Groundhogs '08

Every year we have groundhog adventures. We have a mama that lives in the lumber yard next door. Each year she has a bundle of babies (6 this year). Each year those babies end up venturing into our yard. Some years that ends badly for the babies but some years it ends well, after a struggle involving me, normally barefoot. Tonight I had on shoes and D at my side, but I couldn't battle the "hoggies" without a handicap of some type so I carried J with me. We couldn't very well leave him in the house alone, or babysat by the dogs, and D was not handling the situation. The hoggie was languishing in the yard.
We spotted the hoggie standing up against the fence a groundhog parody of a scene from COPS. Zulu was lying in the yard about 3 feet away, watching and waiting. Then the hoggie decided to make a run for it and Zulu was up in an instant. Jeremy came racing across the yard to join him. As I saw this happening through the kitchen window and relayed the info to D he dropped his shoes and went out, yes, barefoot.
We got the dogs out of the yard. They hung out on the back porch. Well, "hung out" isn't the correct term since they were whining and scratching to get out and get at the hoggie. I took the branch from D that he was using to coax the lil one out of the yard. He (D) seemed a bit too nervous that the lil hoggie was going to charge him. I find these time very amusing. See D and I grew up only about 10 miles (if that) from each other. We went to the same school and know the same people. I always find it interesting when one of us knows something different. He grew up in town and I grew up in the country. I guess that and my annual hoggie adventures have eliminated any fear of the animal I had.
It took a few minutes but eventually the hoggie bolted into the yard (he had been cornered by D in the back where we assumed he'd been heading towards an exit - no) and then back towards garage and the hole that apparently exists under the fences.
Hopefully this has traumatized this lil guy enough that he will not venture back into our yard. Otherwise, his next trauma may be a little more violent. He was lucky. Had the 'senjis been in pack mode it would have been more difficult to escape unharmed. Good thing Cleo is mostly deaf now and had no idea what was going on. She's actually the killer in the bunch. She gets a cold-blooded look in her eyes. I'm being completely serious - anyone that knows Cleo may think I'm being facetious but I'm not.
D is also going to have to get the gopher stakes into the yard. I hope they work.


In other news, while scaring the crap out of a baby groundhog I realized how nice out it was and suggest a walk. D and I got out the front-pack for J. It was his first time facing out. He did really well and has officially graduated to the facing out direction. He seemed to really enjoy looking around and he stayed awake the entire walk. This is especially good because I've been wanting something else for us to do during the day that would not equal a nap for him. His bouncer, swing and carseat all put him to sleep. He normally loves to play on his playmat but he seems to have lost interest for now. He's not big enough yet for the sitting toys (exersaucer & jumperoo) so I've been at a loss for ways to let him entertain himself. Anyway, now we have walking. Maybe we'll start to go down to the bookstore in town every day for some tea or something. That's about all my stay-at-home-mom budget would allot, in fact it sound like a splurge so maybe it would be a weekly tea adventure.