Quentin Withdrawl

Let me start by saying Happy April Fool's Day. Don't believe anything someone tells you today. This blog post is real. I didn't want to be inundated with questions asking me if what I wrote was really true so I am just prefacing this post with the fact that the post is indeed real.

I am having Quentin withdrawal. We both have been doing the travel circuit. He went on spring break with my wife to that great beach state of Iowa last week. They enjoyed the waves of grain and corn but not the balmy temps in the 40s. So because of his mid-week getaway he was gone Wednesday through Sunday last week and as luck would have it I left before he awoke on Monday morning. Thus, I only got to see him for a few short hours on Sunday. I got home last night after he was in bed and I leave again tomorrow before he will be up so I will only get a few hours with him today as well. This is one reason there hasn't been too many blog postings. It's hard to come up with entertaining material when I am averaging a few hours a week with him.

So let me start with a varmint update. While Care and Q were getting on with the farm life I was on stake out with Lucky. I gave up with no beast sightings and headed off to slumber around midnight when Lucky starting barking. I mute the TV listening intently for the roar of the what must be 20-30 pound animal lurking just outside my bedroom walls. I can clearly hear something harassing my brand new garbage can. I jump out of bed in a flash and throw on yesterday's clothes. I run to grab a hefty magnum flashlight that I feel comfortable (and angry enough) to bash this thing's head open with or use for protection when I chicken out after the beast goes on the offensive. I am literally running out the front door when I bump into my neighbor. What was my neighbor doing? They were dragging their trash cans to the curb. Right. So you can imagine as I am running outside, just out of bed, ready to do battle and my neighbor, who is a female, looking at me wondering what in the H is wrong with me. This stupid animal is driving me insane! The noise wasn't the sought after beast, but my neighbor taking out her trash! Ya, that's what I would like to do to this pest.

The next day I decide I am going to put the garbage can on lock down so I don't have to sleep with one eye open. I rake the whole lawn. We have 5 mature oak trees in our yard, which isn't large, but with that many trees dropping leaves it turns into a ton of raking. I ended up with 19 full size black bags full of leaves. I packed that garbage can in so tight this thing would have to long jump 20 feet just to get to the can and after that the can wasn't moving. I had it surrounded, on top, on the sides. Problem solved. Beast 3, Man 1. I was closing the gap. The can was locked in until Tuesday night when yard waste is picked up. I came home last night and was feeling pretty good. The sick part was I haven't seen Carrie and Q for all of a couple of hours in a week and the first thing I did upon pulling into the driveway was to check on the garbage can. Insane! I am totally going insane! Well, just at that moment Carrie came out to greet me and took out some trash. Guess what? That stupid #*$%* animal tore up the trash last night! AHHHHH!!

I got up before the sun was up to take Lucky on his walk. Since I hadn't seen Q in a while I took him with me in his wagon. So one hand on 100 pound dog and one pulling wagon with small child in it. I get five paces outside and their are buns in my garden, which aren't there for the birds. Do I dare peek around the corner because the blood pressure is rising, one might say boiling, and sure enough the garbage is all over the place. Seriously, the shotgun is being bought today. I'm writing this from the car, while driving to the abundance of gun shops in this town. We are taking this thing out. Beast of Bellingham 4, man 1. I can't believe this thing is wiping the floor with me. It's time to bring fire power into the situation. It's time to get even.

Hopefully, Quinny and I can spend some time together tonight so I can write about him again. I'm sure my battle royale with the local wildlife is entertaining but not really what people are looking to read. I'll put another one out tomorrow. Scout's honor. Maybe I'll have a new skin on my wall by then. In the mean time enjoy the pictures from spring break. Here he is having breakfast with his sweet mop, making a new playmate with his 2nd cousin we think. That is Callie, Carrie's cousin, so you do the math. And one last one trying on his Uncle Andrew's size 13's.