Intruder

Well we had quite a morning. I came down with the dogs around 6am and Suki went straight to the dryer and was all worked up about something. She had her hackles up and was sniffing like mad. Suki's not the brightest bulb in the world, and she's pretty much afraid of everything so I didn't think much of it. I put the dogs out and Suki immediately went to the deck and started trying to get under it. At this point I figured some creature had probably entered the house and or crawl space via the dryer vent, but since Suki was trying to get under the deck I hoped it had left the same way it had come.

Well not long after I started hearing rustling coming from the dryer area and decided it was just about time to wake up Nick. He came down and pulled the dryer out, determined the critter was stuck in the dryer exhaust. After a bit he he informed me that it had just poked its head out and it was not a rat, but something weird, maybe a weasel. Once we got the "weasel" chased into a bucket, and then dumped into a cat carrier we could see that it was in fact a ferret.

One google search later and I was able to get a hold of Washington Ferret rescue, which is actually only a couple of miles from the house. Someone in the vet clinic next door was able to house the little guy until someone from rescue could pick him up. All in all it worked out pretty well and despite needing to replace the dryer vent, we got quite a story to remember.

Silliness

The girls were keeping themselves busy while I made dinner. Nick came home and decided it warranted a picture.

Zinnia's

Well I went a little crazy with the zinnias this year. I picked up a couple seed packets last spring and had such great success with them that I ordered a bunch from seed catalogs this year. They grow 2-3' tall, flower for a month or more, and start really easily from seed. I will say that the seeds I sowed directly outdoors did not do well, but I had about 90% germination and survival after transplant from the ones I started indoors. For whatever reason they only sell them in assorted colors at nurseries, but the catalogs all had them available by color. Below is what I got.

This one is called zowie, I saw it in a magazine at the Dr's office and it's what got this whole thing started.

I had a really pretty set of containers planted with a purple theme last summer and decided to carry the theme throughout the yard. This one is called uproar rose. It's the dahlia flowered variety. Sure I could get dahlia's but then I'd have to dig them up and take care of them over the winter. Since zinnia's are annuals there's no guilt in watching them die as the cold sets in.

Violet

Cream yellow

This is a dwarf mix which only gets about 12" tall, they aren't the right colors, but I guess I'll survive.

I did manage to find cactus zinnias in mix of purples and fuchsia so that pretty much made my day.

And lastly a cactus zinnia mix. I got some really cool colors out of these last year and hope to fill several of the beds in the backyard with them. Can't wait to sit back and enjoy them this summer.

Moira Turns 4!!

Moira had a great birthday today, and we couldn't have asked for better weather. It was 60 and sunny, so we threw the kids outside and had a bbq. It was a big birthday for Moira who has now upgraded to a "big girl" room. She got a whole new set of furniture and a double size bed. If that weren't enough she got a bike too.

We had several of her friends from preschool over, and friends and family from Bellingham. It was a high energy couple of hours and we were all ready for a nap this afternoon. Expect another big round of pictures when I get them from grandpa paul and hopefully a little video.