There has been a lot of bad flooding in our area this month and this week especially. My place of work was shut down for a day because the cellar was knee deep and part of the ceiling collapsed on the main floor. Kind of exciting but I'm just glad our house wasn't affected. Though Partner is worried the fish will escape out of the pond if it gets any higher.

The other night at about midnight the dog started yammering about intruders and so Partner went downstairs with his stick with a nail in it (only the nail seems to have fallen out) and when he opened the door he nearly stepped on a tiny hedgehog. In his bare feet. Apparently the hedgehog was attempting to break into the house, or so the dog thought. Partner called me down and we shut the dog in the next room and we watched it uncurl and snuffle off. It was literally right there in front of us and we could have reached out and picked it up, had our hands been adequately protected. The other hedgehog that lives in our garden is quite big--almost the size of a Yorkshire terrier. This one was about the size of a tennis ball.

Our wedding anniversary is coming up in about two weeks. Number three. Partner has hinted that he's going to get me a present that I will absolutely love. I wonder if that means he's giving me plenty of time to get him something equally appropriate. I kind of wanted to get a present for the both of us.

We got another orchid last month. Already we had five, so I wasn't too sure if I wanted another one; it was also on the blue light special shelf at the store because it had been damaged, most likely in a fall. But Partner insisted and I admit I was only a little reluctant. It's now performing spectacularly. I have to decide on a name. I was thinking of a famous name from fiction, such as Titania, but I already have a Shakespearian-named orchid: Ophelia. Maybe a biblical name, but I already have a Mary Magdalen. Maybe Hester Pryne...I always liked her.

Our hedgehog has put in several appearances so I'm beginning to think it's now a regular feature on an evening. Beauty really likes the hedgehog but I don't think the regard is mutual. We like it too: it scurries around munching sluggies and buggies. And it's adorable.

I think I made a reference to Partner's baseball team in the past, the Strikers. It was my opinion that they were named after their skill at batting. Well, after seeing them in action twice now, I have concluded they should be called the Suckers per their skill at baseball. I think in the whole time Partner played for them they didn't win a game. I can see why. He's still not playing because of his arm and is not allowed to ever again. But if he does, he should join a different team. I saw only one batter get on base with a hit, some very bad fielding errors, and the slowest fastball I have ever witnessed. I think I could throw a faster one. I did provide some heckling of the other team, though, mostly in the form of "Ooooo"ing at the pitcher after he struck two batters with a pitch. I would boo but I'm too polite.

Partner very helpfully reminded me yesterday that I hadn't updated my blog in more than a week. I think he wants to hear about something other than my wounded finger.

We bought a push mower this weekend and had a lot of fun mowing the lawn. It doesn't take a whole lot of strength, but since the last mower has been broken for a while, the lawn was very overgrown. So it took a lot of pushing to trim it all off. I was scared of the other mower so I wouldn't use it, but I don't mind this one.

At last I have enough flowers to pick and bring indoors. I made three very happy arrangements of roses, daisies, pinks, foxgloves, campanula, and irises. As I have I think twelve rosebushes of various colors suitable for arrangements, I have plenty of variety. I also have about twelve other rosebushes of various colors that have tiny sprays of blooms which can work for cut flowers but look better on the bush. I still don't have a red rose though. Partner says this is white rose country and those helicopters we see flying over every week are the rose police, making sure no one is trying to get away with a surreptitious red rose. Something to do with the Wars of the Roses (and those Lancastrian scum). I'm not quite sure if I believe him. He seems to think I'll get deported if I plant a red rosebush.

Poppies

I nearly sliced the end off my little finger at work the other day while cutting onions. It's a bit difficult to type and play piano, but the piano is easier than the keyboard. The keys are bigger. When it happened I had to sit down for a few minutes and try not to pass out. A coworker bandaged me up and gave me some sympathy. I keep showing it to Partner to get sympathy out of him too.

Earlier today the dog was rooting around the bushes while Partner and I were looking at our flowers and we suddenly heard some very frantic chirping and flapping and the dog appeared with her mouth full of blackbird. I think Partner was more upset than I was. To me, it was just a dog being a dog. But he got it away from her and she didn't actually kill it though it may have staggered off mortally injured for all we know. We know she likes to play with soft toys (she positively decimated a little furry shark the other day) and I think it's just her instinct as a terrier to catch and kill little fuzzy things.

We went on an hour and a half walk today and saw all kinds of flowers and butterflies and tadpoles and Beauty very politely met some other doggies. We saw a beautiful field of scarlet poppies. We have a print of Monet's poppy field hanging in our dining room. I wished I had brought my easel and paints. Maybe I'll go out tomorrow with them.