We had a really warm week in Maine with temps hitting the lower 80’s. Not my idea of fall, but lots of people were thrilled summer is still hanging on.
With cool nights and warm days comes fog.
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So much fog the deer who usually only show up at dusk are here at dawn.
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This next picture is of a poor starling who smashed into our living room picture window.
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He was okay and eventually flew away after recovering from the shock. But he sure drove our cat crazy.
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Yes, people here still believe caterpillars can predict the weather.
On a walk with Lord Dudley Mountcatten the other day I noticed he found something in front of the garage.
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Batting it this way and that, I stepped in to rescue the poor praying mantis he was harassing and carried it to my flower garden.
Our yard used to be full of these delightful insects (Females bite the males heads off after mating. What’s not to love?) but in the past few years we’ve seen their number drastically decline.
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And while I’m used to the green version, this mantis was completely brown.
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So I’m not sure if it was a different species…
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Or just going through some sort of molt.
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Either way, I was pleased with the rescue.
His Lordship on the other hand, was not.
P.S…. did a little research on the mating ritual of the mantis and have to share.
Males of some mantid species mate more effectively when decapitated. Why? A nerve center in the male’s head inhibits mating until a female is clasped. If this nerve is removed, such as when the female bites off the male’s head, all control is lost and the result is repeated copulation.
Our farming neighbors went away for a few nights recently and asked us to watch their wonderful dog Peaches.
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She’s the quintessential lovable mixed breed and we’ve loved her since she was a hurricane rescue 13 years ago.
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Unfortunately, Lord Dudley Mountcatten did not share our enthusiasm for a house guest.
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Peaches is extremely mellow and very used to cats. She doesn’t chase or pay the least bit of attention to them.. but His Lordship still couldn’t figure out why this creature was in his house.
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Bad timing there. Lord Dudley was so close… and then someone knocked on the door.
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It’s a credit to Peaches temperament that our cat would even be in the same room.
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Of course the fact that she spent a good deal of her time with us sleeping might have had something to do with that.
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But I still think I’m going to pay a price for disturbing His Royal Highness’s routine.
Because it wouldn’t be a fair without some chickens.
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There were quite a few prize winning divas strutting their stuff.
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But this all black rooster took the prize for bizarre.
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The next blue ribbon winner?
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Must have won for bad hair day.
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How do these Polish even see?
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There were fancy pigeons, but to be honest these made me sad.
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They’ve clearly been bred for over exaggerated foot feathers and the poor things could hardly walk.
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But the peacocks were lovely.
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And this duck who decided no one could drink because he wanted a bath was funny.
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We ended with a very curious goose who followed me all around the enclosure. I believe he was for sale and wanted to come home with us… but alas, my husband refused.
This beam and ceiling repair project has been disruptive to say the least. We’ve lost our living room, our dining room, egress to the back deck and most importantly… the large television my husband is utterly devoted to watching. Sawdust, wood chips and dry wall fragments have been flying and I can’t even imagine the mess I’ll have to clean up when it’s finished.
I hate to say it…. but moving probably would have been easier.
Though while the husband and I have been inconvenienced, there’s one member of our family who seems to be having fun.
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You can see his ghostly reflection on the floor in the middle of that photo.
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Lord Dudley Mountcatten, who is not supposed to be walking around in the plastic room… is constantly found doing just that.
And even when I don’t physically catch him in there?
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I find evidence of his presence.
Unless our contractor has a thing for catnip mice, which is another blog topic entirely.
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His Lordship seems to think the plastic walls have been erected exclusively for his playing pleasure and has a habit of pulling the sheets from their corners and making entrance holes.
Excess wood… that served no purpose other than to act as useless shims… was removed, and everything was repositioned, leveled and put back where it should be.
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Extra heavy duty hangers were installed on both sides…
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And all the rafters were secured to the beam as they should have been 30 years ago.
When the contractor left for the day?
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His Lordship was on the move.
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He thinks we put up the plastic room just for him.
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Where there's only one step from the sublime to the ridiculous.
River's world..... 