WHAT A LABOR DAY WEEKEND!

This Labor Day weekend had to be the most uncomfortable one on record (or at least the most uncomfortable I remember). Besides the heat and humidity we had quick showers that wet everything down but did absolutely nothing to lower the temperature.

Annie enjoyed lounging around in the air conditioned apartment and taking frequent trips to the back porch to see it any other animals were about. Orphée positioned himself in front on the air conditioner so the stream of cold air would pass above him. Otherwise he occupied the chair by the window waiting for the strays to come by or reclined on my bed for a nap.

They strays kept to their schedules coming and going between bursts of rain.  I know this because the food disappeared not because I saw any of them. It's been a few days now since I've seen Porch Guy but that's not unusual when the weather isn't good.

And what did I do? I immersed myself in such exciting projects as mending clothes, ironing and cooking in addition to my usual activities - watching TV (the MDA Telethon) movies and reading. So Labor Day weekend was uneventful, spent inside but enjoyed in any event. 

LABOR DAY WEEKEND

It's the Sunday of Labor Day Weekend 2014, the unofficial end of summer. Where did this summer go? It seems as if it just started and fall is almost upon us. Well, there's still some time for fun in the sun and now is as good a time as any to remind everyone to pay particular attention to family pets during the remaining summer activities.

Keep an eye on your pets.  Keep them away from people food, don't let guests pester them. If you're taking them with you, keep them on leash, in the shade, hydrated and if you're near  a lake or the ocean never let them out of your sight.

Practice common sense and you will enjoy Labor Day weekend without incident.

(courtesy Wilsoninfo.com)

A VISIT FROM PORCH GUY

Porch Guy comes and goes; we can never predict what days or times he will show up. Some days he'll drop by as many as four times. Sometimes he doesn't come by at all.

Lately he's been around a lot. Artie took some terrific pictures of him. Here they are:

Posing handsomely.

Bored with the entire proceedings.

Just put out the wet food so I can get on with my meal!

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE OPOSSUM KIND

During the past month we've had two close encounters involving baby opossums.

Mid-afternoon about a month ago, I had fruit and vegetable scraps to add to my compost bin so I bundled the scraps and headed to the back yard. Once the future compost was deposited in the bin and the lid secured, I decided to check the drain under our porch to make sure it was clear of leaves and twigs because rain was forecast for the following day. As I approached the porch I could see a form underneath. At first, I was shocked to see a rat but a second look told me it was a young possum. It was dead with a big chunk bitten out of the poor thing. I figured one of the cats got it since it was 'rat-sized'

We removed it for disposal when Artie came home from work. Both of us were a bit sad because we know they're basically harmless and they 'clean up' after the cats and other wild life. Life returned to normal for about three weeks.

Annie's been particularly annoying about going on the porch after dark and lately even more so. One night last week she was very insistent about going out so Artie decided to do the honors; she usually bothers me. All of a sudden there was a commotion. Artie was yelling and I rushed outside imagining the worst. There on the corner of our porch railing was another young
opossum. Annie was hopping around crying and wining, trying to get close to him.

The possum was barely moving but he did turn to face Annie giving his best grimace and a loud hiss. Annie took the opportunity to stick her nose in his mouth to get a good sniff. We both freaked! After much corralling and yelling we managed to get Annie inside. The little guy continued to cling to the porch railing for awhile before scampering down the steps off into the foliage to disappear into the night.

Annie wanted to play! This is a big problem with her because she will approach any animal she sees. We were never afraid for the possum rather for her safety. Opossums are generally docile putting on a good show to protect themselves but Annie is our baby; we are always concerned.

Our visitor was the same size. (courtesy of Wikipedia)