Tag Archives: yard

Springtime!

There’s a bird nest in the fern on the front porch. We’ll be using the side door for a while.

Other signs of spring:

I planted them and they grew!! EEEEE!

I planted them and they grew!! EEEEE!

Games on the back porch.

Games on the back porch.

Orchid cactus - it belongs to the woman who cuts my hair.

Orchid cactus – it belongs to the woman who cuts my hair.

Blue monkey.  Totally a sign of the season.

Blue monkey. Totally a sign of the season.

Nesting Instinct

Last year, a bird built her nest inside my bike helmet.

One little egg.

I had to get a new helmet.

This year I’ve been storing my (new) bike helmet upside down in my basket.

She started a nest under my helmet instead.

I emptied it out since it wasn't finished.  That's a terrible place to keep your babies.

I emptied it out since it wasn’t finished. That’s a terrible place to keep your babies.

I can’t win.

Happy Earth Day!

Armadillo Alert

Long time Pine Haven resident, Mama Armadillo, was seen in the pre-dawn hours yesterday morning leading this year’s four babies in a parade across the front porch. This afternoon the babies were spotted near the drive way snuffling and rustling in the pine straw at the edge of the woods.

babyarmadillo

Y’all are almost cute.

Babies are completely fearless and took time out from serious armadillo business to watch this reporter take pictures of them. Mama was nowhere to be seen.

Current thinking is that they left the burrow without asking.

Teensy Kitty

She (torties are girls) wouldn’t get in the teensy trap we found at Lowe’s this afternoon, but she did manage to make it into the garage. We’ve been leaving the garage door cracked for Tyler, resident mostly-feral, but right now he is asleep on the back porch and didn’t notice her.

teensykitty

Four-Five weeks do you guess?

We cornered her, gave her kitten milk and now we’re all besties. She’s all situated in the office bathroom sleeping in a kitty cube.

Tomorrow I’ll start making kitten food mush. Blech.

Edited to Add: Teensy Kitty was FIV positive. She likely got it from her mother. FIV and FeLV don’t have to be death sentences for cats. Kittens may show positive on their tests and have only gotten antibodies from their mamas not the actual virus (like a vaccinated cat will show positive). But kittens need to be isolated for 8-12 months to determine if they really are infected. We have no infrastructure in our area to provide infected cats with isolated care. So we have no more teensy kitty and I am very sad. I’m also worried: Teensy Kitty is the first infected cat to show up in our yard in the 12 years we’ve lived here and I hope it’s not a trend. Spay/Neuter and Vaccinate. You’ll save lives.

Picking

The Armadillo Veggie Protection System has had satisfactory results.

picked stuff

Corn, peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers.

Ellie’s little corn is the cutest stuff!

And it was really delicious!

But she still won’t eat it. Veggies are for playtime, not dinner time.

She only enjoys the planting, watering, picking and playing.

I picked a bunch of tomatoes this evening. If you were my neighbor, I’d bring you some.

Patience

The cast on contest post is taking a really long time to write. Have a look at my vegetables while you wait. And the uncut grass.

raised beds

The tomatoes, peppers and squash are my picks. The corn is Ellie’s.*

The welded wire fencing is an Armadillo Invasion Preventative Measure. He’s dug up all the zucchini once already.

*It’s worth mentioning that Ellie does not eat corn.