Camping in Catmint

Another birthday has come and gone for Mom. Contrary to the forecast, Thursday, May 18 was mostly rain free here - even sunny most of the time. I say "mostly rain free" because a short-lived thunderstorm announced the day's arrival around 2 in the morning. (Thanks so much, weather.) May 18 turned out to be the last of the streak of unseasonably warm days for us, but the gusty wind made it seem less stifling than its predecessors. Now we're back to the typical low 60's. With on-and-off rain, naturally.

*Cues appropriate song* Feel free to listen while you read on.

We didn't have much time for HI2 on Mom's birthday because lots was going on, but here is our not-so-exciting flute:

It is cute that a horse appeared *in* the catmint rather than next to it for once. =)

She's a far cry from either of the main subjects of Mom's calendar page. (Isn't that foal awesome, though?) Not that it matters, since Mom's not part of our unofficial contest, but still... Hypothetically, would that chestnut neck and head count? How about the dark horse in the background? XD

Random fun fact: our flute from the 17th would have been a decent match for the mare, though I'm guessing the one in the photo is some sort of appaloosa that's grayed out, not a cremello. =)

Itch that tail, Umber!

As has usually been the case, we didn't get HI2's Happy Birthday message until we logged in the next day. I sure wonder what's with that? Does this happen to anyone else? Maybe we did screw up and chose the wrong day when we signed up. *Shrugs*

At any rate, here are Mom's on-time presents! 

To be clear, they include: jeans, a white watch, a Hagrid mug (Mom's youngest sister, whose birthday was last week, got a Draco Malfoy one. =)), the final stall Mom wanted for her model horse ranch set up in The Horse Room, a bonus horse that came with the stall, and 3 doll-sized dresses! A few more gifts are still on their way from Amazon, including a 4th dress. We will model them for you once the 4th has arrived!

Quite a fun haul, I'd say! Mom was happy. While only the watch and the mug were technically surprises (the rest she'd picked out earlier in the year), I think we can all agree that it never gets old to tear into a stack of presents! She says no present will ever top the one she received around her 7th birthday, though, her no-contest best birthday present ever:

Pepsi! <3 We sure miss you, you big lug! (You too, Summer, even though you were not a birthday present and only have a partial tail and leg in this frame.)