the move groove

And...we have babies!!

Two of the eggs have hatched, one of which was the cowbird egg.  These babies look the same to me, though.  Maybe time will tell?  I'll check again later in the week. 

Lots of other activity, too.  Our goz are getting bigger and bigger.

It's now common to see anoles everywhere.

And...we have a toad hole!  A small hole in the blacktop behind the house.  There's always a toad sitting in it.  Always. 

If you come close, the toad retreats into the hole.  Sometimes you see the tip of his nose poking out...or just his hind legs!

Clotilde is back.

She's always around when I'm working outside...

...or tormenting Tabitha from the safety of her stairs perch (this is Tabitha in watchful, pre-attack mode):

I just hate to leave her behind.  But she's been a neighborhood outdoor cat for years, and our neighborhood is full of people who feed any stray that comes around.  I know I have to do it.

Other, less obvious activity in the yard...a spittlebug, leaving small evidence of its presence:

[LOOK AWAY if you are SPIDER-AVERSE!!]









A beautiful venusta orchard spider, waiting for a meal...

Nice new growth on some ferns...

And, everywhere, mushrooms of all shapes and sizes popping up!

Todd and I have been working to get ready for the move...

It's a stressful time.  We packed what we could, but not our daily essentials (which are suspiciously numerous) or big furniture.  And, of course, not our business merchandise.  But for the purposes of upcoming inspections, the attic and crawl space had to be emptied, and so now the house is full of cardboard boxes. 

A little yard work...some future planning...a little business work (early summer is notoriously slow)...and a lot of empty time.  I'm averaging three days per 1000-piece puzzle, and I've just put together my last one.  I'm doing a lot of anxious room-to-room and distraction-to-distraction flitting.  Hopefully this will be the last truly stressful week.  We hope to pass the termite and housing inspection, nail down a contractor for our glass door fix (no pun intended!), secure movers/trucks, and sign a lease on temporary housing AND warehouse storage...all by this Friday.  Eek!  Todd reminds me to "just put one foot in front of the other..." I appreciate the sentiment, but I'll be glad for many reasons when these hurdles are passed.

Have a great week!