Day 18: September 14th, 2009

Quote of the Day: "Can miles truly separate you from friends.... If you want to be with someone you love, aren't you already there? ~Richard Bach"

I woke up this morning to *gasp* more rainy weather. I am so tired of rain, but I know we really need it, so I'm biting my tongue. At least it made for some cooler weather, and I really love that. But it also makes for something else, too, something so annoying and that spreads so quickly that you can be quickly overcome before you even realize it! And I'm not talking about a flood, either. I'm talking about mushrooms. Only around here, these things can get enormous. Know the old adage that says "everything's bigger in Texas"? Well, it sure does apply to the mushrooms! I walked out back with the dogs looking at all my plants, and there they were... mocking me... just sitting there all big and puffy. And, of course, already open, so all the fungus spores have already spread. Oh, boy. And they say the only way to get rid of them is to try to dig them out and hope you get them all! Like anyone actually has time for that?

Here they are in all their glory: Our new giant mushrooms

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Here's an amazing fact that someone forgot to tell me: did you know that an Elephant Ear plant will bloom? I had no idea until I was puttering around outside one day and saw what looked like a withered, dried up flower in the middle of my Elephant Ear plant I planted this spring as a lowly little bulb. I was happy enough that one out of the two I planted actually grew, but the flower thing astonished me. So I've been waiting and biding my time, and sure enough here came another one! I took a picture of it for you all to see, just so you don't think I am crazy! (But mostly because Ron asked for one, and I can NEVER refuse his puppy dog eyes, even if they aren't visible... you can hear it in his voice! :)

My Elephant Ear Plant in bloom!!! Oh, and by the way... I LOVE this plant! The mature leaves are at least 2 feet!

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CRITTER CORNER

As you can see, little miss Mocha is still into "fashion mode", and sporting a sweet little denim vest in honor of the cooler weather. Ain't she sweet? As far as the other critters go, I haven't really seen Mika all day because she's been snoozing on the window seat in my office, and Tiny's been very distant most of the day. I think he's angry with me because I disassembled his "bed".... The story goes like this: Mom makes Cody clean out his closet and drawers and get rid of all the clothes that do not fit any more. The clothes were given away to people that needed them, but the socks weren't fit for anyone to wear. So Mom throws them all into a box that she just happened to have brought home that day from Sam's Club and sits it next to the back door to take outside. And lo and behold, Tiny found it within 5 minutes and laid claim to it, so I didn't have the heart to get rid of it. But I couldn't stand having a cardboard box full of socks sitting there, so today I did something about it. And now he's mad at me and won't go near it. Oh, dear. And here I thought it turned out really cute!

Don't you think it looks like a really cute, really cozy kitty bed?

But anyways, back to the love part: Miss Chloe was hit especially hard, leading me to be able to capture some pretty adorable little pictures. I guess the rain really has gotten to everyone! :)

Puppy love: Chloe giving Mocha a quick smoochie

You may recall that Chloe and tiger are best friends. Well, let me tell you! They played for like an hour before they finally got bored with it and went their separate ways to take a snooze in their various locations. It was pretty entertaining, as usual, and I was able to catch a really cute picture or two of them playing together today. I was going to put a different one on here, but Damien told me that since Chloe's eyes had reflected red because of the flash, it looked like she was trying to eat him. Hmm. Well... actually, I think I'll put it on here anyways!

Chloe and Tiger, in the process of playing

The Devil Dog and the Mistreated Kitty

Don't worry, though... Tiger always gives as good as he gets! He loves his "big sister."

I was going to put more on here, but I suddenly realized how long today's post is becoming, so I'll leave you with just a few more words.... HAVE A GREAT DAY, ALL, AND I'LL HAVE MORE TO TELL YOU TOMORROW!