Good Bluff Freebie Kit

 ‘morning!

I have to share this nutty little story,  The brown beetles have been having a party on our front porch for the last few nights. I wake up to groggy post-rave beetles turning circles the in the dog dishes and, fish them out of the water bowls. The few unlucky souls stuck to the porch mat, get freed.

Harvey takes off the dog food lid many times after dinner trying for more or just being a pickle pill, whatever. Sometimes he runs around the yard with it hanging out of his mouth trying to get the other dogs to play, but they don’t. They unlike him, KNOW the food lid is off limits. We track it down and get it back on a few times a before Harvey gets tired of this and comes inside. This time Dillon was searching for it. It must have blow away to a far point of the yard so we left it till morning.

So in addition to the others there were beetles face down in the dog food wondering what kind of hell is this? They had no idea what they were in for if there got “served”  I picked them out and set them in the garden with the others. And dished up the food. All was well.

Now, Dove our Dane/Greyhound Girl has issues. Okay all of our dogs have issues! LOL! And lots of them! *gerk* Dove’s an emotional wreak who is eating challenged. She just doesn’t eat regular. Unless all the condition are right. She must be alone behind a closed door, ( usually the boy’s bedroom is her calming place) she must have a very small meal or she will be intimidated, and she must have some kind of special people food topping stirred in. She cannot be rushed, or  disturbed by noises before eating, and there must not be a cloud in the sky. With all of these conditions met she eats about half the time.

I told you…issues! 

We must be doing okay in all this, since she is getting a tiny “snack pack” belly on her, which we kid her about. This is the opposite of a “six pack” at our house for all of you who don’t live here. *chuckle* Maybe her metabolism is slowing up at the ripe old age of 11?

This day I have left over gravy from the night before and feeling positive she will eat kibble today I pour it on and start stirring. Its thick so there is more spoon poking than stirring. I am just about to give it a shot of milk when I see a piece of dog food waving at me. Its one of those beetles with a hangover digging its way from the  bottom of the bowl. Jeepers! If I fed that to Dove they would both have a bad day. So I fish him out and put him with the spinach starts on the window sill. Thinking I will take him out later, but that I have spent enough time saving beetles… “I have a blog to write”, I tell the sad little figure covered in gravy and dog food crumbs as I drop him in among the leafies. Of course, after the night he’s had, and the last few minutes…he falls over on his back all 6 legs akimbo.  I imagine he is giving me the universal signal for “yuck fou” times 6.

Un-offended, I go about my business feeding everyone, which only takes another 15 minutes or so and I am back to give the kitchen a final check before heading finally to compute! Whoo HOO!  Well, here is gravy beetle at the far end of the kitchen a good 10 feet of counter from the sill. Where is this guy getting the energy? Well I have to tell the boys this story now. So I take him in where the boys are still sleeping, well as soon as his belly hits my palm he settles in to the warm with an Ahhhh! and refuses to move. So my story sounds pretty thin to my boys as I balance a comatose beetle on my palm while peeling their eyelids back with my accounts. I mention some of his legs don’t work anymore.  Well I am quickly told that those back ones always look like they are dragging, they are for holding on and climbing not walking. Well, thank you, NATE! He’s the bug guy. LOVES bugs.

Nathan breathes warm air on him for a few minutes and he is good as new, running across one of my hands so fast I can barely get the next one in place for before he gets there.  After a dozen hand switches or so he looks fit as a fiddle and gaining speed. No worse for wear.

My story told, beetle revived, I head outside to put him on the garden like the rest. He is still running all over the place and I am walking and switching hands. I manage the door and push open the screen door and he falls, I hear his shell bounce on the pavement, locate him, and  bend in the doorway to pinch him up, too slow.  Charlie Girl, our Shepherd/Great Pyrenees Mix takes advantage of the open door to jog out. She gets a whiff of gravy as she is about to pass and SNACKS the beetle down without breaking stride. 

We posthumously named the beetle… Murphy.

FREEBIE

Just squeaking in at the last minute with an April Color Challenge Kit.  You see I was busy! *Guffaw* Actually, I was so caught up in grabbing all the goodies others had been making for this and all the other challenges. What was the point of making any of my own, right? But I had finished half of it already, so…

Bluff_preview

I guess when I was half done building I was really done. I should have stopped?   Nah! LOL!

Sorry Links Disabled.

Credits:

for Preview: Font: 2 Peas Barn Door.

for Kit: Many Thanks to these designers!

 

Gratitude List:

  • For my parents, both small town kids who longed for the country in their midland years and got us kids out there among the animals as soon as they could. You made nature my prize and passing it along to your grandkids has been my joy.
  • For this wild ride of starting a blog and becoming a small part of the digital scrap community. What a wonderful experience it is to be appreciated, and to appreciate the works of others. I am blown away every day by the new things I see and the glorious individuals I meet. My inspiration folder grows fat!
  • For homeschool. The slow steady togetherness that has made all the difference. We would not be the family we are without those who came before us and fought for our right to school our own kids. Hats off to the homeschool pioneers who risked it all and won!  Hats off to those who continue to carry the burden of preserving that right, by taking part in the political process, knocking down further barriers and educating the public about these hard won rights. What an often thankless job! You have my deepest appreciation! 
  • For you, reading this. As I ramble along from pillar to post I often wonder what brings you back here day after day. I don’t rightly know, but I am SO glad you return. Thank you all so kindly for the sweet mail you send. How could I ever thank you enough for the joy this brings?

Happy Friday!

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Edited: April 24th, 2009