Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Pig Cafe

 Into each life some rain must fall...finally.

Virginia Tiger Moth caterpillar

After three bone-dry weeks of scorching upper-90s temps, we finally got a little shower.  Light, for maybe an hour. It's still desperately dry and I am watering, daily, for at least 30 minutes, especially my young seedlings and seedlings-to-be.

We're all set up here!

Germination!

You can see the three bare-ish beds here.  The weeds are growing just as fast as the seedlings, somehow.  Todd, too, is mystified by their persistent growth.  We graded and laid landscape fabric around the white barn, then topped it with gravel.  And...weeds, weeds everywhere.  Our driveway is almost completely consumed.  How?!?  I haven't quite hit upon a solution for the garden area, anyway.  Newspaper does NOTHING to control the growth.  I might have to hand-rake and mulch heavily, which will be a major chore with my injuries.  We'll see how this develops!  Meanwhile, I'm enjoying the flowers...

...and the critters!  I've seen three or four rabbits this week.

Two fawns, two deer, one fox for which my camera wasn't quite ready...

One giant turkey vulture...

...and multiple sightings of our resident groundhog.

He (she?) is burrowing heavily in our white barn, and I learned why they're sometimes called "whistle pigs" when I interrupted him last week.  He pig-squealed...and let me tell you, it's an interesting noise to hear when you're entering a dark barn.  ;) Here's an internet clip so that you can hear it too!  

We also have a bobwhite here ('Robert Blanco' - named by Todd).  They're elusive and I haven't gotten a picture of my own yet...

photo courtesy of Metro Parks

...but I hear him daily.  He's one of those charming birds easily identified because he sings his own name.  "Bob white!  Bob white!" There were plenty of these quail around when I was growing up, so I love to hear his call!

Inside, it's a kitten love fest.

If they aren't tearing through the house, they're bathing...or sleeping.  They love each other!  💕

They're still so small (and so destructive) that I'm afraid to leave them alone for more than a few hours...but they're getting bigger every day.  Six months old now!  Time flies when you're having...naps.

Have a great week!