I left a trash barrel out back & it had a few leaves in it & rain was coming so thought I would dump the leaves & put the lid on it. It was late afternoon & starting to sprinkle. I looked to see how full it was & there was a possum, I rolled it some & it sure looked dead. Ugh!! So now this thing is going to start rotting in my leaves & I'll have to dump it all- imagining a very stinky mess!! I banged on it with a stick & laid it on it's side it case it wasn't dead & wanted out, even went & got a flashlight & got off to the side as figured if it was alive it would come out of there like it was shot out of a cannon when the light hit it, NOthing, dead for sure. I figured it fell in & had died at least 1-2 days before. Rain lasted several days & by time I got out there again I was trying to figure out how I was going to stomache all this, I peered inside & couldn't see anything, got the flashlight to see under the water better but nothing there. That critter had gotten away & fooled me playing dead, he had to crawl out of a plastic 40 gal trash container so I don't know how he held on. I was glad I didn't have to deal with him. Yrs before I walked out front door to get the newspaper & hanging on the vine was this critter upside down,I screamed! DH said I probably scared poor possum half to death!! Just stay alive & go home is my motto for critters!!! Jan

I have a 6 year old grandson who lives with me, and summer can be a trying time! I have picked a theme for each week. Example: Paper week: doing origami, researching the pulp and paper industry on the net or betteryet, at the library, making ojects out of paper mache, visiting the local newpaper for a tour, and possibly going to a pulp and paper mill in a nearby town. Music week: playing the piano (he already takes lessons), trying to play the same song on the guitar, making a poster with the clefs, staff, and names of the notes on the lines and spaces; taking in free band concert at our local park, harvesting the garlic whose variety is :music"; packing up some the the garlic and goinhg to visit his music teacher who doesn't teach in the summer. Cooking week: learning about measuring cups and spoons, how to read a recipe, doing a cookie marathon including a gingerbread house, visiting alocal bakery for a tour, doing a make-your-own-pizza night with doungh from the bread machine that he will make, and then everyone can add ther own toppings; we are also doing a "get ready for the fair" week where together we will prepare an entry for just about evey class that he is eleigble for, take our bikes to the fair grounds to register, take our entries in on the appropriate day, and, of course, go to the fair. He will be pretty well ready to go back to school, and I will be pretty well ready to have him go! We DO have a l;ot of fun.

So funny you should say that fuzzywuzzer. My main impetus for change is that blue gray clashes with the garden in summer. I love it in the winter against the mounds of white snow, but in summer - hate it. I'll get a sample of the Tudor. I'm sure I'll be getting a lot of samples. Last time, the front of the house looked like a patchwork quilt. Cyn427 - yes, I don't like the busy-ness either. By painting out the trim, I meant paint it the same colour as the body of the house. I'd love to change the trim colour to something creamier, but that would unfortuanately escalate the cost. trailrunner and lesterd, thank you so much for the links. They provide much inspiration. Even though I'm hoping for a slightly more modern look than the lovely painted ladies, it is wonderful to see what the colours look like on a house with siding. I'm on vacation this week and think I'll spend some time driving around the city looking for inspiration. Such a huge investment, I want to get it right this time.

I remember reading that...but it's still just as funny.... I am completely surprised that I didn't find a post from me on there...My DH has done a few things during our 42 years that I tell on him every now and then. patti