Crafty

Sometimes these two just get going on a little craft project that can occupy them for, well, not hours, but some significant chunk of time. Mask-making was an unusually peaceful endeavor.
Could it have been so quiet because Trevor doesn't have a mouth hole?

You are the Music in Me

On this past week's activity calendar: High School Musical Dance Camp. They couldn't have devised a more perfect way for Clara and a bunch of like-minded little girls to while away their summer hours. Today the young Sharpay wannabes performed for a room full of parents with permagrins. Here's a peek at one of the numbers where Clara was actually in plain view:

So darned cute. Clara is already planning to sign up for next summer's "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" Dance Camp. We need to see the movie first, though. In theaters October 24th, in case you were wondering.

Owl in the Family

We have a bit of a squirrel problem. You see, the neighbors have an apricot tree, and evidently the squirrels like to pick the apricots, then high-tail it into our yard to eat. They sit in our tree and laugh as they toss their scraps down onto the deck and into the pool. This typically happens at night, and when we come out in the morning, the half-eaten apricots have attracted thousands of ants. Makes me itch just thinking about it. As a result, we (mean and territorial humans) are trying to scare the squirrels out of the tree. Enter our new pet owl.
We don't want the squirrels to leave altogether. They are cute and fuzzy and fluffy and chirpy. But the ants, not so much. If it weren't for the food chain and all that, I wouldn't shed a tear if every single ant on the planet was suddenly sucked into a swirling vortex that took them all through a wormhole into a parallel universe where I am not.
(PS: Notice "Brain Man" and "Mad Guin" carved into the deck behind Trevor.)

The owl has been hanging out in the tree and standing guard on deck for a few nights, and she seems to be scaring the squirrels. Bernie the cat is also slightly terrified of her.
We are still trying to think of the perfect name for our new feathered friend. I vetoed Chad's idea: "Hooters."