A new family...

*** Clicking on Squirrel images will take you to a larger picture on my Photobucket Site ***

As mother's yard holds a nicely formed rock fountain, it has been used as a home to various animals and reptiles, from Pack Rats to Lizards, oh and one large Bull Snake.  However, as it is no longer used in a fountain capacity, it's pretty much a pile of rocks nicely stacked on top of each other.

Currently her attempt to keep the ankle-biter dogs from getting in it and stuck behind all the nooks and crannies has worked with the use of garden fencing and a few boards, however her alpha-male Brutus has been found once perched at the very top, but that was thankfully all he did, he came down as soon as he was called otherwise that drop down to the other side is a bitch!

Anyway, now the former rock fountain is home to a family of Squirrels.  From what we can gather, it is a mother and 4 little ones.  As Brutus is the owner of all in the backyard, he is trying feverishly to evict said tenants!  We keep a close eye on him when he is outside as we know quite well that momma Squirrel will go ballistic on him if he gets too close or worse, captures one of her babies.  Thankfully since the holes were taken care of that actually led to the fountain, Brutus has been kept at bay, not liking it very much, but unable to reach them.

Unfortunately, it was brought to my attention by Shawn that these Squirrels, perhaps all Squirrels, but in his experience with his own family of Squirrels, they eat through wire!  Which for him is unfortunate as his company has a lot to do with wires of various sizes, types, etc...  So basically, his Squirrels have a literal buffet, 24/7!

So for now, momma is left to strengthen her brood and then will be moved along before they notice what nice wiring this house consists of!

Sunday Bliss....

So the date with Shawn finally happened.  It was a great time spent playing pool, swimming, barbeque's and just getting to know each other.  I also had a chance to spend some time with his 2 dogs, gorgeous dogs!  Perhaps someday I will post a photo of them, pretty much want to see where things go for us first and of course, get his permission.

The spot we ended up at for our First Date / Meeting was a great place, called BullShooters in Phoenix.  The music was perfect, the atmosphere was pretty friendly, it was just what I feel is the perfect location for a first date if both parties like Pool, Darts, well pretty much a sporty feel.  There were also a few junior pool leagues going on in there.

Although I thoroughly enjoyed myself, it comes with a bit of guilt for two reasons.

First off, I did stay the night at his house and this morning he had to work.  Last night he informed me that his boys would be coming by the house to use the pool, probably early but a time wasn't specified.  Well this morning he told me they would probably be there around 10am.  Without thinking first, I got up, got dressed and out the door I went, that quick!  Why the guilt?  Well, I feel as though I may have given him the wrong impression that I didn't want to meet his boys and therefore was trying to avoid them as quickly as I could.... that is the farthest from the truth though.

It has been such a long time since I have found someone who I truly connected with, it has been such a long time since I have actually looked forward to the possibility that I could be truly happy with someone.  I have Shawn to thank for that.  Whether we end up together as a couple or just friends, either way I view it, I will have gained a lot.

So this whole situation with his boys had nothing to do with wanting to avoid them, I would prefer to find out where him and I stand first and also, I didn't want to put him in a situation that he would have to explain my presence and perhaps have to deal with the ex as well.

Secondly, I have some guilt in the fact that I was very much against even considering dating someone again.  So, my mind goes back to the friend of my mom's whose brother and I went on a date just a couple of weeks ago.  There has been no issue's, in fact we are getting together for a few games of pool on Friday, as friends.  But I feel guilty because I know he is interested in more and yet, I am not, with him that is.....  I just don't know if this is a situation I bring up to him or not?  I want to be respectful towards him and yet I don't know how something like this is even handled... ughhhhhhhhhhh!  Being single is so confusing!

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Climbing Out!

Okay, happy to say that my dip into the 'Pity' pool was brief and short lived...  Fortunately my personality doesn't allow for much time spent feeling sorry for myself on matters that I can control.  I may pitch a bitch or whine a bit, but I get over it fairly quickly and this whole situation/relationship with my AZ Drummer is no different in terms of how I will handle it.

Through the years I have discovered that I am not like your typical woman when it comes to dating, perhaps leading my downfall in the romance department or finding a suitable significant other.  Truthfully, it is a trait that I refuse to let go because of how strongly I feel about it.

On average, I would think that more women would be highly upset with the continued cancellations and/or last minute calls to reschedule and then ultimately cancel.  I would also think that more women would be highly upset when the phone calls are sporadic at best and messages left are rarely replied upon.

For me it's much more complicated I think and perhaps most men would view my reserved nature as possibly uncaring, perhaps that in itself is more of a curse than anything else.

I don't expect a man to complete me or my life, although I would love to share those needs with someone special, until the day comes when I am able to give a man that much responsibility without so much as a second thought, those qualities are mine to secure and be happy with.

Having said that, I don't expect the person I am with to spend every moment of the day with me, talking to me or being my only source of entertainment.  Life comes with some of the most unexpected twists and turns, whether on a personal level or professional, I can't see myself spending my energy in a negative manner because our plans have to be changed or canceled due to something beyond our control.  However, I do have limitations with this acceptance.

I would love to think that spending time with me is just as important to them as breathing and not felt as an obligation.  How to explain this one.... well, simple enough.  Prior to the Holiday weekends approach, we had made tentative plans to get together as every other time we tried it was canceled.  With the exception of a scheduled fun day with his daughter early in the day on Saturday, he had the weekend off.  I thought as it had been 7 years and we both expressed a strong desire to see each other again and our schedules just kept getting out of whack, I thought nothing could have kept him from spending some time with me over the weekend, even if it were for just a few hours.  Instead he went shooting and from there his whole weekend was a nightmare, to which I am highly relieved and grateful that he is okay.  But the fact that he went shooting just pretty much made me realize that we are not on the same page when it comes to wanting to really see each other.

And then there are the phone calls, emails, text messages.... this one is a very fine line for me and unfortunately one that weighs heavy on my mind with my AZ Drummer.  Unfortunately since I haven't heard from him since being informed of the situation on Saturday, I guess pitching a bitch just isn't the right thing to do at this time.  Regardless, when it comes to communication, I don't expect it to be a constant and I don't find myself sitting by my phone just waiting for it to ring or notify me of a text.  However I do believe in at least checking in once in a while, if for nothing else, just to say 'hi', let me know they're okay.

There is much more that I can write when it comes to me and what I want out of a relationship, it's time for me to stop writing about it, it's time for me to stop talking about it, Life is just too short not to do something about it.

The Beauty Of It All

So why the move?  Personal reasons, found myself questioning if what I was living was truly as good as it can get for me?  Was I settling for what I thought was enough and all that I deserved.  When my inner-me answered with a loud and bold, yes, I had no choice but to listen.

We all have a sad story, we all have a need and desire to speak of it, get it off our chest and to be told that it will get better or that we did the best that we could under the circumstances.  I don't want to go there right now.  Life is what 'we' as individuals make it out to be and this is my adventure down a path leading me to the time of my life.

California will be greatly missed.  My friends and family will be greatly missed.  But we have a means to see each other or call, so this distance between us will end up being an adjustment, not a downfall.

Personal Fire Extinguisher?

I have recently discovered that no matter how hard you try to escape the heat while out doors, even with shade it is almost next to impossible.  And so then I thought to myself, back in the day when Corduroy pants were in style, if you happened to live out here and wore them during the heat of the day, if for some reason you found yourself with a need to run or sprint, the friction caused by the lines of the pants would result in crotch combustion!  Why in the crotch area?  Well, I don't know about the average person, but my legs are thickest just before they reach my hips!  Just sayin'!

Although I do not wear anything in the Corduroy fashion, I have decided that I need to find a personal fire extinguisher on the off chance that I myself should experience spontaneous combustion!  Hell, between the make up and hair spray, walking around in the heat of the day may be the perfect recipe for some form of explosive material.