It looks like there won’t be any bunny sightings anymore. The neighbors and their dogs are back, and the incessant morning barks have started again. Sigh.
At least the neighbor behind us has completed their renovation, thus one less disturbance for us. We had to deal with constant noise and dust pollution when the renovation was moving at full scale the past few months. Thank goodness the situation is behind us now.
It’s a matter of reconditioning the mind and the expectations again to live harmoniously with neighbors, pets, critters, and all. Otherwise, we drive ourselves crazy, focusing too much on the external noises.
Our immediate neighbor with the Golden Retriever and German Shepard dogs was away for almost two weeks. And it was very peaceful without barking noises, especially from the unfriendly German Shepard. I could venture out to the garden without trepidation to get some fresh air.
I stopped going to the garden because the German Shepard would rush out whenever it sensed a presence and would bark up a ruckus. Unlike the friendlier Retriever, who would wait in anticipation for pets and love from me.
But recently, with the humans and dogs not around, their garden was subject to all sorts of critters making the place their playground. One morning, I spotted a bunny! My goodness, a bunny in dog territory? Did it cross the fence from the other neighboring house?
It zipped here and there on the barren ground with so much energy, being carefree and having the time of its life. I managed to snap a couple of close-ups when it ventured closer to our side. What a cutie pie!
The carrot in the background is a doggy chew toy, and not for the bunny!
I think there could be a hole somewhere between the two properties that allowed it to venture to this side. Hopefully, after its little adventure, it went home safely.
I’m sure once the dogs and their owners come home, it is the end of the little bunny’s adventure. As for us, it’s back to dealing with the barking of the unfriendly German Shepard all over again. Sigh.
The weather has changed again! It has been wonky and unpredictable. Whenever I check the Weather app on my iPhone XR so that I can plan my schedule if I am doing laundry or going out, it does not seem accurate at times, unfortunately.
On Tuesday, I had a morning golf game at a golf club some distance away. I checked ahead to ensure the weather would be nice for a pleasant outing. The app showed that it would rain only by noon, after which we would have completed our round of golf. But it rained when I left the house and continued to rain before we could tee off.
We ended up playing in the drizzle for the first nine holes. The course was beautiful and challenging, the greens fast, but the condition was most undesirable. We were wet, irritable, and did not enjoy the damp condition! But when we crossed over, the drizzle subsided and was cloudy, so everyone’s mood changed for the better.
With the change in the weather these days, planning is not easy. If you have something to do and the weather is hot and dry, do it. Don’t plan too much in anticipation of the oncoming rain, if any, because plans will go awry, and it can be time-wasting.
But for golf, if it rains before or after teeing off, we either wait it out or play in the rain. Worst case, we have to abandon the game. Luckily, we did not have to do this on Tuesday. I hope the weather will be kinder for my next golf game.
Lately, my putters have not been very good in their performances. Both the Scotty and Peanut Putter have been very frustrating when it comes to short distances. I was so peeved with the unnecessary additional strokes incurred. Ugh!
So, I have decided to change to a third putter! This latest third putter is not a new putter. It is from hubby’s collection of putters, and I am borrowing it for the time being.
My latest putter!
During my first game with it last week, it felt comfortable and converted several one-putts, much to my delight. It is giving my other two putters a run for its worth. Well, I will be using it again for the next few games.
It is official. We will not have papayas from the garden anymore. Last week, hubby said we had to cut down the tree as the tree is old, sick, and no longer fruiting.
The task at hand was quite a challenge. Even the tall ladder did not help. In the end, hubby sawed two sections of the trunk so that it would break at two points instead of one. Also, with two breaking points, the tree fell at a shorter distance, thus less damage to the garden space. The tree was pulled with a rope and fell safely towards the open area.
What’s left of the papaya tree
So now, we are papaya-less. At some point, we have to remove the remaining three-foot-tall trunk and find something else to plant in that spot. Otherwise, it is a waste of precious space. By the way, the baby papaya trees are not ready yet to take over. Boo hoo hoo!
Who would have thought that a simple and affordable repellent works? Our recent bat repellent, consisting of a stick-on hook to hang the mothball, has been effective!
Soon after we set up the repellent, hubby managed to clean off the stains on the floor. And I’ve been sweeping the area clean to monitor the situation. Immediately, we could see the results.
There were no further droppings of any kind, fruits or seeds, in the area. Wow, if we had known about this much earlier! Nonetheless, it is better to fix the pesky problem now than never.
We have had this pest problem for some time, but we never did anything about it. Recently, the situation got to us because it’s driving us batty literally. A bat or bats are hanging out in front of the house, and there is evidence of their existence. On the ceiling, there are claw scratches. And on the porch floor, messy stains of droppings and fruit seeds. The floor stains are hard to clean off – that’s the most annoying part!
We decided to do something to deter these night critters from hanging out at our place and creating a further mess. And Google is the best place to search for ideas. I found several methods like nets, sound, and scent. Using scent is the least expensive but most effective, specifically, mothballs!
All these repellent methods are not that difficult, and we opted for the scent method, being the most effective. We managed to fix a hook on the ceiling close to the perching spot with some MacGyver methods. And a mothball disc is now hanging there.
Let’s hope this works! In the meantime, we will have to monitor the place to see if there are any new droppings after cleaning up the area.
The heat and humidity, my goodness, how do we deal with it? I feel hot and bothered and am profusely sweating every time I move. Maybe it’s a good thing for all my body’s water retention has reduced tremendously.
Ever since the beginning of the pandemic and the various lockdowns we went through, my weight fluctuated but did not increase. We stopped our Intermittent Fasting because there was no need to continue with it, being lockdown at home. Life went on, and my weight was manageable.
But recently, with the unbearable heat, I find myself having no appetite at all. Besides sweating more than a round of golf, the heat is also helping me burn all my body fat! Perhaps this is turning out to be a good weight loss advantage.
As a result, my weight has been on a downtrend. I am now at my ideal weight, thanks to the heat. For this, I am certainly not hot and bothered by it!
The weather lately has been unbearable, making me all hot and bothered. I’m sure I am not the only one.
There are days when the Weather app will show a lower temperature, but in reality, it is hotter. Like this morning, for example, the Weather app reading says 31 degrees Celsius, but it feels like 37 degrees with the humidity. Two days ago, it was 36 degrees, but it felt like 42 degrees!
The heat issue is not just felt here but all over the world. The situation reaffirms that global warming is real. To combat this intense heat and humidity, I try to stay hydrated and be indoors if I can. Better still, I will minimize my movement and be a sloth for the next few days!
The afternoon Interclub game was a blessing because we did not have to wake up so early as the day before. After breakfast and checking out, the entourage was on the way to Ipoh. Again, the journey was pleasant, and we arrived early at Royal Perak Golf Club. We were warmly welcomed and soon ushered in for lunch.
Fishing farms dotting the waters along the Second Penang Bridge
The weather was hot, so the air-conditioned dining area was nice. But one must not get used to it because, after lunch, we tee off at 1.00 pm under the hot sun! Dang, the weather was hot.
Luckily, it was buggy on the course like the previous game, so this helped with managing the heat factor for the game. As this was an Interclub game, playing well was important. How did I fare this time around?
I played better. The greens here felt better, and putting was not a letdown. The course was very long, especially for the Red tee boxes. Many a time, I had to pull out the wood or utility clubs for the Par 3s.
Before we knew it, the game ended. The cold shower was refreshing to cool down the body, and the after-game dinner spread was sumptuous. There were some controversies, and the outcome was not what we expected; I will not elaborate on this to mar the positives of the trip.
It has been a fun outing and the Club’s first away trip after two and a half years of living with the pandemic and the restrictions. We will host our opponents at our Club for the return match soon.
We left Ipoh and arrived on schedule at our Club. All too soon, the short golf getaway is another chapter to store away in the memory. I look forward to participating in another Interclub match, home or away.
Angieneering 
Remarks