…and now are too tired to plant the tree.
While this was going on, Jane was digging and preparing the bed, I was trimming iris leaves, sorting what will go to the church that helped us and what will go to the front lawn. This meant a 32 gallon trash can full of iris leaves and we haven’t even gotten to the ones next to the pond.
It’s a shame to flush that fish-poo rich water down the city sewer, so we have a bucket with a pretty potent pump to sink into the pond, and a hose that runs to a sprinkler. I shifted that hose about the pond edge for 1000 gallons of fertilizer-rich water, and that’s quite a job, particularly as the bucket and pump weigh about 30 lbs empty, and about 50 lbs full of water. I nearly broke my neck when the retrieval cord on the bucket wound around my ankle as I was headed down the steps to move the hose…didn’t fall, but it’s what they always tell you on a boat—don’t stand in the middle of a coil of line when you heave something into the water. La!
Now we have the pond refilling.
We’ve finally gotten a squirrel. I’ve always wanted a squirrel. Everyone we know has one, but we never have, and finally one fat cheeky fellow has decided he likes our bird feeder. So do the sparrows. And I’m so happy we have a squirrel I’ve put an ear of dried corn (with which I’ve been trying to lure one for years) into the bird feeder, hoping he will stay. We can manage to feed both city sparrows and squirrel. Our sparrows are getting so tame they land beside us while we’re working. They use the pond for a bird bath.
And our two very baby koi (3″ counting fins) we got to replace some that the eagle took are together and thriving, and are now brave enough to come out and swim with the big koi from time to time. We were so glad to see them out and about this morning!
It’s noon, time for lunch, and now my day’s REAL work starts. The book is starting to steady down and move again, after all the distress and disturbance. I know I’ll have to rewrite the front end, but that’s minor: I’m happy writing again; and Jane, who pushed herself way too hard 2 days ago, is well enough to bounce back pretty fast. It’s a good sign.
So that’s the news from here.
I long ago was convinced that it makes sense to put a comma between the next-to last list item and the conjunction. It’s clearer and more consistent, is the essence of the argument in favor.
Really, I would prefer if our American usage defaulted to punctuation outside quotes, unless they are part of the quote itself. This comes from programming, but it’s also, as I understand it, British usage.
Always hazardous when a writer or editor talks about punctuation style. 🙂
I am generally fine with my neighborhood squirrels. Fine little critters, busy and smart and friendly. I did get peeved when, before I had my front tree trimmed, they would scamper loudly across my roof at night. But these days, I am rarely home to know if they still do.
BTW, I am making pizza tonight, your kind dough recipe and an attempt at a Shejidan Green Sauce Pizza. I’ll have pics upcoming later this week.
http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/gray_squirrel/
I’m jealous! I’ve got eastern gray squirrel (non-native ‘tree rats’) and some Douglas tree squirrels. I ended putting up a squirrel feeder away from my other feeders in hopes of letting birds eat as well and in hopes of luring them away from the bird nest boxes. Gray squirrels are hoggish! I also ended up having to put metal nest-hole guards on the bird houses since squirrels love to eat eggs and nestlings.
I doubt that bald eagles deterred your birds unless east-side eagles are VERY different from west-side eagles. I have bald eagles overflying all the time and they are a non-issue at my feeders. Crows are a bigger problem as they are great at nest predation. At least the crows haven’t figured out how to raid my bird feeders (yet). And the local Cooper’s hawk makes all the birds disappear into the laurel hedge when it comes by!
Our little sparrows totally left, none to be seen during the eagle raids. Now they’re back with a vengeance.
Here in Georgia, my birdfeeder attracts mostly chickadees, sparrows and a pair of cardinals. They all disappeared for a while, too, due to a redtailed hawk taking up temporary residence in our area. Good to have them back.
We once had a cat snatched up by either a hawk or an owl. She had been a stray and was determined to remain an indoor/outdoor cat. (Believe me, after enduring days of listening to her wail and scratch at the door, we came to agree with her.) When she went missing, we searched for two days. She came limping home with no serious visible wounds, but extremely sore and “gimpy.” Off to the vet we went. He told us that owls tend to snatch up their prey, drop them and snatch them up again. He felt she must have been lucky enough to have been accidentally dropped into a tree and was able to eventually make her escape.
To cherryfan:
There went one of her lives *g* Did she ever venture out again?
She did! We kept her inside for several weeks, but she finally won her freedom and lived a long life. She was what we call a “sack-of-sugar kitty” – so very sweet and gentle. I have a picture of her wearing a dolly-sized baby bonnet, tucked into my daughter’s bed. She was my daughter’s first cat and they were a good match, both very gentle and loving with each other.
Yeah for squirrel! I like watching the little beasties too and get so into their antics. Rarely see one in our pine or junipers, but there’s been one hanging around the neighborhood lately, so I have high hopes.
We have squirrels. We have LOTS of squirrels. (Do you want a few of them?) I do enjoy watching the little buggers scamper around the tree bole, one eye always cocked toward the very interested feral cats that infest the neighborhood. For food, we put out stuff that both the birds and squirrels enjoy: it’s Kaytee Nut and Fruit, and we get it at Target (sometimes Giant). If you can find that, you might even be able to lure more.
I know Kaytee: I’ll look for that flavor.
My dad had skillz with squirrels…:) He’d feed them and they’d tame right down, something about the way he went through the garden. One little beggar would come up for a peanut, which Dad often carried, and if Dad didn’t notice him, he’d grab Dad’s trouser crease in his little paw and tug politely, like a little kid. Notice me? Notice me? The one we’ve got still scampers off when I come out the door, and has absolutely no interest in the corn I put out. Wants only the peanuts and sunflower seeds from the bird mix (which our sparrows won’t touch) and doesn’t bother the grain. So it’s a nice arrangement.