Critters

I can't think of a more appropriate title.  It's not that there isn't a more appropriate title - it's just that it's been a long day and my head hurts - so this one will have to do.

On the recent to-do list I mentioned our plans to build a rabbit hutch... more of a rabbit condo... for our bunny, Leo.  At the moment he's mostly living in his little store-purchased wood hutch.  Poor Leo.  He's a big bunny and the hutch just gets smaller and smaller.  Literally.  Leo is a rodent.  He chews wood.  Who decided to make an all-wood bunny hutch anyway? Ugh.

So this afternoon I received some of the cage parts necessary for the construction of Leo's condo.  (Far be it for the local Lowe's to actually carry anything we might need.... Thank you, Internet.)  We haven't started yet but I have a strong suspicion that the bunny condo project will commence this weekend.

Today's near-constant rainfall is all there is to report otherwise.  The sludge that is our yard reminds me that this area is a swamp.... And lots of swampy critters have been coming out of hiding (lest they drown) for the past couple of days - turtles and salamanders and snakes and this guy:

He was hanging out under a cushion that I'd forgotten to get out of the rain.  I run into plenty of these fellas when I'm rooting around in the garden... And I just have to wonder - is this normal?  Seriously.  When you turn over rocks in your garden you find.. snails.. spiders... worms... doodlebugs...  turtles.. skinks... What about these?

I've lived here on the Gulf Coast my entire life - and some things I naturally take for granted.  The sound of seagulls before a storm... Pelicans on the front porch...  Sassafras leaves...  Catalpa worms... But as I get older - and with the influence of my non-native husband - I have begun thinking about what little day-to-day experiences are local, which are regional, and which are universal.

Roof & Hoot both have two O's

And that's about the only thing I can think of that might tie today's two stories together. Sorry.

Great Horned Owl Photo by Keith Skinner (http://bayouvisions.com)

But late last night - somewhere close to midnight (we went out to enjoy the rare 70-degrees-in-June weather)... Dave spotted something on our then almost-completed rooftop... At first he thought the roofers left something up there for tomorrow - then he called me over to look. I recognized it immediately -- our big spooky owl friend who frequents our yard on moonlit nights. I've seen it many times over the last couple of years since Katrina.. and heard it even more.... But usually he prefers to perch at the very top of our neighbor's willow tree where it hangs over our yard. This is the first time I've seen him actually sitting on our house.

Maybe he was inspecting the new roofing job... I hope he approves.

Today is no where near 70 degrees - as you can probably tell by the heat-haze swallowing the house in this photo taken earlier this afternoon.... BUT the roof is finally complete.

We need to do a thorough visual inspection before we settle payment with our contractors tomorrow... and I'll be sure to get some better pictures of the job between now and then for the blog.