YESTERDAY FIRST DAY OF MONSOON, TODAY OUR FIRST RAIN

 Checking out the courtyard & my tomatoes...!!

We had clouds this morning & a few minutes ago we got the first rain of the monsoon season.  It lasted about 5 minutes & was enough to "connect the dots" on the courtyard, but that's about all.  Heard from Patti & our son, they live on opposite sides of Tucson & both were getting hail.  Glad we didn't get any.  

When I was a kid in west Texas we had the mother of all hail storms one summer.  When I hear people talk about softball size hail, I know what they are talking about.  Talk about destructive........!!!!!   Cars, roofs, windows, you name it got destroyed.  My stepmother had a big old Chrysler New Yorker, & she drove it to a gas station with an awning, which saved it from getting dimples all over it.  

At that time my Dad had his own sign company.  For the next few months he was so busy he couldn't keep up, & of course couldn't find enough people willing to work.  He did a lot of neon signs, which were quite popular then.  Of course the hail destroyed probably every neon sign in Odessa, Texas & the businesses wanted theirs fixed, NOW.........!!! 

When it was all over Daddy decided he didn't want to do signs anymore & went into commercial painting, hospitals, businesses, shopping centers, which he did until he retired.  Still stayed busy, but people didn't get so excited about walls as they did about signs, which was a good thing.  

Have a call in to a wild life rehabilitator.   Patti sent me info about feeding baby squirrels & one of the first things is, DON'T FEED THEM COW'S MILK, or nuts & seeds.  We haven't been doing nuts & seeds, but I am feeding him cow's milk.  I guess too little calcium is a big problem with these little guys.  I've never heard of Esbilac powder before, but I guess that is the primary replacement food for baby squirrels.  That & monkey chow, who would think that...!!!

Our son is racing tonight, so we won't be here, unless she calls soon.  I'm getting ready to go out & feed, but I'll check the messages before I leave.  I was trying to figure out how to take Skeeke (I won the naming contest), but will feed him before we leave, & when we get home. 

WATERMELON ANYONE?

John said one of rock squirrel's favorite foods is new mesquite shoots.  This one seems to really enjoy watermelon.  This is the first thing I've tried him (yes, him) on besides milk & water.  He seemed to think it was just fine, & managed to eat a pretty good sized piece before he keeled over in a dead sleep.  He seems lethargic to me, although I have no idea how little rock squirrels normally behave, maybe all they do is eat & sleep.  If so, he is being very typical.  

Yesterday afternoon we managed to get everyone fed, Mocha & Tucker loaded & got on the road at 4:10........!!!!  We were shooting for 4:00, so that was pretty good.  In all our planning we did forget about the one hour ahead in New Mexico, so instead of getting in around 8, it was about 9:30 their time.  They were anxiously waiting for us, we unloaded Tucker & Mocha, they were headed to their pens & the geese started honking.  Mocha decided she didn't need to go any further & planted her feet.  Of course she planted her feet, guess what Tucker did?  We cajoled, we pushed, we tried bribery.  Just about the time Mocha would decide, to maybe move a foot, one of the geese would honk..........Grrrrr......!!  Finally Tucker got a little antsy about just standing there, showed a little interest in moving.  Claude & I literally dragged him into the pen, with Mocha not far behind.  Whew!  Usually they are right in your hip pocket, I wonder what they thought of the geese this morning in the light of day?  LOL  They will be sharing a fence with the geese, so they better get use to them. 

We said our good-byes & headed home.  I had taken the squirrel with us, so I could feed him.  On the way home I got a brilliant idea.  I've heard of people putting little critters in their bras to keep them warm.  He didn't seem to care for the air conditioning in the truck, so I took him out of his cage & plopped him in between my boobs.  He snuggled right down & except for the tiny little claws it wasn't as weird as I thought it would be.   I read about a woman one time that literally hatched some type of bird by carrying the eggs around in her bra.  Now THAT is dedication, can't imagine how she kept from breaking the eggs.  

Haven't heard from January yet today, about how Mocha & Tucker are doing,  I would imagine she's too busy playing with them.  She already had friends lined up to come a see them, so maybe they are having a party.......!!!!  LOL  Should be a great home for them, & I'm thrilled they could stay together & grow up together, since Mocha was only 26 months old when Tucker was born. 

Didn't take the camera since I knew it would be dark when we got there, but hopefully January will take some pictures & send them to me.