Families...

I've had a very interesting holiday time this year. I have a ton to share, but it won't happen in order. My FIL has spent most of the last week in the hospital, but returned home today. At 85, dehydration can really mess up a body! Above is a photo from this afternoon. I am with my nephew who started my nickname, Hootie, when he first was learning how to talk. Time flies - he is 14 now and I am wearing heals! He and his dad flew back home tonight. They didn't expect to hang out in the hospital this week, but I guess most people don't really ever plan on that. My nephew did get to do a little hiking, rock-wall climbing, roller skating, movie watching, wii playing, eating out, etc with his cousins. I know this seems strange to say, but everything seemed low key this visit. I am thankful for even the little bit of time I had with my nephew these past few days.

Insomniacs...

It appears that I am not the only creature stirring in the early hours around my house! Tripod was out snacking while I was making my "to do" list and finishing up addressing my Christmas cards. Too much to do and not enough hours in the day right now.

Thank goodness...the coffee maker just started brewing my morning java!

t.t.f.n.

X-rated Woods! a.k.a. The Kinsey Trail

Gall Wasps: 70% of the known species live on various types of Oak Trees, per Wikipedia under Gall Wasp. There are a lot of Oak Trees in the woods here.

Alfred Kinsey, first studied gall wasps but in 1947, was the founder of The Institute for Sex Research at Indiana University, again per Wikipedia...but I think this is fairly common knowledge.

I am regularly reminded that the hiking trails that Winston and I walk daily are used for research purposes. Recently, while hiking a trail near the area where Kinsey may have done some of his research, I spotted a few trees that reminded me of this most famous researcher.

I now call the trail that these trees are on, The Kinsey Trail.

How to get into the Christmas Spirit...

...watch The Nutcracker Ballet! Details to watch it on-line, for free, below.

Several years ago my daughter created this picture for an art class project. Every fall the elementary school Art teacher, at our school, organizes all the students to participate in a fund raiser. The original artwork gets sent away and transformed into garden flags, note cards, magnets, pillow cases...etc. My daughter's artwork is a scene from the Nutcracker. We are looking at Clara's pointe shoes and the back ground features all the roles that the pre-college ballerina's, here at IU, perform.

*****

When my daughter was in second grade we took her to watch The Nutcracker. She was mesmerized and said, "I want to do THAT!" So we found out what she'd need to do to 'do that' and her ballet lessons began. The following October she had her first audition for her dream and has been dancing in IU's production of The Nutcracker ever since. We figured out this is her seventh year to dance on stage in December. She has danced as a Mother Ginger child, Clara's friend/party child, a solider, an officer, a Trepak and this year she adds a role traditionally performed by the college freshman...an adult mouse! For several years now she has danced in two roles at each of the four performances.

The lessons learned from this discipline are numerous: team work, time management, how important sleep and good eating really are, following directions, counting on others (like your mom to help in a pinch), and what it takes to achieve a dream just to name a few.

This past Monday through Thursday has been tech week. Each day my ballerina has been living at school for 6 1/2 hours, at the Musical Art Center for 7 1/2 hours and then at home for the remaining 10 hours.

It's show time tonight! My holiday treat to my readers is to share the web address for Indiana University's Jacob School of Music live streaming of The Nutcracker. Times for the production are tonight and tomorrow night at 8 pm EST, and tomorrow and Sunday at 2 pm EST. Here's the link: Watch IU's 52nd Annual Production of The Nutcracker; click here. This link becomes active just minutes before the curtain goes up! I will be watching on-line tonight and then attending both of the 2 pm performances...lucky me! I can't wait!

Enjoy friends and Happy Holidays! :)

Christmas...Thanksgiving...Christmas...

My crafting efforts have finally been rewarded!

My Christmas stocking, that I started nine months ago when my newest niece was born, is finally done and will be hanging soon on her fireplace mantle.

For some reason, I am now in the mood for Christmas. Hmm. I have promised my teens that I will wait until the day after Thanksgiving to get out my decorations.

*******

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.

Great food, no hassle of present buying, and then great leftovers!

Last year I perused a tutorial on Rip and Tear Napkins that my friend Kimara of Wee Folk Art posted on her blog. If you read the comments on the link I've attached to their blog name you'll see I said I was going to try to make some asap. Well, last Sunday was asap for me! Above are my Rip and Tear Thanksgiving Napkins. A year ago I thought the directions for this seemed too easy to be true. I made 8 napkins in less than an hour! Easy Peasy! We've been using than all week and they have been though the washer several times. No sewing on this project and yet no fraying! My siblings may be getting these as their Christmas gifts this year along with a little of my Christmas baking. I think I'll use more neutral-colored material so they can be used all year long. What a fun, green gift!

*****

I can't wait to pull out my stack of 20+ holiday CD's on Friday. Christmas baking starts just after the decorations are put in place. Who doesn't love homemade buckeyes, cookies, English toffee...?

Season's Greetings all! :)

Friends Don't Let Friends...

...write semi-true reviews about their tour kick-off show.

Mellencamp concert a performance symphony

~from our local paper. JM's friend is the reporter.

Just saying...

On the 29th of October my kids were hosting their dress up Halloween party from 6-11 p.m. The night before I was up until the wee-wee hours of the morning working on costume finishing touches. The day of, I was busy buying food, preparing food and helping with last minute decorations. By the time the party started, I was ready to sit down or maybe even go to bed!

At 8:10, a good friend called my husband. He had scored excellent tickets late that afternoon for the Mellencamp concert which was starting at 8:30. Unfortunately for our friend, he hadn't checked with his wife about what she had on her plate for that night so he'd have to go alone unless my husband could join him.

My husband had spent six hours on the road and another four plus hours in meetings that day. He'd be up for some fun, except he said to our friend that really, I was the bigger John Mellencamp fan. I thought both my DH and our friend were pulling my leg. Seriously, the concert part of Mellencamp's show started in less than 20 minutes!

*****

Twenty minutes later, my husband dropped me off close to the auditorium, I went through security and waited for our friend to show up.

My friend had scored INCREDIBLE tickets! Third row, center...just 20 feet from the stage. All the pictures here were taken by my friend with his iPhone.

My take on the concert would be that it was very dark and filled with sadness as the artist expressed his emotions on life and death; heavily emphasizing the death part. Mellencamp is at a very different stage in his life and it shows in his music. The concert was good, but it was not at all what the fans were expecting. Certainly the artist's intention was to share his "art". Several times as JM paused to reflect on a song, shouts from the crowd would beg to hear an old familiar classic. When those classics finally were played...and it was only a hand full of them, mostly they were changed up melodically. Jack and Diane sounded like it had a calypso influence. Odd. Different. But it worked! I liked it.

Overall I enjoyed this concert. I get where JM is coming from as a soul who has experienced death in ones close to me. It sounded like JM realizes he's not invincible and although not ready to call it quits, has made his peace with his part of the life cycle. I can't help but wonder what the reviewers in other cities will say about this concert? Will fans truly appreciate the art of this concert? I am recalling a few years ago when one of my DH's and my favorite rock band, Van Halen was "re-born" and we very much wanted to take our teenage son to experience Edward's guitar greatness. Being able to have our son hear those old favorites, live, cemented a new generation of Van Halen fans in our household; butter for the Van Halen bread. I don't think anyone taking their teenager to experience JM on this tour will walk away with the same feelings.

Three things that bothered me most about the concert didn't even have anything to do with the music. Living in this small-ish town that the artist does, I realize that JM has heart problems. Yet, when he took a three-minute break guess what smell filled the auditorium? Did I see him smoking? Not this time...pretty sure he did though. The other two items that annoyed me...he spit on stage and later took a piece of gum out of his mouth and tossed it away. YUCK! I guess I hold icons up to higher standards than us regular folk.

I didn't walk away from this concert feeling happy and loving life. I'm glad my friend's wife, who lost her mom just a year ago couldn't attend this concert. Maybe next time JM can be a little less of an "artist" and a little more of a "performer." For the fans you know. Just saying...

Would I like to own JM latest album? Yep. Like I said, I can relate to this stage in his life. That part makes me feel like even an icon has the same feelings about the world as little old me.

Brad Pitt Tutorial?

Not quite. Sorry, Lauranie!

***

This is really my Halloween-with-the-Teens Wrap-up.

Being almost too old to trick-or-treat, my kids hosted a dress-up Halloween party for their friends on the Friday before hand. We had 23 kids at our house in costume. The party included food, a bonfire and a Best Costume Award. I thought I'd show off what my own two decided upon for the party.

My son ended up transforming into one of Brad Pitt's characters, Tyler Durden from the movie Fight Club. The imaginary character of Tyler is pictured above and my son is pictured below...just to clarify!

My son found this AWESOME leather car coat on eBay for $15.50. I think it was from the 70's and it was in great shape. It cost way less than what I would have spent on the materials. We were having trouble finding just the right look for a shirt that "Tyler" would wear and I did end up making his shirt. The only other thing I had to help with was cutting my son's hair. He made fake blood (from his "fights") out of corn syrup, cocoa and red food coloring. I think we spent a grand total of about $40.00 on this costume, and the coat has all ready been worn non-stop since the 31st.

Fight Club trivia: Brad Pitt found the leather coat he wore for the role of Tyler at a used clothing store!

*****

Being a girl...my daughter changed her mind from

Jeannie, of I Dream of Jeannie,

to The Bride...a.k.a Beatrix Kiddo (Uma Thurman)

in her yellow jumpsuit from Kill Bill,

to Miss America.

While looking for a leather coat, we found a fantastic used clothing store in our town called Material Plane. My daughter's costume was an 80's style pink dress. I made a sash and dusted off one of my old tiara's to round out the costume.

This was probably the easiest year to date of my

costume making chores for Halloween!

Albino Chipmunk!

I am NOT enjoying chipmunk season with Winston. He goes crazy after these little fellows each time we are on a walk. I have abrasions on my arm where I have banged into trees as my hunter quickly darts around the base...pulling me along in the hunt.

For the most part, chippies are too quick for W. They make their little warning cry and then scamper away down into fallen logs. W is quick too, but he really can't cover the distance needed to get to his prey while on a leash and pulling a dead weight. I feel for my hunter, but he is supposed to be RETIRED now.

Winston has a great sense of smell. He knows when a chippy is in a dead log, down in the rocks or burrowed into a hole. He will rip logs apart with his teeth, inhale deeply into the rocks or dig, dig, dig enlarging any hole. He is amazing to watch. Nine times out of ten, his prey escapes. Is is wrong for me to admit that I root for the chippies and run interference when I can?

While on a recent 'hunt', Winston found an unusual chipmunk...it was an albino! At first I wasn't sure I was seeing it correctly. For fun, I have posted a normal chipmunk photo along with the albino.

What an amazing hunter I have! :)

HIdden Mickey...In the Woods of Indiana?

Do you recognize the shape above? If Mickey Mouse first popped into your mind, then you know how to identify a Hidden Mickey!

Originally used as an inside joke among Disney Designers and Imagineers, common folk can search the Disney property while on vacation for these hidden symbols too. Click here for a more detailed description about them: What are Hidden Mickey's?

I found this HM on a tree base near my house. It looks like some sort of a fungus on the tree to me, but I immediately thought Hidden Mickey! before I thought fungus.

Fall! Happy October!

Yesterday morning, as the sun was coming up, I captured Fall!

The cicada stopped singing a month ago. The frogs are silent and harder to find. The butterflies are less noticeable and must be transforming into their winter states or migrating south. I saw the last of my hummingbirds on Sept. 30th for this year too.

Tomorrow I am hosting my neighborhood's 52 annual potluck. This get-together is our human way of connecting with one another before retreating, then hibernate for the cold of winter. You can count on me not to hibernate though. Winston will keep my DH and me out doors all Fall and Winter long! :)

Payday!

Did you know...

...that candy corn and nuts taste just like a Payday candy bar?

It's true! What a fun fall snack too! :)

Pirate!

My months of handy work were ready for our big night, Sept. 10. Save the boots, head wear, jewelry and belt for "Jack", I made it!

With the rented Shipwreck.

*****

Background for the evening: The event was a gala to benefit our local children's science museum and was called: Science Night Out: Sail the High Seas.

As one of the event co-chairs, I thought it was important that I help set the mood for the other guests...my husband went along. I think there may be a little bit of "Disney" pirate in both of us! My DH truly got into his role. He enjoyed going up to friends that he knows well and baffling them as they puzzled over who he was really. At the end of the night I went to one friend and asked if he knew where my DH was, sure that he had figured it out. Our friend said, no and ask me if my DH even came to the event. When I said my DH was dressed as "Jack" our friend was stunned. "Yes!" he said. He came to his table, stood right behind this friend and spoke to him. With his best Jack Sparrow accent he said, "You don't know who I am, do you?" When our friend responded no, my DH smiled (if you could see it under his mustache) and walked away.

I will be back working on a Christmas stocking (in progress) for my February born niece. While I was making my pirate costumes I had Halloween requests from my teens: Jeannie, from I Dream of Jeannie and Tyler Druden, from Fight Club. Guess I need to cracking on these costumes next! :)

He's Still Got It!

Oh, how I wish I was the one to have taken this photo!

A bragging wife would tell you that this is her husband out front, the eventual winner of the race in 200 meters. And she'd tell you this was for the State Road Racing Championship for the age classification of Masters 45+ and that the Masters 35-44 were in this race too, that her husband had sold all his cycling gear including his bike a mere two years ago, stayed off a bike for 18 months and just got back in the saddle in January.

Come on, you all know I am a brag! :) Just sorry I wasn't the one who took this photo! I was home this early, steamy summer morning walking Winston. But man, my DH still has it!

photo taken by: I'm working on this info.

Sweet 16!

Last Monday, my baby turned Sweet 16! It was her golden birthday too! To celebrate her day she and several friends got dressed up...teen girls, they LOVE dressing up...and went to lunch. After paying for lunch, I took the girls back to our place where they changed into hiking/kayaking clothes. We hiked to the nearby lake where I had reserved kayaks for them. Winston actually led us to the lake and he and I stayed close while the girls were out. I took Winston to a cove where he could swim and I could watch, and photograph, the girls. After an hour on the water we made the return trip to our house. Dessert time!

Here's how the cupcakes I made and my daughter helped decorate turned out. Many thanks to Sweetcakes for her advice! Details below...

Store bought, ready-to-go, fondant was used for the flowers. I wasn't ready to experiment completely with this task, plus I left this part up to my creative daughter!
The cupcakes were a recipe from the FamilyFun cookbook. I got out of the habit of using store bought cake mixes about 10 years ago. I would certainly re-use this recipe and will gladly send it to anyone who requests is (as well as any other recipe I ever mention!). The only thing I did differently was to add food coloring. The cupcakes would have been more of a pale yellow than what we were wanting. I added 16 drops to the mix! :)

Sweetcakes advised me to bake and cool the cupcakes then cut out a cone part from the top. I wanted to added ganache to the middle of the cupcakes. After cutting the cone shape, I trimmed it so it would become a cap. Sweetcakes and I talked flavors and if you read back to my original thoughts you'd see I probably had too much going on...flavor-wise. White chocolate ganache was changed to chocolate ganache. Buttercreme frosting was almost cream cheese frosting until Sweetcakes reminded me it should be refrigerated. Not really a problem except that would make the ganache harder than what we were looking for. Cold ganache firms up, room temperature ganache is creamy! In the end I decided upon vanilla frosting that I colored pink. Both the ganache and the frosting were homemade.
Here's the ganache, made the day before. This was my first time making ganache and I didn't think it was going to work out. It seemed too runny after the recommended two hours of cooling. I let it sit longer though and it was perfect!

Putting it all together!

Well? What do you think?

Here's how they looked on the inside!

*****

And here's my Sweet 16 year old!

So Many Spoons in the Pot!

OMG! Right now I am feeling a bit pulled in many directions but I'm not totally knowing where to begin. My baby turns Sweet 16 on Monday (her Golden B-day too). She and I have decided I should make cupcakes for her celebration. Here's the plan: Yellow Cake with White Chocolate Ganache filling, topped with pink colored butter cream frosting and fondant yellow and green flowers.

As I have never made this combination yet, nor filled cupcakes, I am feeling a bit over whelmed and excited at the same time. I am scouring my cookbooks and the web for recipes. Anyone have a favorite I should try or other recommendations?

Add to that, I committed myself to making two pirate costumes (one for me, one for my DH) for Sept 10th...tick, tock. I am not the fastest seamstress, have school starting soon and a dog that needs walked several times a day, not to mention general household stuff to do! Oh, and I didn't mention that I am helping to plan an event happening on the 10th of Sept...that I need the costumes for! Fun, fun, fun, but busy, busy, busy! :)

I'll post pics as time and results warrant. :)

A Summer Teenager...

My DH found this guy today and brought him inside to me! He knows how much I like Praying Mantis. :)

I grabbed my new friend and my camera and took him outside to my flowers. I'm guessing he's a teenager because he's barely half the length of what he'll be as an adult in just another two months. Praying Mantis tend to hatch out in late May around here and depending on our Fall temps, are still active until late October. Egg sacks start getting laid in September.

Success! :)

Well, I was able to figure out how to buy, download, re-set and line up my blog with my new background!!!!!

Yes, I know it looks familiar. But now I own it and it can't disappear unless I want it to disappear! Yippee!!!

:)

Choices?...with a little bit of venting...

Did you ever feel like you are stuck between a rock and a hard place in the choices you need to make?

I have several "issues" I am stuck on.

#1) My daughter is at driver's ed right now. She will be completely done with the driving part in about 20 minutes. Driver's Ed has been fine. The class room stuff is still boring as ever. It's the driving instructor that has bothered me. My daughter has only had to drive for 6 hours.

Here are my DE Instructor issues:

*During the daily driving time, my daughter's instructor has been 10-15 minutes late each time and ended early (10 minutes) just about each time too. There have been two students in the car...so 2 hours of in the car time is really only 1 1/2 hrs of real time. I am not too worried about the driving time my daughter has received because she can't get her license until next February and I'm sure she'll drive a ton between then and now.

*The driving instructor chats on his cell phone while "teaching" his students.

*Today I received text messages from my daughter while she was first stopped at a bank in a nearby city (he had banking he needed to do) and then while stopped at a gas station (so he could get breakfast).

I feel like I need to complain to the driving school. Maybe my best solution will be to remember his name and tell my friends to NOT let their children drive with him.

I think my daughter is learning, but I expect more, better, from a teacher. In the end, I think this bothered me and NOT my daughter.

*****

#2) I have a relative who is staying with my in-laws/next door neighbors who is an alcoholic (although he doesn't admit it) and I am pretty sure I saw him taking a swig of something out at his car this morning...at 9:15. If it was water, why'd he have to come out to his car?

I went over to take dinner to my neighbors last night (my MIL fractured her pelvis four weeks ago and is using crutches to get around) and that relative definitely smelled of alcohol. And just a few nights before that he came home from "work" and was so "exhausted" he passed out on his bed at 5:30 pm. Hmmm. I wasn't over there, so I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing it wasn't exhaustion he passed out from. The problem I have is, what do I do?

We had a pretty major -personal- incident with him about six weeks ago (another story). We try to avoid him at all costs; but IMO this is stressing my relationship with my neighbors. Basically this BIL is unemployed and not trying very hard to get employed. He owns a house a few hours away, but he's been living here, with my in-laws, for the past three months...only going to his house on the weekends to mow the grass. With a friend, from his childhood days, who is finding odd jobs for him here and a mom (and silent, although opinionated, dad) who is willing to "support" him, I don't expect anything to change for my BIL.

I am happy that he has some work to do, but I am not happy that he is here. I definitely don't like the fact that he seems to be drinking and driving either or taking advantage of my in-laws (that last comment is totally my opinion!). My in-laws are 83 and soon to be 85 years-old. The 83 year-old is the one with the fractured pelvis.

And now this relative has met a girl on-line. He's supposedly heading to meet her (she lives in another state far, far away). Wow, I have a ton of opinions and stories I could share about this too. Maybe another time. Maybe not.

*****

So, since I've been writing this my daughter is now done with driver's ed (she was done 10 minutes early) and my relative has left the house next door (probably for the day).

I think I just needed to vent. I know that if it wasn't so humid and hot out I'd be off walking W instead of writing.

Anyone have any opinions they'd like to share? I'm listening.

New Background...

I see my background has disappeared!

It's set to go for good tomorrow (per thecutestblogontheblock). I am working on purchasing a "new" background.

I do hope to have this fixed soon...but, don't hold your breath. :)

Poor Army Men! and Bracelets...

On Sunday, my DH and I went to a picnic pool party at a friend's house. Our kids were invited, but being 18 and almost 16 (the other kids at the party being ages 5-12), and parents who are...well, parents...our teens opted to stay at home.

*****

When we arrived home later that evening, I found a teenage friend's car in our drive way and this "stuff" on the kitchen counter. It appears that flaming army men were targets for my son's BB gun that afternoon.

Poor Toy Army Men!

*****

Several weeks ago I found out I am a Muggle! A couple of Bushwhackers, that I rescued, told me so. They also gave me a treasure! One of their geo-caching treasures...a hematite stone macrame bracelet. :)

Winston and I had been out on a walk when we came across a pair of lost Geo-Caching hunters. They were looking for a drop spot near our house, but they probably walked about three miles from their car and weren't quite sure how to get back. Winston and I walked them to our house, I put them in my car, gave them water and took them back to where they started.

Are you familiar with Geo-Caching? I know Lisa from A Cuppa Tea With Me is! Check out the link for geo-caching above if you'd like more details. Anyone can do it! I choose not to because I just don't have time for one more thing on my calendar...but it does look and sound like fun! Maybe I should hire myself out as a guide for this area? Besides the folks that I rescued we have had two parties of people lost in the nearby woods in the past week. Winston, my DH and I DO know these woods like the backs of our hands!

Inspired by the present I received and a little shopping at a craft store, my girl child and I bought some glass beads yesterday and decided to macrame our own bracelets. Here's my creation...with the little owl of course!

My hematite geo-caching treasure

&

my Owl bracelet

My daughter is such a crafting soul that she barely asks how to do something, but she did ask me to teach her to macrame! While working last night on our bracelets she asked how I learned. Oh the 70's and my mom! Anyone else recall rolling/making beads out of magazine pages? I recall my mom making the decoupage glue from flour and water. Talk about a crafting soul! My daughter certainly takes after my mom. :)

Patriotic Nature!

House Finch

Cleome

Indigo Bunting

Silhouette

Dragonfly

cicada, frogs, dragonflies, lightning bugs

hot, steamy air

it must be summer

Babies!

W and I heard some strange cries in the woods on our walk yesterday afternoon.

Looks like it was time for some babies to venture out into the big world!

Both of these little ones were at the base of the tree when we first came along. We watched them for a bit as they climbed and climbed back up the tree. I am sure their mama was nearby. Babies in the wild are way more capable than we humans like to think. Since I like to name all the things I find,

I called the one above Lucy and the one below...Ricky!

Winston was sure I was going bring one of these two home for him as a playmate! After we left them, he would periodically stop leading me, turn around and smell my pockets and camera. My hunter would not have played nicely.

My rule remains...no babies! :)

Bambi and Flower in One Day!

Flower spent the day under the stairs of our deck.

Winston enjoyed keeping tabs on him (check out W's blog).

By dinner time, Flower moved to under our deck and this morning hasn't returned...thank goodness! :)

While taking an afternoon hike with my DH and W I spotted Bambi!

It's hard not to say "aw!"

*****

There must be four or five fawns in the area this year. W can't resist the deer. We've been working on our circle of trust (no leash in the yard) and he failed on Friday. I was mulching around my in-laws yard, looked up and saw a fawn come out of the woods out back just before W did. W bolted! Not good. I was home alone, tried to go after him but didn't have any luck in finding him. He is a fast dog when he runs unleashed. I went into the woods and called his name. I heard some rustling nearby and thought to myself, good he hasn't gone far when the fawn came out of a thicket and towards me. :) A few hours later W came home. This was the second time he'd run off after deer, but the first time my DH and two kids were around to help corral him. Can I just say I felt so happy that Winston found his way home! Yes, I was mad that he ran off, but I was so happy that he knew where to come home too!

BINGO! (Ta-Dah)

Finally! Fawns on Film...well, on my digital memory card.

I was on a walk with my DH and Winston on Sunday evening and we spotted these two little ones playing around and their Mom. We saw a huge buck just before...I wonder if it was their Pops? It was Father's Day.

:)

Worth a Thousand Words?

This pair was out back the other morning.

Kind of cute for a pair of opossums!

*****

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you might recall that I am hell-bent on getting a photo of a fawn. I feel my opportunity for photographing a newborn deer is past. But I do have a story to share...

Last Saturday morning, three of the four of us in our household...and Winston...were up early at 7 am. W usually rises and shines at about 8:15; he's a lazy dog! Well, my DH went out on the back porch to have his coffee and he took W with him. I wandered out too as did our son. My husband was off to race his bicycle soon, that's his stress reliever and hobby, and my son was off to re-take his SAT's. I knew I needed to get W to pee before I drove our son to his testing site so I walked out back without the leash with W. Winston and I have been working on our trust, and we are making great strides in our backyard and the adjacent woods. I feel like he's such a hunter though if we cross the stream behind our place his leash must be on. I guess my trust isn't THAT strong yet.

Well, the walk was going fine. W relieved himself and was sniffing lots all around. He wandered to the edge of my in-laws backyard and I went that way too. On the other side of a monster pine tree, I saw W nudge something and it take off running. IT WAS A SLEEPING FAWN! "Winston, NO!!!!!" I screamed as I ran in their direction. The fawn ran about 100 feet and laid down. W had his nose on the baby's back. As I slowly approached the two animals my husband came running up. Baby deer decided to make another break for it, bleating the whole time! She, or he, sounded just like a little goat kid and I was sure her angry mom would be upon us all! Another 100 feet of running and the baby stopped again. She staying on her feet this time. She had her front legs spread and her head down as she faced us. She almost looked like she was going to charge us herself, but I think she was frozen in fear. W, my DH and I were all just inches from this little one. She was about a 1/3 of the size of W. My DH's voice roused me from my own frozen state as he told me to grab Winston's collar. I just didn't want to move! I wanted to drink in the beauty of this moment. Did I have my camera? NO. Did I have my cellphone (with camera)? NO! I tried very hard to burn this image into my brain. It was a Thousand Words right in front of me. Just for me!

We drug W back home. He was very proud of himself for his morning find. He is a hunting dog after all.

In the past three months I have walked for close to 200 hours with my camera around my neck just hoping for a photo-op with a fawn. Life remains unpredictable.