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We’ve been having a stretch of extremely (for Maine) hot and humid weather.
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And when it’s this oppressive, I always worry if our resident critters can find water.
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No doubt they can…
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But I feel better if I make the search a bit easier.
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😊
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Now that the peonies have faded it’s time for the day lilies to shine.
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As with all other perennials it’s a shame their blooms don’t last longer.
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We have them in other places around the property but this is the biggest batch.
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Such pretty faces.
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But gone too soon.
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I’m greedy and want more than a day.
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😊
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Momma chuck is a good mother and protective of her brood.
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I’ve seen her chase off a fox, a deer and a turkey.
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Every evening the littles gather to nibble under the bird feeders.
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And momma is right there keeping a close watch on the surrounding area.
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Mess with momma at your peril.
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You have been warned.
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😳
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Because nonsense is everywhere I look.
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I have no desire to cuddle fake bread, but if that was real? Pass the butter baby!
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Fox and chucks are still munching happily together. Guess this is what happens when you lay out an ample backyard buffet.
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I’ve been getting hundreds of junk emails lately. Somehow, someone got my address and has been flooding me with spam. ‘Stuck poop’ is an interesting enough subject line but the fact that the word ‘solder’ is in the sender’s address?
Priceless.
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This is what’s left of the pretty yellow deer proof flower I planted out back. The deer may not like it, but clearly the woodchucks did .
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Ditto that for coneflower leaves.
🥴
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I had to dig up the phlox, lupine and mallow due to voracious woodchuck appetites….
So now they’re all crowding my deck table in pots.
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The neighbor I was cat sitting for returned from vacation and brought me a thank you gift from the Wisconsin Dells.
A bag of local beer! She knows I like sours and brought me a variety to try. Some of them are wonderfully bizarre. The lime green can? A pastry sour with peach, basil, graham cracker and vanilla.
Cheers!
🍺
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It’s hard being a woodchuck.
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And if it’s not bad enough you have to battle your siblings for the daily buffet…
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Now you have to fight off a squadron of starlings when you’re trying to steal the fox food.
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Lots of little beaks make short work of the pile.
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Life is tough.
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The fact that you can’t use it is what makes it worth reading.
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I think canine love is in direct proportion to the biscuit level of a Milkbone box.
Full box? Adoration
Box almost empty? Derision.
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Is it? This almost makes me afraid to open the pantry door.
(In case you’re wondering? It’s coffee. )
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Of course it was, it’s Florida.
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And let’s face it, that beats Ron DeSantis any day of the week and twice on Sunday’s.
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To be honest, I’d prefer to talk with the donkey.
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The little nibblers are on the move and nibbling everything.
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They love carrots and lettuce and broccoli and apples.
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They also love our back deck.
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Unfortunately they love it a little too much.
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How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
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Too much!
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🥴
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A few weeks ago I bought a lovely dragon wing begonia for the Barn Mahal/man cave porch.
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Thankfully the woodchucks don’t care for begonias and have left it unscathed.
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Until yesterday when I sat down to read and noticed the evidence.
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Muddy footprints.
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All over the table.
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They don’t like begonias and didn’t nibble, but clearly it wasn’t for lack of trying….
🥴
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If there’s anyone who puts on a better show in a garden than a peony, I haven’t yet met them.
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For a pure burst of color they’re hard to beat.
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I have a few small plants in the front of the house, but it’s this old backyard beauty that was here when we moved in 20 years ago that makes the biggest statement.
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Peonies can be fussy and hard to establish.
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But if you manage it, they’re carefree beauty that will be enjoyed for decades.
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I’m fascinated by insects.
My father used to swear he found a new one in the garden every year and I wouldn’t be surprised if that were true. They’re prolific little beasts.
Or in this case, not so little.
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I have yet to see one of these jewels, but rest assured I’ll be looking.
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This is one seriously impressive bug.
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What’s not to love?
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Okay, so I may have to hold my nose. It’s a small price to pay…
😉
River's world..... 