Growing Bolder Community

It's usually the sound of a large furry body hitting the patio door in frustration that tips me off to the gopher on the porch. This is the first year we've had him for a visitor. The usual suspects that raid the bird feeders are racoons and a fat squirrel that Bandit, the retriever, loves to chase off the porch. We have a whole routine going now. Starts with me spying the squirrel at the...

There was no end in sight to the household details to get to after my daughter's recent wedding, but as I stepped up to the kitchen sink, through the window I could see dozens of like-sized birds silhouetted against the light grey sky in a dead tree off to the side of the yard. I keep a pair of binoculars off to the side of the sink as an essential "kitchen supply" (and a bird guide handy in a...

Bandit made a "squirrel run" yesterday morning. That's what I call it when I look out the kitchen window at the bird feeder on the back porch railing, notice a familiar, very fat grey visitor with a luxurious tail dipping into my eight-dollars-a-five-pound-bag of hulled sunflower seeds, and whisper the magic words to my dog: "Hey Bandit, there's a squirrel!!" The squirrel's not a dumb fellow,...

To begin with, I was writing this blog right after Friday the 13th. I thought I posted it, but apparently I didn't hit the submit button or was interrupted. Anyway, on Friday the 13th I was washing dishes and was rinsing my last pot when the handle on the faucet broke off. I just couldn't believe it. Since my husband has been unable to do anything since he has been having muscle spasms in his...

She left the imprint of both her butt cheeks on the carefully rolled-out pie dough. White flour covered her backside . . . she had been SO naughty! The morning had started out innocently enough – Francine arrived at the bakery promptly at 6:00 am and started her morning ritual in the small kitchen – rolling out pie dough and baking pies. She had only been working about 15 minutes when...