My next door neighbor was in the back part of her yard this morning and the dogs were barking at her. I saw her and walked out, and she said she'd gone out to see what they were barking at before they started barking at her. I think now that the dogs have seen us talking for a while (and I took out some treats) they won't bark at her again.

Our over the fence talk was interesting, and we find we both would love to fill in the "den" that is a 6" step down into one room in our houses. In the 1970s it was trendy to put a sunken den, but it is such a tripping hazard. She's having some concrete work done on the driveway next week, and I mentioned that I'd love to fill it, so she's going to ask her guy, or give me a call when he's there and I'll go ask. Probably can't afford to do it now, and if I have to pull up the tile there's no way I'd do it soon. If they could pour concrete over tile, though it might be worth it. I'd love a level floor (it's not level now, and I didn't level when I put in the tile).

I re-shot the compact photos, this time on a different background in daylight with the camera set in a macro setting so I was farther back from it. This lets the focal plane be a little deeper and the whole thing is in focus.

SRS