Summer is Not Over Yet!

I haven't posted in a bit.  The summer has been zooming by, but it is not over yet!  Hurricane season peaks in a few weeks and we might be in for a hurricane visit later this week.  Irene is expected to make landfall somewhere on the Atlantic seaboard.

A few weeks ago, our family vacationed at Sunset Beach, NC.  The view was outstanding and I was able to identify a bird I had not seen before - Boat-tailed Grackle.  We also saw mockingbirds, red-winged blackbirds, some kind of swallow, mourning doves, some kind of gull, pelicans, egrets, starlings and cardinals.  Who knew cardinals lived at the beach!  We also saw bunnies and some kind of rat.

Upon arriving home, we discovered the hummingbird moths were in full-force, sucking nectar from the four o'clocks.  I was glad to see they had survived last year's repeated attacks by Rusty, the Mighty Hunter.  We also discovered the crafty squirrels had been in the bird seed can.  Ah, the fun they had!

And today, one of my daughters noticed something moving around in the back yard.  She investigated and found an Eastern Box Turtle.  He did not shyly pull into his shell as you can see.  
Visit this website below to learn more about Eastern Box Turtles.
http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/midorcas/research/Contribute/box%20turtle/boxinfo.htm

Update from Our Place on the Map

Not long after my last post in January, our one-of-a-kind 3-legged black miniature poodle, Cajun, began going downhill.  She had been sick with breathing problems, and continued joint pain in her remaining back leg.  It became apparent that the breathing and the pain were too much, so we again did the hardest thing for the second time in about 8 weeks.  Afterwards, Cajun was laid to rest in our yard, under the pine trees, alongside her frenemy, Jake.  She is sorely missed, so much that words cannot describe the loss.

I expect, though, that Rusty believes he ran those two dogs off all by himself!  He continues to be the mighty hunter.  This spring he has already captured several critters, including a small live snake that he brought into the house.  One of these times, I need to video the capture and removal of one of Rusty's live presents.  It is always an amusing episode!

Now, onto the opposite of amusing.  On April 16, an F3 tornado came through our town.  My home and property was spared, but the tornado destroyed half of a neighborhood around the corner from me.  The tornado warning came over the weather radio, sending my daughter, Katie, and I (and Rusty) into a protected hallway.  Soon afterwards, we heard the sound of a train, and the lights went out.  A few moments later, we heard a high-pitched whistling sound as the tornado left our area and headed to the next neighborhood in its path.  Our town has been in an upheaval since.  Business and homes will be rebuilt and repaired but the landscape of the town cannot be fixed.  And the lost lives and possessions cannot be replaced.

So, that brings us to now.  It is a glorious afternoon here.  My garden has been started.  It will be a small venture this year - tomatoes, herbs, bush beans, and garlic which was planted in the winter.  The garlic has another month or two to go.  From my office window, I am watching a pair of twitterpated cardinals, the male feeding the female.  So sweet!  It rained earlier today, so Rusty is curled up in a chair in the kitchen, waiting for the grass to dry a bit more.   I am thankful to have a kitchen chair, and an office, and a garden, and all the rest.  Tornadoes make you notice and make you thankful, too.