Dogs and boys and raccoons

This is just such a pretty picture I wanted to share it with you - my middle son Everett sitting with my dog Sara Lee last spring.

Poor Sara, life in Florida has not been kind to her Turkish breeding. The heat has caused her to shed this beautiful coat down to bare minimum.

She's a year old now, and tall enough to eat from the dinner table with out stretching her neck at all... a fact she certainly enjoys. She remains as gentle with the children as ever, and intimidating to strangers with her guardian instincts to protect her small herd of "lambs" here. I always trust a dog's instinct and judgment of a person - and so far there are a couple individuals in our new neighborhood whom she warns against quite strongly while the majority pass freely.

Life goes on here as usual - the usual being the same weird stuff we always end up with. We have a new pet on the property - a young orphaned raccoon Chriss brought home. He's moved in as if he were born for a life of luxury on our laps or sofa. The boys are quite smitten with him, and he starts many a fights as they struggle for his attention. It is really getting on my nerves, to tell you the truth - fight, argue, complain and tattle tale....


Here's a picture of Ricky Raccoon (I wanted to name him Zorro) sniffing noses with Little Debbie and Sara Lee; that's Mowgli on the floor.

If we were in Oklahoma still we'd take him to the lake to play, but with the alligator infestation down here, we hesitate to risk him becoming gator-food. I'm thinking he might enjoy a ride on my kayak though.

The lizards in our new Bug Screen TV are thriving well. We've witnessed two of them share their ... eh-hem... affections with each other, and one laid an egg on the floor of the habitat. Two days later the egg disappeared, not sure where or how. They are a huge pleasure to watch though and educational.

Well that's the scoop from here today, wishing you all the very best.