Happy S'more Day!

Today is National S'more Day!  I got an e-mail (who knows how) with that news this morning.  Check it out!  You can learn the history to it.

Anyway, I'm in charge of the garden for the weekend again.  Yesterday, during the afternoon, I thought I'd go for a little run in between turning waters on.  So I decided to take a try down this road (Flat Creek) because I thought it would be flat and a different route.  In my head, I was weary of cougars for some reason.  Maybe the neighbor calling and saying there's been more siting of them.  As I'm running down this new road, I jump as a lizard scurries into the bushes.  I told myself, it's just a lizard, not a cougar...don't worry.  Not even a minute later, a dog appears trotting my direction..then he speeds up...crosses the streets right towards me.  I honestly thought I was about to be in a horrific fight with a dog; it was a bit terrifying for a few seconds.  It happened so fast I don't remember what I was screaming, maybe help? because I'd seen 2 men right before, but the dog was barking and growling at my feet.  I tried to put my hands at my ankles to protect my body and maybe hold him back from biting me.  Thankfully its owner got the dog to come back.  They were really sweet and apologized and said he's very protective.  Not many runners around here, so I'm sure the dog was a bit weary of this person running near their house.  I went over and pet the dog then to let it know I was no threat in case... I run that road again.....yeahhhhh, right :)

I'm reading a book called Second Nature by Michael Pollan right now.  I'm reading about the history of Americans lawns and how many Americans view nature and culture as two separate things.  But the garden is a place where we can create a connection and some balance between the two.  As he writes about his new experiences with woodchucks, I think about the gophers...the gophers.  They have been making lots of tunnels under the beds and eating the veggies.  At least it's a sign that they're good!  But anyway, our new possible tactic is placing golf balls in the beds.  Hopefully the gopher will try to go for it, and realize it's not food..and maybee leave and go somewhere else, thinking the food is gone.  We can only hope.

I've got some garden work to do today...transplanting and weeding, and raking more leaves to the chickens. I'm working alone, but thankfully I've got Hobbes to protect me.  Maybe he'll even do his little butt dance ...