This is the really not very good picture of the huge snapping turtle that tried to eat my foot. He was much more impressive and scarey in person...just couldn't get a good shot without him attaching himself to me in a very painful and permenantly damaging way.

In other news, The puppy has been so very helpful in the garden. And by helpful, I mean of course, ripping out plants, oh so expensive plants, by the roots and flinging dirt all about. It's spectacular, really. Unless you consider the time and the money and the sweat that's gone into the garden this year, and also the money, and then it's not really all that spectacular after all. So back I go to try and propogate more hibiscus, since that seems to be the only thing I've had any luck propogating, and thinking about what to buy (again) to fill the new, empty spaces. On the plus side, those little paws do a fantastic job of tilling the soil. On the down side, she doesn't till in a neat fashion, and I'll be scooping handfuls of dirt off the grass for weeks. Unless it rains before I get to it. And somehow I've lost my very favorite pair of pruners, so I couldn't even begin the propogating last night and now have to remember to do it tonight after I get out of my microbiology class. In the dark. Sweet. So I had to go out last night and buy another collar for the underground fence to keep her out of the gardens and me out of the loony bin. It only took 3 shocks and now she knows that when the beep is beeping, she'd better turn around. Pretty smart little thing. Now, as long as I remember to put the collar on every morning, most of the garden will be safe. There is one little area that isn't covered, so I may have to dig up part of the wire and run it at a different angle...fun weekend job!! I also made this really nasty smelling potion that I got out of a "backyard problem solver" book that's supposed to keep dogs from digging. All natural stuff, but boy does it ever smell bad...I can't imagine she'll want to be sticking her nose into it. Seems like a lot of work, I know, but she was quickly teaching the boxer that "hey! digging is fun!" and that is one lesson I'd prefer she didn't know, thank you very much. Oh, and I took apart the toilet and fixed it all by myself and it doesn't leak. Talk about a productive night.

ha ha HA!

Kristie, you ROCK!

Right. So every day I've been logging in and trying to post a picture of the new puppy, and blogger just happens to hate me, so, yeah, not going so well. And by every day, I mean, when I remember and then I try 48 times because I'm pissed that that stupid little "image uploading" graphic is only partially loaded on my screen and then I have to close it out and try again and I just keep thinking "okay, one more try" and then that turns into another, which turns into another, which turns into 48, and considerably less work done then was intended at the start of the day. So, red-merle aussie with a "bonus" tail and mismatched eyes. Close your eyes and picture her...no, much cuter than that...okay, better.

I also intended on posting a picture I took of the GIANT SNAPPING TURTLE that was in the middle of the road on my way to work yesterday, but then he became the GIANT SNAPPING TURTLE that had made it into the grass by the time I turned my ride around and remembered how to turn the camera on and got out of the car and found him, and got some really crappy pictures of him in the tall grass, in which one shot I tried to put my foot next to him, for size comparisson and all, and managed to take the picture without any part of my foot showing up in the screen at all, plus only 1/2 his tail and I'm pretty sure none of his head. and then a couple more pictures of various turtle parts that were, frankly, much more impressive in person, when you could SEE my foot next to him for the size comparisson, and then I tried to get him to poke his ugly mug out of his shell by gently kicking him in the ass, at which time he turned into the GIANT SNAPPING TURTLE THAT HISSES AND TRIES TO EAT MY FOOT. It was great fun. I'd show you the pictures, but, you know.

And then today, on the way to work, there were two pretty does in the middle of the street, and I was going to take another picture to not share with you, but then I remembered that I can't share pictures with you, and also, I forgot my camera. Which, interestingly enough, is the exact reason you didn't get to see a picture of the sunflower field when they burst into bloom a few weeks ago.