animal stories

I've spent the past several days taking care of the house, the garden, the greenhouse, and the chickens while mom and dad drove to Flint, Michigan to pick up a brand new puppy, named Belle, from her breeder. While they spent hours in the car and one very sleepless night in a hotel with the (very vocal) puppy, I loafed around home, and managed to remember to water the garden and the greenhouse, feed the dog, collect the eggs, and feed the chickens. I wish I could say I kept them all alive, but alas, the local predator of an as yet undetermined species netted an all time record - seven chickens in one day. He should not be hungry for a while.

This morning we had quite a storm, which I got to drive through because I took my cousin up to an orthodontist appointment in Woodbury. Of course, not realizing it was going to rain cats and dogs, I left the windows open at home, and had quite a flood to mop up by the time I got back. No major damage. The only victim is perhaps a computer keyboard. It's still draining, so I haven't tested it yet.

Belle is getting accustomed to life here, although her sleep schedule does not coincide well with that of a human. I can still hear her whining and squealing periodically from her crate downstairs. Liable to keep us all up for the first few nights. Sadie tolerates her. She'd like Sadie to play a little more. Sadie would like her to calm down a bit, I think.

This week I got my first rehearsals with World Voices. We threw together some Christmas music in two rehearsals Monday and Tuesday nights and recorded them all tonight. We'll add some stuff when the real season starts in September and hopefully release it by Christmas. This will be a great choir for me, I think.

Okay, I need to be getting some sleep, especially if Belle is going to be waking us early tomorrow. More to come later.