Meet baby Henry.
Don and I happened to look out the window and both Henry and baby Henry were chomping on food rather close to the house, and running back and forth under the car. At one point, Henry was in Scout’s little corral. Then they both got scared by something or other and ran back to their home under the shed.
About five minutes later, who did I see but Henry in my garden, dining on something that wasn’t on the menu we have provided for him. I opened the front door, went out on the porch, and of course, he scrambled for the shed. He stopped on the ramp and stared at me.
We had to have a talk. I firmly told him that he was welcome to dine on the grass and on all the vegetation in the woods, but that the garden was a NO. He continued to stare at me. NO, I repeated.
That scamp. Do you think he understood? All I know is that later in the evening, he was seen in what we call his ‘pasture’ eating the grass.
I’m going to have to keep an eye on him.
Yesterday was a sunny, beautiful day, very welcome after all the rain we’ve had. I weeded. I weed wacked. (I’m alternating the spelling of wacked/whacked because I’ve given up trying to figure out which one is preferred. Last time I wrote about it I used ‘whacked.’ Hence, ‘wacked’ in this post.) Later on, when the grass was dry, we mowed. I watered the plants on the porch.
It was just so nice to be outside!
I’m reading Disclaimer by Renée Knight (scheduled for a book review) and it’s very good! Rather chilling, in fact. More on that in about 10 days or so. And it’s not at all like Gone Girl, thank goodness. In fact, when I grabbed it from my shelf, I noticed the blurb on the front is from Lee Child. Okay. Now we’re talking!
Don may or may not have purchased donuts yesterday. I may or may not have eaten two, which was one too many.
And speaking of language and communication, I really dislike this sort of thing:
“Do I wish I had done things differently?”
“I do.”
“Did I experience regret when I made that choice?”
“I did.”
Commit, for heaven’s sake. Don’t circle around the subject.
I’m rewriting the dialogue.
“I wish I had done things differently.” Or, better yet, “I was wrong.”
“I regret that I made that choice.” Or…”I was wrong.”
Asking the question and then answering it for oneself keeps the speaker one step away from taking full responsibility – just over the border from clear and unvarnished truthfulness.
I’m tired of people not taking responsibility for their actions and using language to dance around the subject, all the while bobbing and weaving, when a direct hit would be much clearer.
“I was wrong.” “I’m sorry.”
Simple, right?
“Don bought donuts. I ate two of them.” Nothing unclear about that.
Sigh.
McCoy reporting for duty and providing a nice little home for my rescued peonies.
Don’t forget to stop by Hanging Out With Bloggers: Enabling the Change – the post I wrote about a great discussion I had with four other bloggers. There’s even a video of us! If you leave a comment you will be eligible to win a $100 Visa Gift Card.
Happy Thursday.
I agree! I prefer direct language. “I did this — I’m sorry” works for me.
Amen!Thanks, Jo(e).
How timely! I was in a meeting last night where, instead of an apology, the person in question told me, “I own that issue”. Seriously? What is that even supposed to mean? What’s wrong with “It was my fault, I’m sorry”?
My desk blotter at work already has a lot of cartoon groundhogs on it – I can see where things are headed for the remainder of this week.. Baby H. is awfully sweet! I think in my mind he (?) is Baby Henri, but then I do live in a predominantly French community.
I’m the worst culprit when it comes to prescribed rest (who has time?), but try not to overdo things outside – you need to be mindful of your back. (Incidentally, we spell it “whacked” here.)
I own that issue? How ridiculous! That person needs a smack upside the head!
The little baby groundhog is very, very cute.
Oh baby Henri is so cute. I hope Henry and Henri both understood NO!! We have deer that munch on our flowers around here. The population is down a bit this year. I agree, just say I was wrong and I did it and get on with it. I just started a new book, ‘the glass kitchen’ by Linda Francis Lee and so far it’s looking good. Thank goodness for the library or I would be so much poorer then I already am! :) I love the peonie in the McCoy!
Linda
Me too. If I bought every book I wanted, I’d be in big trouble! I also get lots of free review copies, and what an enormous blessing that is!
If the talking to Henry part works…let me know…I could use some help in that department. Maybe it’s your tone? ;)
It’s very firm. Whether he cares one way or the other, we will see.
David Letterman referred to that as “people interviewing themselves.” He said that he’d had enough of people interviewing themselves. Now I laugh (not out loud) whenever someone does it.
By the way, tomorrow is “National Donut Day,” for what it’s worth. Hmmm; my spell-check does not like “donut.”
I’ll just have a go at weed-wack and weed-whack. This spell-check prefers the second. Either way, I am feeling weed-wacky because my weeds are growing exponentially overnight, after all that rain. Yours, too, right?
That baby groundhog is so cute.
And the colors in the last photograph are making me very happy.
Perfect. That’s exactly what it is!
I think we celebrated National Donut Day yesterday.
Hi Claudia, maybe Henry/Henri needs to be spoken to in French? Maybe a cloth napkin and silverware on the grass would make it plain where one is to dine? Too funny. That baby sure is cute. I’ll be those donuts were delicious…almost lunchtime here so I am very, very hungry. And, finally, yes…all should be direct…anything else is just way too tiresome.
I’m seeing two babies right now, just hanging out on the ramp up to the shed!
I’ll try to set out a nice cloth and place for Henry to dine on the grass.
I love the pink peonies in the yellow McCoy vase! When I lived in NY I had to have frequent “talks” with my resident woodchucks, they could devour sections of my garden in no time! The important thing about eating doughnuts is that they taste good!
Oh, and these tasted so good. Truly the best donuts I’ve ever had.
It seems that all baby animals are born extra cute…they are still cute to me when they grow up…..“I was wrong.” “I’m sorry.” shouldn’t be hard for anyone to say..we all make mistakes…just say it plain and simple..Two doughnuts is a splurge for you Claudia..never hurts to splurge once in a while..What can I say about the pink peonies in the McCoy vase?..A perfect blend..
I love those colors together!
Gee, that yellow McCoy vase, with the pink peony in it, is just yummy. That particular fresh buttery yellow is my thing just now. I’m seeing it everywhere, and coveting it. If it was time to lease a car again, any manufacturer with this yellow would have a definite edge – LOL. Have another good day in the garden – hope both Henrys stay in their pasture… :>)
I find myself liking that yellow more and more. How can you not smile when you see it?
Those little scamps (there are two babies) were sunning themselves on the shed ramp! At the same time, a little chipmunk ran across the patio. Disney aka Mockingbird Hill Cottage.
Well, you worked hard enough in the yard to burn off calories from those doughnuts, Claudia! Glad you had a nice day outside.
Thanks, Vicki!
I envision 2 bluebirds flying down with a lovely cloak for you to wear in the garden ~ ala Disney.
2 babies!! Double the fun. We have a great many bird babies in the yard the past several days. Cardinals, goldfinch, sparrows and wrens. With the moms & dads scurrying about keeping them all in line and the babies all flapping their wings as they follow,,,, well, it is quite amusing. Also have 2 birdhouses with babies in residence. I see them in the opening with their mouths wide open and screeching for more food till the adults fly in. Those poor parents never have a moment to rest!
Our peonies opened this morning. Yay!! Have a wonderful rest of your day.
I once watched baby robins hatch and the mom and dad going back and forth constantly to feed their babies. I was in awe of their devotion!
I think the ones who don’t, won’t and can’t say a simple I’m sorry never believe they were at fault. Love your cute little babies. Right now, I have 17 baby rabbits in the back yard. Bella looks like a bobble-head doll trying to watch them all. LOL
Judy
17! Wow! They must be so adorable to watch, Judy!
Beautiful pictures. You’ll have to watch those little scamps and the garden. Maybe just by your appearance whenever they get in the garden they will associate it with trouble and stay away.