Briefly noted

Some Halloween fun: a Chamorro ghost tale about the Taotaomo'na. The new spin in this story is that it hunts out foreigners. What we've been told and read in our Folk Legends of the Marianas Islands book is that this spirit protects the woods.  One story is that if you want to see one, you rub dog doo in your eye.  If you don't want to see one, you let the steam from rice come in your face.  They don't like perfume, and if you do something they don't like, they pinch your arm hard enough to leave a bruise. Someone else said you have to ask the taotaomo'na permission before peeing in the forest. Or at least say "Excuse me."

A video of Guam. Not sure why the reverse footage is included.  Both of these works I found on the website of the University of Guam's student newspaper, Triton's Call. But for mi familia, this is what we're looking at.

For those of you who have heard that the brown tree snake is a problem here (they have decimated the bird population, including the flightless koko bird.), here's a photo to show that the boys are doing their part to rid the island of these imported pests.. Just helping out the USDA which is paying big bucks to trap them with mice in little cages.

This is my friend the cane toad, another foreigner.  Taotaomo'na doesn't need to pinch him because his relatives are squashed all over the roads. We've been having great lessons in anatomy from the roadkill. 

Does this count as school work? I sort feel extra credit is due to the 7 year old for the artistic photography.

Below, another son hard at work at homework, beneath his father's handiwork: lofts a step above college dorm room quality.

We recently puppy-sat for this little poodle.  I have harbored prejudices against poodles, a prejudice rooted in my family's deep suspicion of small dogs.  But this little guy was awfully lovable. He hasn't replaced our labrador in my heart, but we all felt a little bereft when his owners came home and took him back. It was gratifying when we saw him on a walk the other day, and he scrambled over in excitement to see me. I was glad he didn't puddle on my shoe.

Although this is more than seven quick takes, here is another attempt at catching the sunset from across our front yard:

See Jen at www.conversiondiary.com for more.