It has been in the queue forever since most of the family members aren’t into this sort of thing. But work has been unusually stressful, so it was time. All I knew was that it had to do with penguins, Hugh Jackman and Robin Williams were part of the voice talent, and it was probably uplifting.

If you haven’t seen it, that’s all you need to know. Oh yes, and there’s music.

The barbecued beef ribs were a bit overcooked and on the dry side since I forgot to add more sauce. I was feeling creative, so the beans came out of a can, but embellished with my famous sauce.

They started down the redwood tree when I was deep into my book (She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb) and half asleep. Still upset at losing all my goldfish, I got my flashlight and shone it outside. Nothing. Not that I could see that much with the shrubbery.

About an hour or so later, the sound of claws on bark woke me. I thought I would try to figure out how many there were instead of a futile attempt at spotting them. Clickety clickety whomp. Clickety clickety whomp. Six at least. From what I can tell today, they went through the tomatoes, knocking down some ripe ones, not eating them. There is a new bare spot near the mint plant, looks like something large has been rolling around.

The gophers have made part of the backyard a treacherous spot for walking around despite the scattering of human hair, a recommended but questionable deterrent. I’m thinking I should just hire a skilled bow hunter. There is actually one in the family, although he lives elsewhere.