Friday afternoon Wanda called to see if I was still willing to do the hand-stitching of the binding on one the quilts she just got back from Jessica (of course!) so I popped over to pick it up.  I planned to get it back to her shortly - unless it also turns out to have more than four corners <g> like Mia's quilt did. 

Awake at 4:30 Saturday morning, so I got an early start to the yardwork.  It was a little overcast, but still toasty out; I worked up a sweat dealing with the Russian thistle 'crop' on 37th, but that stretch looks a whole lot better without them. I even raked, so if we get rain (and that's a big if) at least it's cleared and level, and ready 'just in case'.

When I came inside to cool off for a bit I could non-stop barking coming from the backyard - but it didn't sound like Brownie.  I finally went out to check, and it was coming from inside the irrigation pipe.  Tom had tried to coax it out, but hadn't had any luck.  It did seem to 'answer' my coaxing with renewed yelping, so maybe it was hung up on something? We don't have any probe long enough, so I tried calling a few animal rescue numbers - but at that hour of the morning (maybe 6:30) it was not surprising that no one was any where to answer phones, especially on a holiday weekend.  

Tom took out a flashlight so we could confirm which pipe the plaintive cries were coming from, and once we could see all the way through we were surprised that nothing was in any of them!  The sound IS "right there", but it's as if the puppy is actually underground.

More trimming, mostly the tree-bushes in the east half of the front yard.  That seriously filled all all three cans, leaving piles that still need a place to go.

Around 9:00, after some searching on the 'net, I drove over to the nearby Fire Department on 35th Ave. and explained the dog problem. They weren't busy and were more than happy to came over with their technology, saying "anything for a dog."   (I just didn't expect two big fire engines, and a sizeable crew.)

After doing their checking 

they insisted we were just hearing Brownie from other end of the pipe. 

Alex cooked us brunch (his bagel/egg conconction, very tasty) and I showed him Wanda's quilt, which he really liked. (At first he'd assumed it was one of mine I'd just 'whipped up' since he hadn't seen it in progress.)  By the evening I had the binding completed, and today will be returning it to her.

Yesterday Chase dropped off his new boat, a 27-footer (along with a nice birthday gift for Tom he'd brought back from Mexico) because the guys are going to the lake today.  The rig is too long to make the turn into the drive-through, so it had to spend the night parked out front.  

Alex was just loading it up this morning with ice and other necessities when Chase called to bail (too much partying yesterday?) so Alex gets to drive it to Lake Pleasant and then be the captain.  That's a big responsibilty (he commented on how many people have been dying out on the lake this year, which of course I've been seeing on the news) and then volunteered that he will only be drinking water today.  

While it won't be as much fun for him, I'm certainly relieved to hear that. 

Yardwork this morning consisted of getting the rest of yesterday's trimmed/raked piles in the cans, which of course no longer close so I really hope there's no monsoon wind tonight.  Once they're emptied tomorrow (they always collect, even on holiday Mondays) I plan to start filling them up again.