and now for something completely different....

First off, let me do a Fisher update. According to the last time I spoke with his mom, he is doing well. The procedure went better this morning than anyone could have planned - instead of having to staple the Biobrane to the burns, the surgeon was able to use steri-strips. This means Fisher won't have to go back under anesthesia on Friday to have staples removed! The next couple of days are critical for the Biobrane to adhere to the burns - the better it adheres, the better the outcome. This afternoon it sounded like Fisher, Kirsten, and Ryan all got some much needed sleep and big brother Spencer played at his grandparents house. As far as I can tell it seems like things are moving in the right direction.

And now to change the topic COMPLETELY - I hate spiders. I mean, really hate spiders. They totally creep me out. The only spider I remotely like is Charlotte from Charlotte's Web. There is nothing worse than walking through a spider web and getting caught in those invisible sticky threads. That being said, I can appreciate the beauty and intricacy of a web...I just don't want it on me!

Where am I going with this, you might be wondering...just hang in there...I'll get to the point eventually.

Even though we have a fenced in back yard, our dog Jill doesn't understand how to go to the bathroom out there unless one of us is out there too, telling her to "go potty" and "go poo poo." I can feel the collective eye-rolling now. Believe me, we hate it too. I guess it goes back to when we first got her, the house we were living in didn't have a backyard - it was more of a patio-style home. ANYWAY - when we were housebreaking her, one of us would take her outside to the field across from our house to do her business. She got really good at doing her business when we told her - Pavlov was right about that I guess! The problem is that she got too used to us being there and now won't without an audience! UGH. Most of the time it isn't that bad. We have some nice chairs on the back porch and one (or both of us) will just hang out there shouting commands (our poor neighboors - what they must think of us!) Sometimes, we will even walk around the yard while she's out there - looking at flowers, etc.

So tonight, we got home from church (we are having a revival this week) and I took Jill out. I was talking on the phone to mom while Jill was doing her thing when something caught my eye in the evening light.....



OH MY WORD. I am not kidding this thing is HUGE. This web stretches about 4 feet wide and 6 feet tall. It goes from one of the columns on the back porch all the way to that bush you see in the picture. If I had stepped off the back porch into the yard I WOULD HAVE WALKED STRAIGHT INTO THIS WEB AND HAD THE CREEPY CRAWLY NASTY SPIDER ON ME!!!!!!!!!!!

Now, my parents are probably surprised that I can even write this - knowing my reactions from childhood, they both would expect to find me screaming hysterically and refusing to go anywhere near the back yard. I have matured (slightly). I am very proud to say that I did not scream, I did not cry, I did not destroy the web. So what did I do?

I took a picture and posted it on here instead. Oh, and I'm not taking Jill outside anymore until Charlotte's relative vacates the backyard.