I Live In a Zoo

So apparently I live in a zoo.

You already know about my adventures with Fudgie the cat (she isn't being evil today).

My other adventures started on Wednesday. I was walking to work and in the field I saw this animal. My first thought was, "Why is a raccoon out during the day?" and then realized it was no raccoon. Then I thought, "Beaver? Woodchuck? What does a woodchuck even look like?" I reached into my purse to take a picture and then it disappeared (the animal, not my camera).

I asked Adam about it later and he said it was a groundhog. (Which I learned from my best friend Google that a woodchuck and groundhog are the same thing.)

On Friday when I was walking through the field to work I saw it again! Just sitting there eating a pear that fell from the pear tree.

There it is!


Isn't he cute??? He is my new friend the groundhog.

He let me take a couple pictures of him before he ran off into his home.

His home is apparently our pump house. But he isn't hurting anything. And he is cute. And we don't use the pump house. So February 2, you are invited to gather outside our pumphouse to see about spring!

Then came Friday night. When I encountered some more animals that are not so welcome.

Adam and I were cleaning up in the kitchen when suddenly we heard a commotion outside and the stupid raccoons were trying to break into the garbage can! Adam said he needed his Maglite. I said he needed his Glock.

They were actually getting the lid off. Stupid smart raccoons!

On Saturday, a friend came by with her Greyhound. While the Greyhound was outside with Adam and we were walking around the house, Charcoal (one of the outside cats) came mosey-ing up to the house. The dog gave a bark and the cat went up the tree!

Adam said he had never seen her move that quickly! She stayed up there for quite some time. I think I would pay to see that happen again! The outside cats are pretty nice. Charcoal is friendly and Meower (I know. I know. I didn't name her) is too, she is just more shy.

Then came Saturday night. We were hosting my nephew's 6th birthday party and as we were getting ready to go open presents, someone looked out the backdoor. And there on the steps, where the cat food is, sat a raccoon. Eating all the food.

I opened the sliding door thinking he would go away, but he didn't. He let me take several pictures.

Then I yelled thinking I would scare him.

Not so.

He just kept on eating.

So then I walked outside and he looked up at me.

And then kept eating.

Then I walked closer and yelled and he scrambled to finish the food and then ran away.

Stupid raccoons. They are so bold!

So....

I live in a zoo. Cats, raccoons, woodchucks, oh my!

Fudgie the Evil Cat

So, I don't really have time to be posting and I'm running late.

And it has been forever. Hello blog!

But I just had to post about my morning.

Backstory is Fudgie the oh so cute cat hates me. We really just coexist sometimes. But some days she likes me and is all, "oh....Stephanie. I love you. Rub my belly. Oh. This is the best!" and then she will suddenly turn and start hissing at me. The other day she was minding her own business and so was I when she sought me out and came and hissed at me. For no reason. Stupid cat. I mean. Seriously. I have to clean up her hair from all over the house. Like I don't have anything better to do? And then she is going to hiss at me???

We don't allow her in the bedrooms because I still have a slight cat allergy and I just don't want her hair all up in the bedrooms.

Well of course that makes her want to get in the bedrooms more than anything in life. Usually she will try to mosey on in if the door is left open a crack but if you walk over there, she will run away.

Not this morning. This morning she tried to sneak in. When I walked over there instead of running AWAY, she ran IN! And then hid under the bed. And I had to go and finish getting ready for work, but she was under the bed. And wouldn't come out. Normally if you go by her, she knows she isn't supposed to be in there, so she will leave. Again...not today. She probably knew Adam was gone and that she didn't have to listen to me. Because she LOOOOVES Adam.

So there I am, crawling around on the floor of the bed trying to shoo her out with my pants first (yes, I had no pants on) and then a slipper that looks like a toucan. And all she would do is hiss at me and go to the other side under the bed.

So then I was mad.

So there I am trying to shoo her with my toucan slipper and yelling, "You are a NAUGHTY cat! You are bad! You are a bad naughty cat! Go away!".

It really makes for a fun morning.

And I think she ran out. But I can't find her now. And I shouldn't care. But I do worry about her. Even if she is Fudgie the Evil Cat.

Eat Pray Love Review

I just recently finished reading Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I hadn't really been interested in reading it, but then when the movie came out, my rule got enacted: "Always read the book before seeing the movie". So I read the book. It actually took me a little while to read the book because I just wasn't really into it. Well, parts of it I was. I probably enjoyed about 2/3 of the book. I don't really know if I would say I *liked* it or not.

Overall, I really liked her writing style and her sense of humor. Her sarcasm and irony definitely made me laugh. I enjoyed reading about her trip to Italy most. Probably because I would love to go to Italy and I agree that the ability to eat whatever you wanted every day in terms of pasta would be amazing! I also liked most of the part of Bali (Indonesia). It was India (in the middle) that got to me. Or actually didn't so much get to me. I just wasn't into the section about India. The humor and interesting stories were put aside for deep discussions about meditation. Not really something I am interested in. The theory of what she learned about meditation and her journey through meditation is interesting, but I just simply found myself bored of page after page describing her meditation sessions. That was the roughest part to get though (for a book I was reading for *pleasure*) but then Indonesia redeemed the book quite a bit!

Would I recommend this book? Sure. If it was someone who was looking for something a little more spiritual who seems like they would be interested in the meditation aspect of it. If someone was looking for a light, quick, fun, read, I probably wouldn't.

Am I glad I read it before seeing the movie? Definitely. I always am. Now I just need to add the movie to my queue so I am ready when it comes out.

Did you read this book? Did you like? What were your thoughts? Am I lame for not liking India???