HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANNE May 23

Eeeeekkk!

Cyrus and I had an interesting guest yesterday evening.  He greeted us as we were walking around the yard looking for a tree limb suitable for use as a perch in Cy’s cage.  How on earth I managed to loose the cage’s original perch is beyond me.   At any rate, I grabbed the measuring tape and we started on a leisurely pace around the yard. We were going to search along the edge of the back yard where there are a lot of felled trees.
I’ve placed Cy’s cage on the front porch so he can sit out with us.  This is the cage we need a perch for.  Cyrus is on one of his stands in the den or in my room while indoors so his cage isn't used inside anymore.

As we walked we found the foxglove is as tall as ever.
Daisies springing up at will And the cactus is ready to bust forth with an amazing number of flowers.  I’ve never seen it with as many buds before.

Jim had to remove the two peach trees from the side yard as they were terribly diseased.                                                                     The blueberry bushes seem to be doing ok, although our cooler weather has the berries looking a bit ‘puny’.


I thought the long limb jutting from this fallen tree ( caught in the larger oak ) would make a fine perch for Cyrus and so was getting ready to check it out. That is until I stepped in to get a closer look…



This big fellow was resting and digesting his dinner…he had a full belly and wasn’t about to be disturbed by me.  I am hoping he was full of moles, which we have an over abundance of, and not baby birds.  The alarmed and angry mocking birds, blue jays and robin's were all screaming and diving at him to no avail.  Another black snake was on a piece of wood at the wood pile, just at my feet.  My jumping and screeling sent him on his way. He was not as lethargic as his buddy so slivered off into the undergrowth.
I want to keep the black snakes as they are good to keep the rodant population down and keep other types of snakes away too.  I prefer black  snakes to copperheads.

Sophia and Cohen plant a herb garden

The children and I went out for breakfast yesterday morning and it was a nice enough day to ride with the car's top down.  Great fun!  We decided being served a plate of pan cakes or a waffle would be a good way to start our day. And it was !                               
After breakfast we visited a nursery and store looking for children's gardening gloves.  We were not able to find gloves but we did buy the perfect tools for our project.  
 As soon as we arrived back home we changed into clothes we could get dirty in.





  The kids took a short play break and Sophia decided she should once again change clothes.   She chose the perfect outfit.







 As work  began Sophia removed her flannel cap and Cohen followed suit by removing his wool one.  Although Sophia set her cap aside Cohen managed to hold on to his throughout the remainder of the morning.  You can see it in his hand in each of the following photographs.                                                             
                                          Hanging Herb Garden
 I saw this project listed in Birds and Blooms' and knew the kids and I would enjoy it.   As instructed  I bought an over the door canvas shoe organizer ( from Amazon ) , soil ( from Lows ),  seeds and a few herb plants  ( from a local nursery ). 
I had secured the canvas to the patio's fencing so it was ready when the children  grabbed their scoops and began to fill each of the
  organizer's pockets with potting soil.   I put  a shower curtain liner ( from the Dollar Store ) on the patio's surface so the soil that was dropped could be easily put back into it's bag and there would be as little as possible to sweep up.




 The children did a fine job of scooping and filling. Both Cohen and Sophia were excited about how the herbs looked and  smelled as we separated the root bound potted herbs and replanted them.  We then planted a variety of herb seeds into the garden's remaining pockets. Sophia read the names of the herbs from their pots and packets as they were planted and Cohen was able to repeat most of the names very well.  We read and learned about how much sun the plants would need and how to properly care for them too.  When Sophia's Mommy came home Sophia told her each of the plants names and how they should grow.  

Random shots from home

                                                                         Cy says, " Who ya' lookin' at ? "

Bethanne sends her greetings.

Maisey  readies herself for bed.

                                                                                                                                                  

                                        More flowers bloom.

And Cohen keeps a fast hold onto his security dog as he relaxes beside his Uncle Jim !