this is our shed out back.

i like taking pictures of it.

most mornings, while we’re getting ready, i take a gander out the back window at this shed because, more often than not, there is a little fluffy friend out there for me to see.

it seems as though we’ve rented out the sub-level of the shed space to a nice family of ground squirrels.

while this sort of situation could be potentially wrought with inter-species mis-communications, we have somehow found a livable solution.

the deal goes something like this:

we promise not to poison them and, in return, they promise to provide us with morning laughs.

each AM, there’s at least one sentry squirrel out in front of that white door, keeping watch, capering about, or sitting in a fat lump on top of our metal hitching post there.

naturally, when i try to steal a photo, the guard squirrel scurries prairie-dog style to his hole beneath those stepping stones you see.

another benefit of living in what used to be categorized as the country.

if you want to donate toward a fund to get me a power, tele-photo lens, i’m sure we could work something out.

so, kelly and i were robbed last friday night.

rather, our house was robbed.

thankfully, we weren’t home. we had gone out for an anniversary dinner and then spent some time at my parent’s house.

at what we thought was the end of our evening, we headed home to find things very much not as we left them.

as we pulled up we saw windows & doors open, some stuff spilled onto the ground outside our back door.

immediately we put the car in reverse, called 911 and waited for their response (which was excellent) at a nearby gas station.

the thieves were long gone, so after the police cleared the area i was able to go inside and survey the damage.

as far as burglaries go, it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been.

what i mean by that is that they broke 1 window, took a bunch of stuff, pulled open some drawers and closets, but otherwise didn’t destroy anything.

unfortunately, by the time we got home our cat Tuna was nowhere to be seen. windows were wide open and she scares pretty easily. we looked around for her awhile, but there was no sign. seemed like she was out there on her own against dogs, other cats, the occasional coyote and cars driving 55mph down our street. when i finally was able to fall asleep for like 20 minutes, i had a dream that our burglars had put Tuna in the freezer so that she didn’t attack them. needless to say, i was pretty stressed the next morning when i went in the house and opened the freezer door…

late friday night (actually, early saturday morning), a couple was pulled over on a routine traffic stop in the next town over. they had been involved in not only our burglary, but at least one other that night. turns out, there had been 6 or 8 robberies like ours in the week leading up to friday. they were arrested and are currently being held on a number of charges.

the stuff that was taken was all pretty typical…computers, cameras, jewelry, that kind of stuff. some was recovered, some wasn’t. but most importantly our peace of mind was taken, and that’s what we’d like back the most. it’s a hard thing to be nervous when you walk into your home after work, or jump every time you hear a sound outside, or not be able to sleep because you’re thinking about scary people breaking in. all things we’re working through this week.

in the mean time, we know a lot of you prayed on friday when i twittered about the incident and a lot of you continued praying for us through the weekend. those prayers were definitely felt, and we can’t tell you how appreciative we are for all of you who let us know that you were interceding for us before the Lord.

we’ve been taking comfort in a couple of psalms that a few of you have shared with us. particularly Psalm 34 and Psalm 91. thanks again for those.

we’re thankful for our life and for all that the Lord is doing for us right now.

like when He didn’t allow Tuna to be in the freezer…or jump out the open window.

turns out she had found a way into an open closet and had been hiding there for countless hours till she finally realized it was me in the house the following morning.

God is good. we know He’s in control. we know that He loves us and is with us through this difficult time.

we would love your continued prayers for peace of mind and trust in the Lord. thanks again to everyone for the condolences and kind words on twitter, text, facebook, voicemail and all the other ways that make it easy for us to support each other. it’s making a difference for us and we’re thankful for that.

blessings and maranatha

she’d be sneakier if she didn’t have that bell around her neck.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QqzdCdiclA[/youtube]

not exactly a positive post tuesday, but makes me smile all the same.

animals are fun.

(ht: my sister)

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/6308896[/vimeo]

it’s tuesday.

do you know about positive post tuesday?

this is Tuna:

when you get down to her essence, Tuna is a lazy bones.

while this is common to the feline species, it simply is not wholly tolerated by us, a self-proclaimed ‘dog-family.’

that said, there have been some recent developments in little Tuna’s life recently…

…the development of discipline.

a few weeks ago our beloved cat decided that human hands and feet were acceptable chewing toys and scratching posts.

this was not ideal.

our first response was to scoop her up and put her out in her little habitat (our enclosed back patio where she hangs out during the day).

the problem was that she loves being outside, smelling things and bounding from window to window.

our second approach was to clap, say a loud ‘NO!‘ and, if absolutely necessary, give the Tune a little flick on the nose.

this caused a couple of problems.

first: it didn’t work. it just made our cat want to bite us all the more.

second: it made us feel bad.

so, being the internet-researching couple that we are, we got online and did a little sleuthing to find out some loving but effective ways to ‘discipline’ a cat.

in all honesty, i was skeptical that one CAN discipline/train/live with a cat, but decided to press forward for the common good.

we have since developed a method called ‘scruffing,’ which, according to something we read, is the way that mother cats keep control of their little kittens.

it’s taking that extra skin on the back of a cat’s neck and gently, yet firmly, holding it while pressing the cat toward the ground.

we’ve been amazed to see the results of this simple and painless form of corporal punishment. so much so that we no longer fear vicious cat attack during every waking moment.

so why this cat post? why a type of post that i never thought possible of publishing on this quaint web space?

because when i saw this picture i took the other day i realized how much Tuna really likes being with us. she is a happy member of our little family. and when she started to pick up some habits/attitudes/activities that were counterproductive, a little discipline got her back into a place where we could enjoy each other’s company.

i’ve just been thinking about the importance of discipline.

personal discipline, Divine discipline.

and how correcting those negative things which cause rifts between us and the Lord is the best way to enjoy our relationship with Him.

Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with Me.
{ Revelation 3.19-20 }

discipline is a good thing.

our cat is a good cat.

today is a good day.

it’s tuesday. be positive.

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it’s tuesday.

do you know about positive post tuesday?

today’s post is for our beloved cat, Tuna.

now, frequenters to JIE will remember that we rescued our little kitten back in january of this year after weeks of her toughing it out on the mean streets of hanford.

since then she’s been living the high life out in the country, with a patio, a couch and a spacious litter box to call her own.

here’s the thing; the mrs and i are emphatically not cat people. we’re dog people. dogs. big dogs.

but what could we do? this little kitten was all on its own till we came along and spared her a cold and grizzly death (yes, that’s what we tell ourselves).

the last 6 months have not turned us into cat people, but we happily admit our love for Tuna. the biggest reason being that i’m not sure she is a cat.

she licks like a dog.

she lap-sits like a dog.

and she has hind legs like a kangaroo (yeah, i need to get a good picture of them…they’re sorta bizarre…).

of all the cats we’ve encountered, she is the least catty, which is probably why she has fit in so well.

in truth, she has brought a wonderful presence to our little family.

unfortunately for the Tune, she is currently recovering from some surgery at the vet:

yeah…she’s not too happy. but, we’ve been extra sympathetic. you know what i mean…the hand feeding, lots of petting, extra padding in her bed…i’ve even been bringing her to work this week!

why? because she’s worth it.

i’m glad that kelly and i both have an affinity for animals, and, hopefully, Tuna will be the first of many animals which enrich our lives with the tender love that domesticated pets bring.

lots of words to say that, even though we ‘shouldn’t,’ we love our cat.

lots.

it’s tuesday. be positive.

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