21 July 2013 - Backyard nature day

Interesting day today, even though I wasted most of the morning by staying in bed too late. Wasn't sleeping, just lying there letting my brain run around and watching where it was going. Some good places, some bad and some reminders of things I need to do. 

My reveries were interrupted by the doorbell. David had stopped by and I had the gate locked from the inside. I was up, dressed and drinking my first cup in a flash. David made me an adjustable starting jig for drilling holes in the bottom of bottles-- that is a project I'm working on with much help from David. He already made a jig that fits wine bottles, but didn't realize I was using different sizes. How cool is this? 

 



                                                                                                                                                                 Now I can drill holes in beer bottles as well as wine bottles.  So many projects, so little time.    

David also checked out my car. On Friday, it had overheated to the point where I could not touch the rod that holds the hood up. He found nothing wrong, other than I had maybe put a bit too much oil in it. All other fluids were fine. And not only that, the window washer worked perfectly for him. grr. Why is that? I couldn't get it to work. 

We were sitting on the porch discussing the butt-ugly pink color on the ladder, when David noticed my newest acquisitions up on the rock wall. 

There are  three large Russian Sage plants, an arborvite that had been topiaried into the shape of a star and two bougianvillea. When it comes to buying plants I am cheap. Maybe frugal. Maybe even a smart shopper, but mostly cheap. In late July the nurseries start clearing out their stock. I got the sage and bougainvillea for a whopping 75% discount. Unless it is something really special and wonderful, I wait until late to buy. It makes up for the fact I can't ever find anything else I ever want on sale. Full-price Lauri, that's me. 

Anyway, David said, "You know, the sage would look great down on the lower lawn where we dug out all the pfitzers."  

That had not even occurred to me-- I was planning on the front yard, but he was absolutely right.  We went down and got two of them planted. 97 here today. A hot time to be digging up rocks and moving dirt. But they will be perfect down there.  A nice perk to the Russian Sage is that bees love them. 
 
The sage have already been found by honey bees and red-butt bumblebees. The true name is Bombus melanopygus--we had a lot of them last year in the yard and I had to look them up. Mighty cute, aren't they?


After David left, I mowed the lawns and started watering and moving hoses around. Took a hose out to the tomatoes and spent an hour with a little trowel to loosen the soil and make sure everything was getting a good soaking instead of wetting the top half inch of dirt and running off. Pulled a lot of weeds and found the first five ripe tomatoes--little Sweet 100s. And they were sweet. I ate them on the spot. 

My plan for today was to get my August print project done, but I got hijacked by yard work.  Didn't print but did paint. Ladder looks much better in bright red than pink. This is a very old orchard ladder that has been rotting away in the myrtle bed. 

My plan is to use it as yard art, now that it has a protective and bright coat of paint. I thought I could use it as part of a trellis, but considering it is 12 feet high, I'm not sure about that. Currently it is brightening my hammock corner. 

I was sitting in the breezeway considering the sprinklers and saw a bunny run across the front yard. One of the hawks swooped down after him, but he made it safely into Schade's pfitzers. When the hawk flapped up into the maple I realized there were two hawks up there.  Went inside for my camera, but they were gone when I came out. 

I have been watching a hummingbird nest next door on Schade's porch. Here is the mom sitting on the nest from last week. 

She found a lovely spot up on the porch soffit in a mess of electical wire. 

Since I had my camera and no hawks, I wandered over to see what was going on with the hummers. 

But look what I found instead! Babies! Short little beaks, no tails yet. They must be very new.

The mother was quite upset with me and was diving at me, screaming and darting back and forth about three feet over my head. She finally landed on a branch over my head. 

Yesterday when Dave and Holly were here working on the shop, I looked out the window and saw the hawk was sitting on the rack on Holly's car.  Grabbed my camera and by the time I got him in focus he launched into the air just as I clicked. 

I think the hawk babies have fledged and are learning to hunt. I would rather they ate the squirrels and bunnies instead of my birds. 

But still, it is quite a nature preserve I am running here. 

When David and I were moving dirt around to get the sage planted, I noticed that the deer fencing around the vegetable garden was down on one corner. I will bet that it was this guy. He has been in my front yard, and I've seen him in Schade's yard and Allison's as well. His velvet covered antlers look so soft.

Last night when I was turning off all the lights before bed I noticed that the motion detector light in the breezeway was on. This morning one of the trailing sweet potato plants in a pot by the stairs had most of the leaves bitten off--nothing left but little bare stems sticking up.  I need to buy another bottle of deer repel. Rodents in my yard come in all sizes. 


Ended my day by watching the full moon rise over the mountains.