The View

There's lots of talk about Rosie and the View, but that's not the view I'm talking about today. No, Vicki over at Catching Light has requested a view from the front door. And, just because she's nosy, from the back door as well. It is obviously not enough for Vicki to see breathtaking photos of slug weddings, dogs eating horse poop and super creepy things from Brigget's barn loft. She wants to know what's outside my doors.

Well, be prepared to be shocked...

...because everything here is normal. Peaceful. Tranquil. A place where one may come to relax and enjoy all of God's creation. It's spring, maple trees are full of new leaf, the apple trees heavy with blossoms. Fragrant spring bulbs have worked their way up (finally) after a long, winter's slumber.

Apple blossoms have a light, sweet fragrance.

Open the front door, and this is what you see. The porch, a small red maple, and my driveway.

Step out onto the porch and peek around the railing. There are my daylilies, not quite ready to bloom. City Boy has just mown the yard; doesn't it look good? Off in the distance is the pasture, and across the road one of the many small foot hills that separate us from Mount Baker.

Uh...this is Darling, wearing her pink poodle pajama bottoms and her mother's sweatshirt. Yes, the little shoe thief has taken to stealing my clothes these days. She also seems to think it funny to jump out in front of the camera lens unexpectedly. I shall count this as my cardio-vascular exercise for the day.

Let's step out back, shall we? My father built Little Hitler and I the loveliest arbors! Originally we'd hoped to have a small stream trickling underneath it, but that hasn't happened. I'd like to plant a climbing rose over it, but City Boy isn't fond of the thought of getting scratched up while mowing.

Carpenter Creek is just beyond those trees, and it is this direction that our Homeland Security team spends most of it's time patrolling. It's coyote season right now, so the dogs are constantly on guard.

Chief of Security, Rufus, sits on the patio. Like the rest of his team, he's always on guard. Beyond the patio, to the north, sits my pick up. You can see just a hint of the barn and paddock.

Er...speaking of Homeland Security...seems Tait has found a predator in the bottom of a plastic bag. No wonder Rufus appears so disgusted in the above photo!

Yes, things are pretty peaceful here at Carpenter Creek, as long as you don't mind the 2 am rooster crow...

Or The Screamer insisting that it's feeding time as soon as she sees you walk out of the house (I do believe she picked up the tax cries from the sheep!)...

Yes, tranquil, peaceful, relaxing...nothing odd or out of place around here. Nothing creepy...nothing weird. Bet you didn't expect that, did you?

What's that?

Oh, sure! Bring that up, why don't you! Yeah, yeah...there's a skull hanging outside my back door. But, hey, it's a good fifteen feet from the house. And you can only see it from the sliding door in the rec room. Vicki never said which back door the view had to be from...

Homeland Security

Hello, my name is Rufus; code name Mr. Fluffy Pants. I'm head of security here at Carpenter Creek Farm (yes, it is a farm, City Boy!) It's my job to ensure the safety of all occupants, from those stinky sheep outside to the silly humans in the house.

My day begins with a good whining to get out the door in the mornings. I have two trusty deputies, Rocket and Tait. These two deputies are all business, never leaving their posts to goof around; I know I can trust them. Together, we secure the perimeter of the property, chasing off squirrels, crows and field mice. Occasionally the neighbor dogs across the creek will bark at us as we go about our duties. This issue must be addressed swiftly so that they do not upset the apple cart. I've never seen an apple cart here, but we wouldn't want to upset it if there was one. So we bark back at the neighbor dogs. Soon the entire valley is ablaze with barking, and we know we've done our job well as the Mrs. will then call us in.

Once we've ensured that the perimeter is secure, I allow my deputies to come inside for a bite to eat. But we are always on guard, watching through the window for any sign of disturbance, such as that man in the big brown truck that is always leaving suspicious packages at our door. We do not like that, not one little bit! It's a rough life, being head of security for a farm. One must always be on the lookout for potential danger. I just wish they'd give me a better haircut so I could actually see what's going on!