Summer in Flight

I don't even want to know how long it has been since my last post here. Summer has been flying past at a rate faster than the speed of sound and I've hardly had time to catch my breath.

Music festivals, spirit festivals, gatherings with friends and families... strawberry season whizzing past at warp speed while rain falls and falls and falls and falls,.. bags and bags of strawberries in the freezer alongside several bags of snap peas and snow peas.

Sometime in May we noticed a couple of cardinals building a nest in the potted bay tree on our front porch. It seemed like a wise decision, out of the rain and worst wind, morning sun and shade by late morning. I'd gently pull back the shade to get a glimpse of mama cardinal sitting on the three speckled eggs, her head at alert and her eyes wide -- one always on me. Did she really know I was there?

After two or three weeks of watching, tiny, fuzzy heads were visible in the nest. Two of the eggs had hatched shortly after the first of June. Blind eyes and gaping mouths, we were thrilled. About a week after the hatching we headed out for three days of music festival. The day after we arrived home, I took a peek only to find the nest empty of all but the one unhatched egg. What had happened? We can only guess. The bay tree had no broken branches and the nest seemed undisturbed. A snake, perhaps. Black rat snakes like baby birds.

Blueberry season has come upon us and is nearly through, as the rabbits continue to multiply. They've hidden their nests well this year, as I have not come across any fur-lined hollows filled with tiny fuzzy babies. They've learned that I relocate babies from the garden, I guess.

It is not unusual to see a half dozen rabbits when we head out in the morning or early evening. And they are bold little buggers. Two hopped up to the front porch this afternoon and I opened the front door to scare them off, "rawr." They paused and looked at me. I stepped out the door and raised my hands, "RAWR!" (Clap, clap.) They hop around the corner without looking too terribly distressed.

Anyone know the number of a good rabbit exterminator, like a bobcat family or coyote couple. I don't hate rabbits, but this is ridiculous and I'm tired of them eating the wrong things. If they'd just stick to the weeds, we'd be cool.

Yes, the weeds. The Weeds! Three weeks of rain and frequent weekends away tend to give the weeds free reign. I am slowly working my way through the weeds. I may have the weeding done by Christmas. Ack.