Getting up early, and later hunting a coon

*WARNING: Picture of a dead raccoon below*

We have just been trying our darndest to stay cool in this heat. It's been in the high 90's or low 100's for over a week now. Really glad we have that pool! *smile* In fact, we (the whole family) just got through swimming a little bit ago. And yeah, it felt GOOD.

Don't really know what else to say. I'm feeling alright, although I definitely feel better when I'm not roasting to death. *grin* I tend to stay inside most of the day, except for quick excursions to do things outside that aren't too labor intensive or take too long. Yes, we have an air-conditioner, one in the livingroom window, but when it's as hot as it has been, it struggles to keep the livingroom in the low 80's, but when it's 104 outside like it was today (and the last several days), 80 feels really good. *smile*

Rain and the kids are doing well too. Dear Son has become a night owl and usually doesn't go to bed until after 2-3 a.m., lately even later (around 5 or 6 a.m.). Don't know why he won't go to sleep any earlier. *sigh* He started sleeping in the livingroom several months ago when he was sick, and just hasn't moved back into his bedroom, mostly because Dear Daughter confiscated it. So now we have to decide whether to get her to move BACK upstairs, or just have Dear Son move up there. *ponder* Actually, the last few days, Rain has been sleeping up there because there's an A/C up there, and with her getting hot at night, it makes it so she gets somewhat decent sleep. Oddly enough, although heat typically isn't good for people with MS, I am able to get to sleep in our bedroom with just a window fan and a ceiling fan (both on 'high'), and stay asleep most of the night, even though it's usually around 85 in there when I go to bed.

We ALL got up early this morning (as opposed to Dear Daughter and I or Rain), fed the chickens, and were out of here not long after 7:30. We ran (drove really) up to Lebanon and bought a couple of hope (lottery) tickets, went to Wal-Mart and got a few things (not much, didn't need a lot), and stopped at McDonalds for breakfast, and were home around 9:30-9:45. We wanted to get that done before it got hot, and even then it was in the high 80's by the time we got home. *wiping sweat off of my brow* The rest of the day went well. Rain, Dear Daughter, and Dear Son all laid down for a nap. Meanwhile, I vacuumed the bottom and the inside walls of the pool. After that I continued refilling it with water, and dumped 3 bottles of vinegar and 3 of bleach into to it. It looks better than it has all year. I had been putting off doing the vacuuming because of the heat, but I decided I had put it off long enough, and it wasn't too bad as long as I was IN the water. *smile*

All 22 cats are doing well. They stay outside most of the day, except there are usually a few inside trying to stay cool, and several of them stay out all night.

We've got (had?) a raccoon sneaking around outside. Usually only see it's paw prints on the burn barrel, but a couple of days ago Rain saw him in the back yard. We tried to scare him away with a shotgun blast (we couldn't see him anymore). Then today (Aug 11) Rain saw him in the FRONT yard, but he got away before we could shoot him. Fortunately for us, not him though, of course, he came back and we heard the chickens making a ruckus and saw him in the chicken coop. While he was in the chicken yard, we MISSED him 12 times, and then he ran up a tree. I came in and got some more bullets (4 or 5), but by the time I got back out he was back by the lagoon. While I was wandering around getting annoyed by a horse fly, Rain saw him and I followed him into the woods (not far) where he went up another tree. 5 shots later he was down and wounded, but before I could finish him off, I was out of bullets AGAIN. *sigh* Rain ran in and got some more, and I shot him/her (raccoon) in the head about 4 times just to makes SURE he/she was dead. We're NOT going to eat it after all because we don't have a knife sharp enough to butcher it. *frown* Well, maybe by the next time we get one we'll have sharper knives. *crossing fingers*

Well, just when I thought life wasn't too exciting, I got to hunt for the second time in my life, and I killed my second wild beastie (the 1st one was a month or so ago and was an opossum in the hen house). *proud smile*

Tah-tah for now!

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