A September This -n- That ....

How is it that it is already the middle of September?  I don't know the answer to that question... except that it has just flown by!

Progress on our little home has been moving forward!  My husband, son, and a friend completed the skirting, which made me very, very happy!  And... do you see that hot water heater on the front porch? Well... we had been living without hot water since we moved in, and just to make a very long story short... this hot water heater, while it works, it wasn't propane, and we couldn't get it converted.  So we finally found a propane hot water heater for a mobile home... and now have hot water!! Oh happy day! You never truly appreciate something until it is gone... and in our case, no hot water was not a terrible thing - it is a convenience really - but still wonderful to have!  We often go bush camping, and having no hot water is not something new for me... but to not have it for weeks on end... well, it just felt like the camping trip went on a little long, lol!  But, thankfully we got the new hot water heater installed without any problems, and oh the joy of running hot water again!

Annie wasn't sure what was making me so happy (when I saw the finished skirting)... but she rejoiced with me!  I love that about her!  She is so sensitive to what is happening around her, and displays that emotion on her face!  Don't you just love her one ear up and one ear down face?

In reality, she was probably thinking my joy meant we were going for a walk... haha!

We have beautiful red rose hips that are in season now!  Sadly, I was not able to find that many on our place.  I have been collecting as many of them as I can find.

My husband and I took a walk through the woods together on a beautiful glorious day.  We saw our green mountain ash tree had had a visitor.  We found all the the lower hanging fruit to have been eaten, and the rest of the fruit from about 7 feet up intact.

As you can see here, something quite tall reached very high and ate what fruit they could without climbing the tree... we have our suspicions about what it might be... (read on!)

Annie was with us, and sniffed diligently around the tree, and we found a large spot under the tree where a very large animal had evidently spent some time, as all the grass was laid over.

We continued our walk through the woods, and I found more rose hips!

Annie's joy is always contagious when we walk together :)

Not a cloud in the sky!

Uh oh... a chipmunk had to interrupt the fun walk we were having, and insult poor Annie!

The insults got louder and louder, and Annie was quite ready to give the chipmunk a piece of her mind!

... if only I could climb this tree!

.... you wouldn't be saying those things about me!

Ah well Annie... don't you know the old saying... sticks and stones may break your bones, but names will never hurt ... just come along now, and don't listen to anymore of that nonsense from the chipmunk!  {smile}

Back in the garden after our walk, we noticed evidence of a large visitor to my garden.  Right next to my raspberry bushes the fence appeared as if something very large and heavy climbed over it. Now while I don't have a picture to show you who we believe is responsible... I can tell you what our suspicions are... our son was driving home from work late last week, and about a mile from our house a large black bear crossed the road in front of him. It stopped on the road and looked at him.  Finally he lumbered off back into the woods.  He said it was about waist high, or approximately 4 feet tall, so it appears it is the yearling that we saw right after we moved into our house (out in our front yard from a distance).  We thought it would have probably moved on, but apparently not.  It (not sure if it is a he/she) has become a regular visitor, it appears.  And, we have found several piles of bear scat scattered around our yard.  So, we know it has been back several times to visit.

And just a side note for all of you who worry... I carry bear spray with me now out in the yard or walking!  {smile} And of course, our dogs are always with us.  More than likely, our visitor is just looking for berries, and we have no reason to worry.  If however, we have more problems with it such as trying to get into our trash, or other more ominous things such as getting closer to our house, then we will put in a call to Fish and Game.  I did talk to Fish and Game, and they said it appears it is just searching for berries, and as long as that is all it is doing, it is not a threat.  :)

... and also in September I celebrated a birthday, and my family took me out to eat at a local Mexican restaurant, and we had a lovely time together.

Later, some friends came over with a fun birthday surprise for me!  Our friends wanted to bake me a cake, and so they came in the door with a little cake in a mug with one candle.  I was delighted, and they sang a birthday song to me.  Then I said, "Oh I feel so bad to eat this cake all by myself".

They said, "Oh, it's OK.  Hey, why don't you open your gift now?"  So then they carried in this large box for me to open.

Inside the box I found this amazing iron skillet tiered birthday cake!  Our friend's boyfriend had designed this iron skillet holder to display three different kinds of birthday cake made in three different sized iron skillets - and all the cakes were completely homemade, with whole wheat flour!  They picked the carrots for the carrot cake from their garden that day, and made the awesome carrot cake, vanilla, and chocolate cake.

And let me tell you... I tried to get away with only 29 candles, but someone spilled the exact number of years old I am, and so we almost had to call the fire department, lol! What fun we all had, and this was definitely most unique birthday cake I've ever had... and most delicious too!

Dear Lord have mercy on me, I had a piece of each cake they made!  (Annie told me it was okay though... we have plans to walk this week... lol!)

Last but not least,... this morning, after I let the chickens out of their coop, this is what I found on our front steps... well, first I heard what sounded like someone knocking at the door. So when I peeked out the window, this is what I saw... now I'm a country girl at heart, and love my sweet chickens... but we gotta draw a line somewhere folks, and since chickens will never be potty trained... they are not to be allowed on the porch!  Annie and Roger happened to be inside, and so the chickens seem to just take over the yard when that happens!  I let Roger out, and he shooed them back towards their coop, while Annie just watched them. Roger appears to want to herd the chicken, while Annie watches them and ... licks her chops.  Sigh.

Until we get the chicken run built... the chickens and I are going to have to have a talk about coming to visit on our front porch!

That's right.  See you later!

And that's my update so far for September.. a bit of this -n- that for you... hope that your September has been wonderful and beautiful!  I'll try to get back to posting on a more regular schedule soon... :)