This morning I was awakened to the sound of Frieda vomiting onto the bed, so I got up and was pleased to see it was easy to pick it up as it was shaped exactly like a dog turd.  Nothing wet so that was lucky.

Then I went downstairs to feed the cats and saw the most enormous internal organ from a rat lying among a smear of blood.  It was quite sad as there were rat footprints in the blood as the poor animal fought for its life.  Fortunately, it’s a tile floor so I could pick up the organ with a paper towel and then throw a wet rag on the blood and use my foot to wipe, then throw everything into the garbage.

And so the day began.  I went to Home Hardware for a rake and hose, and stopped at Rick’s Garden World where I found some beautiful container-sized dahlias.  I came home and felt the urge to garden so headed out with the dogs.  I decided to start with the barberry bush that Kathy bought me as it needed something behind it, and that’s when I saw the large dead rat decaying in the garden bed.

I guess at times the cats eat the rats, but other times maybe they just beat them up, kill them, and leave them as some type of sign for the other rats.  I had to get a shovel and plastic bag and heave the carcass into that and then into the rodent-filled garbage can. I wonder where all of those damned rats live.

As you know Luke and Jan now live with mom in Osoyoos, so for Mother’s Day Jan made a delicious Thai soup and I made the main course of buffalo chicken wing lasagne and salad.  I made a four-layer chocolate cake for dessert.  All of it was eaten with a great deal of glee.

They seem to be settling in because it’s understandable it takes time for everyone to get used to each other’s peccadilloes.  I would be a poor candidate for any of that as witnessed by the cute little signs I bought for mom and myself, and which say My Way or The Highway with arrows pointing in opposite directions.

I wonder how long this will continue but I still don’t have the well hooked to my house. I suppose one day you’ll be reading hey guess what, I have well water.  But for now, stay tuned on the well project.

Awhile ago I was browsing the Hall Road Facebook page and noticed someone needed a job done, and another resident answered, you need to contact Carl Whitler.  I went hey, I need to contact him as I have a long list of things I need done around here.  I sent him a message and he came over and I said to him, so what can you do, and he replied, “everything.”

Imagine the joy!  We started with re-roofing my little shed, went to the installation of a range hood, and then onto the installation of blinds in my bedroom.  He’s currently working on replacing my rotten deck with some type of vinyl decking which I told him can only be done in small increments given the enormous cost of that product.

And so the joys and horrors of pet and home ownership continue on Hall Road, pretty much unchanged.