In the Frog Pond, one expects to find...well, frogs. There is a myriad of other critters in there, as well. Dragonfly larvae, water bugs, snakes, toads and bunches of other aquatic creatures fill the pond. Today, one of the potted plants, a willow tree, had toppled over with the stiff winds. No problem. I would just reach in, right the plant and go about my merry way. One of the critters of the pond had other thoughts about my intrusion. A rather large fishing spider decided to hitch a ride on my arm while I was shuffling around with the willow tree. This did not bother me except for the fact that the spider decided to climb up my arm and into the baggy sleeve of the oversized T-shirt that I was wearing. Now a spider on the arm is one thing but a spider inside the shirt is quite another.
It was obvious that I could not shed the shirt in the middle of the yard so there was nothing to do but find the closest place to seek a bit of privacy. Luckily, that was the laundry room. It did not take long for me to peel off that shirt, ball it up and toss it on the back porch! Thankfully, I had not folded the laundry yet and a fresh, clean shirt was within reach. Oh, the things that happen on the Bayou! It all ended well, however. I managed to rid myself of the spider and stay relatively private while doing it. The spider came out of its adventure unscathed and was soon seen bouncing across the grass to the safety of the Frog Pond. What an experience!
I found out something this morning..dogs do whatever dogs want to do without regard of their human friends. Case in point..Ezzy. When I let her out to do her "business" this morning, she was nice and clean..when she came back inside..UGH! She had found something to roll in and get disgustingly smelly in the five minutes she was out the door. This does not surprise me as far as her finding something..after all we live on a bayou with lots of marsh. With marsh, there is always something smelly somewhere..dead fish dropped by the osprey,a stinkhorn toadstool or even just the marsh itself. Well, obviously she did not have to search long and hard to find the most putrid thing in the world to don as her perfume. Nasty! So I pulled out the hose, shampoo and towels and proceeded to give her a good scrubbing. One thing I can say about this dog, she does not mind taking a bath. She is trained to stand on the steps while I hose her down and then shampoo her. After that it is simply rinse and tell her to shake. Not a difficult job at all. The weather was not terribly cold so even that was in her favor. Still, by the time I finished, she was shaking like a leaf. I threw a towel on the floor next to the woodstove so she could warm herself. I figured all was finished now for a while except to apply medicine to a rash that she has on her stomach. No problem with applying, just a tad bit difficult keeping her from immediately licking off the goop. In comes Son..I asked his advice..he pondered. Aha! He bounds out of the room, only to return a few minutes later with one of his T-shirts. Confused, I just stare at him. I thought..well..maybe he plans on bandaging her stomach..but with a T-shirt?? The next thing I know, he has the shirt on the dog! Her collar has been expanded and turned into a belt..oh, my! I thought.."This is going to go over real well." You see, Ezzy is not one of those prissy little dogs that wears tutus. She is a