hot spot

Working on two full weeks with our Pepita!  She has somehow taught herself to fetch...

...and is working hard on SIT and COME HERE.  Still no house accidents, still sleeping through the night in the office crate, and now she rests quietly in her living room playpen for 4 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the afternoon, allowing us to get work done.  When not in the playpen, she is actively working with one or both of us.  Frances supervises from a safe distance.  He knows that she's been good, but cats are so interesting and new!

Pepita made her first trip to PetSmart this week...

...and managed her first 15-minute trail walk this morning!  She's making amazing progress.  

So is Claudia!  Her tubes come out tomorrow and I think she'll finally be able to leave the crate she's been living in and roam around the barn.  Todd has been spoon-feeding her (because of her cone), cleaning her crate and litter box, cleaning her incision and drain tubes, and making sure that she has plenty of pets and reassurances.  We'll both be glad for her to gain a little bit of independence!

Meanwhile, our hot weather stretch continues.  I open the windows every morning, no matter what, for a bit of fresh air.  It doesn't take long for our floors to become actually wet from the humidity and after we slide around for awhile, I grumpily close them.

 I keep trying to rouse myself to work in the garden, but between the heat/humidity and Pepita, I can't seem to get time to get anything done.  I did get the pumpkins planted, at least.

But the cutting garden (hangs head in shame)...we've got the saddest 4-foot sunflowers ever, and despite the fact that I spent an insane amount of time weeding at regular intervals until just two weeks ago, weeds are bursting out everywhere.  I'm definitely writing it off for the year.  At least the perennial garden has a ton of color...

daylilies

...and a ton of visitors!  The bee balm, especially, has drawn all sorts of butterflies...

eastern tiger swallowtail

zebra swallowtail

great spangled frittilary

pipevine swallowtail

...but also one of my favorites, the snowberry clearwing hummingbird moth.

They used to be a rarity, but now the garden is FULL of them.

You can see why they're called flying lobsters!

They're great pollinators and I love to see them around.  I also saw two really cool sphinx moths this week...the blinded sphinx moth (so named for a coloration quirk - they are not actually blind, but they don't have mouthparts and don't feed...just breed quickly and die!)...

...and the elm sphinx moth.

A couple of beauties!  

We're still catching lots of action on the trail cams.  Bobcats, coyotes, possums, deer, squirrels, skunks, turkeys, turkey vultures, herons, and so...many...raccoons.  I counted five in this video!

Todd has only seen two ticks so far this year, and I haven't seen any.  Our winter was especially cold (I wistfully remember) and that helps keep the population down.  However, seeing this deer on one of our cameras reminds me to continue to be vigilant.  There are still ticks around.  See those lumps on the backs of her ears and bridging the space between?  Those are ALL TICKS.  Yuck!!

Between trying to keep up with Pepita and Claudia, get work done, keep the house in order, and generally keep things moving forward while trying to survive in 90 degree heat, there isn't a lot of time left for leisure.  However, I'm going to try to take a cue from Pepita...

...and the cats...

a typical Frances nap

...and take a break every once in a while!  

Have a great week!  

Star Wars Chores

Home at last! We've just returned from a "working vacation" in Orlando, Florida. Emphasis should be placed on "working," because, although we had fun, there was very little "vacation" involved!

First, we brought up our boxes from the basement. Items in these boxes had to be individually bagged and priced.


Bosewichte was happy to help in any way that he could, either by staying as well-rested as possible...


...or by utilizing his supervisory skills as we packed.


We filled this cargo van to the brim!


We grabbed snacks and drink, and only 18 hours later...


...we arrived at the main event!


That's right! We made the trek to Florida to set up a booth at Celebration V. We have an eBay business, selling vintage toys and collectibles, so this event was right up our alley. There were celebrity appearances by Darth Vader...


...and even George Lucas, referred to by those in the collecting field, jokingly, as "The Maker."


Our little 10 x 10 space was absolutely crammed full of merchandise! I was really proud. Several people stopped to tell us that our booth was their favorite. Visitors exclaimed over vintage items they hadn't seen since childhood, and pointed out various examples to their children. It was a good feeling, helping them relive those happy times.


It was good to go, but even better to get home again. I never feel quite comfortable, being away.
Who would make sure that the garden was truly being watered enough?




Who would notice all the unusual happenings, like this caterpillar pulling a small pebble from his back...


...or these aphids, devouring a vine?


What about catching those moments of beauty, like this cosmos, its petals illuminated by the sun?


Or this butterfly, gracefully perched atop a zinnia blossom?


Who'd bring in our daily tomato harvest?


So you can understand how glad I felt to pull into our driveway!

Once home, it was business as usual. The garden is full of butterflies and hummingbirds. A delightful new addition is the goldfinch, a tiny yellow bird with black-tipped wings that loves to sit on the swaying zinnia stalks and delicately pluck seeds from the drying flowers.


Goldfinches are songbirds and a bit of a rarity in the city. I love being able to provide a habitat for them!

We caught another raccoon. The little devils continue to climb onto our roof and cause thousands of dollars worth of damage, despite our deterrents. This little fellow was quickly relocated to a more rural location!


I was thrilled to see this black swallowtail caterpillar in the bronze fennel. I watched him carefully, and was lucky enough to catch his next stage...


The molt!


When I checked the dill, I was stunned to see not one, not two, but at least TWENTY black swallowtail caterpillars at work!

Some people kill caterpillars, because they're destructive, but I never would. I love black swallowtail butterflies, and I greatly enjoy watching these fellows at work. I read a book as a child called "Rabbit Hill" by Robert Lawson. It was about the perils of a rural community of animals, who greatly benefited from the arrival of a new family at the local farm. The family believed in living in harmony with the animals and not fighting against them, and it really influenced me. There's enough dill for everyone here, and I certainly don't begrudge them a few stalks.

Caterpillars really are interesting creatures. When roused, two orange antennae emerge from their forehead in hopes of frightening and intimidating an enemy. The antennae are quickly retracted when the alarm ceases.


They really are eating machines. This caterpillar gnaws at the base of the dill umbel.


This one prefers the sweet yellow flowers.


Their stubby "feet" are uniquely suited to their needs.


I stumbled across a chrysalis. I don't know if it holds a butterfly or a moth, or what it will look like when it emerges. It's pretty amazing, just the way it is. I can see the curve of the wing on the shell...or is that a coincidence? I also see small, spiny knobs that remind me of a caterpillar's back.

The curves are very precise and the coloring is remarkable. A chrysalis doesn't need to be hanging to "hatch" properly, so I carefully slid it between two old bird nests on my potting bench outside. I will be keeping an eye on it!


I may be keeping an eye on it, but how many pairs of eyes are on me as I work in the garden? There's Clarence, who's never far.

And, of course, there's mantis...


...after mantis...


...after mantis!


September is nearly here and I'm looking forward to the changes the cooler weather will bring.

I've finished a little knitted toy recently. I used Cascade 220 wool, which is one of my favorites. It's a great quality wool that has a delightful "sticky" quality when knitted. Toys are great instant gratification projects for when you're too busy for - or too weary of - a more detailed project. Just a pair of arms and legs, knitted in the round..


...a small head, joined to the neck...


Two flapping ears and a handful of stuffing complete the project. This little elephant will go to my new nephew.

No special cooking this week...I've just finished yet another peanut butter and jelly sandwich! Our lives have been really busy and I don't expect things to slow down any time soon. We've been praying for guidance and are making some important decisions about our future. We'll see what the future holds!