July 31 – How good it is to live out in the country where the crops grow well (with exceptions like not enough rain. I think we are about ten inches behind the usual amount already, with many more dry days ahead!) So we have to give the garden stuff more water through the hoses, but at least we DO have more than enough vegetables and can share with others.

[ All kinds of tomatoes ]
I now have chosen to pick almost-ripe tomatoes, along with a few others that were squashed together on the plant. Then I put them in a box on the kitchen counter, with the bigger ones almost ready to eat. Shall I feel bad when I take big bites from the latest tomato sandwich? No, of course, not! There’s always plenty more for those tomato lovers to eat!
Even though we don’t put out food for the birds at this time of year, some squirrels keep returning to look for some they buried when there was still an abundance on the feeder. As Dale and I watch their antics through the big front window, we especially enjoy the chasing and running around that goes on when those animals want to have a little fun, along with finding walnuts that some of their relatives have forgotten where they buried the nuts. I thought that food would be more enjoyable if we worked for it, but then, I’m not a squirrel who enjoys finding these treasures. If that little guy finds that we are checking out what he’s doing, he flies off at full speed ahead to one of many safe places. We can hear him chattering away as he runs.

[ Hummingbird food ]
Ever since, we have watched the action around the feeder. One bird flies in, hoping to be number one before another arrives to take its place, but that one too is sent away from the feeder. In the old days we would have three or four birds sipping the sweet nectar at the same time, but maybe the ones who come now are part of a family which doesn’t get along well. Weeks ago, when the bright little bird was doing a pretty good job of courting. he would fly over to the mock orange bush and begin to fly in arcs, up and down, and around then return to the feeder. This went on until we wondered how his tiny body could fly and fly around the area.

[ Wren’s nest in the cactus ]