Little Things

There really has not been much going on here.

Our weather has been rather cool for summer, just a couple days in the 90s and that was followed by this odd cold front we are in right now. Our temps are supposed to get down into the low-mid-50s tonight; it is not the first time this week. And our highs have been in the 70s. It really does not seem like July in the Ozarks.

I almost stepped on a copperhead the other day; this is not the first time and no reason to panic. I was shooing the milk cow out of our little pet cemetery and put my foot down next to a stick. I thought to myself, "That looks like the butt of Ron's walking stick. I wonder what it is doing laying out here." About that time it slithered away. Copperheads are not aggressive thank goodness. I just snickered and said, "Oh, it was a snick." I admit I seem to have an issue with telling copperheads and sticks apart if the copperhead isn't coiled up. I almost stepped on the biggest copperhead I have ever seen. A few others said the same about it. It was as big around as my foot. And I put my foot down right next to the thing. When I realized it was a snake I was a bit unnerved this time, it was really big, I hollered, "SNICK!" which was supposed to be, "The stick is a snake." Which in hindsight wouldn't have made sense to anyone else anyway… SO we have snick and snakes here.

But the only other snake I have seen was a little one in the garden, a bit bigger than a garter snake but no idea what it was, it ran too fast. Ron hasn't seen a snake but says he can smell them everywhere. So can the cats and dogs. And one dog got bit by a copperhead, we assume as he swelled up real bad at the bite area but did not die. We have had cats bit before but not a dog. It was at his throat so it is a really good thing he has a thick coat of hair as that is kind of a deadly spot even with copperheads. He should be more careful from now on.

Right at the end of June I found a four leaf clover while collecting turtle food. I thought that was neat, can't recall ever finding one before. Then, once again collecting turtle food, I find another. Wow. Here a couple weeks go by and I find another one yesterday (Wednesday). And, then, I found another one today. Four of them in less than a month. All the years I collected clover for the bunnies I never found one.

Yesterday, so I find another four leaf clover. Just a few minutes until my soap opera comes on and I grab my insulated mug thing I drink my morning tea from to go rinse it; I had meant to do it last time I had gotten up but had forgotten to take it with me. I walk toward the kitchen and can see water all over the floor and there is the sound of a lot of water running. The sink is not on, it isn't coming from the fridge, I look back at the sink and it is pouring out from the cabinet underneath. I run over there to shut the water off assuming, I guess, that the water was just dumping downward. I opened the door and got blasted full on in the face and chest with ice cold water -- it was like someone turned the hose on me. Now, I was cussing rather loudly at this point. Ron opens the door and asks, "What's wrong?" I yelled at him, "Shut the water off at the pumphouse, NOW!" He did. When he came back he was concerned that he didn't catch all I was saying but I told him the rest was just cussing as I stood in a kitchen full of water. A clamp had given way and the water had been just pouring onto the floor for just under 10 minutes, I had just been in there. Ron shop-vaced up 20 gallons and there were another few gallons gotten by towel, we are still drying out. But before you think my four leaf clovers aren't lucky, that could have happened while we were in town, while we were in bed, while we were in the garden even. For that matter if I hadn't forgotten to rinse out my tea cup I probably would not have walked back in there for another half hour or longer. I think we were darn lucky. Plus, the water stopped about 4 inches from the boxes of photos.

Tink was cute. As soon as the pump was turned off she said, "The water stopped."

I had to laugh at that, I told her I wished she would have told someone it started.

Tink is cleaning up cat puke now. She has watched us do it for years. Get a plastic bag and some paper towels. She does that. But somehow she missed that we throw the plastic bag away afterward. She sticks it back under the sink where she got it. Surprise, surprise. It isn't so bad know that we know to check.