heat defeat

It's hot...really hot.  Normally, when temperatures are in the 90s, I stay inside.  But because of this girl, we are outside...so...much.

Many socialization excursions that will have to take the place of puppy training until she gets a clean bill of health from the vet.  So it's walks on campus, with so many other pups...

(adults pups are okay!)

...and lots of local hikes, where she meets lots of new people.

She loves the car!  

She's a pretty chill pup...most of the time.

Okay, so I *have* to be outside...at least I can try to enjoy some nature.

green heron eating a frog

groundhog invading our neighbors' container gardens

black tiger swallowtail caterpillar

But honestly, I have the worst attitude ever.  For some reason, summer is killing me this year.  I never like summer with the heat/humidity, the mosquitoes, the ticks...but this year it's just the worst.  I'm apathetic and lethargic.  I'm not motivated to get things done and feel almost desperate for fall.  Every time I see a sign, I celebrate. 

Changing leaves...coincidence?!?

This is a FALL webworm caterpillar!

These winter shoes really needed cleaning because it's ALMOST time to wear them again, right?  Right?!?!?

We had to have some trees trimmed because they were crowding power lines recently...

They only cut a few down.  Most of them were just trimmed closely on one side.  Bare, they look like winter trees.  

Sometimes I look at them and pretend that the leaves are falling and that soon it will be cold again.  I've got another two months to go, easy, so I'm trying to work through this summer ennui with lots of pep talks.

Summer flowers from the garden!!

Fresh fruit!!

Lazy cats in the grass!

(Claudia is doing well and will get to go outside again soon!)

Lakes, rivers, wildlife!

geese at Lake Griffy

It's helping...a little bit.  But sometimes staying positive is a full-time job.  September will be here soon! Stiff upper lip!  

And...have a great week!  

Signed, someone who is ready to live in a more moderate climate.  ;)  

mellow yellow

It's the yellow season in the garden!  I didn't mean to plant so much, but I think it's so cheerful and I just can't help myself. 

Our white poppies are about done...

...and now the red ones are starting.  All re-seeded from last year!

Although nothing from the annual garden is near blooming yet, I've been able to get plenty of flowers from the perennial garden.

An insane amount of daisies this year.  They've tripled their original number and just keep growing and spreading!

It reminds me so much of my favorite photo of great grandma Grace.

A busy time with the animals here.  I noticed Claudia wasn't eating, and that she had flecks of foam on her whiskers.  She let me check her mouth and I realized that she'd lost her incisors on the left side and couldn't masticate the hard kibble that she normally eats.  I pureed wet cat food for her until her mouth healed.  It was a strange week.  She occasionally leaves bird parts on our doorstep, but that week there was just one confused bird that she'd tried to gum...

...but only managed to pull out a few feathers.  She's all better now!

The choglets are eating and growing...

...and we've continued our snake streak with a THIRD black rat snake in as many weeks!  This one was in our storage barn.

He was a lot bigger than the first two! 

We've been seeing a lot of rabbits around, too.

And on these rabbits...

Yes, more ticks, and MORE ticks.

I even found a tick crawling on Frances yesterday, and he's a strictly indoor cat!  We are being very, very diligent about tick checks this year and so far only Todd has had a single tick attached.  Of course, he's been in their territory quite a bit lately.

We've both been outside lately because the weather has been wonderful, and continues to look promising in the forecast.  70s into the second week of June?  I'll take it!  So we're outside as much as possible, and when inside, our indoor animals keep us on our toes.

Here's Barnabas, who decided that a mere screen did not provide enough ventilation, and it cramped his stretch as well.  So, necessity is the mother of invention...

A new hole provides enough of both!  And Frances is responding in a similar way to his no-cats-on-the-table training.

Life is never boring around here.  Have a great week!  

life is like a box of choglets...

 While we've been busy in the yard, other creatures have been...busy in the yard.  

These margined leatherwing soldier beetles are becoming acquainted on my daisies.

If you look closely, you can see fertilization taking place.  Beetle penises are frequently referred to as "hyper-elongated" and their copulation lasts for hours.  One week, the plants are full of margined leatherwing soldier beetle pairs, and the next, poof!  Nowhere to be seen.  Eggs are being laid in the soil, and we'll have a new crop of beetles very soon.  

These chrysopilus velutinus flies, too, are getting into the spirit of the season.  Snipe flies are blood drinkers, like horse flies, but thankfully they don't feed on humans!

Bluebirds are nesting in our fence boxes and we have BABIES!  Dad brings some food...

...and then he's off for more.

Our chogs have been out and about lately, with a slightly larger family.  Yes...we have CHOGLETS!

They are very hesitant and creeping around us...

...startling easily.

Choglets...climb...trees.  This mulberry tree is full of berries, drawing birds...

...and, well, you know.

We love watching them, although they've already gotten into my tomatoes!

Other visitors this week...a Cope's grey tree frog on the front porch, again...

...and someone that Todd was less than thrilled to see, a gorgeous black rat snake...right on our porch rail, just a few feet from the front door!

This gentle snake is afraid of humans, so it crinkles up its body as a defense mechanism, so that it looks like a crooked stick.  

The tip of its tail almost looks like a fingernail!  A frightened snake will coil and shake this tip like a rattle, hoping to fool people into thinking it's venomous and dangerous. But he's a big softie!  

So much going on around the property this week, with so many visitors and so much work!  We have had mild weather, so even though I've had pretty lousy germination, I've been braving the ticks to get seedlings into the garden.  Speaking of ticks, here's one of our major carriers, down by the back pond.  Look at how many ticks are around its ears...shudder!!

The deer have been extra destructive this spring, too.  

We try to plant things that they like in areas far from the trees, where they don't usually frequent, but they're about as obedient as Frances.  Here he is, THREE YEARS into his obedience training, taking a nap right on top of the dining room table.  

He's incorrigible!  Oh, well.  Maybe 2025 will be his year.

Have a great week!