the white stuff

I wasn't supposed to be here to write this post!  I was supposed to be on the west coast for a week, but I had a mini medical crisis (related to yet another side effect from yet another perimenopause treatment medication that my doctor is having me try out) and had to stay home.  Todd went, and took Pepita.  I had to be content with an occasional pup shot from afar:

And a few shots of some of the mischief she'd gotten into:

She wasn't the killer, but did argue firmly and rather convincingly that this squirrel hand made a fantastic dog toy or, in a pinch, a good chew stick.

My mini medical crisis (which I will henceforth refer to as my "MMC") meant that not only was I not traveling out west, I wasn't going too far from the living room couch.  So no tromping around for caterpillars, no long hikes, no nature shots.  

I did make it out to the garden to pick another bunch of tomatoes.  These are in the process of being slow roasted, pulverized, and turned into tomato sauce.

A few shots from the past couple of weeks...Pepita had her last week in the sling!  At 6 months old (around October 1st), she'll be fine to walk for a whole 30 minutes every morning.

A few interesting things on the trail...a series in white!

This cotton fluff is actually phylloplecta tripunctata...tiny sucking insects that focus primarily on blackberries.  These nymphs are safer under the cover of this "cotton."

More beautiful caterpillars!

acronicta modica

I love leafminer lines, even if they do cause some damage to plants.

A similar look on our formerly white siding (for some reason, this section got really dirty and needs a good power washing):

lines made by a snail, not a leafminer!

Our 'little lime' hydrangea is almost done blooming...

...and I just cut down the last of the coneflowers, these beautiful white ones that look so pretty against the pink obedient plants.

White trails across the sky...

Not quite white...this is a yellow woolly bear caterpillar.  

A red-shouldered hawk flew over our white barn...they've been out hunting a lot lately!

Hot hot hot, but today - at last! - the fall rain came.  It's supposed to rain all week!

No changing leaves yet, not really.  Just dry.

But the cool weather is coming soon!

The cats have been taking good care of me...sort of.

assisting with ebay work

keeping a close watch from beneath my computer...no funny business!!

gathering strength for the nursing work ahead 

They're good company.  Hopefully my "MMC" will be resolved soon and I can get back to my regular life.

Have a great week!  

to all the cats I've loved before

First it was Clarence in Indianapolis...

...then Clotilde in South Carolina...

...and now we have a new face peeking through our front door...Claudia (pronounced Clow-dia)!

I've been a little worried about the resident barn cat. I rarely saw her, just sometimes a glimpse of her tail end - literally! -vanishing into the weeds.

But for some reason, she appeared on our porch yesterday and allowed herself to be stroked.  She's a darling, friendly cat, who deigns to eat a little cat food, but only after she's had some cuddles. 

This morning, she came strolling from the barn with the present of a dead mole in her mouth!  Quite a handy girl to have around the farm, although her purrs and cuddles while I'm working in the garden is payment enough.  I'm absolutely delighted to have a new outdoor cat! 

More good news...our barn swallow babies have fully fledged.

They took a halting flight this weekend when our electrician was laying cables for shop lights in the barn, but came back to the nest.  They weren't there today, though.  I counted 10 barn swallows flitting around in the late afternoon light yesterday...I wonder if our babies were among them?

More babies around...first it was the crowd of young red-wing blackbirds around the feeders, but now, 'tis the season for house finches.  Here are two wild-haired babies with dad.

Struggling for balance!

I love the finch mob we see every day.

And always a delight to see the "big boy" - a pileated woodpecker.

Our blackbirds are still around, ready to give me a good scolding when I dare to stray into their territory!

More frequent guests...our little rabbits appear around 7:30 p.m. each evening like clockwork.  They frisk...

...bathe...

...or sprint!  I guess even rabbits get the zoomies!

They have thoughtfully left both my flowers and pitiful little tomato patch alone.  I love looking out for them every day!

I'm keeping a sharp eye out for something else, too - black raspberries.  Our bushes are maturing and I've been able to pick enough fresh berries...

...for pancakes!

I can't wait until we have our fruit and vegetable beds laid out next year.  It's so satisfying to bring in food from the yard...even these puny tomatoes from this year's mini-patch!

It's such a peaceful experience to go out in the early morning, sun streaming through the stand of trees on the hill...

...checking the tomatoes, fussing over the flowers, and giving Claudia a nice head rub before breakfast.  Next year will be even better, when we add our livestock and geese! 💗 It's so hard to wait!

At least I have a little company while I wait...with our bath-hating dog...

...lazy cats...

...and a beautiful view from our soon-to-be-rehabbed front porch!

Have a great week!