And the score is: Jim 5-- Gophers 0

The battle continues. This one was particularly large, although we have yet to meet the 14" one referred to on a Univ of California website about the Western Pocket Gopher. The daily trap check revealed this well-fed specimen who was eating the alstroemeria roots in the flower bed around one of the almond trees in front. But it seems so pointless- we know the orchards around the house are packed with the little eating machines, so our killing a few will not make a big difference in the grand scheme of things. But it sure makes us feel better! And by the way, traps seem to be the only thing that works. Forget the Juicy Fruit.

Generation Gap

'nuf said.

EXPELLED

Mary, Curt Pernice, and I went to see EXPELLED last night. All I can say is that it is a MUST SEE for all Christians.

The movie really shows how the scientific atheists and agnostics in academia are trying to kill academic freedom regarding Intelligent Design. If you don't agree with them, you are EXPELLED!

I did not think I would like the movie after watching the extended trailer - wrong! The movie moves very quickly and is quite interesting.

A Christian Seder

This is the Seder we held last Saturday. The Hebrew word Seder means order and was instituted by the Lord through Moses to commemorate the Passover in Egypt. There are so many Christian allusions in the service that it is really wild.

Everyone had a lot of fun and the dinner was really good. Mary cooked a leg of lamb, and potatoes, Lois made a kugel (a dense casserole of noodles, vegetables, onions, and eggs), Denise brought a salad, and Tina made a really great chocolate moose!

The Seder plate has six “compartments” that remind us of Passover in Egypt. The six compartments are: 1) Betzah, or roasted egg – this reminds us of the sacrifices brought to the Temple; 2) Chazeret or bitter herbs – part of a commandment to eat bitter herbs; 3) Z’roah or shankbone – this reminds us of the paschal lamb sacrificed for the Passover; 4) Charoset – made from apples, walnuts, cinnamon, and sweet wine – reminds us of the mortar used in making bricks in Egypt; 5) Maror or bitter hers that remind of slavery in Egypt; and 6) Karpas (usually parsley) and is dipped in salt water to remind us of tears shed by the Jewish people.

Polydactyl Feline Pedicure

So what do you do when the vet asks. "Do you think you could soak her feet once a day?" . After you laugh at her, you say- "sure, we'll try". Sassy, our (Liz' actually) venerable 15 yr old cat with 24+toes (6 per foot) has developed nail bed infections from not being outside and her nails getting too long. So after a week of 2 different antibiotics, she still wasn't better, so we are trying this and a new medication. Needless to say, it is not the high point of either Sassy's or my day.

We THOUGHT we knew what the weather was like

Ok- we will admit- the climate is a bit different up north. Especially this year. This is a picture taken last night (yes, April 18) in Lynnwood- the town next to Brier where we will be living. Guess we will take those skis with us.

Birdy Blogs

Seems like this is the week for bird-blogs. So I had to add ours. We have a thistle sock outside the office window, and I refilled it with fresh seed yesterday. We have at least 3 pairs of finches gorging themselves. Then this afternoon, a hooded oriole showed up to visit, too. Too bad it is a male, otherwise we should introduce it to SixInOurCrew's. He might enjoy meeting Mr. Wobbles, too!

April 15th At Last

The last return is delivered to the client and e-filed. Another tax season done! And yes, I will continue this craziness next year in Washington.

An Explanation

Just for all you people who were curious as to the reason for the title "Yes, we know what the weather is like.." When we were in Seattle last week house hunting, I think EVERYONE we met who heard we were relocating there asked us, "Do you know what the weather is like here?" One man even told me that if a transplanted Californian complains about the rain, he just points south and says, "California is that way." Hmmm- most people were much friendlier than that!

And what do I do with the Juicy Fruit Gum???

We are sort of settled in our temporary lodgings here on the other side of town. A sweet little house with 1 1/2 acres of gophers, and no visible predators. Where are all the hawks, owls and coyotes over here? We've seen none in 1+ month. And our great hunters are still too afraid to go outside for more than 5 minutes at a time. So we are trying the gopher bombs, bait and thanks to my sister, Juicy Fruit gum. You are supposed to partially chew it and put it down the hole, and the gopher eats it and gets all "gummed up" inside and dies. Sounds awful, but I have no sympathy for these rodents.

10 Minutes from Trader Joe's

Yes- this is the house we have rented. On 1 1/2 acres, 1/2 hour north of the city and much larger than we need. But the Lord worked it out through a connection of our daughter's father-in-law, and we are moving on June 15th. It has a mother-in-law unit with plenty of room for guests. Please come- we will miss you all! And yes, Wade, it has a riding mower for all that lawn!