Seventh and Eighth Snakes of the Season - ALL IN ONE DAY!

Well. You certainly can't count on the economy these days.

And who knows what's the truth with those political ads.

And gas? Good heavens! If it's not a million dollars a gallon, then there isn't any to be found.

And weather? There's always a hurricane or tornado or monsoon somewhere these days.

And organic vs. cheaper vs. fortified...food is always a mystery.

But one thing you can count on?

A snake sighting at our house.

We saw this grass snake on the road outside our neighbor's house as we drove home today.

It appears to have just slithered out in the road and died. As in, no tire treads.

Don't you know the boys were fascinated and immediately showed their Nana (hi Janice!) when she came over for dinner tonight. I know my blogging audience wanted a clearer shot, so this is directly overhead.

It's probably about two feet long.
And then walking back to our house, we saw this baby grass snake which was pretty battered. I'm not sure if the two are related, but it's curious that they both slithered out and died on the same day.

Sixth-ish Snake of the Season

First of all, I miss my blogging, I miss my blogging, I miss my blogging! Oh, how work gets in the way of my blogging fun! On the flip side, I would blog if I had something to blog about (which is where work is cramping my style, I think). BUT, in this time of economic insanity, I'm not going to complain. Our bank account is going to be much happier once my paycheck arrives.

Secondly, congratulations Lori (hi Lori!) and Paul on their new addition to the family! A little fella - Jacob Charles (don't you love that name??) - after a passel of pretty little blonde girlies. Check out her blog for some very handsome pictures. Lori - sorry to attach this happy gram to a snake-themed post.

So, once again, I am taking up the mail and newspapers for our traveling neighbors and happen onto another snakeskin. In the exact same spot as before. Yum. Just what I'd like to come home to after a week away. It occurred to me as I was taking this picture that just possibly the former owner of the 55-inch (probable black snake) skin lives in this rock wall. Right around where their landscaper happened onto two copperheads (and immediately freaked out and neglected to permanently remove the snakes...).

Wedding Weekend

Alan and I went to Raleigh this weekend (thanks, Ron and Janice, for keeping the tots!) to celebrate the union of my dear friend Andrea with her precious honey Isaac. It was such a perfect weekend. Wonderful, crisp fall weather, sunny skies, and constant fun. This was the view from our hotel window on the 19th floor. We stayed at the Clarion Hotel in downtown Raleigh, which is this neat old, cylindrical hotel.
Oh my word. I'm hoping they are moving this fantastic house to my backyard. Isn't it amazing? So many beautiful old homes in that area. We saw this one as we wandered around trying to find the restaurant Andrea had suggested for breakfast...
...which was "Big Ed's". Home of the World's Largest Pancakes. Unofficially.

Alan was able to help me clean my plate.

Definitely a place to go for breakfast if you're in the area.We also went to the North Carolina History Museum. They have some special exhibit right now on the history of duck hunting in NC (???).

Complete with hunting garb to try out.

But see - it worked for Al. Check out the duck he bagged! It was also "Bugfest" weekend - some kind of festival hosted by NC State students. There were bee activities/tents everywhere.

And one very brave man who had honey bees all over his head and shoulders.

What will those crazy NC State folks think of next?The Triumvirate together again!

What a thrill to join Andrea for such a special day in her life. The wedding was small and intimate. I'm trying to think of a way to describe how special it was, but no words seem to suffice.

So, just know that it was really, really, really special and amazing.

Gorgeous flowers. Phenomenal wedding cake. Can you tell what it is? The old well on UNC's campus...right where they got engaged.And Andrea. What can I say? My girl was amazingly beautiful.

She is so, so deserving of this perfect day and even more so, of the loving, generous man she married. They are so well suited for each other. It will be a joy to get to know them as a couple even better and watch how the Lord blesses their marriage in the years to come.

Goin' to the Chapel

Well, that's for tomorrow. Tonight meant goin' to the park for a relaxed and fun rehearsal dinner of traditional southern fare: barbeque! Oh my. I am so, so excited for my dear friend! She is precious, and this is maybe going to be the most meaningful wedding we will have been to for a long time. No hoopla. There's something to be said for keeping it simple and small, you know? Andrea's not about being a princess like those brides you see on those shows (well, the ones I see on those shows...what draws me to those crazy bride shows???), although she will totally look like one. And she is certainly getting the great ending to the fairy tale. What a joy to be a part of her day!

Girlfriend

This is the good part about our suburban wilderness. We haven't seen any does for a while, although their hoofprints are always around. Unfortunately, the camera totally freaked her out, and she took off. To her benefit, we have many tasty weeds in our yard, so I know she'll be back.

Seventh Turtle of the Season

I was trotting out the door this morning to go grocery shopping and saw this little one on the cul-de-sac in front of our house. What a turtle-y year this has been! I don't know why we've seen so many turtles, but it's always so fun. This one had such an orange-y head and neck. Don't know if it's one we have seen before, but there is usually something kind of distinctive about each one - like "dirtiness" or shell "wounds" or something - that makes me think it's a different one. Alan says we need to mark them in some way so we know if we've seen it before, but I have no idea how to do this. Fingernail polish? Paint? Permanent marker??

New Neighborhood Pal

I was driving home on a road that, as the crows flies, is about 1/2 mile from our house. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something start to run across the road right in front of Bullet (you know, the minivan). At first I thought it was going to be a deer, but I quickly realized that, instead, it was a coyote. I saw one close to that area a year or so ago, but it was from a distance, and I wasn't sure if it was a coyote or a dog. Today's was definitely a coyote (above picture is not the one I actually saw). I stopped the car in the middle of the road (literally - I got so caught up in watching it that I ended up straddling the middle lane - how would I have explained that to Mr. Car Insurance Adjustor had there been an accident??) to watch it bound through the farmer's soybean field.

Memo to self: do not let S.S.P.Q.o.K. (Su Su Prettiness Queen of the Kitties) outside by herself to play anymore. Maybe not Michael either. He'd make a tasty coyote dinner, too.