Home again, home again, jiggety-jog

I'm back!!!!
I have returned home after a lovely and much needed holiday away......time away from the stress and worries of everyday life was a good tonic for the soul and psyche.
To be honest, I was missing my boy Brownie quite a bit, and I just wanted to be back home with him.
Alas, The Head Honcho and beautiful daughter did not seem to miss me at all, and I was greeted with some annoyed barking and low growling.....he was still upset with me for leaving him.

The Head Honcho was not pleased

Here he is playing the "I don't know you" game

"Where were you all the this time? Now you have the nerve to cruise back in here and announce "Brownie I'm back!"   "Brownie don't play that."

After a while, he started to warm up to me again, especially after I changed into my home clothes that had a scent that he knew.
It took the better part of the evening for him to fully come around.....he's been watching too much Judge Judy...he knows I was guilty, so he made me pay for my behaviour.

Well the house is still standing, and the Head Honcho obviously was ruling the roost while I was away....oh yes, and beautiful daughter did a good job while I was away.
Clearing the mailbox and watering the outdoor plants were not included in her tasks, so they were not attended to....oh my oh my.

The true Head Honcho

YES, something is up, but can you guess what it could be?
Why is this crazy girl labeling her plants "REAL"?  Has she gone completely bonkers now?
Maybe she was mad all along...after all some call her "The Mad Woman Jamming" when she is ever so busy.
What is really going on?

And what's with the all those frozen containers of food in the freezer?  What's going on?


Well everyone knows that preparation is the key to any successful undertaking. So here we have it in full force.
I will be away for a short period, and in the interim, my oh so beautiful daughter will be taking care of the household until I return.
Last year, she did not find it necessary to listen to my instructions, so she took it upon herself to water all the indoor plants, both real and artificial....this year I am taking no chances.

 I decided it may be better to make smaller tags (more discreet), in case her friends came over and queried the "why" and the "why not."  Peers can be so demanding.

Naturally, Mr. Brownie has to be fed and watered in my absence, so his meals have been carefully prepared , with a pre-planned menu, and stashed in the freezer.
We all know that he is the one who will really be in charge...the true Head Honcho.
I promise I'll be back real soon.

Did I do that???

After all the complaining about the rainy weather we had been having, the sun has returned in full force for the last two weeks, and it has been sweltering HOT....TOO HOT.
(Cue music to Kool & The Gang's "Too Hot.")
Couldn't even consider going into the garden after 9am, for even then it was HOT HOT HOT.
Sweat pouring down like a river, totally unbearable........everyone complaining again.
Can't please us weather wise at all.
The plants were suffering terribly, so I decided that I would quench their thirst.
I had just finished watering the garden, when who should come along but Brazen........and off Brownie ran behind him (with his foot still trying to heal properly).
Scrambling all through the freshly watered soil, trying to reach that darn monkey as he ran along the back wall.
When he eventually gave up, he came back inside dejectedly....poor thing.
Usually I would wash off his muddy paws before he comes inside, but this time I was distracted by a phone call, and by the time I was finished, the poor guy had tried to clean his paws, and the floor was a mess.


Did I do that????

Paw prints and clumps of mud.

He looked up at me when he saw me coming, probably thought I was going to admonish him for coming inside all dirty, but I just picked him up, and outside we went to the hose, and washed off the remainder of the mud.
He was very happy for the help, since the mud was caked thickly between his paws, and it was quite a pain to clean them on his own.
I got a thank you lick, and then he jumped up on my leg to have his head rubbed.
Clean dog, clean house, happy me = priceless.

Avocados? I think not

Every year, my neighbour's avocado tree is laden with the best tasting fruit around.
A nice creamy  mellow textured flesh, that eats like butter....the perfect accompaniment to a fresh salad.
I am the beneficiary extraordinaire......I always accept graciously when they are handed to me over the garden wall....."These are for you neighbour."......words I wait to hear all year.
It's avocado season, and I have refused to buy any from the wayside vendors or the supermarket, because I know from whence mine will come.
To my great dismay, I heard Brownie barking incredibly loud, and throwing a hissy fit yesterday afternoon.  Couldn't figure out what on earth was the matter, maybe the meter man had ventured too far from reading the meter, maybe a child had come in to retrieve a ball, maybe my other neighbour had friends over and they were making a racket on their patio.....maybe.......Brazen!!!

Yes, there was the criminal sitting in my neighbour's avocado tree, biting and throwing all of "my avocados" on the ground.
I gasped in disbelief.
My neighbour was not at home, and Brazen knew this, so no matter how much I tried to scare him away, he just sat and ate "my avocados" with the meanest look of contempt on his face.
How many avocados do you see left?
Avocados for me this year.....I think not.

Helen, I hope you read this, and take pity on me, your poor avocado-less friend.

My in-house decorator

Guess what?
I now have an in-house decorator.  I never thought in a million years that I would be able to afford such a luxury.  It's a free service from what I can tell. No formal contract was signed, so I have no idea when my good fortune will run out.
It's been a pleasure having him around........??????

This space is much too cramped........it defeats the purpose.

This isn't quite right either.

Aaaahhhhhh....this is just right.

He has re-arranged all of the terra cotta pots on the patio in various places......to positions where they are more "visibly enhanced".......obviously my eye for detail was lacking in this respect.
There seems to be some Feng Shui  involved as well.  My yin and yang were way off course according to him.  My space alignment is now perfect.
Thank goodness for my in-house decorator....what on earth would I do without him?