Do squirrels lay eggs?**

We have an abundance of squirrels in our yard. We have quite a few trees and these pesky little guys are everywhere. I was sitting at our dining room table this morning and noticed that a few of them were busy as beavers (same family right?) building a nest high up in a tree. Anyways, we watched them go up and down and back up with little mouths full of leaves. It was amazing. And that made me think... What do I know about these neighbors of mine? I know if trapped in a garage for several hours they made a hell of a mess and they are TERRIBLE at crossing the road. But that is it. So kids here is a lesson on squirrels.

Squirrels are solitary animals. The females sometimes stay in small groups. They mate in late winter and then the male takes off and leaves the female to raise the litter on her own. (what a jerk!)

They can run between 8 and 10 mph and jump over 6 feet.

Squirrels in captivity can live up to 20 years. In the wild they are lucky to make it to their first birthday.

Baby squirrels are born in the spring without fur. They are called juveniles. They are born blind and weigh 1-2 ounces each. The mother will keep them in the nest and nurse them until they are ready to venture out on their own, usually 8-10 weeks. If a mother has to move her babies she will do so by carrying them in her mouth one at a time.

Squirrels build nests called "dreys". They are made of twigs and leaves. The interior is lined with fur, feathers and other soft materials for comfort. They build these high in a tree between two strong branches. High enough to provide protection from ground predators but not too high as to be damaged by wind.

So now we know. That busy little squirrel was building a drey. She is probably going to have some juveniles soon. On her own.

Did I mention they are rodents? I still don't like them but they provide endless entertainment (as long as they stay out of my garage).

**While we were watching this developing story someone (who wishes to remain nameless) turned to me and asked me if squirrels lay eggs. Really? REALLY?? Your kidding right? He wasn't. But I think he figured it out after I laughed so hard I almost (okay maybe all the way) peed my pants.

Art show...

Last night we decided to get our culture on. We, as a family, went to an art show.

So much for the eye to behold. So much to ponder. So much inspiration and depth.

The best part?

We were VIP guests. Someone in our family was a featured artist.

Myles G. Krenz

Artist

The best preschool teachers ever. Mrs. Munoz and Mrs. Miller

Logan...

It was so fun to go back to the place we grew up. It was crazy to see it through the eyes of an adult. Jesse and I used to walk down to our friends house. It seemed like such a grand adventure. Turns out it was only about 100 feet away. Everything seemed smaller.

I had an idea that I thought would be so fun. We have about 100 pictures from the mid 70's to 1985 on the front porch of our old house. Since all of my siblings were in one place at the same time I thought it would be cool to get a picture at the old house. I knocked on the door and talked to the woman who lives there now. She was so nice and was so willing to let us do this. We talked about what it was like inside. What year the remodel was done. What color it was when we lived there (it was yellow not this battleship grey color). So fun. Glad we could all be there together.

Till we meet again...

March 11, 2011

Today was a beautiful tribute to my grandma. Beautiful music. Gorgeous flowers. Loving tributes. A lot of family. I am sure she was pleased...

~Cousins~

~ Mary Ann's family~

~The sibilings~

~Lynn~

~Karl & Ella~

~Mark's family~

~Eileen's family~

~Norman's family~

Utah

The thing about funerals is that it brings the living together...

I was so blessed to be able to go over to Utah for a week to be with my family during the time of my Grandma's funeral. One of the days we had a girls lunch at my aunt's house. It was so nice to be able to sit and talk and remember and laugh and cry and laugh with these girls. And laugh we did. It was so nice to be able to spend time with them.

grandma...

Today my sweet Grandma Davis passed away.

For the first 8 years of my life my grandma lived 2 blocks away from us. I saw her every single day. I spent countless hours playing at her house and in her yard. Even after we moved to Sandy we were pretty close with her. We would spend weeks at her house during the summer. In fact in 8th grade I lived with her for a whole semester. I have so many wonderful memories of her. I want to document just a few...

~Her hair was always perfectly styled. Perfectly. (and for anybody who knows me knows I have debilitating bedhead so this was extra amazing to me)

~She always had cookies. They weren't always the best tasting but they were always there. (soft & chewy maybe)

~I remember her kitchen. Macaroni and Cheese with hot dogs.

~Her laugh. I will always remember her laugh.

~We drove with her from Arizona to Utah once and every time we went down a hill she put her hands up and yelled "Wheeeeeheeee". I thought she was nuts. But I loved it.

~She would give us check books to play with. (it was one of the few times I have been good at balancing my checkbook)

~Salmon patties. Enough said...

~Christmas mornings. Sitting in the window waiting for Grandma and Grandpa to get there. When they pulled into the driveway it was almost better than Santa showing up.

~She loved me. I always knew it. Even when I wasn't the most lovable.

~She gave me my first job. I dusted her front room. She paid me a quarter. I know I wasn't her only employee but I like to think I was her favorite.

~When she moved into her condo her back yard was a zoo. Who wouldn't love a zoo in their grandma's back yard? (until I lived with her that is... then I realized how much noise those animals made)

~That crazy ticking thing she did with her mouth when she would talk to babies. They loved it.

~Good Gravy!

~She was tough. She told you what she thought. She didn't take any crap from anybody. Only now do I really appreciate this. I admire her toughness.

~There was a time when I was at a cross road. I needed to change a few things in my life. I went to visit her. Towards the end of our very casual visit she smiled at me, took my hands and said exactly what I needed to hear. Like she just knew. And she was right.

~She was strong in her faith. Despite the trials in her life. Maybe that is what made her stronger in her beliefs. Whatever the reason, she was a rock. She had a testimony and she loved her Lord.

~The last time I saw her was last summer. I got to spend so many precious hours with her. She didn't really remember who I was. One day I was there and I had Noah with me. One of the other ladies at the nursing home was admiring him. She was fiercely protective of my baby. She didn't want anyone scaring him. Fiercely protective. It made me love her even more. Because even if she couldn't remember my name she knew...

~She raised six kids. On her own. With no husband. No child support. Worked her fingers to the bone for her family. I greatly admire that.

~until we meet again...

I love you Grandma