ELIJAH CAT SLEEPS IN MY FLOWER POTS

This is Elijah.  He loves to sleep in my flower pots, so I leave them empty, just for him.

He's a very sweet scaredy cat.  He came to me with Punkin, when they were babies.  But, it's like nobody ever touched him, because he is very skittish.  Even though I'm the one who feeds him, he's always nervous about me touching him and jerks away. 

A major problem is that he has "insect sensitivity".  His poor nose and a paw are always skin exposed, like he's been scratching.  It's time for his shots and I will have to have the pet carrier nearby and grab him to put him in.  That's always stressful for me, too.

For a while, he had stopped hanging around.  I've noticed that since the skunk is gone, he's acting like this is his home, again.  I guess he was avoiding the skunk.

I've been doing my best to get him to trust me.  I'm sure he's in pain all the time.

Poor baby!!

I LOVE BLUE FLOWERS!!

Blue is not my favorite color, but I do LOVE blue flowers.  

Blue plumbago is everywhere in my yard and I love looking out of my windows and seeing the beautiful blooms and green foliage.  Here, they start blooming early spring and don't stop blooming until they freeze with the first hard frost, (November? December? January?).  They're very hardy and come up from seeds that are dropped in the flower beds.  I have large flower beds and more and more blue plumbago(s?) are coming up along the fence lines and I love it!!  All of the swallowtail butterflies love the flowers and they always look so pretty fluttering in the midst of the blue.

I, also, love tree trunks and these are my giant crepe myrte trees.

This is a butterfly pea vine.  To see these royal blue flowers all over the vine is just breathtaking.  It's a legume and grows beans for seeds.  It is very, very hardy, too.  It seems to come back, no matter what kind of winter we have.

(You might notice that I have spider mites on these leaves.  I'll spray some organic liquid seaweed on the leaves and it will get rid of the spider mites really fast.)

NO BALTIMORE ORIOLES THIS YEAR. OH, WELL!!

     This is the first year in many years that I haven't seen baltimore orioles in my yard.  I've seen several other migrating birds, but I'm really disappointed that I didn't get to see a flock of these amazingly beautiful birds this year.
     I do believe it has something to do with the weather.  In the past, I've always seen the orioles between mid August and mid September.  They always seem to come in with the cold fronts and we finally had one, but it was really late for a first cold front.



     This photo is from last year.  A whole flock of orioles stayed in my yard, coming and going, for a whole day and I was here all day watching them.  Because of the weather, maybe it's not too late and I do keep looking for them.  Oh well, for sure next year!!

"THE EARTH HAS MUSIC FOR THOSE WHO LISTEN"

                                   "THE EARTH HAS MUSIC FOR THOSE WHO LISTEN"

SKUNK TAIL, RUN!!!!!

     Many years ago, I added on my studio.  When they were laying the foundation, they forgot my supply closet, so they added it on with rebar and wire, but not a trench in the ground like the rest of the foundation.  For years, I've had to work to keep critters from trying to live and nest under it.
     Monday, I noticed a huge pile of dirt and noticed that something had dug a hole under my closet foundation.  With a hose, I flushed that critter out and it was a very wet skunk!!

This photo is blurry because I was holding a hose in one hand in case it turned on me and trying to work my camera with the other hand.  I'm not exaggerating!!  I had to flush it out NINE times.  I would open the gate so it would have an exit and twice it burrowed back in.  I filled those holes and then twice he climbed my large lady banksia and got over the fence.  I just couldn't believe it didn't get the message to move on.  I did wonder if it might be a mommy and had babies under there, but after all of that water they couldn't be alive and I really don't think it was a female.  But, it just WOULD NOT go away!!

I plugged the hole under the foundation and put all kinds of stuff on it, hoping it would deter the skunk, but it didn't.

Last night, I put out a have-a-heart trap to get it and didn't, so I think it finally went away.  Maybe, it was waiting for darkness to leave.  And, if it had babies under there, I'm hoping it was waiting for darkness to move them.  I would rather think that way, rather than think I killed her babies.

That was quite an ordeal and very frustrating because I didn't want to hurt the skunk and for sure didn't want it in my yard with Charlie and the cats.

Not once, did it spray while I was chasing it out.  I kept my distance with the hose and water.

It was an interesting experience.

And, in case you ever wondered, a skunk shakes the water off just like a dog does after a bath.

I'll know for sure in the morning, but I do hope this ordeal is OVER!!

(Today, I went to Lowe's and got some concrete and will dig a deep trench around that closet and fill it up with the concrete.  Oh my!!)

INTERESTING ANT TRAIL...WHY NOT A STRAIGHT LINE?

I walked out of my gate and this ant trail wasn't there.

I walked back to my gate and there it was!!  They look like wood ants and I'm not sure if they're after my picket fence or the oak trees nearby.  They were working really, really hard, but I had to get rid of them.  Often, I'll find a little trail of wood ants close to and on my house.  Twice, I've seen a trail of them going up to my roof or attic.

On Google, I read about a product called Terro and it's borax and sugar water.  It's supposed to kill the ants within a couple of days.  I truly do feel badly about killing them, but can't have them destroying my home and they WILL do that!! 

I just thought the trail was interesting.  Why didn't they have a straight line, instead of this particular pattern.  The end of that trail was going right back to the edge of my driveway.

  They were on a mission, for sure!

A SQUIRREL CHEWED THROUGH MY GARDEN SHED SCREEN DOOR!!

Recently, I had to replace the screen in my garden shed door.

Instead of putting the bird seed back in the big garbage can, it was easier to leave the sacks on the floor of the garden shed.  I noticed some holes in the screen and then, through the laundry room window, I was able to take a photo of the culprit!!  That squirrel had chewed holes in my screen to get to the sunflower seeds.  The yellow tape was to deter the squirrel.  I twisted several pieces so it would be sticky.  

After a couple of days, the handyman came to replace the screen.  Even though I had chosen a much thicker screen, he said that squirrel might chew through it, too.  So, I'm keeping the birdseed in the big trash can, again.

Everything is hungry and trying to survive.

(I understand, but it doesn't make me like the squirrel!!)

MIGRATING ORANGE TUMMIED BIRD STILL HERE & A FLYCATCHER AT MY BIRD BATH

     It is soooo hot here and can't believe this orange tummied bird is still around.  It's shaped and looks like an oriole, but doesn't have wing bars.  It's back is a browny greenie color.  I'm thinking it might be a scout and waiting for it's flock.  But, we'll see and I'll be watching.
   

And, the other one looks like a flycatcher because of the shape of it's head.  I'm just so glad I'm home and get to see these beautiful migrating birds.  I'm so happy they come to my yard.  I will make sure they have plenty of fresh waater.

TUES:SidewalkShoes,