Way too much nature...

On a rainy, cool night in September, this chick has had about enough of nature.

I already told you about the mouse. (Yes, I'm in denial, and keeping the word "mouse" in the singular...)

Well, tonight I needed to walk a letter down to our mailbox, where the mailman will pick it up tomorrow when he sees the raised flag. So, I turned on the entryway lights, and stopped...there were two raccoons in the courtyard. They sauntered off, slowly, but I could tell that I didn't scare them at all.

I waited a half hour, leaving the light on. As I put on my crocs to cross the dreaded brick courtyard to the mailbox, I could hear the howls of coyotes in the back yard. They sounded close. I imagined that they were feasting on raccoon...and opened the door.

I braved it into the soggy night, and just barely missed stepping on a HUMONGOUS toad. No, I'm not exaggerating. There he sat right dab in the middle of the brick pathway. I jumped over him, hoping against hope that he would not feel the urge to jump at the same time. He didn't. He just stared and blinked.

I hurried down the driveway and deposited the letter, all the while wondering if coyotes eat toads. As I leapfrogged the...frog...my pace quickened and I dashed in the door. Boomer looked at me and yawned...he had not seen any of it. A lot of good he is!

As I sat down in the living room I spied a wasp on the wall. Smashed him like a bug. He didn't stand a chance after my evening in the wilderness of Greendale.