Aftermath

Hackberry butterflies collecting moisture from the soil of a freshly watered start of Dittany of Crete.

The clothesline groans under the weight of towels and sheets today. Three little girls for the weekend meant extra bath towels, plus towels for the swimming pool, and then it's finally time to wash the sheets from the guest bedroom -- plus the usual round of laundry.

As the washer ran through cycle after cycle cleaning the laundry, the wet stuff sat in the basket waiting for the rain to pass. I knew it would. While it delayed the hanging of the clothes, I don't like to complain about rain at this time of year. We are treacherously close to July, followed by August, when Kansas typically gets hot and dry.

But the clothes are now on the line, and even though heavy clouds hang in the sky; the satellite image indicates that they will soon move on. I always prefer to hang sheets and towels on the line, not just to save energy, but the sun and wind remove any remaining smells that might linger, while adding a pleasantly fresh smell. Nothing like climbing into a bed made with sun-dried sheets.



Why must baby rabbits be so cute?

This weekend's visit had much excitement. A storm blew in late in the afternoon, chasing everyone from the pools. The younger girls and I made it to the car before the rain began pelting the streets. However, my husband and the oldest girl waited for us at the "big kids'" pool, taking shelter under a small tree.

Earlier in the day, we relocated a nest of little bunnies that were nestled in the straw of one of our raised beds. We had to chase a couple down, but all got moved to the woods nearby. The cursed little things are so adorable, and my heart is always heavy when I relocate them, most likely dooming them to being eaten (which most of them will be anyway) or starvation. I tried to take them somewhere that mama rabbit can find them.

However, the biggest hit of the weekend was the butterflies. Hundreds of hackberry butterflies gathered on the porch and driveway, soaking up the sunshine. The girls spent hours -- yes, hours -- encouraging the butterflies to rise in clouds around them, or to let them land on their fingers, feet, shirts, heads -- wherever they would land. More interesting because at least one of them was terrified by the butterfly clouds a year or two ago.

Fascinating.

The smile says it all.