Frannie the Crazy Brittany

This is my other well loved, spoiled dog. Isn't she beautiful? She requires a lot of attention and loves nothing more then to be in your lap with her head on your shoulder....being petted. Frannie thinks she is a lap dog...she weighs about 55lbs, and is four and a half years old. Even though she loves to play she is also very laid back.

In this picture she is saying, "ok, are you going to throw the ball already?"

So, Sherry is having a 1000th sale giveaway

I have coveted this beautiful map jewelry ever since I saw them. While I hate telling the rest of the world...since I want to win one...I must, since it gets me another entry in her contest.

Now, if you really like me you will visit the So,Sherry Blog comment and IF you win....send the necklace to me....

Only kidding (seriously)

Hospice of the Valley Thrift Shop

Whenever I find myself in downtown Phoenix, Camelback and 7th Ave, I always stop at the Hospice of the Valley Thrift Shop. There's always cool stuff to be found and they get new stuff everyday. Here's one of the items I saw there. I have no need for it, but thought I'd post it here in case anyone in the area is looking for one. The price on it is $150 and the volunteer said there is a piece missing, but neither she, nor I know what that piece is. I have some other pictures...so if you're interested in seeing them, let me know.

Tonight's Sky

Tantilla Nigriceps

Or, what I found in my studio yesterday...common name...
Plains Black Headed Snake

If you read a few posts back you will understand how I feel about snakes.

I picked up a box lid from the floor of my studio and I was stunned by seeing this snake. I think it was stunned as well. We both froze, then I screamed, then it slithered behind one of my wardrobes. So the next thing I did was grab my camera, changed the lens out to my zoom lens...so I wouldn't have to get too close. I waited a while for him to peek out....out came his tiny head, then ever so slightly his body. I aimed the camera and he immediately slithered back. As I stood there very still with the camera ready he came all of the way out and I snapped pictures. He then decided to go back into his hiding spot. Now that I had pictures the next step was to get him out of my studio.

During all of that I had called my hubby, he didn't answer so I text messaged him and told him what was happening and I thought I was going to die....he was in Tucson working, no way he was going to make it home to help me...I was on my own.

I'll talk about this in another post, but my remedy for most anything creepy/crawly is tape. I took a piece of packing tape attached it to the opening of a box with the sticky part up. I placed it as precisely as I could believing he would take the same path as previously. He did, but he was so small he was able to get past the tape and into the hall. Uh oh. I had another box sitting against a wall about 3 feet away and he went under it. Thinking quickly I moved everything that was around that box, I grabbed an empty fedex box and tore off the flaps then a piece of cardboard. I moved the box he was under very quickly, put the fedex box on the floor in front of him holding the other end so that the open end was pushed down in the carpet and guided him into the box with the other piece of cardboard.

WOW I had him and I was still alive!!! He's about 4 inches long and about as round as a pencil. At about that same time hubby calls and I tell him what I've accomplished. He says, "well, put it in something so I can see it when I get home." I tell him that I have it in a box and it will be outside. The box didn't have a lid...so I told him that I would put it in a plastic container with a lid. He says, "put holes in the lid so it can breathe." BREATHE!!!....I can hardly breathe after all of that. Then I took pictures of it in the container.

Hubby came home, looked at it for a while (I know he had thoughts of keeping it...but he knew better) and then he took it to the back of our property and freed it...with a warning not to come back to the house!

My wish is to never see a snake again in my life....there have been too many encounters this year...but if I do happen upon another and have my camera I'll be sure to let you all know!

and, to the person/s who helped me identify this snake....thank you!

Pet Holiday

My Brussels Griffon is ready for a holiday...