Delivery and Unexpected Guests

My new area rug arrived today!  It was leaning up against the door when I got home.  Man, that sucker is heavy.  I had a time dragging it into the house.  And then after looking at the labels I was sure Overstock had sent me the wrong rug.  So I dragged it further into the house, all the way to the kitchen where the overhead lights are nice and bright.  I cut off the top part of the plastic wrapping and peeled it part-way down so I could get a look at the rug.

From what I was able to see of the pattern and colors, I now am pretty sure it is the correct rug.  I learned from the label that it was made in India - relief there! It's a Safavieh hand-tufted wool (with cotton backing and a whopping .6" high pile) and I'm sooooooo happy!  Less than $160 including shipping for it.  Patting myself up and down my back with both hands :)

I'm leaving it wrapped for now, with the top plastic off so it can air out, because the rug has an odor.  Smells like a chemical - perhaps it was treated with some kind of pesticide or something before shipping.  Anyway, I dragged it out to the garage where it will stay until the family room is ready for it.

From what I could tell, the colors are very true to the photo at Overstock.com and the field "blue" color is a slightly light to medium dusty blue-green-aqua and beautiful!  I quick ran and got Mr. Horsey and held him up against the color and they are so perfect together!  Extra impetus to get the family room DONE asap so I can roll out the rug and see it in different light throughout the day and get a real good feel for its color-tones if some accessories in just the right color happen to come my way...and sink my bare toes into it at the end of a long hard day.  Ahhhh.....

So, I get home tonight and go through my routine.  Check the mail, open up the patio door to let in a bit of fresh air, throw some nuts out of the squirrels.  They start coming when I whistle, and then they start freaking out and run for high ground.  Way high ground - higher than I've seen them climb before.  What the heck?  I look out the door to see if there's a cat around, or maybe a stray doggy, but I don't see anything.  Is it the hawk then, perched somewhere above where I can't see her?  But they've seen all of these potential threats before, and have never acted like this...

So, I step out further on the deck and that's when I saw them, just on the other side of the fence along the south lot line.  Two BIG birds - don't know what kind they are.  I ran to get my camera but by the time I dashed back outside (I couldn't have been in the house any longer than 15 seconds) they were already fast disappearing from view.  So, I stuck around on the deck for a little while and then I slowy headed on an angle toward the corner of the fence.  Then one appeared in view, saw me and trotted fast around the corner of a neighbor's house.  The second bird then appeared off the neighbor's deck, looked at me for a split second, and followed the first bird.  I was able to get off two shots but I'm no photographer!  I hit the zoom but I obviously didn't hit it the right way because it didn't work.

Anyway, here are the two photos of these birds:

Can you see the bird?  Is it a turkey?  I thought I heard something at one point - it sort of sounded like a peacock but come one, we don't have peacocks in Wisconsin.  LOL!  That was bird one, lighting out toward the corner of my neighbor's house.

Damn!  There went bird two right around the corner - can you see him?  LOL!

With this crazy non-winter we had, and this unusually early spring (although frost warnings on for tonight and the next few days), I can't help but wonder what is walking around out there that shouldn't be here!  Are the animals as confused by all of this as the plants, trees, and WE are?