I SAW A BOBCAT!

And it wasn't Scott - or any other graduate of Norwayne High School.
I was out in the driveway pacing with Lexi one night, and I saw something running down the road. I was trying to figure out what it was, and it seriously stopped not too far away. I looked as hard as I could, and when it started running again, I was sure it was a bobcat. Not very big. Definitely not a dog, much bigger than a housecat, but moved like a big cat. I was, at first, too shocked to be afraid, but I ran inside and told all about it, and since then I have been a little afraid to be outside much at night.

So it turns out the chickenpox = false alarm.

Same with the measles, in case anyone was concerned.

So.....life has been challenging lately. Today I spent the entire day checking craigslist, making phone calls/texting/emails/etc, and finally drove to Austin and met some guy that I bought a used cell phone from. Scott put his phone through the wash.
He might have done that before.
And then, just a few weeks ago, I was emptying the dryer, and found so many pieces of crumbled up paper. "Hello!?! Did someone put a phone book through the wash?!?" And then a few days later - Scott: "Uh, I can't find my paycheck."
Well...at least we don't need that.
My advice to the man: If you're going to do something annoying, at least try to be creative.
Maybe.....back one of our vehicles into the other one. (Oh wait, can't do that, haven't had the Jeep for about a month now....)
I know, maybe, lose your helmet so that you can't ride your motorcycle. (Oh wait, you already did that..)
Ah, this is too much thinking, easier to just put something else through the wash.
Maybe the camera, now that we need it.
Bank lady has asked that we email her pictures so that they know that we are making progress on the house.
So I might have been in an irate mood today.
Then I turned on the radio, and the guy said "It's the busiest shoplifting day of the year! ....I mean, shopping." For some reason, this really made me laugh.
Drove to Austin and back with two mad babies. Then drove out to Glass Lane. Suddenly had a paranoid thought that maybe Scott fell off the roof again, and no one was around to help him and he didn't have a phone. Was relieved to see him standing on the roof when I pulled up.

And then it warmed my heart to see that he wasn't alone.
Some guy was working with him.
I kept trying to figure out who it was as I was driving up the non-driveway.

Lo and behold, turned out to be Sam Bradford.
(I know.)
Pretty amazing, in his normal job he makes about $20 million a week, but here he was volunteering.
(Okay, fine, it was Scott's co-worker who looks like Sam Bradford.)
But I was glad he was there.

They were working on the Hardiboard on the front of the house. Almost done.

I love getting things checked off - finally done....so it's really annoying to me that there are still two small trim pieces that need to be put up for the roof to be done. I'm thinking maybe the Hardieboard will be done tomorrow, but not painted, so that doesn't count. And I would consider the stone all the way done, except that it still needs cleaned off, and we are missing a dryer vent. (How annoying.) Would have been nice if it had been installed before the stone, insulation, and everything else. (Scott is acting like it's not a big deal.)

Anyway, in the picture....there's that giant mass of fur. Lately I've been thinking of Penelope as "that blasted cat" again. I was feeling very warm to her after the fire. Somehow I remembered how much I love(d) her, but then she started shedding big (BIG!) time, and I'm so tired of it, and I resent paying for her haircuts. Not that I resent paying the guy - he deserves every dime and more, but I just resent that she needs haircuts. But then lately, Scott has been threatening that she has to move outside when we move, and that makes me nervous. She's just not suited to be an outside cat.

Finally took pictures of the house again, but these are so outdated.

Took this picture to show that we got that mesquite cleaned up in the front "yard". Looks so much better.

Went for a walk down the road the other day when I was out there. Noticed that our fence was a little messed up. Like completely down for quite a ways.

Oh dear, I was thinking to myself, and didn't know if I should mention it to Scott - he's got so much other stuff on his mind.

But I did, anyway, later, I mean, the fence does actually have a point. Prolly better to address the fence situation than have a whole cattle roundup when they escape. So I told him. And he told me he already knew - he saw the great escape. It was the neighbor's horses. Being crazy one day. "All six horses.....and the donkey."

(This story has no point, in case you were wondering.)

(Rainbow we saw from our duplex one day. We've been getting some rain lately. Hallelujah!)

It just made me laugh to picture that crazy donkey following along behind the horses.

Anyway, took this picture just to gripe about this situation. It drives me up the wall that I think Summer always pull out all her toys and just leaves them right in the walkways around here.

Like....can't get in the door without stepping over a big pile of toys. It's a conspiracy.

Spent more time with Lexi lately. Summer went on a big adventure.

Rode up to Illinois and back with the Rassi's. Stayed with Grandma and Aunt Amy & Uncle Grant and her cousins for five days!

It was quiet around here.

Thought I would catch up on everything I haven't gotten done for so long.

It didn't happen.

And now life is back to normal.

At least - our version of normal.

Second Casualty

This is as good as it gets.
Trying to get Christmas pictures again.
These are for Mom's pictures though.
Thought I'd wait on getting our Christmas picture until Lexi's a little bigger.
For some reason, all of the attempts are funny to me.

Let it be abundantly clear that Penelope is alive and well (and yell-meowing right now!).

She will be in our Christmas picture.

(I'm not sure Mom had the patience for her, or Lane (who was taking the pictures), or Scott, or anyone....)

News around here: Forgot to mention that Ranger Bill (the aforementioned HVAC guy) claimed to have found a snake skin in our crawlspace when he was down there.

I was skeptical based on his previous stories.

And then later Lane had a snakeskin.

I don't really know any of the details,

but no one died.

Nor were there any snakebites.

Our second casualty, actually, was on the roof.

The roof is turning out to be quite a troublemaker.

Casualty = (insert snare drum, snare drum, cymbal).......

Scott fell off the roof.

He was trying to be all covert about it.

Maybe I should have said.....maybe someone fell off the roof. Hem haw.

(Scott got me a birthday present. It was wrapped beautifully.)

(My new favorite picture of Lexi.)

He appears to be okay.

Ladder = not so much.

Tape measure = totalled.

Lucky thing he wasn't out there alone or anything crazy like that.

He landed on a metal ladder that was laying on the ground.

Busted a rung.

Don't know what happened to the tape measure, but it seemed that he was more irate about busting it than anything else.

I believe he may have mentioned that was his third tape measure or so that he's busted in the last few months.

(Lexi = 3 months in these pictures)

In other news - I'm suspicious that Lex has chickenpox.

Everyone else seems to think it's just a few mosquito bites.

Except for the one person who thought it was measles.

(Let's try to be optimistic, people!)

(High stepping in her boots. Summer loves shoes!)

(This picture seems to capture some of her energy...)

Anyway, a little sleepy tonight. (Maybe because of dealing with a bebe with measles.) Have a great week! Will post more pictures later....and possibly rant about people who talk about themselves in the third person.