So pritty

Hi y'all, Snoodly here, long time no see! I've grown, and I just keep gettin' better looking, don't you think? I've got the natural eye liner, cute little rose nose pad, and gorgeous green eyes. The markings on my forehead mean something in cat language, but I can't tell you what they say, 'cause then I'd have to kill you. Well, I'll see ya later, I gotta go catch some crickets.

Boom!
July is here! The weather is great, the mosquitoes are terrible, and the garden is bloomin'! We watched the fireworks at J's coaster, and Jr. took these Outstanding photos.

Most of the flowers are bigger and better this year, the garden has finally filled in and looks so much prettier! It's a mix of wild stuff and things planted from seed, bulb or small plants. It takes a few years for the tiny plants to get established, but all the waiting has finally paid off. The mosquitoes make me want to abandon all of this though, they are driving me crazy!

It will help to mow all the tall grass, if we could get a lawnmower.

Ox-eye daisies

Snapdragons. These are doing so well this year, the plants are much bigger and somehow survived the winter.

Yarrow and bachelor buttons

Coreopsis

Gaillardia. I love this flower! It was grown from seed last year, and this year it's big and beautiful.The wild version, blanket flower.

This is my new project, another flower bed. It's so much fun working in the dirt, I have been in no hurry to finish getting all the grass and rocks out in preparation. Honey has been niggling me, trying to hurry me up, but why? Is it that pile of topsoil waiting on the lawn that the cats are using as a cat box, or could it be that he can't stand to see a project go on and on unfinished, with no seeming progress taking place? I don't know. All I do know is that I love working out in the sun, playing with rocks and dirt.

The cats love it too, when Snoodly hears the rake he comes running over to play. Here's Rusty, taking a little nap in a cool spot.J and Jr. collected some nice big rocks and I got them in place today. Next job is putting on the topsoil, then planting, then I may put on a rock mulch.

We took the plastic off the greenhouse and replaced it with row cover fabric. It breathes better.

The beans are doing great, looks like they're nearly ready to harvest. We've been eating peas, lettuce and lots of herbs. The zucchini are almost ready, but the maters are very slow. Hurry up maters!

It's 77 in the greenhouse, clouds and sun at 6 pm.

Mountain birds

Male and female Mountain Bluebird
I snuck up on these guys, moving slowly and quietly, like a cat. I hope they stick around, they'd be a great help to the garden.

Mountain Chickadees The chickadees take their seeds to a tree and open them by tapping the seed against a branch, because their beaks can't open them.

Brown-headed Cowbird

I heard the cowbird this morning. It has a funny bubbly song, like water gurgling. I didn't mean the picture to come out so dark and sinister looking. But this is the bird that lays an egg in the nest of another bird species and then the cowbird nestling hogs all the food and crowds out the hosts' young. According to the Stokes, there are some clever ways birds can defeat the cowbird: "Some birds deal with cowbird parasitism by ejecting or destroying cowbird eggs, abandoning their nest, or building over the eggs and starting a new clutch." (Stokes, Field Guide to Birds).
Ha ha cowbird! I do like your song though.

In other news, Coco was feeling a bit spotty the other day. He does this when he feels threatened. Does he look thin? He's half-starved because we ran out of crickets last week, and haven't had any luck finding him good eatin' outside. Off to the pet store I go for more food...In still other news, I have to find a way to hide the horrible box with the yellow caution sticker. It can be seen from most windows of the house, front and center. Everything we plant by it dies mysteriously, or not so mysteriously. I wouldn't want to live next to it either. So I've given up on plants, and am moving on to fencing. If we put up a low fence across the yard I think it will block our view of it from the house. Then I'll plant some herbs and flowers along the fence. A little gate would be nice...and an arbor...and...A final note. I've heard that the poll is malfunctioning, let me know if you can see it properly.