I have been having trouble with my computer for the last couple of months so I haven't been able to post any updates on my blog. Today I decided to turn it on to check the status and was surprised to see that for some reason it is up and running. Whoo hoo! So ...I will post as much as I can in the time that it gives me before it crashes again!
Copper had a little bit of excitement this summer. He can add one more notch to his dog collar for yet another critter caught in the back yard. This time it was an armadillo which I believe is the official mascot for the state of Texas. I heard lots of barking and commotion early one morning and when I went out to see what he was up to I could tell he had something cornered in the backyard. On closer inspection I was shocked to see a good sized armadillo burrowed into the corner by our fence. I was able to convince Copper to come inside and chill in the laundry room for awhile to give the armadillo a chance to calm down and escape.
Several hours later ...the critter was still there so Gary and I got a couple of shovels to try to encourage him to leave already. The poor thing was really wedged in there and there was no getting him out. You may have heard that armadillo's are a natural carrier of leprosy. It's really true and was confirmed by my vet who told us to avoid coming into contact with it. Surprisingly there are no records of dogs catching leprosy from armadillos.
After many unsuccessful attempts to try and pry the armadillo out of the hole he had dug himself into I remembered ahhhh ...the secret weapon! Oh yes, just ask any possum in Sugar Land and he'll tell you all about it. I advised Gary to stand back as I turned on the spray attachment on my garden hose and let the poor thing have it. Yep he flew out of there like a Chinese rocket. Course he headed straight for my picket fence and into my vegetable garden. Yikes! Gary ran around to the side yard and between the two of us we kept scaring him back and forth under the side fence until Gary was able to scoop him up in his shovel and toss him in the back of his truck.
Notice the 'bite" marks and scratches courtesy of Copper)
He told me to stand guard while he ran in for his keys so it couldn't escape then we would drive him somewhere out in the country and release him. I'm thinking sure ...easy what can happen? He isn't that tall ...no way is he climbing out of there. WRONG! That critter was flying all over the bed of the truck, scrambling up the side with his long claws. It was hand to hand combat and he nearly won. (Well ...shovel to claw combat!) He was strong! Luckily Gary came out just in time and threw the recycle bin over him. That seemed to calm him down long enough for us to make a get away. We were laughing as we were driving along thinking ...what if it gets out and jumps out and lands on the windshield of the car behind us? It would totally freak someone out and cause an accident. Kind of like the scary stories we used to tell at girl's camp: "The Claw"! Speaking of claws ...check out the toe nails on this guy:
Catch...
........and release!
The Scottish version of bowling 
Overlooking one of the many beautiful Locks (lakes) in Scotland.
A reenactment at the William Wallace memorial 
Whitney is wearing our clan scarf.
The sign Gary is standing by is warning of the dangers of death if you climb over the fence! Alrighty then.
I loved this little flower garden. It was so beautiful!
The beach by St. Andrew's golf course.
An Abbey surrounded by an ancient cemetery.
Castles, castles, and more castles
More to follow ....