All Play And No Work...

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As Eva and I began one of our strolls around the pool she suddenly became quite agitated, jumping and prancing at the pool's corner, then she plunged her muzzle down into the water. When I looked down I saw she was wrapping her jaws around a hapless ground squirrel that had fallen into the pool and could not get out. It looked like a drowned rat but it was still struggling to swim and scrabbling at the corner, trying to climb up and out of the highly chlorinated water.

Of course, I hauled back and pulled Eva (snarling and growling and completely outraged at me) awau -- I was glad she was on the leash. If Eva had been running free, the pitiful fur-matted critter would have been deceased and an early lunch for the excitedly cavorting canine.

After taking Eva back inside the house, I rescued the weakening varmint by fishing it out of the pool with a push broom, to which it clung (until I could carry it over to the gate) and let it out into the outer patio, freeing it to the adjacent desert floor... to its home.

These creatures wreak havoc on plants, digging holes that go down to the roots of flowers, cacti, and other plants. But I could not bring myself to kill it, or to maim it and then leave it to be captured and eaten by the coyotes and other predators -- guess I'm just an old softie...

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We play tug-o'-war with a knotted chew-toy

That's my left hand at the bottom

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Here's another shot

She's growling deep in her throat now

Eva is only a pup, being only a couple years old. She keeps me hopping... keeps me on my toes... keeps me active.

The 7/6/2010 photo of new pink blossom bud

The blossom is pale pink but appears white in the camera flash

Sorry 'bout that.

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My newest vocabulary word is:
bibliolatry --
noun:
1. Excessive devotion to the Bible, especially to its literal interpretation.
2. Extreme devotion to books.

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