May Be Busy

From robins screaming at four in the morning when the sun is just rolling over in bed and thinking about grabbing five more winks to a Grey Fox noodling across the lawn early in the evening, May be busy.

There are plants to move and gardens to plant. Hooray for putting house plants outside. This is their season to shine. The boss has been working to get the hay mow leveled up and straightened around so this year's crop can be made and stored away.

After several go rounds of doing that yesterday he helped me get the beans and onions in too. Jade had the ground worked up really nice, so it went quite well. It was nice to have help....he has always been too busy farming to take an interest in the garden. Sure went fast with two sets of hands.

Meanwhile, Alan and I planted a new flower bed under the kitchen window, which the boss had spaded up for me. Syracuse colors of course, with a few other odds and ends thrown in. It is a real treat for both me and the robins, which love that I water it every day and bring the worms up for them.

The bird I put on the ID group last week, known only by its endless song, was indeed an American Redstart. I saw his lady yesterday a dozen times...there may even be two ladies and two of him too. How cool is that? Nabbed Tree Swallows yesterday for the list too. I know everyone else has them by the dozen, but the d^$%ed House Sparrows drive them away from here.

Lambs go in. Lambs go out. The big sheep do the same. Roosters crow, large and small, deep in voice or shrill as a dentist's drill; they go at it all day long. The tom turkey gobbles in the barn, while the wild ones strut on the hill. The grass is so tall now, all you can see are heads and fanning tails. The old cows and the big heifer wander across the same hill eating and resting in the shade. The love being at grass and I love seeing them there. A pasture without cows is just a tall lawn.

Chipmunk battles are ongoing...they are winning by sheer numbers. We shoot various things at carpenter bees, as well as whacking them with hats and the tennis racket. There is going to be some painting done pretty soon I think.

Dogs must be watched for overheating. Mack is full of stupid and would run until he dropped if I didn't keep an eye on him.

What with so much that is interesting going on outdoors it is hard to sit still inside. May be busy after all, and with a lot of good things at that. 

I was rewarding myself with a sit on the porch counting birds when urocyon cinereoargenteus strolled out onto the lawn. I stood up with the camera to wait for him to cross the driveway.
Instead he popped out of the corn lilies right next to the house...just a few yards away, and stared at me in amazement when he heard the camera turn on.
He didn't seem too worried.....