.
We had a spell of wicked dry weather this summer. No rain for weeks… so everything was brown and dry.
.
.
Including the chucker family. They’re too short to reach the bird bath I kept filling, so I took to offering them a drink on their level.
.
.
I’d never watered woodchucks before and wasn’t sure how they’d take to it….
.
.
But the poor thirsty things ran right to the bowl as soon as I walked back into the house.
.
.
Guess they needed something to wash down those weeds.
.
.
I don’t often catch the baby woodchucks nibbling my flowers but this little dude was quite brazen.
.
.
Strolled right up on the deck and started chewing the bloomless petunia I’d transplanted from the garden to a pot because they were eating it.
Yeah.
That worked well….
.
.
.
.
Last weekend we invited the husband’s 4 sisters who live in Maine to a barbecue/pool tournament/behold the majesty of the Barn Mahal man cave/ party. It was a good time… except for one dastardly deed. You see one of his sisters brought this:
.
.
After I specifically said we were grilling filet mignon… she had the audacity to contribute to the feast.
.
.
A dozen lobsters, fresh from the ocean that morning. Damn her rotten black soul!
.
.
I had to watch those succulent creatures being disbanded…
.
.
Dropped in the pot…. ( Only 2 inches of water please. We steam, not boil )
.
.
Covered with a lid ( And a brick. They tend to buck when dying. Hell, wouldn’t you? )
.
.
Oh, the horror!
.
.
The horror of watching everyone tuck into the delightful crustaceans I can no longer eat.
It was Hell. Pure, unadulterated Hell.
😫😫😫
The only pleasure I took was not being able to find our crackers and picks. Substitutions had to be made.
.
.
Good thing the tool box was close by.
.
.
The husband was schooled at the pool table by two of his sisters, which I thought was fitting punishment for consuming and enjoying lobster in front of his now allergic wife.
But once the party was over, the mess cleaned up and everyone went home… what was almost worse than watching everyone eat them?
.
.
Seeing the two leftover red beauties every time I opened the fridge the next day and knowing I couldn’t make a lobster roll.
.
.
Hell, I tell you.
It was Hell.
.
.
I really wish they were month lilies.
.
.
Because they’re a wonderful pop of color in the garden and a day just isn’t enough.
.
.
I have them scattered here and there around the property.
.
.
And while this dark pink is my favorite, it’s never grown larger… though I planted it 17 long years ago.
.
.
This line of hostas and day lilies was here when we moved in… and though it’s not a good spot, I’ve yet to relocate them.
.
.
This double ruffle is sweet.
.
.
But the stormy sky behind my backyard patch?
.
.
Not at all sweet.
.
.
This month someone is seeking a new home for their goats.
.
.
Nothing wrong with that… but the reason?
.
.
Now that’s a bit disturbing. If you have to re-home your goats because of rats? You might want to re-examine your current living conditions as well as your livestock’s.
.
.
Do you have a guy? We have a guy. I can’t tell you the name of our guy because then he would be your guy and wouldn’t have time to be ours.
.
.
Aww. I haven’t seen the lost pig, but if these people are really the owners…. shouldn’t they know the pig’s gender by now?
.
.
Okay, so not everyone is polite in our town.
.
.
Bunny! In all the years we’ve lived here we’ve never had a visiting bunny. And from the text of the announcement, it’s now abundantly clear why. We simply don’t have the right kind of weed.
.
.
.
Day 4, the finale.
.
.
And because no project ever goes smoothly at Casa River…. when they reached the end, something went wrong and piles of rocks had to be removed and replaced.
.
.
And right after I filmed that utterly riveting video (that WordPress decided to cut and only load half, for which you should be grateful)? They disturbed a mouse nest and were attacked by one royally pissed off mother rodent. But finally… late that afternoon, it was declared finished.
.
.
Okay, so it looks a little pregnant in the middle due to a slight bump out.
.
.
But at that point I don’t think their aching backs cared.
Before:
.
.
And though I do miss the curved corner, after:
.
.
Before:
.
.
After:
.
.
Before:
.
.
After:
.
.
To be honest, he dug this one down too far as well… and I still wish it was taller on the high end of the grass. I’m not complaining just to complain…. but I’m the one who has to pull all the grass and weeds that blow in there from the mower because it’s too low.
.
.
But it looks a lot better than it did…. and in 10-15 years when Maine’s notorious frost heaving and shifting earth crumbles this one? We’ll probably hire someone to rebuild it again because we’ll be too old and decrepit. Maybe then I can have a high wall.
🤣
.
.
Stone wall rebuild… Day 3.
.
.
The end was in sight.
.
.
And I thought they were almost finished…
.
.
Until I caught them at the large (also slightly crumbling) stone wall behind the choke cherry tree.
.
.
The dreaded cannabalization had begun.
.
.
Robbing Peter to pay Paul….
.
.
And now sections of the big wall look bereft.
.
.
Good thing they’re almost done.
.
.
Day lilies.
.
.
Day lilies are what’s blooming at Casa River.
.
.
Almost everyone in Maine has this orange variety, for some reason they’re prolific, hardy and can withstand our crazy weather better than the others.
.
.
It’s a shame they don’t last longer…
.
.
They’re a wonderful blast of color.
.
.
These two are my favorites.
.
.
Deep, dark…
.
.
And gloriously rich shades.
.
.
Day 2 of the stone wall repair.
.
.
Did I mention the day lilies were blooming?
.
.
Progress was made, but it was slow going.
.
.
Building a rock wall is like assembling a giant jigsaw puzzle.
.
.
Where some of the pieces weigh 300 lbs.
.
.
One rock put in, two rocks taken out.
.
.
It requires a lot of contemplation. And more silent cursing of the wife who made you do it..
.
.
I used to have 3 bushy coleus.
.
.
And then I noticed they’d been nibbled.
.
.
Every morning when I woke up they were a little smaller.
.
.
Until all that was left were the nubs. It’s not woodchucks, and this tiny garden bed is right alongside the kitchen door by the garage, the deer won’t come in that close.
An unidentified muncher.
.
.
Who left me one leaf to remember them by.
😨
.
River's world..... 