Critters, Critters...and more CRITTERS

So I've mentioned that we've had a cricket invasion lately.  It beats the stew out of me how they are all getting inside!

And we've trapped a mouse since we got here.  I won't say where.

Two days ago the children made a discovery in the pool:  a mole who had decided to take a swim.  Let's just say, it didn't work out too well for him.

Over the weekend as several of us were hanging out in the family room, something made a very loud sound on one of the very large windows that look out into the backyard.  Noah went to investigate, and saw a bird laying there.  I told the children the story of how a bird had once flown into the very tall window in a vaulted ceiling of mine and Jason's apartment in Denver (when we were very first married)...but it had revived and flown away.  I told them surely that would happen in this instance also.

It didn't.  (sniff)



Our dear friends the S Family came to visit us last week.  We had a fabulous time with them, as usual.

We had a great time, that is, UNTIL an uninvited guest chose to make an appearance also.

As we swam, Melissa spotted this sucker: a three foot moccasin that was way too close for comfort...trying to get into our sunroom!

Melissa and I tracked him as he slithered along the back of our house, trying to get in all the openings to the crawl space (they had all had grates, thankfully).  With our shovels at the old house, a b.b. gun was the best we could do.  But while we ran back and forth trying to get the gun and then find him again...we lost him.    Ugggghhhh.  The children were HIGHLY un-impressed with me for losing him. "HOW did you not get him, mama?!?"  And Daniel piped up, "**I** would have gotten him!"


My dad had driven his tractor down from his farm the day before and mowed the "pasture" in the very back of our property...and we think that drove this moccasin in.  Note to self:  Always be vigilant about snakes now that we live in the country...but especially after the pasture has been mowed!

And I just can't help but wonder what the cars that drove by thought as they saw two bathing suit-clad women running through the front yard toting a gun....