. I saw a string of geese swimming along...which prompted the beginning of my poem, that didn't get any further than this ~

On Saturday, I glimpsed a gaggle gliding,
adrift upon a sea of sparkling sun ~

They swam so gracefully, and other than the cawing of a crow, all was quiet...

Suddenly, they came to a screeching halt, well, not screeching, maybe, but you get the idea ~




Some jumped on to the float, and the rest started swimming in circles as if bewildered.





Finally after much deliberation, some stayed to party on the float, and the rest moved on towards the setting sun ~



Were they bound for this little island?



Ahoy! Were they aware that pirates were close at hand?



Hey, isn't that an arrow in the water pointing the way? Perhaps that's the reason for the hulabaloo! They were going in the wrong direction!



OK enough of the gander at the giggle of gliding gaggle ~ back home again!

Look at Oakley in all of his autumn russet splendour!



and here's his proud mother watching over him ~ wondering when he's ever going to venture out on his own. Or perhaps she hopes he never "leaves". ;)



PS Although I'm heading off tomorrow, my sons have arrived after all, satiated with turkey dinner! They must have smelled my pumpkin pies! I think this means, they're here for breakfast as well!

Change in the weather

Another busy week ... and month... gone by, and here we are into October! It is a sunny weekend, after a week of crazy weather! A couple of gusty blustery nights blew summer right out of the sky... add two nights of torrential rain, and autumn has shown up with a burnished face!

In this photo taken last weekend, the mountain in the distance appears snowless ~



but this week, the first snow fell, no doubt during one of the heavy rainfalls down here at sea level ~



The gusts began last weekend when I visited a friend's retirement centre ~ I love the statue which seems to be all legs, feet ~ and toes ~




until seen from a different perspective ~



of course, moving to this angle, I was sprayed by the fountain' ~ I think I heard froggy chuckling!



Last weekend, I decided to make some apple sauce in my slow cooker crockpot, using the last of the apples. This turned out to be an excellent idea, as the aroma of apples, juice, dried cranberries, cinnamon and vanilla permeated the household ~



There just happened to be a roast of beef cooking in the oven as well, and somehow, one of my sons and his girlfriend, who live about 20 miles south, phoned to say they just happened to be in the neighbourhood and would like to drop by, timing it just as the roast came out of the oven. Obviously the aroma must have oozed out of the house and drifted in the breeze ~ I was pleased they were able to stay for supper.

There was enough roast beef left to make Shepherd's Pie the next day, but there was not one spoonful of applesauce left!

You remember Oakley, that I grew from an acorn? Just look at him ~ he's turning all autumny! Then his leaves will fall off, and he'll be a stick, whoops, I mean, a trunk, until spring! He's quite amazing!