Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back

I can't believe I haven't posted anything in 8 days.  That's just not like me!  I have, of  course, been keeping busy with the usual things ... medical/dental stuff, stitching in the evenings, a bit of never-ending cleaning & sorting out, & I've even been outside "in the wild" weeding the foundation beds (haven't even started the yard beds yet).  Some unknown creature bit me on my wrist yesterday despite all my precautions & I've got a funny looking, perfectly circular bump with a little pinprick size hold in the center of it.  Looks like a spider bite.  Perhaps the spider was a radioactive one & I will develop some sort of superpower like being able to clean my house by just waving my hand in a dramatic fashion or the ability to pack a box by just looking at it & yelling PACK!  Or maybe I have absorbed some sort of enzyme which will allow me to eat anything I want without gaining weight.  It's a nice thought but more likely my wrist will just swell up & itch like crazy or start oozing something.  There is much work left to do both outside & inside but it should all be finished by the end of April if the good Lord is willing & the creek don't rise   : )

Yesterday it was almost like an episode of Wild Kingdom here.  First we had this guy stop by for a visit.

At least we assume it's a guy.  We happened to glance out the window & saw this "big thing" by the back fence who looked like he needed a good dose of anti-anxiety medication.  He was very frantic, looking through the fence toward the back of the property, running back & forth & gobbling to beat the band.  I went outside to take a closer look at him but he apparently saw me as a threat because he rushed down to the end of the fence & continued in this frantic manner.  I had to use the zoom on my camera & I tried taking quite a few pictures of him.  This is the best of the lot.  Then as I was standing there, he suddenly flew straight up ... straight up mind you ... & then headed out of sight into the back of our property  behind a bunch of trees.  I have never seen a turkey fly before.  I know they do fly but it was a surprise to see him go straight up like that & then zip off into the distance.  

Then I was weeding one of the foundation beds & uncovered more wild life.  Can you see anything unusual in this photo?  You have to look very, very closely in the center at the base of the bush.

Do you see it?  This picture was just taken "normally."  My zoom photos will show this little creature much more clearly.

Isn't he adorable?  A little baby bunny!  He was about 4" long & two of his siblings were with him.  I was digging out weeds when some little gray thing scampered out & at first I thought it was a mouse.  Then I saw it was a baby bunny & two more followed.  I gathered them into a pail while I continued my weeding & then put them back safely underneath the bush.  

And here's a funny one for you ... as I'm writing this post I can see a deer scampering across the front yard!  What did I tell you ... Wild Kingdom   : )

I have so much to post.  Pictures mostly.  Pictures of stitchings I've finished, pictures of actual finishes, pictures of a goodies received in the mail (gifts, exchange goodies, etc) & other stuff as well.  I am continuing with the phone calls trying to find people to repair this or take care of that.  I did leave a message with a lawn care company to see about them mowing our lawn.  They will only mow with a contract for the season ... no one-time mowings.  Our riding mower has been in the shop for 2 weeks now & I'm anticipating it will probably be at least another month before we hear anything about it.  We've dealt with this repair shop before.  They have never been concerned about getting yard equipment ... our yard equipment anyway ... serviced in a timely fashion but they are the only provider around here connected to our extended warranty plan so we're stuck with them.  Anyway, want to guess what the lawn care company wants to charge us for mowing the yard around the house which is somewhere between 5-6 acres?  They want $390 per mowing!  Needless to say that's not going to happen.  The yard is getting very close to looking like a wheat field right now.  John found an advertisement posted at the post office this morning for a local guy who does mowing & bush hogging so we will give him a call & see if that fares any better.  On Monday someone from the soil conservation office is coming to take a look at the big sink hole that suddenly appeared in the front yard to tell us why it's there & what we can do about it.  I'll call this mowing guy after that & will also get in touch with the handyman person to schedule a time for him to come give us estimates on fixing a couple things, then the pressure washer guy to wash down the house, & then the exterminator to come spray for spiders & things.  The fun just never ends   : )