Ollie just emerged from the bathroom carrying her jeans and a beer bottle. This is not good. Beer and no pants are generally not a good combination, at least judging from my past experience but that's another post for another time (like... never). Fortunately, I know that the beer bottle is empty - she was on her way to deposit it in the recycle bin and had to make a pit stop - but I'm still puzzled as to why she chose to carry her jeans out instead of put them back on when she's quite capable of dressing herself. I tried to ask her but in the typical logic-defying manner of 3YO's, she answered "the birds did it". Okaaayyyy.....

Another piece of Americana has fallen victim to "progress". The Wonder Spot in Lake Delton, WI is a 'Gravity Vortex' Attraction. It's a mysterious cabin where normal gravitational force appears to be absent. I always wanted to visit one of these and apparently should have done it when I lived up there because this one is soon to be history. I guess the town leaders didn't feel this little attraction was "touristy" enough so they're going to get rid of it and build a road between Lake Delton and Wisconsin Dells so people can more easily access the REAL tourist traps.

.............. I don't know about you, but I thought this was hilarious.

Well, it's true. You CAN buy anything on Ebay. While looking for a sieve to help with my squirrel feeder project, I found this. My friends the Science Geeks will all recognize this fine instrument, available on Ebay at a current bid of $207.50.

UPDATE: This fine piece of instrumentation sold for $405. Quite a steal...

My latest attempt to foil the f***ing squirrels (or at least keep them from swinging on my bird feeder) was to put out a container of less expensive birdseed on the ground. We have this huge bag of birdseed that proved worthless for attracting birds but the squirrels seem to like it. So I put it in a cardboard tray (the kind that 6-packs of soda come on when you buy them at warehouse clubs - ironically the same place I bought the crappy birdseed) and put in on the ground under the bird feeder. Although it drives Wondermutt insane to see the squirrels that close to the house, it appears to keep the little tree rats happy and thus off the birdbath and feeder. Because of the snow yesterday and my tray being made of cardboard, I took it in the garage yesterday so it wouldn't get all soggy. My mission this weekend is to find or create a box or tray with a mesh bottom so water can flow through. I've already got it up on wood supports to keep the ground water from getting to it. But I digress.

So yesterday, the f***ing sqirrels (including the one that lost its fur) resorted to numerous acrobatics to try to reach the bird feeder again. Did I mention that I put more grease on the pole? So after the snow tapered off, we enjoyed the Squirrel Olympics. Well, Wondermutt didn't exactly "enjoy" it but she got plenty of chances to run after the little buggers. She almost caught one this morning which kind of worries me. Heaven only knows what would happen if she actually got ahold of the disease-ridden little critters. Stay tuned for that post.