We go out to our garden, and check for snails on various plants, esp. the lemon tree. We pick our contenders. After watering the racetrack, we place the snails in a line with a goal in mind, usually the top of a nearby pot. And they’re off!

Racing snails is similar to cats…they take naps, go the wrong way, turn around a lot. So it can be quite exciting…you never can tell who will win.

Lucy put on a cat show last night. She made a podium out of some boxes, and the three of us judged the cats. Since there was a tie, madame had the deciding vote on the winners.

Here is the winners circle…little grey checked kitten won first prize, followed by yellow kitten and Jiji. Notably absent was…

Here’s one located on an island, reached by a bridge. (Note the mice floating on cake islands.)

The other day we built a house for the mouse family which reminded me of the Guggenheim museum, hence the title of this post:

The mouse family inside their new house, they also got some furniture this build:

An overview shot, and a clue to how long it lasted:

He endures from her things which he would never tolerate from anyone else…like being dressed in hats and covered in blankets.

He has seen her grow from a tiny baby, and it seems he knows her vulnerability, and that she is little, and still growing.

He loves to play with her, and when she is asleep, he often sits next to her, watchfully, or if it has been a very long nap, prods her to wake up so he can play with her.

He rarely bites or scratches, unless he is really provoked. It takes a lot to get him to do it, and she almost always deserves it.

Even when he is napping, he always seems to have an ear cocked listening for her. The vet says this is the kind of interaction that will keep him young, keeping his mind active and occupied.

So here’s to you Wubie, the very patient cat!

Lucy playing (large version) from Jill C on Vimeo.

We were reading one of Lucy’s fave books, Father Christmas by Raymond Briggs, when Lucy decided it was about time to write her letter to Father Christmas.

We got out her letter-writing kit, and with some prompting, she dictated to me:

Dear Father Christmas,

I like your reindeer. I would like a train set. And Wubert would like a dry towel.

(The dry towel being for after he got out of the tub and was a “soggy moggy.”)

I left the room for a moment, and when I came back, she had started to write another letter in her own hand. So I left her to it.

She used all the stamps on her letter, just in case.

A bit later I wandered back in to see Wubert in the midst of creating his own letter. I suspect he did not want a dry towel after all…and was making his wishes known.

We sent the letters out the next day. We’ll keep an eye on the post and report any interesting mail.

Grass Valley Visit from Mike C on Vimeo.

We spent last weekend with Tom and Karen in Grass Valley. This is the (25 minute!) video. Some highlights:

• Lucy playing in the “ladybug pool”
• Lucy, Tom, and Karen putting on a talent show
• Lucy saying “Hi” to her Auntie Janie
• Lucy finding frogs while exploring a creek

For pics, please refer to Jill’s post.

Music:

• ‘”Mose Rager Blues” from Country Guitar Thunder by Merle Travis & Joe Maphis
• “Words Unspoken” and “Tin Roof” from The Crow—New Songs For The 5-String Banjo by Steve Martin
• “Gone” from Guitar Country by Chet Atkins
• “Understand Your Man, “Catch the Wind“, and “Blowin’ in the Wind” from More of That Guitar Country by Chet Atkins
• “Ground Speed” from Foggy Mountain Banjo by Flatt & Scruggs
• “Black Mountain Rag” from The Essential Chet Atkins by Chet Atkins

Below are some pics from our visit.

Lucy and Gma share a secret…

Wheeling the “quad” around the kitchen…after this she opened every cupboard and drawer, took out pots and pans to play with, and measuring cups to sort.

She loves playing with the great variety of toys at their house, courtesy of her bigger cousin, especially the quad (above) and the drum. She wheeled all over the house and the yard, and serenaded us with drumming each morning.

At the park on the slide with Daddy; Gpa poses by the double helix ladder.

Lucy got to see her first riverbed up close…

and wade in the water.

She also got to touch a tiny toad…and a much bigger one.

Unfortunately my camera fell in the water just after this small toad, so the big toad will just have to wait for Mike’s fabulous video footage!

Thanks to Gma and Gpa for their generous hospitality and a wonderful weekend!

One warm August night a few weeks ago, Mike pointed out a big, stripey bug on our front porch. None of us had ever seen anything like it!

So we looked up the big bug, and found out it was a June bug.  This site said:

Ten-lined June beetle Polyphylla decemlineata Family  Scarabaeidae

Identifying Features: Large size, brown and white stripes, silky hairs on sides.

This impressive beetle is most readily seen in July and August as the males fly about in search of females. They are attracted to night lights, and the large parking lights of a store complex can be swarmed with these.  The males antennae are large and antler like, and they are used to sniff out the scent of females. This beetle lives as a larvae in the soil for three years before coming an adult and during this time it eats roots, which does not endear them to tree crop growers.  The adults feed on conifer needles during their brief life above ground and also can feed on walnuts or apple tree leaves. If you dare to pick up one of these beetles it will probably make a loud wankkkk sort of squeak, kind of like a toy baby doll.

Lucy, braver than any of us, proclaimed she was going to pick it up to see if it would squeak…but in the end, didn’t do it.

I think she’ll stick to ladybugs.

when we were browsing Golden Books.