The Garden

While the bigger spring show is over in the garden, there are a few things making new appearances.

I went to retrieve the lawn mower from the garage, only to discover the chipmunks had decided to do a little earth moving under it. UGH!

Holiday Weekend Kickoff

What better way to kick off Memorial Day weekend than with a dinner of foods ready to prepare on the grill. 

Yum!

Another Random Day

It turned out to be one of those days where I really did get a lot of things done, from hanging streetside banners for the upcoming artist market, to getting a newsletter out for the shop, but because the house is still disorganized and the windows need more paint I still don't feel like I did.

Here are a few other things I did or noticed today.

 Following up my pledge to give the stranded turtle a lift.

"Hey Mr. Turtle, how does this pond look?"

Guess it looks OK,

Have a good life.

I keep telling them it doesn't matter how many hens sit on the eggs, they aren't going to hatch. 

WE DON'T HAVE A ROOSTER!

I've kicked them off the nest every day this week and now they just get huffy when I approach the nest.

My cats want to be vegetarians. Last week I came home to discover they had eaten half a bag of grapes I had meant to put out for the birds, then this evening I caught Ouiser eating asparagus stems she stole out of the compost bucket. Crazy.

Lilly finally, at 14 months of age, came into season. I attempted to have her wear a diaper until I can get her into the boarding kennel (aka, the convent) but it wasn't large enough to fit well. So, she is currently relegated to either being tethered in the kitchen or confined to her crate. I'm just glad it has happened so it'll be over before we head to Georgia late next month.

A Day in Pictures

What an interesting and variable weather day it was yesterday. Lilly and I took a three mile bike ride at around 7 and it was much warmed than anticipated for that hour. Had to take another shower before heading off for breakfast and to the downtown Farmers Market. Happily, two different passers-by reached down and stuffed donations into Lilly's vest while we were there.

We then headed of to the Toyota service center for an oil change. They do a good job, but always take forever.

This look says it all. "Aren't they done yet?"

"Oh well, the cool tiles are good for a nap."

And I enjoyed the cookies they offer.

We ran a bunch of errands and practiced commands at the hardware stores, but it was 93 degrees by then and Lilly's sluggish pace suggested she really didn't care that I need some mulch from the garden center. She did like walking through the cool puddles created by a leaking hose. So, we headed to Starbucks to enjoy an iced coffee (me) and nap (her) while I worked on my laptop.

Practicing the "stand" command in the bathroom. 

I don't like her sitting on bathroom floors.

While there, a huge storm erupted, third day in a row. This one dropped over 4 inches of rain in just a few hours. It also hailed a bit. They lost power at Starbucks so everyone, staff included, just sat around and played on our respective phones in the semi-dark. No one wanted to go out in the weather.

Lilly slept through it all.

Leaving for home, I saw what 4 inches of rain does and discovered the temperature had dropped from 93 down to 67.

Views of Washington Park.

This should be a lazy waterway and a large parking lot. Just a large pond now.

Anyone familiar with the park will recognize the bridge and know there should be two lagoons separated by a walking path. Now just one very large body of water creeping into the woods. The water would normally be 4-5 feet below the bridge but was just running just under. Many, many other roads in town were flooded or turned into rushing creeks. I can't believe the number of stupid people I saw attempting to drive through standing water. The news reported many people found out the hard way that wasn't a good idea.

After the weather had receded somewhat, and while going to make sure Jane's house was OK (it was,) I found this poor guy crossing a road. The road is nowhere near a pond so I'm not sure where he had started his day. But he was rather panicked and not interested in hiding. I decided to give him a lift to a pond.

Bracing himself for anything!

The sun came out and the evening was beautiful if not still a bit soggy in some parts of town. 

This gave me a chance to unclog a few streetside storm drains that had become packed with debris.

Though beautiful this morning as I write, the forecast for today says possible storms. 

Ah, life in Central Illinois!

Good Job, Coach Roebuck!

Elgin Academy has historic day at sectional!

See full story in the Daily Herald

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=382806

The Wren Family

A pair of Carolina Wrens has long been frequent visitors to the feeders, but in the last few weeks it was obvious they were tending to a family as they always headed off in the same direction with mouthfuls of food. The babies have recently fledged and are now demanding even more attention as they investigate the neighborhood. Here are a few pictures of the parents busily loading up on mealworms, and one photo of the babies in a tree by the pond.

Traffic Congestion in a Small Town

I was back in Covington today and while Dad and I were traveling down the street we had to slow down even more while three "vehicles" ahead got back into single file.

Bathroom Upgrade is Coming Along

Jane's master bath remodel is making good progress.

Before: This coffin-sized tub was ridiculous to climb in and out of.

(according to Sue, the only one brave enough to attempt it)

Progress: The space is on its way to becoming a wonderful, practical and spacious shower

Formerly, this space was a tiny shower, but is being transformed into a proper closet with drawers, shelves and hanging space.

Why Cats Do Not Make Good Painting Assistants

Fresh paint missing from windowsill

Missing paint - found!

Thanks Dad!

Last fall, Dad helped me measure for and pick out all new, energy-efficient windows for the house. This week he took three vacation days to come help me install them all. Thanks to Dad's expert planning and all his tools (love the power nailer!) the install went smoothly. We had a good system down - I ripped out the old ones (not as simple as it might sound since it's a 70 year old house) and he installed the new, following my path of destruction. It took nearly every minute of those long days (I'm talking eating dinner at 10:30 long) but every window is in place, plus we managed to make multiple trips to Jane's house to meet contractors and go buy tile for her bathroom remodel. I was glad to have his experience to help with that too.

So, here's to you, Dad. You're the BEST!

And a special thanks to the best Mom, too, for loaning Dad to me and for sending COOKIES!

They're Here

Easton and Lilly have more siblings!

Lilly's mom, Halor, gave birth to 8 healthy CCI puppies on the 13th. 4 male, 4 female. They were sired by Easton's Dad, Paxton III. I've put in a request for one, so fingers crossed one comes to our region.

Pick Your Caption

1. Kitty seeks thrill ride!

2. New dryer came with automatic cat hair dispenser

3. Lost sock, found cat - not such a good deal.

Not that Truvy is known for smart decisions, but what makes this one really odd is that the clothes are still wet. I wouldn't think that would appeal to a cat!

What a Great Day!

Let's start with a little quiz:

Q: What costs more than a vacation to Europe, but less than a halfway decent used car?

A: Having a thumb-sized polyp removed from a cat's oral-nasal cavity!

OK, that expense might not make the "great day" list for everyone, but the immediate relief seen in Miss Ousier's comfort is evidence that it was worth it. I had dropped Ousier off at the U of I College of Veterinary medicine in Champaign on thursday since her issues were more challenging than what the local vets were equipped to handle. X-Rays, CT scans, and a host of tests revealed the giant polyp to be the reason Ouiser has had continual breathing issues. After they yanked it out (yes, that's really what they did), Judy and I drove over this morning to pick her up. It is amazing to see her running around the house like a kitten this evening, obviously able to breathe easily, which gives her more energy. She is such a sweet and friendly cat, taking everything in stride. While most cats are nervous wrecks at the vet, she was all about socializing and exploring, even trying to engage Lilly in the exam room.

Prior to the vets, we took the dogs for a walk at the gardens near the vet clinic. It was so nice out and we were enjoying ourselves when Peaches, Judy's tracking lab, caught a scent she wanted to follow. It was neat to watch her track a scent trail that we could confirm by seeing tracks in the dew filled grass.

After leaving the vets, we stopped to look at a cow in a pasture, a cow which had some sort of port implanted in its side. Not sure exactly what for, but obviously big enough for reaching inside. Eewwww....

(Hope that starling flying overhead isn't looking for a hole for nesting!)

Had to head back to Springfield to open up shop. We had a busy day, with many last minute Mother's Day shoppers. 

After work, I planned to do a number of projects but quickly got distracted by a huge number of migratory birds who decided to drop into my yard and use the pond to drink and bathe. They also fed from insects gleaned from the Douglas firs flanking the pond as they methodically searched limb to limb for a meal. The moving water of the pond is a huge draw and I higher recommend it as a bird attractor. 

Projects never got done, but I couldn't pass up a relaxing evening of birdwatching.

Unfortunately, it proved impossible to get a picture of the birds using the pond, but I got a few more of a bunting at the feeder.

In addition to the bunting, I also saw one or more of each of the following in my yard today:

Yellow-Rumped Warbler

Hermit Thrush

Ruby Crowned Kinglet

Nashville Warbler (I think)

Blackpoll Warbler

Cedar Waxwing

and a couple of warblers who moved on too quickly to ID

Plus, I had a nice assortment of regulars:

House finches

Chickadee

Carolina Wrens

Downey Woodpecker

Robins (eating sunflower chips, no less)

White crowned sparrows

doves, house sparrows and grackles

and this lovely female Cardinal

I'm putting out orange halves, hoping for an oriole.

This ISN'T an oriole