Trying Some New Things This Year

     I placed an order today with Burpee.  Usually I don't order til March, but I am trying some new things this year.  Considering the warm winter we're having here in NC, I am anticipating a hot summer.  I don't look forward to keeping multiple plants hydrated and happy all summer, so I will try some early spring planting instead.   I ordered seeds for garden peas, broccoli, leaf lettuce and kale.  All should be finished before the heat of summer settles in.  I just hope this goes better than the Great Garlic Experiment of last winter!

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