An Ugly Encounter

"So I Shall Tell You A Story..." this is the title of a book I am currently reading by Judy Taylor. It is an interesting mix of personal recollections and encounters a variety of people had with Beatrix Potter during her life time. The book also includes some notable articles regarding her writings and illustrations of Peter Rabbit and his friends. Beatrix Potter moved to the Lake District in England in her forties. She began raising sheep and promoting conservation of the land. Over the years she bought up many parcels of land near her Hill Top Farm. When she died in 1943 she left a great fortune. Much of it was in land. At the time of her death she was considered the largest single landowner in the Lake District. Most of her fortune was left to a National Trust to maintain preservation of the land.

My story begins today...May 14th. I sailed through Friday the 13th with nothing too bad happening. I left the hustle and bustle of the city today to drive north for four hours to join my husband and Bella. The ride was great, not too much traffic, despite the fact it was opening fishing weekend. I had not been at my destination for more than a few hours when things began to unravel. I could hear Bella barking off in the distance in the woods. The barking continued for quite some time when I decided there must be some problem. Perhaps she is in the brush or swamp and is stuck thinking to myself. So off I went to see what was going on. I found Bella distraught and practically paralyzed in fear over a recent ugly encounter with a porcupine. She had at least a dozen quills stuck all over her nose. I dragged her back home and with my husband's help we pinned her down to remove the quills one by one with a pliers. I do not think even two doggie treats could make up for the pain she felt after this experience.

After we settled down it was time to launch the boat just in time for spring/summer season. My husband did a stellar job getting the boat off the trailer and into the water. But just as I was ready to wave him off I noticed him struggling to get the motor to turn over. After many unsuccessful attempts we had to take the boat out of the water-return home and he had to make some repairs. By this time dusk was almost setting so we had to move quickly to take the boat back to the launch. VOILA! this time the motor worked. But as we were getting the boat ready to launch since the motor was now humming nicely we noticed Bella's predicament. My husband had left the van's window down on the driver's side. Bella who was impatient for her first boat ride of the season jumped from the back seat to the driver's seat and then made an attempt to jump out the window. Unfortunately due to her large size she found herself hanging half out the van window in need of a rescue. Remember last week when I posted the Best Ever Margaritas? Well.. I was counting the minutes to when I could have one hoping to see May 15th with fewer problems. What a day!

Check out blog tomorrow for a few recipes perfect for grilling.