Tag: groundhog

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31 Days of Joy: Day 26 – Chasing Mr. Groundhog

Michele Kearns

I slept all night.  It was a great night’s sleep, one desperately needed after working 48 hours last week. Upon rising, I fed and watered Rommie, ate breakfast, skipped church, and went to Petco.  After I got home, I moved the computer and lapdesk to my bed and started working on the lessons from the online Business and Marketing Writing course I am taking.

Naptime was around 1:30ish and lasted until approximately 4:50 when the burglar alarm (Rommie) went off. She was at the sliding glass door barking and jumping up and down while looking in the direction of our neighbors. I thought they were outside and Rommie wanted to say hi.  I asked her why she was barking like that at the neighbors.

I opened the sliding glass door and she jumped off the deck into her yard and ran faster than a speeding bullet towards the neighbor’s brown fence. It was then I gasped and held my breath.

You Would Think…

Rommie (golden retriever) has lived with me for 12 years. During that time she caught a bunny, chased numerous kitties that roam the neighborhood, pulled out 2 5-week old kittens from under the deck, and had 3 encounters with the black kitty who has a white stripe down his back.

So you would think that I would learn to look at what she is barking at before opening the door…but nooooo.

The Invader

What captured her attention was Mr. Groundhog.  Instead of being by the fence at the back of Rommie’s yard, he was up close to the house.

I silently prayed for Mr. Groundhog to outrun Rommie and slide under the gate before she caught him while visions of a trip to the emergency vet danced in my head.

Luckily, Mr. Groundhog did slide under the gate to safety. Rommie might be 12 and have hip dysplasia but that did not stop her from chasing Mr. Groundhog.

Here are some old pictures of Mr. Groundhog. There simply was not enough time to grab the camera and take pictures today.

"Hmm, where is that crazy golden?"
“Hmm, where is that crazy golden?”
"Should I or Shouldn't I"
“Should I or Shouldn’t I”

 

"See Ya!"
“See Ya!”

Thank you God for Rommie not catching Mr. Groundhog.

Weekend Wisdom

Weekend Wisdom: Forgive One Another + A Homework Assignment

Michele Kearns

 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

Luke 23:34

The weak can never forgive.  Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.  

Mahatma Gandhi

To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.  

Lewis B. Smedes

“Forgiveness – The Power to Change the Past,”

Christianity Today, 7 January 1983

  

Forgiveness is a funny thing.  It warms the heart and cools the sting.  

William Arthur Ward

Always forgive your enemies – nothing annoys them so much.  

Oscar Wilde

Forgiving is love’s toughest work, and love’s biggest risk.  If you twist it into something it was never meant to be, it can make you a doormat or an insufferable manipulator.  Forgiving seems almost unnatural.  Our sense of fairness tells us people should pay for the wrong they do.  But forgiving is love’s power to break nature’s rule.

Lewis B. Smedes

And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

Mark 11:25

Homework

Now here is your homework assignment:

Forgive the groundhog if he saw his shadow.         😉

 

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Rommie & Michele’s Backyard Safari Adventures – Invasion! (Part 2)

Michele Kearns

Last week’s post, dealt with the squirrel that invaded Rommie’s backyard but she was too busy with her tennis balls to notice.  I figured the squirrel was a spy.  Well, now we know who the squirrel was spying for – the groundhog!

He invaded the yard a few days after the squirrel.  In fact he was back a couple days ago. (more on that later)

Here he is looking up at the sliding door, checking to see is Rommie is around.

“Hmm, where is that crazy golden?”

Here he is contemplating whether or not he should run from the paparazzi     😉

“Should I or Shouldn’t I”

“Between the threat from the golden and from the paparazzi – I’m out of here!”

“See Ya!”

Epilogue

Rommie’s BFF, the beagle next door, killed a ground hog last weekend.  Rommie and I thought it was the same one who invaded our yard, but we found out this past Thursday it was not.  Our groundhog came back.  He was in his spot just below the little hill when Rommie and I came home from the vet.

I did my normal thing and let Rommie out.  As she was going potty, she looked back at me and then towards the fence. It was only then that I saw our groundhog.  Uh Oh,    “Danger, Will Robinson!”

Sure enough Rommie took off and cornered him by the gate.  I was yelling at Rommie to back off.  I could just see her getting scratched  and us having to make another trip to the vet.

She finally back off a little and he backed up and slide out under the gate.   Whew!  Emergency vet bill avoided.  That was close!

Next Week

Stay tuned for the further backyard safari adventures of Rommie & Michele.