Home Invasion -- Avian Variety

I'm going to be lazy today -- copying and pasting a Facebook post about big adventures at Moogie's Manor last night. There's no telling what the background color will look like, so just pretend it's light blue:

We had quite the adventure last night! As Pep stepped out the front door to walk the dogs, I heard a strange noise and turned to see a little Nuthatch smacking repeatedly into the breakfast room window. From the inside! Bear in mind, it was well after dark -- who knows how long he had been in the house, or how he got in! I called for Pepper and he left the leashed dogs on the front porch to join the hunt. We finally trapped him in the laundry room, but he flapped behind the dryer. Pep used the pictured "bird-hunting tool" to chase him out while I opened the side door to the deck, and the poor little guy safely made his escape. When we opened the front door to go search for the dogs, there they were, sitting on the porch, staring at the door, quizzically, and really happy to see us. Ahhh, the fun never stops!



Don't you love the fishing net? Heh.

But now, I think the little bird was a Wren instead of a Nuthatch.

The dogs were really funny. They had the most puzzled looks on their faces!

And I'm really, really happy that he made it safely outside. You remember what having a bird in the house means.

I'm afraid to leave the door open now.

A Smidgen of This, a Smidgen of That, and a Heapin' Helping of BS

So.  It seems that the Congressional Ways and Means Committee released a few choice internal IRS emails today from Lois Lerner's government account. It would be an extreme understatement to suggest that the content indicates a "dislike" of Conservatives on Ms. Lerner's part. The HuffPo reports:

In one email, Lerner called members of the GOP crazies. In the other, she called them "assholes." The committee redacted the wording to "_holes" in the material it released publicly but a committee spokeswoman confirmed to the AP that the email said "assholes."

Congress and the Justice Department are investigating whether the IRS improperly scrutinized applications for tax-exempt status from conservative groups.

(See also The Daily Caller and The Daily Beast.)

Now, wait a minute. I thought Justice has declined to wade into this scandal. Yep. Justice is dragging its feet, arms, torso, and skull. House Judiciary Committee Chair noted (emphasis mine):

“Earlier this year, unnamed Justice Department officials leaked information to the Wall Street Journal suggesting that the department does not plan to file criminal charges over the IRS’s targeting of conservative groups,” he added. “On Super Bowl Sunday, President Obama stated that there was ‘not even a smidgen of corruption’ in connection with the IRS’s admitted targeting of conservative groups based upon their beliefs.”

I think there's more than a smidgen, a pinch, or a dollop of corruption and malfeasance on the Hill.  There are at least two participants in the communication released today, and it's unlikely that they're the only two who adhere to the opinion so eloquently expressed therein. There's clearly a whole culture of corruption and vengeance in the IRS, and they've already wielded the power of the Revenoors as a bludgeon. Does anyone really think, with a straight face, that the White House doesn't have at least nine fingers in this pie?

But, is it possible that these magic emails (and here I thought all Lerner's emails were lost, or corrupted, or stolen by aliens) will get Justice off the pot and force the appointment of a Special Prosecutor for the IRS scandal?

Unlikely.

Perhaps the media and the White House should be pounding on impeachment for Holder instead of Young President Impotent.

Maybe just a smidgen.

The Next Generation

It's beginning to look a lot like grandpuppies!

Hope she does all right and is a good little mama.

There's nothing like a Labrador puppy for cuteness.

Overload. Heading to the Deck.

So.

Human jackals are looting the crash site of the MalaysianAir passenger plane, shot down with missile fire by who knows.  There is escalated ethnic cleansing of Christians in Iraq by ISIS, without comment from the Obama administration.  On the same day, within hours of one another, two federal Circuit Courts issued conflicting rulings on Obamacare's individual mandate and premium subsidies, thus suggesting an expedited hearing by the Supreme Court on the law's future with a scary, unpredictable CJ Roberts in the fold. And my babiest baby has yet to recover emotionally from having to put her precious pup, Zeus, down.

And, it appears that chipmunks love to devour green cherry tomatoes.  Even those planted in containers. Alvin has ceased to be cute.

Have I mentioned how very peaceful is the view from my back deck when the trees are leafed out?

Thankfully.

Sage Advice

Dog Days heat has snuck up on us. Mid-90s with heat indices in the 105 range. That makes my brain go into sleep mode.

I can't think about the wave of  "migrants" poised at the border. I can't think about Lois Lerner skulking around DC, dodging a Contempt of Congress arrest warrant. I can't think about that guy who occupies 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. I can't think about the impending robo-call onslaught that's getting ready to crank up for the mid-term elections. I can't think about the colossal number of days we have left before football season. I'm glad I don't have to think about World Cup soccer anymore for four years (seriously, have you ever seen a wienier trophy?). I can't think about Mysti maybe being expecting. I can't think about having to squeeze into a swimsuit next week.

So, I guess I'll just post something amusing that I stole from Facebook:

Heh.

Independence Day 2014

Let us enjoy and celebrate our freedoms while we still can. Happy Independence Day to us all!

Family Vacay!

We had our very first "family" vacation in June!  The Son and his family weren't able to make it because they have other travel plans this month, so it was Pepper and me, the Daughters, the SsIL, and Grandsons 4 and 5.  We rented a 3 bedroom/3 bath house in Sandestin with a fully equipped kitchen, a covered porch, and a golf cart!!!! The golf cart might have been the biggest hit for the boys -- they loved to take rides around the property.

I take that back -- the pond (the house sat on the 17th fairway of a golf course) was by far the biggest hit because it was home to hordes of turtles!  And those were some of the pushiest turtles I've ever encountered! When they saw people coming outside, they flocked at water's edge, waiting for treats. Our family gave them Honey Nut Cheerios. Lots of Honey Nut Cheerios.  Elder Daughter even got them to eat out of her hand! (Elder Daughter had an early cocktail hour  that day.)

It was a grand time. We divvied up meal preparation and ate out once. Number 5, at just barely 12 months, might have been a little too young for much beach time, but #4 is a water baby. Moogie wound up doing most of the clean-up, but everyone pitched in at something.

One of the turtles (pronounced "tuuhr-tulls") found his way up to the porch. SIL#1 caught it on film:


A little breakfast time:

Beach fun:

Cleaned up boys on the beach:

After our restaurant meal at The Crab Trap on the Gulf:

You don't often have the blessing of making memories like these. We're tired. But happy.

And they're all coming to Moogie's Manor for Independence Day!

I think I might need a nap.