Backyard Sights

I can tell that the Red-tailed Hawk has moved on because the chipmunk has resumed its patio step vigil.  During the times that the hawk was around the chippie would dart out, stuff its cheeks with seeds, and race back into the shelter of the ferns.  No longer.  Now it brazenly sits out in the open surveying its domain.

The bee balm is fading fast.  The sproingy red petals are looking saggy and the centers of the flowers are more prominent.  The daisies are still going strong though.  They'll bloom long after the bee balm is finished.

The honeysuckle flowers are multiplying.  I keep hoping that more honeysuckle flowers will mean more Hummingbird visits but I haven't noticed them so far.

Bumble bees are big fans of the Purple Coneflowers.  Every time I walk over to see them there are at least a dozen bees buzzing from flower to flower.  I wonder if they make excess pollen or nectar to attract them so well.

Today's toss was all but one pair of my eyeglasses.  I went to Eyemart Express this afternoon for an eye exam and got the last prescription improvement before I have to go have my cataract taken care of.  He said that it would be good for about a year and I'm good with that.  I only got two pairs today--one regular and one sunglasses, both in shades of red--not four pairs like I did two years ago.

The prompt today said to make a shopping list for a mouse with superpowers.  Really?  Cape, tights, goggles (for flying really fast), supercheese, cat repellent.  That's all I could think of.

My big job today was to scrape the caked on grass out from under the mower deck.  I'd clean it off after I mow but it's too hot for me to unplug the spark plug wire to make it safe to reach under there so I wait for a day or so and then use a putty knife to scrape it out.  I'm amazed at the amount of grass I get out of there.

--Barbara