Last night was ROUGH. Or should I say "ruff"? 😂

Last night was ROUGH. Or should I say "ruff"? 😂

We hear the coyotes howling on the mesa pretty often. No big deal. We also know they come into the neighborhood because we caught that one on our doorbell cam. But last night was different. They weren't just howling; they were yipping and making a lot of noise. And they sounded pretty close.

They were noisy but not too disturbing. Cubba, on the other hand, was roaring and barking and growling like it was the apocalypse. Inside the house because we can't leave him alone outside, obviously. (He pulled another fast one on us just the other day, except he climbed over into the neighbor's yard and climbed back when we went to get him. Then of course greeted us in the house like nothing happened. 😂) But yeah, last night he was inconsolable.

That sucked because I was SO EXHAUSTED. I vacuumed the whole house yesterday (stairs, too - ugh) except for the kids' bedrooms because they are responsible for those. Then I shampooed the carpet downstairs. It was WORK and I was so tired. Then the dog wasn't trying to let me sleep.

On the bright side the carpet was totally dry 2 hours later. 😮🤯 When I painted a while back the rooms were dry to the touch in like, 15 minutes. I still love it here. The moral of the story? The desert is magical, and Cubba is an asshole. 😂😂😂 (He's not, really. He's just super smart and friendly and sometimes bored and sometimes [rarely, honestly] really scared / alarmed. It happens.)

Protect innocent black boys the way you protect guilty white boys.

Protect innocent black boys the way you protect guilty white boys.

Period.

Foam so thick the spoon stands up.

Foam so thick the spoon stands up.

For the last month or so...

For the last month or so someone has been sending their Amazon orders to our address. It's not the same people we bought the house from. We can't find this mystery person on Facebook or NextDoor to let them know what's going on. Both Shaun and I have called Amazon and they say if the address on the package matches ours then there is nothing they can do. They've told us both that we are free to keep, throw away, or donate whatever shows up.

So far, we've gotten a 3-pack of Scotch tape, some solar lights, a package of 3 knock-off iPhone charging cables, and a tackle box.

The first 2 times this happened we were concerned because we know how much it sucks to look forward to a delivery that's not coming. At this point, though, we're over it. We just open it up and see what it is. 😂 We might put all the stuff inside the tackle box and save it up in case we ever find out who's doing this. Like, "Here's all your stuff. We kept it safe." It's so bizarre to us because none of us would be repeating that mistake.

In other Amazon news:  I ordered an electronic tea kettle and some 16-ounce mugs from there. They weren't shipped before the day they were supposed to be delivered and I got annoyed with waiting so I canceled the order last night. Amazon let me know that I could expect a refund in a few days. The package showed up just a few minutes ago. I guess I'm not complaining about free tea accessories. 😁😁😁

Cubba isn't thrilled...

Cubba isn't thrilled that his butt is now being snuggled by Balthazar. He feels he's gotta sleep with one eye on this cat. 😂😂😂

I walked by a window that had the blinds slightly cracked...

I walked by a window that had the blinds slightly cracked and the color streaming in was otherworldly. I had to go outside. Here's a completely unedited photo of the sunset.

Skate Update:

Skate Update:

Me and Shaun went back to the same park today. I didn't fall at all. I practiced "bubbles" and using my brakes.

If you don't know what bubbles are it's probably easier for you to see it on YouTube than for me to explain it, but it's basically starting with your heels in a pizza (or "V" shape), rolling forward to a comfortable width and then continuing forward eventually ending up with your toes in a pizza. I tried my hardest yesterday but could not do it. I did them today, though, and even did some backwards! You kind of need to do a squat and squeeze your legs open and closed when you do them and when I tell you that I probably looked like the Hulk tryna take a dook on the ball court I am being so serious. 😂😂😂 I was squeezing with everything I had! I feel like I'm gonna feel those "bubbles" tomorrow. 😂😂😂

Anyway, I also used my toe stop some. First time ever! It was scary because I think I lean forward when skating so dragging a toe propels the rest of me forward and I feel like I'mma fall on my face. Shaun told me to stand up straighter and that made a huge difference. I probably exaggerated that move, too. I'm pretty sure I puffed up like a bird who was about to fight. 😂 I bet I look ridiculous as hell when I'm skating but at least I'm having fun!

We took a different route today and found another park. One with a pool and an observatory, and OH YEAH - A SKATE PARK! 🤯🤯🤯 Like 5 minutes from our house! There were adults and kids out there skating and it looked so fun. Maybe once I'm a little more sure on my feet I'll have the nerve to go there. I definitely don't yet. It's a little small and I'm just not into running anyone's kids over.

Also, I reached out to a local derby team and they were super welcoming. I'm planning on going to skate practice with them on Tuesday. I'm really excited. I'm sure it'll be fun and maybe I'll learn some stuff and even make some friends. I'll let y'all know how that goes. 😊