Blogging the Infinite Static


Sat, 08 Jul 2023

Partner's Mom passed away early this morning.




Saturday 7 September 2024... Watching Goldfinches

Another hot day, to be 91° (33°C) and the haze is still bad.

Trees on the hill

Crow flying past the trees on the hill

*laughs* Wouldn't stay still for me!

Squirrel hanging and hidden in an oak tree with green acorns

Goldfinch standing on a spent Sunflower bloom

Everyone is busy eating!

Goldfinches eating from Sunflower heads

Nom-nom-nom!

Goldfinch eating from a Sunflower head

Goldfinch eating from a Sunflower head, hanging upside down

Goldfinch hanging from a spent Sunflower head

Goldfinch on a Sunflower heaad

Goldfinches on Sunflower heads

Goldfinches on Sunflower heads

Goldfinch standing on a Sunflower

Okay! I think we can all agree the Goldfinches are super cute! Moving on!

Here I am at my plot. The stunted volunteer Sunflowers in the front are blooming more and more every day! And the Giant Marigolds have been steadily producing flowers!

Garden plot

Today I'm going to pull out some of the Borage behind the Zucchinis. It reminds me of why I love Borage so much... hardly any weeds or grass can grow up between all the Borage leaves, and it's so easy to clear out!

Zucchini plants

I thought I might plant some Fava there, for winter cover crop... but when I got done, I realized the clear spot gave me easier access to the volunteer Tomatillo at the back of the Tofu Patch.

The volunteer squashes coming out of the compost I dumped here... amuse me. In the spring, I have such a hard time getting the squash plants to live thru the hungry slugs. But these are growing, unaccosted!

Squash seedlings and compost

The new Seascape Strawberries.

Strawberry plants in the ground

The Crookneck was mostly killed by Squash Beetles... but it's going to try to live some more!

Crookneck fruit growing on the vine

Ha! Almost a rainbow of harvest today!

Harvested veggies laying on the ground

I ran out of time to gather Wax Beans. At home today, I'm boiling and freezing yet another batch!

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Friday 6 September 2024... Birds and Flowers at the Garden

Good Morning My Dear.

Squirrel sitting on the step

Bleh, it's 70° (21°C) already when I leave the house this morning, to be 93° (34°C) today. But I guess we survived the 99° of yesterday... and there's some cooler temperatures in the forecast again, next week to look forward to.

Trees on the hill

The haze is pretty bad, again today.

Bike Path

This cute lil Downy Woodpecker - heh, molting! - did not stick around for photography.

Downy Woodpecker standing on a wood fence

The Goldfinches are fun to watch too. These are American Goldfinches, who have migrated in for the winter.

Goldfinches standing on wire trellis, eating crab grass seeds

Goldfinch standing on a sunflower

And some House Finches make an appearance.

House Finch standing on a stick

The funny Spagetti Squash x Delicata Hybrid... Stripetti!

Striped Spaghetti Squash growing on the vine

Tomatillo.

Tomatillo husks hanging from the plant

The Pot People neighbors have a flower explosion.

Cosmos

And a bunch of their stuff is leaning into my plot. It annoys me when I walk on that side... even tho I love their Sunflowers and Cosmos!

pink Cosmos blooms

And Zinnias!

Yellow Zinnia

Tomatoes ripening on the vine

Sunflower

Honey Bee on a Sunflower bloom

Harvested veggies laying on the ground

Cute Spider sitting on a Calendula. And that red-violet thing is Amaranth.

Spider sitting on a yellow Calendula bloom

A Buckwheat seed head.

Buckwheat blooms and seeds

Partner got a call from our mechanics this afternoon.

The car broke down almost a month ago, and I don't know what the heck they've been doing with it all this time!

But, whatever! They've re-wired the ignition sensor, so it only cost 260$ instead of 700$.

That's still an expensive proposition, seeing how we paid the 700$ just three months ago. But it is convenient to have a car.

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Thursday 5 September 2024... Hot

To be 99° (37°C) today and there's a excessive heat warning thru to tomorrow night. So I'm off to the garden to water like crazy!

But because we had most of two weeks with unusually cool weather in August... including a couple very chilly nights... Ugh. Well, parts of the garden are quite done for.

The Lemon Cucumber are dead. And the Brandywine is dead...

Tomatoes on a dead vine

The stems are still green, so the remaining tomatoes should ripen up. But the leaves are all dead, so there won't be any more tomatoes coming on.

sighs. But lets look at it a different way:

Borage and Dandelion blooms in front of the dying tomato plant

*laughing* at my own joke!!

Well, I'm happy to have gotten a few Brandywines this year. After all, some years I get zero!

Tomato ripening on the vine

And, anyway... I've got two other plants supplying me with big tomatoes! The Old German is SOOO good... fruity and light, no acid at all. Very tasty and unique. Def growing this one again!

Big tomatoes ripening on the vine

And the Black Tomatoes are good, normal tasting tomatoes.

Tomatoes ripening on the vine

Altho... now that I'm looking at them, the Old German and the Black Tomato seem to have a bunch of dying leaves as well. foo. Stupid climate change weather, anyway.

Tomato plants with brown leaves

The Sungold is still fine, of course. It's a good tough plant. But I've not been eating any, lately. The cool weather took the sweetness away, and they just don't taste good. meh.

Since I'm still obsessing about the new Seascape Strawberries, here's a different view from the back, with the happy, established strawberry plants front and center. I should look up to see what type of strawberries they are.

Strawberry plants in the garden

oh, haha! There's a couple volunteer squashes coming out of the compost I dumped! Too funny!

Squash seedlings coming up past mulch

And all the plants in the Squash Square are doing well except the Crookneck... I probably should have cleared that Smartweed out. Oh well, it's pretty and makes the bees happy!

Squash blossoms and Smartweed

So I Thought the Buckwheat seeds would be eaten by the birds. But I'm seeing several stems chopped off...

Buckwheat seeds on a plant

I'm thinking a squirrel nipped off the whole seed head, and took it away to eat or bury somewhere! Haha! I'm happy to supply anyone's winter meals!

And for my meals:

Harvested veggies laying on the ground

Yep, I'm freezing another batch of Wax Beans at home today!

And then, the Zucchinis in the Supplementary Squash Square... You can see the Yellow Zuc on the right is losing some leaves. That's from the Squash Beetles.

Zucchini plants in the garden

The Squash Beetles attacked the big Green Zuc on the left, too, but it's perfectly fine. And production here hasn't been affected at all here, tho the Crookneck in the Squash Square is half murdered. So that's a bummer.

But, if I just step back a few steps... the happy flowers cover up all that!

Garden plot

The cute little -- well, stunted, heh -- volunteer sunflowers!

Sunflower blooms

This one is really gearing up!

Sunflower in the garden

Home, and here's Mr Unnamed!

Squirrel sitting on the sidewalk with a nut in his mouth

It's nice that he's more willing to sit for some photography!

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Wednesday 4 September 2024... Garden and a Goldfinch Fledgling

Cloudy and mild this morning, tho the forecast says 94° today. The clouds burn off but the remaining haze keeps the high temperature to 91° (33°C).

Foggy trees in the distance

Oh boy. It's going to be one of Those days.

Blurry bird

Well, great. Maybe I will look at plants instead!

This is an interesting thing! A Purple Shamrock from South America...

Purple Shamrock

A pretty shade of Glads

Gladiolus

And some Penstemons hanging out with the tomatoes!

Pink Penstemon blooms with green tomatoes ripening on the vine

And here's my beautiful volunteer Sunflower in the Tofu Patch.

Sunflower blooms with a Honey Bee

That Honey Bee gives you an idea about how small the blooms are! Cute lil bee!

European Honey Bee on a sunflower bloom

I know, I'm obsessing about the stupid strawberries. But I have to water them so much to get to this level of coming back to life! ha.

Strawberry plants

Harvested veggies laying on the ground

Sunflower blooms

Tomatillos!

Tomatillo husks growing on the vine

I am wandering around in the Community Garden again... It's so nice when I'm the only human here!

Lavender and yellow Zinnia blooms

Yellow Zinnia blooms

Okay! Finally the camera is going to be agreeable to the birds! Yay!

Goldfinch standing on a drooping stem of sunfower

That little wing motion means this is a fledgling.

Goldfinch fledgling

Oh my gosh! Here's one of the parents!!

Goldfinch fledgling with a parent

Oh Wow!

Goldfinch fledgling being fed by a parent

Oh Bleh! Slimy!! Haha!!!

Goldfinch fledgling being fed by a parent

Well that was awesome!

Goldfinch flegling begs for more

Cosmos blooms

I head home, but decide to walk a loop around the park...

Oh my gosh! The artist came back to repaint this Little Free Panty!

Little Free Pantry in a park

Thank goodness. Remember that green monstrosity? I mean, it was art... but this? This is ART! *laughs*

Little Free Pantry with a crow painted on the side

And then at home... Mr Unnamed!

Western Grey Squirrel standing on a tree trunk

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Tuesday 3 September 2024... A Day

There's some cute little clouds at the horizon, but they are burning off, even as I watch!

Clouds in a blue sky

It's mild again today, but the forecast says 90s thru to the weekend. Peaking at 99° (37°C) on Thursday. Ugh.

Sunflower blooms with a blue sky

There's lots of little Zucchinis coming on to all three plants! I give them all extra water!

Yellow zucchinis growing on the vine

The plants that I never water, tho? The Sunchokes! Those things are tough as nails! (The tall plant behind the Tofu Patch Sunflower.)

Sunflower in front of a Sunchoke plant

That one, unfortunately, is right on the border with the left side neighbor... the plot that got vandalized. I might have new neighbors there next year, so I should probably dig that one up as much as I can over the winter. We really shouldn't have tall things growing at the border of the plots, and it annoys me when other people do it!

Fortunately, there's a second, smaller Sunchoke growing at the corner of the front garden square. I had planted that one, and it's a much better spot for a tall plant, but thought the slugs had killed it. It's growing, but got a late start. We'll see how it goes!

Harvested veggies laying on the ground

At home I boiled and bagged / froze my third round of wax beans... I had forgotten how quickly Wax Beans go bad in the fridge! I need to start freezing some more!

I think I have a technique down.

I rinse and cut Wax Beans, but don't fill the pan quite as full... that one day of 88 beans was too much! One flat spoon of salt, 3 cups water, and 26min at 90%.

Dump the water, let it cool down, then bag up and into the freezer.

That will be good food for my Casserole Bowls or some soups or even just eating straight up... I'm sick of eating Wax Beans right now, but these will be great again in the winter!

The new Seascape Strawberries seem to be doing well and greening up... tho I'm not sure about that one smaller clump on the left.

Strawberry plants in the ground

And the previously established Strawberries are happy with the extra watering too.

The volunteer Sunflower at the edge of the Wax Bean trellis...

Sunflower blooms and a blue sky

I think that's the tallest Sunflower I've had in the plot for a long time! It's probably almost 8feet!

Heading home.

Vulture flying in the sky

Oh hey! It's the new Heron, No Patches!

Great Blue Heron walking in shallow water

Ha, poor thing has a terrible name... But if she'd show up more often, I would have more time to think up a nicer name! :)

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Monday 2 September 2024... Today with Birds

Cloudy and nice today.

Trees on the hill with fog

ha, this amuses me... Someone's Squash plant is escaping the Community Garden!

Squash with a flower coming thru a wood and wire fence

But today I'm walking on past the Garden! I'll still have to water the new Seascape Strawberries, and gather the harvest. But since I won't have to water all the plants, I've got a bit of extra time. And I'm walking!

The Willow tree that lost it's huge limb in the January ice storm.

Willow tree

It's so beautiful, I'm glad they saved it.

Willow stump under the leaves

Shade under the willow tree

Oh, awesome! A Green Heron!

Green Heron standing on a branch

My Dad doesn't think she looks very green and maybe we should call this one Little Blue Heron... There is a Little Blue Heron who lives on the eastern side of the US and down thru Mexico and South America. They are incredibly beautiful as well: Little Blue Heron.

Green Heron

On my way back to the garden, a guy on a bike stops to chat. We run into each other on a regular basis, and it turns out we live in the same apartment complex! ha!

I should have asked his apartment number so I can give him some Wax Beans and Zucchini! Bahaha!

Harvested veggies laying on the ground

The Sunflower in the Tofu Patch has a bloom that says 4 O'Clock! Haha... the petals in the 4 o'clock positions are darker!

Sunflower bloom

A Scrub Jay goes after some sunflower seeds!

Scrub Jay surrounded by Sunflower blooms

Close up of a Scrub Jay in front of a spent Sunflower bloom

One of the stunted volunteer Sunflowers at the front of the plot, getting ready to bloom a lot!

Sunflower buds

And a House Finch, eating Hawthorn pomes, right outside the Garden.

House finch standing in a Hawthorn tree

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Sunday 1 September 2024... Sunday Stroll with Flowers and a Hummer

Not as hot today, to be 82° (28°C). A bit of breeze feels nice too, and it's moving the clouds around.

clouds

Cloud

Aster blooms

... I used to have Asters in my Garden plot. And then I had Oregon Sunshine. Maybe I should go for some Asters again next year?

Honey Bee on a yellow and red Echinacea bloom

Fuchsia blooms

Trees on the hill

And a wander thru the Community Garden.

Orange Snapdragon blooms

Deep red Snapdragon blooms

Pink Echinacea blooms

Zinnia blooms in pinks and oranges

Okay, here I am at my plot. Maybe I'll run the hoe today... there's a bit of grass coming up in the main pathway. Can't have that. *rolls eyes*

Garden Plot

There's not as many Wax Beans to pick today, thank goodness! *laughs* I've frozen two batches now, and still have loads more in the fridge that I need to do! So tired of Wax Beans!

Harvested veggies laying on the ground

Big tomato ripening on the vine

And the Black Tomatoes!!

Green tomatoes on the vine

Oh! My new Hummingbird companion!

Anna Hummingbird standing on a wire trellis

He's easily distracted, tho!

Anna Hummingbird, looking behind

The volunteer Sunflower in the Tofu Patch makes me happy... Loads of blooms, tho they are all pretty small.

Sunflower blooms

Back at home, I'm eating the first Black Tomato!!

Tomato sliced on a cutting board

hmmm. It's fine. Just kind of a standard tomato taste. It's good, but nothing special.

And while I'm here with the camera, this is the state of the potted Pansies.

Small, yellow Pansy blooms

Still sprawling! Pansy blooms

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Saturday 31 August 2024... Garden is shutting down

Gearing up for another hot day, to be 96° (35°C).

Trees on the hill

Walking out to the garden, I met this one again. I've seen her three or four times here in the last week or so. So I guess she's a survivor, even with her poor wing.

Duck with an injured wing standing on a rock over the water

Sunflower blooms in front of a blue sky

Sunflower blooms in front of a blue sky

Pink Dahlia bloom

Okay. Here I am at my own garden plot, and let me tell you. The weeks of cool daytime temperatures, and the recent very chilly nights are wreaking havoc here.

The Brandywine has more than a few dead leaves and branches. It's dead!

The SunGolds have lost their sweetness... and they are kind of GROSS without their signature flavor. The plants are tough -- they aren't delicate like the poor Brandywine -- and they have loads of fruit. But I'm not going to bring any more home unless they sweeten up again.

And I need to face facts here... the precious Lemon Cucumbers are dying...

Cucumber leaf, turning yellow

Arg. 12 plants! Dying in August! August! When they should be at their peak production! Arg! It's just such a disappointment. Stupid climate change!!

Well. All is not lost! The rest of the garden is still chugging along.

Big tomato ripening on the vine

Tomatillos under the Wax Bean trellis.

Tomatillo husks on the vine surrounded by bean plant leaves

There's also a Butternut from the Squash Square climbing up the back of the Wax Bean trellis! That makes me happy!

Butternut on the bean trellis

And the Aubergine plant is doing it's thing.

Eggplant growing on the vine

Eggplants growing on the vine

Eggplant bloom

I've decided to pull out the second volunteer beet today...

Leeks and Beet growing in the ground

It's nice and big, and I do want to eat it... but mostly I'm just tired of eating Wax Beans and need something different! *laughs*

Harvested veggies laying on the ground, including a pulled beet

I'll be boiling and freezing another batch of Wax Beans later today!

Cosmos bloom

Sunflower blooms

Orange marigold bloom

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Friday 30 August 2024... Garden

It got down to 42° (5°C) last night, Gah! But you can hardly tell it got that cold. The morning is heating up fast and it'll be 96° (35°C) today!

I walk out to the garden and suddenly wish I had brought both of my water bottles... AND I wish I had put ice in the water bottle I did bring! ha!

It's hot. And it feels worse since we've had much cooler weather for the past two weeks. The body just isn't used to this hot weather anymore!

Goldfinch standing on a wood fence

The new Seascape Strawberries are starting to look better! Yay!

Strawberry plant

Tofu Patch Sunflower!

Red and yellow Sunflower bloom

And below it... Soybeans!

Soybean pods growing on the plants

And I was just noticing this little plant, on the other side of the tofu patch. That overexposed thing -- sheesh, what a terrible photographer, haha -- might be a Zinnia next to the unidentified geranium-type wildflower.

Small Zinnia plant growing in the ground

I had planted Zinnia seeds the same time I planted the Buckwheat here as a summer cover crop. The cover crop idea did not work out at all... most everything in this area is stunted. So I wasn't really paying much attention.

It probably won't do anything. It's way too late in the season for it to make flowers. But you never know. Plus, it's nice to know that Zinnias might actually live if I put seeds down in a nicer spot!

After spending a lot of time watering everything, I have to spend some time harvesting some Wax Beans. *laughs* 88 today! It's fun picking all these beans, but, yeah, it does take a minute!

Harvested veggies laying on the ground

Do not talk to me about that one, malformed and tiny Lemon Cucumber. SIGHS.

Sunflower blooms

This is the volunteer Sunflower in the front...

Sunflower bloom with blue sky

Seeing as it's only about 3feet tall, that was a VERY Awkward photo, with me crouching and trying to point the camera up. *laughs* The lengths I go, for my art! *snark!!*

From this more comfortable angle...

You can see into the vandalized neighbor's plot, there at the upper left. They have removed all the dead plants and have kind of leveled the raised beds. It's such a shame, to have to look at all that dead and useless dirt over there.

And speaking of dead and useless. This is an Amaranth that's growing in the Lemon Cucumber patch...

A blooming Amaranth

You see that green trellis there? That green trellis that is NOT covered with Lemon Cucumber plants?!!!

*laughs* Dang it. I had such glorous plans for all the glorious Lemon Cucumbers that would cover that little trellis.

Well. Maybe next year.


Eugene Police investigating two sexual assaults on West Eugene trails, increasing patrols and security measures

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Thursday 29 August 2024... Today with Wax Beans

Last night was so chilly, 46° (8°C) Brr! But it's warming up fast. Looks like there's going to be one last burst of summer here... to be 94° (34°C) today, and more of the same in the forecast.

At the garden, I am watering the heck out of the new Seascape Strawberries.

Strawberry plants

Maybe they will live?

Strawberry leaf

The volunteer Sunflower in the Tofu Patch is looking lovely.

Sunflower blooms and blue sky

Sunflower blooms

Haha. I didn't notice the cute little Honey Bee resting on the petal.

European Honey Bee on a spent Sunflower petal

An Old German is ripening.

Tomato ripening on the vine

And the poor Brandywine, leaves and branches dying all over the place. From the cooler nights? Maybe! It's just a delicate plant, it tends to not do well if you even look at it funny! haha!

Tomatoe ripening on the vine surrounded with brown leaves

I picked two Brandywines today, along with an Old German!

Harvested veggies laying on the ground

I'm bringing some SunGolds home... but they aren't sweet anymore. That's def a result of the chilly nights. Arg, such a bummer. Will the sweetness come back with the hot days we've got coming??

And all those Wax Beans! 84 today, and it's definitely time to start freezing some batches!

One of the volunteer Sunflowers in the front is blooming! It's stunted, maybe a meter tall. But that's okay, it's putting some cheer into the front of the plot!

Sunflower bloom with Marigold blooms in the background

I'm heading out, but I get distracted by these lovely double petal Cosmos!

Pink Cosmos blooms

Pink Cosmos blooms

Cosmos bloom with SunGold cherry tomatoes in the background

When I get home, I'm getting a first batch of Wax Beans taken care of...

Rinsed, and chopped up, I throw them in a big bowl with water and a bit of salt and start nuking. I test one after 16minutes, but it feels like it's still raw. I keep adding time and testing, more and more time, and this is just ridiculous!

*laughs*

I finally get tired of the process and dump the water and let the Wax Beans cool off for a bit. Then I put them in a labeled zip lock and into the freezer.

That was batch #1, and there's a lot in the fridge to process... and a lot more Wax Beans coming! I'll need to figure out how much longer I need to nuke these things... I lost track of how much time I actually cooked them!

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Wednesday 28 August 2024... Today

Good Morning Mr Unnamed.

Squirrel sitting on the stair

Some roses, in the shade... I decided to not fix the colour because I like them like this! ha.

white roses in the shade

But once you get out from under the shadows of the trees, it's a bright and clear day.

Hollyhock bloom with sunflowers and blue sky in the background

Today's garden work is clearing more of the Snap Pea patch so I can plant the freebie Strawberries I picked up yesterday! Seascape Strawberries.

Strawberry plants in the ground

I plant them next to the couple of Strawberry plants I've already got... but shoot, I don't know. They look pretty pathetic next to the established plants, and like I mentioned yesterday, the leaves are green but they are so dry I'm pretty sure they are dead. Maybe the roots will revive with some heavy watering?

harvested veggies laying on the ground

Michelle, who has a garden plot further down the row I'm on, stopped by my plot today as I was working. After greeting each other and exchanging pleasantries, she said, I saw your photo.

*Confusion* My first thought was oh boy, they've found my website. But then I was all, wait. She said photo. Singular. That is one word that does NOT describe my website!

Out loud I repeated, You saw my photo? Yeah, I really like it.

I repeat again, You saw my photo... Where?

She finally sees my confusion and pauses. Um, she says. The photo contest?

Ah! Now I get it! There was a photo... of my plot, but it was taken from over there, I pointed at the neighboring plot. It's not my photo!

Haha. I don't usually participate in the Community Garden Photo Contest. It's just too hard to choose a photo to submit! Plus... what if I don't win???

*laughs* But it's fun to look at everyone else's pics!

2024 Eugene Community Gardens Photo Contest
And here's the photo in question: Sunset

It's a lovely shot, and that's the Sunflower I bought, right there, below the sun... well, the seed head, at least! Not many petals left on it! :)

Red Hollyhock in the garden

Squirrel sitting on a wood fence post

Ugh. Normally, I love graffiti. And I'm sure this person meant well. But, ugh, this sentiment just annoys me...

Graffiti on the sidewalk

It's nice and all for your story to have a happy ending. But that's fiction.

At the actual end? We die. And thinking about The Actual End makes me spiral down the drain of doom... Our trees are dying, climate change, bugs are dying, how long is civilization going to last... kinda depressing. Probably not the response they wanted to elicit with those hearts and all.

Sighs.


Later in the day, there's something horrific...

Eugene police seeking witnesses to rape at Wild Iris Ridge

A second rape on the paths!

This POS also wasn't caught, so unknown if this was the same guy... or if the first rape has emboldened violent tendencies in other men.

Pepper Spray Gel, 2 cans for 24$ on amz, in my cart.

And I guess I won't be walking out there anymore.

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Tuesday 27 August 2024... Birds at the Garden

Good Morning My Dear!

Squirrel on the sidewalk, with broken peanut shells nearby

Another cooler than usual day, the high is just 77° (25°C). The rain of friday has dried out and I'll need to water at the garden again.

Trees on the hill

Oh, wow. I Love these!

Bright pink Echinacea blooms

And they've got some pretty succulents underneath!

Succulents

Oh, nice. Someone left some freebie Strawberries at the picnic table!

Strawberry plants gathered in a box

Marilyn had posted at the facebook group a few days ago. These are Seascape strawberries and ever-bearing. I nab a few!

My hands are full of free strawberry plants, when I see this big boy. He's hunting someone under the tarp!

Black cat standing on a grey tarp

The new Strawberries look nice and green but the leaves are actually completely dried out. I'm not sure if they'll do anything, especially since I won't be able to plant them today.

Handful of Strawberry plants at the garden plot

House Finch standing on a wire trellis

The House Finches are hanging out with me...

Male House Fich standing on a wire trellis

And I think I see a juvenile White Crown Sparrow with them, as well. And then a Rufous Hummingbird zips by! So cool!

I love to be surrounded by birds!!

Birds in the Garden Plot

Chickadee standing on a Sunflower head

I've picked the first Black Tomato!! The other one is a not quite ripe Brandywine.

Harvested veggies laying on the ground

As I gathered all that, a Cooper Hawk flies over the Community Garden!!

And then I am no longer surrounded by little birds... they all fly away and hide!

I've still got some wildlife to take pics of tho!

Honey Bee hanging from a Borage bloom

Volunteer Tomatillos! They make me happy!

Tomatillo husks growing on the vine, sunflower blooms in the background

The volunteer Sunflower in the Tofu Patch also makes me happy!

Red and yellow Sunflower blooms

Red and yellow Sunflower blooms

Heading out. Hello My Dear!

Squirrel standing up on the sidewalk

Oh! The Crows are having a gathering!

Crows flying with a grey sky

Some of the Crows have followed me!

Two Crows standing in a pear tree

Ha! This is a pear tree? I never noticed!

Crow standing in a pear tree

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Monday 26 August 2024... Different Things

The Unnamed Grey Squirrel has been around most mornings for the past week or more...

Squirrel standing on a tree trunk, holding a peanut in his mouth

I notice him because he's always yelling at someone, chattering and banging his hand! Sometimes I can see he's annoyed at a cat. But other times... maybe he sees ghosts!

I'm walking out past the bike path and into the downtown neighborhoods. Wayside Micro Park looks so sad and pathetic without the big Mimosa trees shading it. :(

A bench and some bushes at a neighborhood crossroad

They have planted new trees here. A Big Leaf Maple and a Black Gum, but they are just saplings. But... !!

Mimosa leaves

Aww! The Mimosa is making a come back!! I hope they keep it!

I wonder if someone planted the sunflowers or if they just showed up. :)

Sunflower blooms

Oh, wow! The colours on this double petal Hibiscus are making me happy!

Double petal hibiscus

Here's a traditional Hibiscus, and it's pretty as well!

Pink Hibiscus bloom

Ha! The clouds are making speech bubbles. 🗪 *laughs*

Cirrus clouds

As I approach the bridge with the nest... a Barn Swallow flies in and lands on the nest! What the heck!

Nest and a Barn Swallow flying away.

You can't go home again!

I go by the Community Garden on the way back... a fledgling!

Crow standing on a wood fence

And is this one of your parents?

Two crows standing on a wood fence

Close up of two crows

The car has been in the shop for over two weeks now, and I have Partner call them about it because we haven't heard a single thing yet.

I would be annoyed at the lack of communication... but we are still trying to figure out what to do. I'm wondering who has to pay for the tow if we donate the car.

The mechanic tells Partner that the spark isn't getting thru the ignition and we may need a new sensor.

Me: Yeah. That's the 700$ part [that we paid for three months ago, and we are not doing that again]!
Partner: No, no. This is going to be something simple.

Sighs. I let it go.

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Sunday 25 August 2024... Garden Assessment with Climate Change Weather

We have had about two weeks now, of cooler than normal temperatures... On Friday the high was 67° (19°C)!! It's August! The hottest part of the summer? Instead we get the coldest part of summer!

Crazy! In the forecast, it looks like the days are going to warm up again. And today will be 82° ... But the nights are looking cooler than normal in the forecast.

Sunflowers and a blue sky

The Lemon Cucumbers haven't done much of anything in the cooler temperatures... I've gathered single Lemon Cucs here and there, but the last real harvests were Aug12 and Aug13, both days I got three Lemon Cucs and harvests had been great and steady before then.

Lemon Cucumber

Sighs. I had 12 Lemon Cucumber plants this year, and it's still not the year I make myself sick of eating Lemon Cucmbers! *laughs* Try again next year!!

The Brandywine has a lot of dead leaves and branches, but there are a good number of tomatoes being made!

Tomatoes ripening on a plant with some brown, dead leaves

Mmmm! Brandywines are the Best!

A tomato ripening on the vine

The Old German has some tomatoes that are not ripening in the cool temperatures. I hope they start to get some colour with the warmer weather thats coming, because these are really, Very Yummy tomatoes!!

Large green tomatoes on the vine

The first Black Tomato is still ripening... The Black Tomato was the last plant I put in the ground in June, so it's not quite as advanced as the other big tomato plants.

Tomato ripening on the vine

The Aubergine, doing its own thing under the leaves. I water it well, but mostly just ignore it!

Eggplants growing on the vine

OH! The volunteer Sunflower at the Wax Bean trellis is blooming!

Sunflower bloom towering over the garden plot!

Hahaha! It looks ridiculously tall... it's probably 8feet. And in front of it are the Wax Beans. And behind it on the left is the big bush of volunteer Sunchokes. And at their base, next to the stake are the Leeks!

The stunted Sunflower at the front of the plot is also thinking about blooming!

Sunflower buds

I've picked 88 Wax Beans today! Ha! Also really glad to have all those SunGolds, since the big tomatoes haven't been ripening!

Harvested veggies laying on the ground

And I've been letting the summer squashes grow a bit bigger... the cooler temperatures have slowed down their production for sure and I've caught up with eating them. I only have THREE zucs at home!

I love the volunteer Sunflower in the Tofu Patch!

Red and yellow coloured Sunflower blooms

It's just 2meters tall, and that's a much more personable height than the 8foot bean trellis sunflower! *laughs*

Red and yellow coloured Sunflower blooms

Red and yellow coloured Sunflower blooms

The Unknown Geranium-type wildflower at the back of the Tofu Patch. Wish I could figure out what it is!

Small white flower and leaves

And the Soybeans? Ha!

Soybean pod on the plant

Yep, they are starting to make some pods, the poor things. They are very stunted, barely 1foot tall... Soybean plants should grow to 3 or 4 feet tall. The dirt here is just not healthy, I think. And I still need to figure out how I'm going to fix that!

Getting artsy!

Sunflower bud


I head home and get some lunch going.

I'm sitting on the couch with the newspaper. I've already done the sudoku and I'm working on the word find puzzle.

A bit of motion catches my eye on the right, and I look up and there's a black cat standing there.

In the living room.

I jump!
The cat jumps!

I don't see which direction he goes, so I'm carefully looking around.

And you know what the first question that pops into my brain?

How LONG has a cat been in our house?? and then also, How do you NOT NOTICE a cat in your house??! *laughs*

I look towards the front door and then I worry that he went under the couch.

And THEN it occurs to me to wonder about how he got in.

I immediately have a suspicion. I go to the porch room, we've got a sliding glass door that's been open all summer with the box fan in front of it, pulling in the cool night air.

Sure enough, that's where Blacky is... he's jammed himself between the screen door and the box fan!

And when he sees I have found him, he squeezes thru the hole in the screen to escape to the outside... a perfectly round, cat sized hole that he apparently made for himself!!

Bahahaha.

I stuck a towel in the hole and I've been checking it obsessively ever since!

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Saturday 24 August 2024... Hidden Trail

Last night was so cold I had to leave the windows closed after the tiny hails we got yesterday afternoon.

I missed the white noise of the fan right next to my head. And wondered what the garden plants would think of the crazy cold weather.

But that question will have to be answered tomorrow. Because today I'm walking up Hidden Trail, for something different!

Right, Kitty?

Tabby cat sitting on gravel, behind a wood and wire fence

Well, Cosmos and flowers aren't all that different. ha!

Cosmos bloom with roses in the background

Yellow Lilies

I get to the head of the trail, and jeez, there's dog walkers all over the place. That's what I get for coming up here on a Saturday! I step off the trail and sit for a few moments to let everybody go by.

Waterfall in the forest

But there's one guy with a white chihuahua who is chatting with a woman. It seems like he'll be there for a few, so I start on up the hill.

But, arg. The first set of dog walkers has paused to take a break. And as I'm approaching them, the guy with the chihuahua is walking so fast up the hill, they've caught up with me! But he stops to chat with the other dog people and I'm releaved to leave everyone behind.

But white chihuahua guy catches up to me again, near the top of the trail. I'm impressed at how fast he's walking! This trail is pretty steep in places, and I'm not slow... if I'm not taking photos. And I've been so distracted by the humans and dogs, I haven't stopped even once!

And of course, he chats with me as he goes by. *laughs*

His name is Mark and he walks up to Wild Iris every day, walks those trails out to the head of that trail and back. He has dementia, and so sometimes he can't find his words. I wait patiently for what he has to say, or I fill in if I know where he's going. But heading up to the Acorn Woodpecker territory he does get frustrated with himself. There I go again. There's probably nothing I can say to reassure him.

But it was actually nice to talk with him as we went up the hill. He seems like a good guy. And his little dog is a very good boy.

I had to say goodbye once we got to my usual turn-around point the end of the Acorn Woodpecker territory... He said I was missing the best part. Which, yeah, Wild Iris is awesome and has it's own Acorn Woodpecker territories!! But today, I'm here for this family.

Mark and little white dog continue up the hill and ... Oh my gosh! A female?

Acorn Woodpecker standing at the top of a snag

Yep! A black band separates the white on her face from a smaller red cap! I don't get to see the females up here very often!!

She's just up there on guard duty, and nothing else is going on. So I start walking back down the hill, kind of disappointed.

This granary tree could use some maintenance...

Acorn Woodpecker granary tree

The acorn at the top is cracked and the on at the bottom is just a shell and missing the nut!

Oh, nice... I get another chance! I think this is a different female.

Acorn Woodpecker standing on a granary tree

She pulls an acorn out... and flies away!

Acorn Woodpecker with an acorn in her beak, standing on a granary tree

Huh. Is she going to eat it? or put it someplace else? I can't see where she's flown to, there's trees in the way.

And then a male lands on another nearby granary tree! This is so awesome!

Acorn Woodpecker with his beak in a granary hole

Acorn Woodpecker standing on the side of a granary tree

I think he is checking acorns and putting them back?

Acorn Woodpecker standing on the side of a granary tree

Acorn Woodpecker standing on the side of a granary tree

Or maybe moving them into a better hole?

Acorn Woodpecker standing on the side of a granary tree, with an acorn in his beak

Acorn Woodpecker standing on the side of a granary tree, putting an acorn in a hole

And off he goes!

Acorn Woodpecker standing on the side of a granary tree

And I head back down the hill.

Hello Mx Junco! Did you know you have a stick on your head?

Junco standing on a branch in the forest

Well, yeah. You are undeniably cute even with a stick oh your head!

Junco standing on a branch

Junco standing on a branch

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Friday 23 August 2024... August Rain

The clouds are moving around a lot this morning and the forecast says 40% chance of rain, and this evening it's 90% with thunderstorms!

Clouds over the trees on the hill

But I can't believe we'll get too much rain. It's August. We have a hot, dry summer and then the rainy season starts in October. A couple sprinkles just isn't going to cut it and I'm heading to the garden to water!

Clouds over the trees on the hill

Scrub Jay standing on a wood fence with sunflowers in the background

Red Amaranth and Sunflowers

Purple Cosmos with Sunflowers

And here I am at my garden plot...

Garden Plot

I managed to get everything watered. And then it starts to sprinkle. And then it starts to really come down. Sheesh. But I keep working because, it can't rain much, right?

I untangle the hose. I gather the days harvest.

Harvested veggies laying on the ground

But it's pouring down rain, and I feel kind of ridiculous! *laughs*

Clouds over the silhouette of trees

And of course it quits as soon as I leave the garden.

Back at home, the still unnamed Western Grey Squirrel is hanging out!

Squirrel, sitting on a tree branch, eating a nut

And the thunderstorm doesn't even wait for evening!

It gets darker and darker and it starts pouring just before 3pm. The lightening and thunder start just after 3! We even get about 20seconds of tiny hail! And it's so cold I have to shut my window.

This is all very crazy weather for August.

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Thursday 22 August 2024... Day of the Green Heron

I was watching these two cuties...

Two Nutrias sitting in the grass

Two Nutrias sitting in the grass

When all of a sudden, a Green Heron flew in to join us!

Green Heron standing on a dead branch on the ground

Wow! How cool is that?

Green Heron standing on a dead branch on the ground

oh, are you looking for your parents?

Green Heron standing on a dead branch on the ground, looking up

Yep. That's baby fluff on her head! She's a flegling!

Still being fed and looked after by her parents.

Red Oiser Dogwood leaves and blooms

Red Oiser Dogwood blooms

And then this one flew by me and settled here! Ha, Green Herons everywhere!

Green Heron standing on a log in the water

Green Heron hunting from a log above the water

Green Heron standing on a log

Green Heron standing on a log

Green Heron standing on a log

Green Heron standing on a log

How Awesome!

Willow tree

Willow leaves around a cut limb

Okay, back around to the Community Garden! Here's my friend Roz's plot.

Dark pink rose with other flowers in the backround

Oh! My little friend the Anna Hummingbird is here, fighting for the territory again. He keeps chasing off the other one!

Anna Hummingbird standing on a wire tellis

I come around to my plot. The Buckwheat I sowed in the bad dirt of the Tofu Patch has stayed small, but they are starting to bloom.

Buckwheat blooms with soybean plants in the background

oh, and he's back from the chase!

Anna Hummingbird standing on a wire trellis

Anna Hummingbird standing on a wire trellis

Okay! Garden! Focus! heh.

This is the Squash Square, and you see that unfortunate hole with some shriveled and brown Crookneck leaves.

Garden plot

Squash Beetles came in by the hundreds, would sit on a leaf and suck it dry. It wasn't a big deal at the time, but now they've killed a good portion of the plant, and it's not making fruits like it should.

Which also isn't a big deal... I've got three Zuchinni plants on the other side of the plot, pumping out zucs for me to eat. I don't particularly need any Crooknecks for food, even tho I do like them a little bit better than Zucs.

But it does make me sad. That many bugs should have been making some bug-eating predators very happy. Instead the bugs just continue to eat and breed. sighs.

Oh well. The other citizens in the Squash Square are doing their thing, in spite of the attack on their biggest associate.

A squash fruit and a flower, growing on the vine

Wax Beans and Tomaillos on the vine

There are several slugs parked under the Aubergine. I'm indifferent. It might be okay to eat one of these Eggplants, but I'm not a fan, and I don't know how to cook them!

Eggplants growing on the vine

Oh! The first Black Tomato is ripening!

tomato ripening on the vine

harvested veggies laying on the ground

I am so pleased with these two volunteer sunflowers at the front of the plot! They go well with the Giant Marigolds!

Sunflowers growing next to Marigolds

Red Amaranth and Sunflowers

grey sky over silhouette of trees

And the happy Deltini Honeybee Pansies I've got at home!

Yellow Pansies

The plants sprawl a bit!

Pansies sprawling from a pot on the window sill

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Wednesday 21 August 2024... Today

The clouds of the early morning have broken up and it'll be 79° today... but there's another chance of rain tonight, through to the weekend. And ridiculously cool high temperatures forecast for the next few days... 69° tomorrow.

It's August! It's Summer! It's supposed to be hot and dry!

This Climate Change Weather! ha... I can handle it when it's overly hot... but cool, and nice? It's just Not Normal! I don't like it!

Goldfinch standing on a twig

When I get to the Community Garden, I go past a woman with a clipboard, looking at the garden plots.

Ugh. I assume this is the useless Garden Director, Bridget... who dinged our plot for grass in the pathways in June and who never said a word to me after I reported the vandalism.

So, yeah. I am not especially fond of Bridget. I nod and give a vague smile to her as I go by, my usual response to strangers. And I do not engage.

Zinnia blooms of different colours

Red Zinnia blooms

I'm at my plot... and I could hear a Jeep. Jeep. the contact call of a Song Sparrow, coming from the Pot People's jungle.

Hello!

Song Sparrow peeking thru greenery

Oh my! You've got no tail!

Song Sparrow in a garden plot, standing on a leaf of corn

Oh lordy! Hardly any wings, either?!

Song Sparrow fluttering her wings

Poor Baby! I hope your feathers grow quickly!

Song Sparrow standing on a leaf of corn

Here's a different view of the jungle that is my plot... From the back of the plot, I'm looking over the Squash Square at the Wax Bean trellis...

Garden plot

It's hard to differentiate the leaves, but there's a squash plant on the left that's climbing up the trellis!

The Buckwheat blooms are so little and cute!

Buckwheat blooms

And the seeds they are making are cute too!

Buckwheat seed head

Buckwheat blooms with sunflower leaves and sky in the background

♥!

Buckwheat blooms

And some Straightnecks in the making.

Straighneck fruits growing on the vine

This is the third Old German and it isn't ripe, but I wanted to get it before the cracks got worse.

Harvested veggies laying on the ground

And since the Garden Director is here... I run the hoe down the middle of the plot to remove grass in the pathways. *grumble*

I finally asked the Internets what is going on with this Spaghetti Squash...

Striped Spaghetti Squash growing on the vine

Turns out, I made a hybrid!

Haha! Last year was the first year that the Delicatas have ever grown. I didn't particularly like them, so I won't grow them again. But I guess one of the seeds I saved from the Spaghetti Squashes that I ate last year, must have gotten fertilized with Delicata pollin!

They actually sell this as Stripetti Squash!! Ha, brilliant!

You can eat the skin of Delicata, but it sounds like the only trait that Delicata has contributed to Stripetti is the green stripes. I will report back about the taste after I eat this thing!

Heading out! Scrub Jay fledgling!

Scrub Jay standing on a wire trellis with a sunflower in the background

Close up of a Scrub Jay

I read a good article in The Guardian today...

The Guardian view on meat: we need to eat less of it
Beef, lamb and dairy products are the most carbon-intensive foods by far. More boldness around dietary changes is needed

Going plant-based with your food is actually the best thing you can do for the environment and for climate change.

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Tuesday 20 August 2024... Fun Birds!!

Clouds over the trees

Aw, too far away. But that's okay...

Blurry Bewick Wren

Every time I see a Bewick Wren, I think of the re-naming process...

American Ornithological Society Will Change the English Names of Bird Species Named After People
Scientists Will Establish a New Multidisciplinary Naming Entity and Seek Public Input, Beginning with 70 - 80 Bird Species in the US and Canada

Hm... There are some interesting comments going on at the bottom of that page. I might have to revisit this subject! :)

Meantime, on with my day!

Two Goldfinches standing on a wire fence

Goldfinch flying away

Two Goldfinches flying away

Aw, how cute... A fledgling is getting fed by a parent! (I'm going to guess those two are Lesser Goldfinches. The one on the right is a male American Goldfinch.)

Goldfinches standing on Sunflower heads

What a lovely day!

Goldfinch standing at the top of a bunch of sunflower blooms

Blurry but cute! *laughs*

Blurry Goldfinch standing behind a Sunflower bloom

American Goldfinch standing on a sunflower bloom

American Goldfinch standing on a sunflower bloom

Goldfinch standing on a sunflower stalk reaching up

Goldfinch standing on a sunflower seed head, looking down

Well. I could take photos of Goldfinches all day. But I move on... and discover some House Finches are hanging out in my plot!!

House Finches standing on a wire trellis, one is flying

Two House Finches standing on a wire trellis

Three House Finches standing on a wire trellis

House Finch standing on a wire trellis as a Honey Bee flies by

House Finch standing on a wire trellis

House Finch standing on a wire trellis

*laughs* Okay, that was awesome. But let's do Garden Stuff!

The Sunchoke is approaching 2meters tall! I barely water it, and I like how tough it is!

Sunchoke growing in the garden

That's the volunteer Sunflower in the Tofu Patch on the left, and on the far left, the pile of green is a grape vine in the diagonal plot across the pathway!

There's a few more Eggplants. Aubergines.

Eggplants hanging from the vine

I need to figure out when I can pick them!

Eggplants hanging from the vine

A third Old German is finally starting to ripen!

Ripening tomato on the vine

36 Wax Beans today... Really need to think about doing something with those, they are starting to pile up in the fridge!

Harvested veggies laying on the ground

The volunteer Sunflower at the edge of the Wax Bean trellis is so tall... a good 7 or 8 feet! But the bloom head is pretty small!

Tall Sunflower with blue sky and clouds behind

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Monday 19 August 2024... Day with Flowers and Bees

The high today is 80° (26°C) which is just a few degress below normal, but still unbelivably nice for an August day!

Clouds over the trees

Beans with purple flowers! Eye catching!

Bean plant with purple blooms

The big orange flowers are Canna Lilies, and it amused me they are in front of a plant with some kind of pumpkin-orange winter squashes.

Canna Lilies in front of a pumpkin vine

Not sure what they are.

Orange gourds growing under the leaves

Haha, her foot!

Honey Bee in a yellow Dehlia blossom

Pale yellow and pink Dahlia blooms

I've been bringing our kitchen scrap compost to the garden... Partner usually drives it here and throws it on the Community compost pile, but the car is dead.

I can only fit a ½ bag of kitchen scraps into my small backpack, and I triple bag it to make sure it doesn't leak on my walk over here!

And since I cleared out the Pea Patch, I'm dumping the bag there. Enriching the dirt!

kitchen scraps dumped on the dirt in the garden plot

It's mostly the ends of zucs and summer squashes, and coffee grounds and filters! Will make the worms and all happy!

I don't dig it in or anything. I just barely cover it with some Borage I pulled out! I will water it to help it break down, but once our rainy season starts, this will all dissolve away quickly!

garden plot

And with the rain of Saturday afternoon, I don't have to water any of the veggies. And there's no real work that must be done. It's nice to just take it easy.

I do need to gather the veggies that are ready to go, tho!

harvested veggies laying on the ground

The Squash plants have slowed down a good bit because of bugs and the cooler weather maybe. So now, I'm finally letting the zucs and summer squashes get to a bigger size...

I've only got 3.5 squashes to eat at home! I've been eating so much, I've finally caught up with the plant production!!! So the three I'm bringing home today, basically doubles my at-home squash count and I'm happy to continue my crazy squash consumption!!

Pink Dahlia blooms

Bumbebee in a Dahlia bloom

Bumblebee flies away from the Dahlia

House Finch standing on a wood fence

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Sunday 18 August 2024... Sunday Stroll

Some pretty clouds today and the high is just 78° (25°C) which is such a not normal temperature for August that it makes me feel weird to enjoy it!

Puffy white clouds in the sky, past some trees

My walk takes me past the mechanic shop where the car sits in one of the bays.

Car in a repair shop bay

It's been there a week and we've not heard anything. It doesn't really matter because it's going to be too expensive to fix it, and we are trying to figure out what to do instead!

I'd rather look at the clouds!

White puffy clouds in a blue sky over some trees

Bushtits bouncing around too fast, as usual.

Blurry Bushtit sitting in a tree surrounded by green leaves

These are quite a bit darker than the usual... I wonder what's up with that.

(My Brain Says: Maybe they're not Bushtits.)
(What are you talking about? My Bird identification skills are Always Spot-ON!)
(My Brain Says: Bahahahha!!)

Bushtit behind some sticks

And then I get distracted by a ruckus nearby... This Red Shoulder Hawk is getting mobbed by everyone!

Red Shoulder Hawk standing in a tree

A Crow is yelling, a Scrub Jay, I can see small birds darting around, and a Flicker!

Red Shoulder Hawk standing in a tree looking down

A Walk-About at the Community Garden. These are striking!

brigh pink Echinacea blooms

Bright pink Echinacea bloom with a smaller green bloom

Goldfinch standing on a Sunflower

Oh hey! This is an American Goldfinch! They migrate in when they've finished up their nesting season!

Goldfinch standing on a Sunflower

Our Lesser Goldfinches live here year round, and have a black cap which extends to the back of their head. The females are a little bit tougher to tell the Americans from the Lessers!

The Community Garden Bird Bath flowers are looking lovely.

Flowers around a artistic bird bath

Purple and orange Zinnia blooms

Here I am at my garden plot.

Garden plot

I'm just gathering the harvest today... it takes a while to get all the Wax Beans!

Harvested veggies laying on the ground

I am probably going to have to freeze some Wax Beans again this year. bleh, what a pain! I don't like doing any kind of kitchen work... but I will probably enjoy some home grown veggies in the winter!

Bean plants on a trellis

red sunflower bloom with blue sky and puffy white clouds in the background

The Love in a Mist blooming in the Tofu Patch makes me happy.

Love in a Mist blooming, surrounded with soybean leaves

Love in a Mist blooms

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Saturday 17 August 2024... Garden Work

The forecasted high today is 80° but with the heavy clouds it only gets up to 75° (24° C)... And the unlikely rain that was forecast for today? That is pushed back to this evening, but the chances have risen to 80%. We'll see!

Now, how I manage to overexpose flowers on such a dreary day, I don't know!

White Petunia blooms with orange Marigolds and Nasturtium blooms

*laughs*

Pink Zinnias and other flowers

House Finch standing on an empty wire trellis

House Finch standing on an empty wire trellis

Okay. I'm at my garden plot and I'm going to do something with the Pea Patch today!

garden plot

The Sugar Snap Peas lived here, but they're mostly dead now. I'll keep the Borage around the edges, and anything interesting that has grown up! But it's time for something new here.

garden plot

It took longer than it should have because I thought there were a couple Sugar Snap Pea plants still alive, and I was trying to be careful and keep them. I shouldn't have bothered! But there is a little patch of Clover...

garden plot

And I did find a couple pea pods! Since they're Snap Peas, they get sweeter as they get bigger! Altho the pods of the biggest ones were kind of fibery!

Harvest

And I'm trying to pick Brandywines before they get cracks. They'll ripen up at home!

I am so, so happy that I get to eat more than a couple Brandywines! Some years I don't get to eat any, temperamental things, but I keep trying because, my goodness they are good tomatoes!!

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Friday 16 August 2024... Work at the Garden

It's cloudy this morning, and so nice! The forecast says 60% chance of rain tomorrow... I don't believe it. Rain in August is unheard of. Then again, a cloudy day in August is extremely unusual as well, and look at all the cloudy mornings we've had!

But a nice day and possible rain is an incentive to do some weeding at the garden.

Squirrel sitting on a wood fence near a sunflower

*laughs*

Squirrel reaches for a Sunflower blossom from the wood fence

Passion fruit flowers

I love the explosion of life here... but the Smartweed is choking off one of my Giant Marigolds.

Smartweed in with the Marigolds

Huh. That was actually kind of satisfying...

pile of weeds in the pathway

I hate this dead dirt hole that I just created. But you can see how pathetic that Marigold on the left is doing.

Zuchinni and Marigold blooms

While I'm working in my plot, there are workers taking out the Community Garden compost heap!

John Deere tractor with a front loader, behind garden plots

The compost heap fills several dump trucks, and they take it to a local company who will get the actual composting done!

Well, that's odd! Spaghetti Squash with lines on it?

Spaghetti Squash growing on the vine

Oops! That Zuchinni was hiding under a leaf and got big! *laughs*

Harvested veggies laying on the ground

And that's 50 Wax Beans... I can only eat about 25 beans a day! Ha! And 27 SunGolds, along with the 15 or so I ate right as I picked them! Yay Garden!

I ate the first Brandywine today!

Tomatoes ripening on the vine

Oh my goodness. Oh Yeah, that's my favorite tomato! There's a light fruitiness to it, but it finishes with an excellent tomatoey taste and a bit of spice!! Yum!

The poor Brandywine plant has a bunch of dead leaves. That's normal. It's not a hardy plant, and it's not terribly productive. Temperamental thing. But I'm thrilled to get some tomatoes off it this year!

Tomato plant with dead leaves and green fruits

And I finished off the volunteer Beet I pulled a while ago. That was three big servings! And oh my gosh, I forget how much I LOVE fresh beets! I eat a lot of canned beets. But fresh!? Mmmm!

I cut it up and cook it with my pasta and soy curls, just add a minute or two to the cooking time. And then I add some tomatoes and some Yumm Sauce. So good!

Red Sunflower bloom

And looking down into the Tofu Patch...

garden plot

On the left is Sunchoke and Leeks and the other volunteer Beet!
At the top is Borage and a Giant Marigold.
Soybeans and the Buckwheat seedlings in the middle, with a couple of Love Mist blooms!
And the Tofu Patch Sunflower on the right!

The Buckwheats are so cute. I just wish there were more of them!

Buckwheat seedlings

I'm leaving, but these Zinnias in a nearby garden plot catch my eye!

Purple Zinnia blooms with orange blooms in the background

Ha, I can't get enough of them! They are so cheerful!

Orange and Purple Zinnia blooms

And making the Bees happy!

Honey Bee on a peach coloured Zinnia bloom

Close up of a Honey Bee in a Zinnia bloom

Peach Zinnia blooms and a Honey Bee

Zinnia blooms of different colours

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Thursday 15 August 2024... Cooler Days Ahead?

Oh! Haha! As soon as I said this guy wasn't a regular he shows up for photography two days in a row!

Squirrel in a tree with a nut

I have seen him more than three times... which is my standard for giving the furry or feathered one a name. But I'm very reluctant to name him, I am still mourning about what happened to Wesley Crusher, the last squirrel I named.

But... we'll see.

It's cloudy today, tho the sun peeks thru now and then. The high is just 81° (27°C) and there's even cooler temperatures in the forecast, upper-70s and it says 75° for Saturday! Nice... but...

Trees on the hill in the distance

The normal for this time of year is 85°... and the temperature I'd expect for climate change is 95°! But I guess climate change can go either way: hotter OR cooler. It's just weird.

Trees on the hill in the distance

Scrub Jay standing on a branch

I visit the Barn Swallow nest... just to make sure! But Yeah. The babies are out in the world, for reals this time! *laughs*

Empty Barn Swallow nest

It was so fun watching them! Now... I wonder who I can find to watch next? :)

Back to the garden.

Orange and red marigold blooms

The experimental Buckwheats.

Buckwheat seed heads

You know what? The Buckwheat seeds are just so cute! *laughs*

Buckwheat seed heads

huh. The first Eggplant is interesting. It tried to be a twin.

Eggplant fruit, ripening on the vine

This is the Sunflower that I planted... and it's making me so happy!

Sunflower head with some seeds plucked out

Making the birds happy, even if it's a bit stunted... barely 4feet tall, 1.2meters, and the Buckwheats are almost as tall! It's weird that this Sunflower only has the one bloom, too. Most of the Sunflowers branch out and have loads of blooms.

Garden plot

Green tomato ripening on the vine

Harvested veggies laying on the ground

Honey Bee hanging from a Borage blossom

Honey Bee flying away

And I'm out! On the way home, I see No Patches again.

Great Blue Heron walking in shallow water

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Wednesday 14 August 2024... The Sun Returns

Oh dang it... This one was moving too fast for me this morning and the picture is a bit blurry...

Western Grey Squirrel

I've seen him out my bedroom window a few times in the last months. A young male who has dispursed to new territory. He's not a regular, but it's nice to see one of our native squirrels around!

I head out... and the Barn Swallow nest is empty again.

Empty Barn Swallow nest

Heh. I think this time it will Stay empty!

I check the shrubbery along the creek, and do see a couple Barn Swallows from the flock, twittering and making swoops above. But the kids aren't here, and that's good. They are in the big world now, but they have support: They'll continue to get food from their parents, while they learn to fly and hunt!

Mallard ducks sitting in the grass

The sunshine feels nice after a couple cloudy mornings! The forecast calls for more cooler temperatures but we've got perfectly normal temperatures today... the high is 84° (29°) and normal for this time of year is 85°. And I'm heading to the garden, just to weed, not to water.

Sunflower bloom with red flowers and sky in the background

The Comfrey I'm trying to kill keeps putting up leaves closer and closer to the Zuchinnis.

Comfrey growing close to a big Zuchinni plant

I should probably grab this Brandywine before it starts cracking. Altho I am watering less now, so maybe we can avoid the cracks in the tomatoes?

Tomato ripening on the vine

Green tomatoes on the vine

harvested veggies laying on the ground

Tomatillo husk ripening on the vine

Sunflower blooms against a blue sky

I just love the colour explosion here!

Cosmos and Trumpet vine blossoms

And this one is sitting in the Apple Tree right outside the Community Garden. The Apples are small and green and buggy. I wonder how the squirrels like them!

Squirrel sitting in the crook of a tree trunk

There was a Cahoots van on the bike path today... They were just finishing up with whatever crisis they dealt with, so I just saw them driving away.

But again, after the violence last week, it's good to see official presence on the bike path.

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Tuesday 13 August 2024... Ha! Barn Swallows!

So I had a dream last night about the Barn Swallows.

And I decided to visit the Barn Swallow nest again today, even tho the kids fledged yesterday.

And the kids are back!! ... ???

Barn Swallow fledglings in the nest

*Laughs* It was so unexpected, and I was so surprised, the first pictures weren't great!

Because fledged birds don't return to the nest! (Okay, Ospreys return. But little birds? No.) They just don't! Once they fledge, they are done with the nest.

But. This is Nature. You can't say things like Fledged birds Never return to the nest. Nature doesn't do absolutes. It's never Never and it's never Always!

There's Always variations! That's how evolution works! Everything is on a gradient, there are always those extremes at either end of the gradient... after all, those extremes might just become different species!

It's fun to think about these things!

But I calm myself. Fix the camera settings. And keep looking.

Preening! Is Baby Number Three in there as well?

Barn Swallow fledglings in the nest preening

Or maybe I can't call them Babies anymore. Since they have fledged! *laughs*

The one on the left continues to preen...

Barn Swallow fledglings in the nest

Ah-Ha! We do have all three!

Barn Swallow fledglings in the nest

Uh huh! The face of Number Three, the preening body of Number Two and flight feathers and tail of Number One.

The only thing I can come up with... it was a little bit chilly last night. It got down to 53° last night and these babies have grown up with days in the 90s and above, and nights around 60°.

They're just used to the hot! And possibly they came back to the nest to keep warm last night.

ha. Funny birds!

I keep walking, so that I can think for a minute... huh. Are these ... Plums?

Golden fruits hanging from a tree

I think so! The fruits are bigger than cherries, and the time for cherries is very over, they are ripening in June.

I will have to come back later to see what the pit looks like!

Close up of a plum ripening on the tree

I go around my loop, and on the way back... Yep, all three.

Three Barn Swallow fledglings in the nest

Still preening. It must be a bit uncomfortable in there.

Three Barn Swallow fledglings in the nest, preening.

It's so cool that I get to see the babies one last time.

Three Barn Swallow fledglings in the nest

And then at the garden plot... my young friend is still hanging out!

Young male Anna Hummingbird standing on a wire trellis

There's actually two... Another Anna is also interested in this territory! But my friend was here first, and the other one gets chased off!

Anna Hummingbird standing on the top of a wire trellis

Sunflower blooms

Smartweed blooms next to yellow Marigold blooms

I'm just doing a light watering today, since it's not hot again today, just 78°.

Harvested veggies laying on the ground

Old German... with leaves of the primary SunGold! *laughs* SunGolds do tend to sprawl all over the place!

Big green tomato ripening on the vine

My friend, again. He just just so precious!!

Anna Hummingbird, standing at the top of a wire trellis

Anna Hummingbird, standing at the top of a wire trellis

One of the volunteer Tomatillos at the end of the Wax Bean trellis!

Tomatillo husks growing on the vine

Heading home. Some late ripening Himalayan Blackberries... Along with some Bittersweet Nightshades in various stages, from purple blooms to red berries!

Blackberries

And from the news...

Oregon wildfires: Record for acres burned broken
A total of 1,399 fires have burned 1.49 million acres or 2,200 square miles, surpassing the 2012 total of 1.2 million acres and the 2020 total of 1.14 million acres.

Dang. We haven't had any trouble this year with wildfires near town, except for that scary one near the Humane Society. And no wildfire smoke to deal with either.

But that's just luck. 1.49 million acres is a lot... and we aren't near to done with the wildfire season yet.

It's gonna get worse.


But in more personal news...

A motorcycle cop passed me on the bike path today.

Nice to see, after the violence that happened the other day. I waved and he nodded in reply.

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Monday 12 August 2024... Cloudy and Cool? That's Not Normal!

The high today is 76° (24°C) and the heavy clouds this morning look more like winter. This is definitely not August weather!

heavy clouds and overcast, over the bike path

A super small Nutria... Is this the same bunch of Nutrias that I've been seeing? Why are they staying so small? (First seen Jul6.) I'd be surprised if this one even weighs 5 pounds. Adults usually weigh 15 to 20 pounds!

Nutria standing in the grass

trees on the hill

This cracks me up! A big ol' Squash plant is escaping the confines of the Community Garden! haha!

Squash plant growing thru a wire fence

oh foo!

empty Barn Swallow nest

I thought I had days left to watch the babies!

I walked up and down the path next to the creek. In the past, babies from this set of parents have fledged out to the shrubs across the creek, right outside the bridge.

But not this time... I see the parents and other adults from the flock swooping circles above. The kids must be parked on the other side of the group of trees, where I can't see them. Foo!

I'm so disappointed, and when I get home I count the days...

I'm pretty sure the babies were being born on Thursday Jul25... which means... That's just 18 days!

Dang! Maybe because they had extra adults stuffing them full of food? But it's definitely within the normal range... according to AllAboutBirds, the nesting period for Barn Swallows is 15-27 days.

Oh well. I head back to the garden...

I love the big ol' mess that this plot has! Can you see the three Goldfinches?

Goldfinches hidden in weeds

The black one is a male Lesser Goldfinch...

Goldfinches on Chicory

And that funny looking one is a molting American Goldfinch...

American Goldfinch eating seeds from a Chicory bloom

Our little Lesser Goldfinches stay here year round, but the American Goldfinches are here only in the winter. Does it seem early for them to migrate in? hmm.

But I'm absolutely delighted that they love Chicory so much... Maybe I need to grow some in my garden plot!!

Goldfinches on Chicory plant with blooms and seeds

Two Goldfinches standing on a Chicory branch

Two Goldfinches standing on a Chicory branch

Fledgling! Black Head Grosbeak!

Black Headed Grosbeak fledgling standing on a post eating a bean blossom

Fledglings everywhere! *laughs*

Scrub Jay fledgling standing in Sunflower blossoms

And one last photo at the Chicory!

Lesser Goldfinch standing on a Chicory branch

I love the flowery explosion around our bird bath art installation!

A variety of blooming flowers!

Volunteers have planted this and keep it maintained and watered!

A variety of blooming flowers!

A bush of Four O'Clocks! These pretty flowers are native to tropical South America in the Andes. (I was too lazy to try to look these up, my brother IDed them for me! :)

Four OClock blooms in yellow and pink

At my plot and OH! New male Anna Hummingbird is sitting in the garden plot behind ours!

Immature male Anna Hummingbird

I've seen him a couple times, but he always flies away when I get the camera. So glad to finally get his portrait!

He looks like a female, but is an immature male, born this spring!

A little Crookneck coming along, with some Buckwheat blooms!

Crookneck fruit growing on the vine with Buckwheat blooms poking up thru big squash leaves

Also in the Squash Square, there are Spaghetti Squashes growing...

Spaghetti Squash ripening on the vine

And Butternuts as well! ... along with a blurry snail. ha!

Butternut growing on the vine

The Wax Beans happily climbing up the volunteer Sunflower.

Bean plant with blossoms climbing up the stalk of a sunflower

There's a Love Mist blooming in the Tofu Patch!

Love in a Mist blooming next to small soybean plants

Love in a Mist blooming next to small soybean plants

And the cute little Buckwheat seedlings that I wish would be a summer cover crop.

Seedlings surrounded by bigger Leeks and Soybean plants

The First Brandywine tomato!! It is not quite ripe, so it is better able to survive the walk home in my backpack.

Harvested veggies laying on the ground

Okay. Heading home.

Squirrel standing on a wood post, holding a peanut in her mouth

Squirrel holding a peanut in shell

The cooler weather today has invigorated me to take more photos! And it's made this such a LONG blog post... But I had fun writing it!

Clematis bloom

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Sunday 11 August 2024... Sunday Stroll

Good Morning Mx Scrub Jay!

Scrub Jay at the top of a pine branch

Scrub Jay standing in a pine tree

Good Morning Barn Swallow Babies.

Two Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest

Number Three is hiding again today?

Two Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest, one looks down

Two Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest

Two Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest

I get momentarily distracted by the cute little minnows.

Minnow swimming in green water

Good Morning, Minnows!

Minnow swimming in green water

I guess I don't get to see Baby Number Three today.

Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest

I need to look up and see when this bunch was born... it seems like they might be getting close to fledging?

Two Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest

At the Garden... I'm not sure if this grape vine is wild, or if someone purposfully planted it at the fence. But here's the first bunch of grapes!

Grapes ripening on the vine

I wander around my garden plot... oops, I found this thing and it's gotten too huge. I don't think it's going to fit in the backpack, with everything else!

Harvested Crookneck, lying on the ground

But when I pick it...

Harvested Crookneck, lying on the ground

Bahaha!! Mice? How fun that you could just curl up, INSIDE your food!! *laughs*

The Wax Beans are getting loads of blossoms at the top of the trellis!

Bean blossoms

Oh my gosh! Eggplant!! It's a couple inches of cute!

small Eggplant, growing on the vine

And then I notice two more behind it!

Small Eggplants growing on the vine

Sunflower with several blossoms

Sunflower with several blossoms

Tomatillos growing on the vine

Yellow Marigold blooms with garden plot in the background

Bumblebee standing on a marigold bloom, with a Honey Bee hovering nearby

WooHoo! What a great harvest of Lemon Cucumbers today!

Harvested veggies laying on the ground

And I still haven't learned my lesson about the one Yellow Zucchini that doesn't want to let go of it's fruits! laughs.

There's so much here, that I don't put the SunGolds into the backpack. They'd just get squished. I put them in my shirt pocket and eat them all on the walk home! Yum!

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Saturday 10 August 2024... River, Pride, and then the Car Died

Pride Celebration at the river today! If I start at the Rose Garden, I can get my usual walking loop done, and then go thru the event!

Pink roses catching the light and shadows

Pink Roses with a bud

Silver Lining is my favorite...

Pale Roses

The 275 year old cherry tree.

Big old cherry tree

SubSupra, the art pavilion and Naseen, the Great Blue Heron sculpture. And the river!

Heron sculpture under the art pavilion

There's a couple Ospreys flying around, yelling and obviously goofing off! Probably the kids, still depending on parents for much of their food.

Osprey flying over the river

*plunk* Ha. You missed the fish, huh? No! I did that on purpose! *laughs* More practice, kid!!

Osprey standing in shallow river

See ya!

Osprey taking off from standing in the river

Osprey taking off from standing in the river

At the walking bridge and heading to the other side of the river...

River water swirling near the bank

River rocks

River water going over rocks

river going over lots of rocks

I obsess!

River rocks

Okay. Let's move on! I get to Alton Baker Park... oh jeez! There's a LOT of people!

crowds of people

Yikes! I am completely intimidated, and don't actually take many photos! haha.

But it makes me so happy to see everyone else... Everyone is happy and being themselves with colourful clothing and there's some furries and the big guy in a rainbow tutu!! *laughs with delight*

I love the energy! But I feel better when I get away from the crowds.

Pride tents from a distance

And then I'm back at the Rose Garden.

Pink Roses

Double petal Larkspur

And then I'm heading home.

And then the car dies in traffic. Ack! I'm able to pull into the bus lane and then get it off the road. It's surprisingly hard to steer without power steering, but the car stops in a mostly out of the way spot.

Lordy lordy. The car has died in the same 700$ way it did last time... which was only three months ago.

Partner helps and we get it towed to our mechanic...

White car coming off a tow truck

But the car isn't worth another 700$. So I don't know what we're going to do.

What a bummer to end a fun trip to the river like that. Sighs.

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Friday 9 August 2024... Barn Swallow Babies!

Yay, I'm so glad to see them again! And I get to see all three babies, first thing!

Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest

And then Baby Number Three disappears. Typical. But Look at the cute little baby beak shadow on the wall on the right! haha!

Two Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest

Sleepy babies!

Two Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest with closed and half closed eyes

Oh, is someone on the way?

Two Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest

Two Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest

Barn Swallow parent feeding a baby in the nest

Number Three is all, Whatever! *laughs*

And back to just being cute.

Three Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest

So Cute!

Three Barn Swallow nestlings looking cute in the nest

I'm at the garden, and I'm watering everything really well since I've got other plans for tomorrow!

The Eggplant really has quite a few flowers for such a little plant.

Looking down at Eggplant blooms

Look past that horrifying deep crack in one of my precious Brandywines and ... GAH!

Slug on a ripening tomato

Slug! She-he is eating the Brandywines??! Dang it, you! *relocated*

One of the volunteer Tomatillos is getting some fruits!

It will be ages before these are ready to eat... Those are the husks, and the fruit is a tiny little ball on the inside. The fruits will slowly grow in there, until they are big enough to crack open the husk. It'll be months, and I only hope the season is long enough!

Yay! First Wax Beans!!

Harvested veggies laying on the ground

And the second Old German! It's so huge! I've still got the first one at home, I picked it before it was ripe... I need to eat it and see how it tastes!

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And something horrifing in the news...

Eugene police investigating alleged rape near Fern Ridge Trail

What the HELL?! This happened on the bike path, ¾ of a mile from home!

I don't even know what to say.

I don't want to have to carry a weapon. I have no training and honestly, if someone were to attack me, my weapon could easily be used against me.

But I shouldn't need training in self-defense or weapon use!

Ugh. Just Ugh. Why do men have to be evil??

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Thursday 8 August 2024... A Day

To be 92°s today (33°C) but the morning has some clouds. I'm heading out... I'll need to water at the garden today for the heat, but I'm gonna walk a bit before, just to look at something different!

Bittersweet Nightshade. It's not Deadly!

Purple Bittersweet Nightshade blooms

... But it will make you sick!

The green fruits of Bittersweet Nightshade, ripening on the vine

Oh shoot. There's a homeless person at the Barn Swallow nest again. That's a bummer. The babies are getting really close to fledging. I hope I get to see them again.

I pause nearby and notice the sun and clouds look kinda cool, reflecting from the creek water!

Sun and clouds, reflected in water

Dang it. No Patches is NOT very cooperative!

Great Blue Heron walking in shallow water, behind a bush

*Laughs* No Patches isn't much of a name.

ugh. The Fallen Leaning Tree is dead.

Fallen Leaning Tree

There's no denying it. The trunk must be separated from the roots. sighs.

Dead leaves on a twig near the trunk

So sad.

Dead oak leaves at the end of a twig

Well. It was already a shadow of it's former self, when they cut down the other two trucks. Sighs. I miss this tree.

Fallen Leaning Tree

But here's something to cheer me up!

Chalk drawings on the bike path

Oh! Somebody is pretty good at drawing spiders!! Awesome!

Chalk drawings on the bike path

The Hawthorns are getting loaded with pomes.

Hawthorn berries ripening on the tree

And the Oaks are getting galls!

Galls on White Oak leaves

Okay! I'm at the garden to water. Under the Yellow Zuc... Oh Yeah!

Lemon Cucumbers ripening on the vine

Oh, nice! The Buckwheat is making seeds!

Buckwheat seed head with flowers too

Buckwheat seed heads

Ha!

Squash Beetles standing on a leave next to a Buckwheat seed head

The volunteer Sunflower in the Tofu Patch is making new flowers!

Sunflower bloom surrounded by buds

Huh! The Soybeans are stunted, the tallest ones are barely a foot tall. But they've got the beginnings of some blooms!

Soybean blooms

There are a couple of Love Mists growing in the Tofu Patch as well!

Love in a Mist, making a bloom

And some Buckwheats I planted in the blank spots of the Tofu Patch.

Buckwheat seedlings

That Crookneck was much smaller than I thought it was. Foo. But they are so very nice and sweet when they are so little!

Harvested veggies on the ground

And I ate a lot of SunGolds, before taking the picture of the five left! ha! So good!

I rescued a Honey Bee stuck in a cob web! It's an old and dusty cobweb, no spiders live here.

I saw her struggling and my first instinct was to just grab her and pull her out. But as I reached for her, I thought... She could sting me, just because she fears for her life!

And I paused there a moment to think about that.

Definitely a good instinct to pause before you enter a tricky situation.

But then I realized... If you are a Honey Bee, caught in a web and fighting to get out? You are going to know the difference between the spider who comes along to kill you and a huge human hand who happens to come along to get you out!

So, yep! I scooped her out of the cobweb ... and then I didn't know what to do next! How can I help her get the rest of the cobweb off her wings?? I am too big and clumsy to do anything!

But she cleaned herself off, literally within 30 seconds, and she flew away!

Yay, Happy Ending!

Lemon coloured sunflowers

Here's something I didn't know about Oregon...

Oregon could get its first new scenic bikeway in years
The 60-mile Aufderheide Drive route rides past dense forests, hot springs and campgrounds

This is so cool!

But that place... that is NOT an easy bike ride! It's up in the Cascade Range. But it's amazingly beautiful up there.

But also, not cool... they don't add any infrastructure. No bike lanes or anything. It's just signs along the route. That's pretty lame!

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Wednesday 7 August 2024... Part 3, Politics and the Post Office

One last bright and colourful photo from my morning at the Community Garden.

Red Amaranth stalks with a sunflower

Red Amaranth!

Okay...

I was VERY interested to watch this...

Senator Merkley Slams USPS Delays and Downgrades on Senate Floor

That's my Senator! I'm on his email list and he had asked a while ago how we were affected by Postmaster General DeJoy's policies and I thought seriously about adding my voice.

They closed the mail sorting facility here in Eugene a few years ago. Now, all mail -- even local Eugene mail -- gets sent up to Portland to be sorted.

It's fairly rare for me to send mail locally. I do have one GR member in a nearby town. But other than that monthly postcard, I probably only send within Oregon, two or three times a year, via Postcrossing.

But my Mom in Colorado sends me a weekly letter! That's where my passion for sending mail comes from! She puts her letter in the mail on Tuesday morning... And I used to get it on Thursday or Friday.

Since DeJoy, I'm mostly getting it on Saturday. Occasionally on Friday, sometimes on the following Monday or Tuesday... and occasionally -- but regularly! -- weeks later. GRR!

I decided not to write about this to Senator Merkley. Getting mail from my Mom is important to me, of course! But he needs to hear from people who are losing money because their small business depends on packages being delivered in an economic and timely manner to customers. And I knew he would hear from rural folks and elderly who depend on medications being delivered by mail.

And that's what this speech is about... those people who's lives are in jeopardy because their medications aren't coming on time because DeJoy has purposefully slowed down the mail by closing sorting facilities and removing sorting machines.

What DeJoy has done to the US Postal Service is disgusting! DeJoy is just running the Postal Service into the ground.

And I HATE that the Postal Service has gone from one of the most trusted government agencies, to just another corrupt agency with an evil guy at the top.

I WISH DeJoy had been removed and replaced by someone who loves mail! Someone who knows the price of a postcard stamp. Someone who actually sends letters!

Our local mail carriers are so awesome, and I'm sure they are even more frustrated with DeJoy's BS than I am. My heart goes out to them!

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Wednesday 7 August 2024... Part 2, Colourful Things at the Garden

Okay. I finally had to leave the Barn Swallow babies and here I am at the garden. I love these lemon yellow Sunflowers too...

Sunflower blooms in front of a blue sky

Now, do I love the lemon Sunflowers more than the red Sunflowers? Hmm. *laughs*

At my plot... aw, now the Squash Beetles are attacking the Green Zuc...

Bugs on a zucchini leaf

They are annoying, and kind of shocking to see so many gathered together. If they come out in the spring, with these kinds of numbers, they will kill ALL the baby squash plants.

But coming out at this time of year, is not such a big deal. They will suck the juices out of a couple leaves, and that's about it.

The Green Zuc is huge and healthy, so it can stand to lose a couple leaves to the bugs.

Squash Beetle nymphs on a Zucchini leaf

Here's the damage they've done in the Squash Square...

Squash leaves

There's all kinds of squashes living there, but the bugs only attacked the big Crookneck. That's the brown and shriveled leaves. And the Crookneck is fine and still producing, despite the loss of those leaves.

The cute little Spaghetti Squash that's hanging from the Sunflower I bought!

Spaghetti Squash fruit hanging from the vine

And I'm so pleased to see the Buckwheat is making the bees happy!

Honey Bees on Buckwheat blooms

Honey Bee on Buckwheat blooms

The Wax Beans are on the way!!

Wax Bean pods growing on the vine

Blast it! A couple of the Lemon Cucumbers are wilted. Still not watering enough. ARG!

Wilted cucumber leaves

The ones on this side look okay.

Lemon Cucumber growing on the vine

Cucumber bloom

I have a serious love of Lemon Cucumbers!

Lemon Cucumber growing on the vine

Okay! Let's get back to the bright and colourful! Here's some Smartweed growing next to the Giant Marigolds at the edge of the Tofu Patch.

Smartweed blooms with Marigold blooms

On the left in that photo is the lovely red Sunflower, and behind on the right is the volunteer Sunchoke.

The red Sunflower is almost 2meters tall!

Red Sunflower with blue sky behind

Yay Lemon Cucumbers!

Harvested veggies laying on the ground

And that's the first Old German tomato! It's cracked up all to heck, even tho the leaves were folded up and too dry. But whatever! I hope it tastes good, around the cracks! ha.

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Wednesday 7 August 2024... Part 1, Barn Swallow Babies

High today is 89° but after hot days of mid-90s thru the weekend, it looks like there are a couple of low-80s at the tail end of the forecast. That'll be nice if they actually happen!

I'm at the Barn Swallow nest and it looks like we are having another day of restlessness...

Two Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest

Two Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest

Two Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest, preening

Is Number Three somewhere in there too??

Two Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest, preening

It hardly seems like there's room enough in there to hide a baby!

Two Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest

I just gotta move my arm a little bit. And that looks like a third head?

Two Barn Swallow nestlings moving around in the nest

There we all are!!

Three Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest

Three Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest

What the...?? Hey! Get back in there, You!
Ha! So restless!

A Barn Swallow nestling is perched at the edge of the nest

Dude! Seriously!

Barn Swallow nestling climbing down into the nest from the edge

*laughs*

Three Barn Swallow nestlings, middle one is preening

Itchy!

Barn Swallow nestling itching her chin with her foot!

Never quite comfortable enough!

Three Barn Swallow nestlings moving around in the nest


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You know what? I hate it when real life intrudes on my nature time. But this...

Sonya Massey.

That cop killed her in cold blood.

They were invited into her house. They were joking around about the cooking. And suddenly the evil bastard was shooting Sonya in the face.

just. goddamn.

I didn't watch the body cam video. I never watch the videos. I just don't want that in my brain.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Sighs.

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Tuesday 6 August 2024... Wild Iris Ridge

The forecast for today is 86°/54° and zero wind... a perfectly and wonderfully normal summer day in this part of the world! And I'm heading out for a hike!

As I go thru the city park on the way out, they are setting up a Fun For All day! Stuff like this makes me so proud of my city...

During covid, the city and county started giving out free lunches to all the kids through the summer. The food was bagged up and they had pickup points at the schools and parks. Eventually this practice transformed into the Fun For All program that we have now!

There are organized activities -- physical games and art projects -- and the free lunch, of course. Older kids can be dropped off, younger kids need a minder with them, babies need a caretaker. It's a very popular program, and there's always a lot of kids of all ages at the park, playing and being happy!

Purple Morning Glory blooms

Pink Zinnia blooms with yellow Marigold blooms in the background

Purple and Red Zinnia blooms

Peeking into the Little Free Library.

books in a little free library box

Walking up the road, I get to listen to Cicadas! I love to hear them, the sound of summer!

We don't have the Periodical Cicadas that have synchronized emergence every 13 or 17 years, like they have on the eastern side of the continent.

Our Cicads mature underground for two to five years, but the generations overlap so there are adults emerging every year!

pink Cosmos blooms

Ballon flower with Cosmos blooms in the background

flower blooms

Okay! I've finally arrived at the trail head. The parking lot has 12 cars in it, there's two open spaces left. I head up the path, but once I get to the forest I pause for a moment in the shade to let a couple of chatting people go by.

They were speaking so loud I could almost follow their conversation.

So the kids wanted to go for some gelato...
Did you only speak Spanish there? ...
It's so cool to be bilingual!!
I wrote that down because he had been so reluctant to take Spanish ...

(But gelato is Italian??!) *So confused*

*laughs*

But, yeah. This is a very popular hiking trail. It's very beautiful, but I prefer to get my nature time without the humans and their funny conversations.

hiking trail

That's my turn around point, and I come back down and sit for a minute to drink my water. It's still got ice in it and gives me a cold headache because I guzzle it since I'm so thirsty! ha!

bench by the hiking trail

And again, I had walked past the Acorn Woodpeckers territory without seeing anyone there. And on the way back down...

The back of an Acorn Woodpecker standing on the side of a tree trunk

What? Seriously? This is all I get?!

Yep. That's all I get. The Woodpecker moves around to the back of the tree trunk, and eventually she flies away. *laughs*

All the birds were uncooperative today.

The back of a Wood Pewee, standing at the top of a bare stick

That's just how it goes sometimes!

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Monday 5 August 2024... Barn Swallow Babies

To be 91° today. As I walk by the Community Garden... What are you eating?

Squirrel sitting on a wood fence, eating something with grass

I have no idea... some candy that melted in the grass?

And at the Barn Swallow nest!

Three Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest

Just Baby Number Two is restless today.

Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest, middle baby is squirming

Barn Swallow parent feeds a baby in the nest

Barn Swallow parent feeds a baby in the nest

Barn Swallow parent flies away from the nest, babies still begging

Three Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest

Okay! I'm at the Garden... I was just going to water today. But I actually did some improptu weeding around the baby Buckwheats that are in the Tofu Patch. I'm glad to see a few more are coming up, tho not like they are supposed to, since there's something wrong with the dirt here.

but Look! The first Wax Beans!

Small beans growing on the vine

Yay! Look at all the Lemon Cucumbers!! So Happy!

Harvest lying on the ground

And another Straightneck. And I've pulled out the first volunteer Beet!

I LOVE fresh beets! Usually I cut it into bite-size bits and cook it with my pasta. That's SO yummy.

But today I'm wondering how long the slow cooker would take... I look it up, but ugh. The internets say you can either wrap the beets in foil with a drizzle of oil, or just toss them in with 2 cups of water. 4hours on high, and the skin will peel off after cooking.

That seems like more trouble than it's worth. Plus I never bother with peeling the skin. I think I'll just chop it for my pasta, after all!

oh, the colour!

Marigold bloom next to a borage bloom

On the way home, a Wood Nymph!

Wood Nymph butterfly standing on an Oak leaf

I'm not sure which species she is... there's Common, Small and Dark. But they kind of all look the same to me, I'm not sure how you tell them apart!

I wish I knew more about bugs!!

At home, look at how happy the potted Pansies are!

Pansy blooms

Pansy blooms

*Laughs* I just love them. They are so little and cute!

Pansy blooms

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Sunday 4 August 2024... Restless Barn Swallow Babies!

There's some clouds this morning, but they are burning off quickly and it's to be another hot day today at 95° (35°C).

I arrive at the Barn Swallow nest, and I'm happy I get to see the babies today! ... All three of them!

Three Barn Swallow babies in the nest

Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest

Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest

Stretch!

Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest, one stretching their wing

They are moving around a lot.

Thre Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest

Ha! That's a tail!

Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest

Parent Barn Swallow flying towards the nest

Parent Barn Swallow flying towards the nest

Two Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest

Barn Swallow parent flying towards begging nestlings

Another stretch!

Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest, one stretching their wing

Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest

Just. Can't. Get. Comfortable.

Barn Swallow nestling squirming in the nest

*laughs* Poor babies! But I've gotta get over to the garden to water.

But first...

Female Mallard paddling in the water

Oh My Gosh!

Green Heron standing on the bank near the water

A Green Heron!!

And then she flies downstream.

Green Heron walking in water

*laughs* oh well. But that was awesome!

Okay! At the garden! The Wax Beans are vining over my head!

Bean plants on a trellis, and blue sky

There's Borage growing inside the trellis... perfect!

Garden trellis with beans and borage

Bean blooms with borage blooms in the background

The Wax Beans have found the Volunteer Sunflower and are starting to vine up it! Yay!

Small bean vines on a sunflower stalk

There's a Spaghetti Squash growing under the bought Sunflower!

small Spaghetti Squash growing on the vine

oh humph! There's big cracks in the Old German...

Tomatoes ripening on the vine

Cracked tomatoes means too much water. But the Old German is wilted most of the time! Arg. Is there no happy medium?! Ha!

The Brandywines have some cracks as well. Maybe I need to hold back with the watering a little.

Tomatoes ripening on the vine

One of the volunteer beets... So big! I need to pull it soon!

Beet in the ground with Leeks

Today's harvest includes a House Fly! haha!

Harvest

I'm still pulling the zucs super small. The Crooknecks at that size are nicely sweet and yummy! And that's Smartweed on the left, and a Bindweed bloom. The white cluster on the right is Queen Anne Lace.

Didn't quite fit!

Backpack so stuffed, the zipper won't close

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Saturday 3 August 2024... Garden Work

Greeting the wildlife, right outside the door!

Squirrel sitting on the sidewalk

There's some clouds this morning and the high today is a more reasonable 88° (31°C).

Trees on the hill in the distance

A crow was cawing excitedly as she flew by, and I looked up to see what was going on. A Scrub Jay followed the crow, cawing as well... and then this one, a Kingfisher, with a slightly modified rattle call.

They were all mobbing a hawk! I just caught a glimpse, and I couldn't tell who it was. But the other birds chased the hawk to a tree and then I couldn't see what happened behind the tree. foo. I missed the excitement! *laughs*

I walked out to the Barn Swallow nest... but there was a homeless person right in the spot where I lean over the retaining wall to see the nest. So, foo again. I'm missing everything today!

To the Garden.

Squirrel sitting on a wood post

Today I'm chopping at the Comfrey I'm trying to kill. And I went around the whole front left of the plot, digging out some grass as well. I didn't take a Before photo, this time... But I'm so pleased about these two extra volunteer sunflowers, on either side of the orange Marigolds! It's late in the season, they might not do much, but I'm still happy to have them here!

Garden plot

And Look! Under the protective leaves of the yellow Giant Marigold, a single Pansy has lived to bloom!

Pansy bloom

Ha! I planted Pansy seeds -- the same that I've got growing in a pot at home -- and watered them diligently. But they never came up and I gave up hope! So this little Pansy is surprising ... and nice!

I just love the red Sunflower in the Tofu Patch!

Sunflower bloom

As I was walking around the garden plot, I startled a TINY SNAKE out from under the green Zucchini!!

Oh my gosh! She slithered too quickly and I only registered how small she was, 6-8inches maybe, and she had some kind of stripes. Probably a Garter Snake.

And, dang it, she was gone before I could even make a grab for the camera! so, Foo yet again, for missing Another opportunity!

And so funny, too. Was it even a week ago, that Kevin was asking if I had ever seen a snake in the Garden? ha!

Tomatillo ripening on the vine

The Eggplant is getting so many branches!

Eggplant

Eggplant bloom

And lots of blooms... will they all make fruit? What am I gonna do with this many eggplants?? I don't even like eggplant! haha!

Eggplant blooms

harvest

Looking over the shoulder of the Sunflower I bought, into the Squash Square...

garden plot

The tall stalks with the tiny white blooms are the experimental Buckwheats! They are about 4feet tall, and the Sunflower is about 4.5feet tall. And you can see, the birds have plucked most of it's petals to get at the Sunflower seeds! haha! I wonder if the birds like Buckwheat seeds??

The brown leaves in the Squash Square on the right are the result of hundreds of Squash Beetles. They are annoying, but so far they are only attacking the big Crookneck... which is quite big enough that it's fine to lose a few leaves.

And the back neighbor, Kevin's Nasturtiums.

Pale yellow Nasturtium blooms

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Friday 2 August 2024... Barn Swallow Babies and Garden

Not quite as hot today, just 94° after yesterday's 99° but still uncomfortably warm at 68° when I leave the house.

I head to the Barn Swallow nest... and I've only seen the two babies for so long, I'm starting to wonder if I imagined a third!

Two Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest

I haven't seen all three babies since Jul28!

And again today, there's more than just the two parents flying around above the bridge! It makes me wonder if the first set of children these parents raised this year are helping to feed these kids!

It's fairly common, across the bird kingdom, for previous kids to help raise their siblings... in the same season if the parents have more than one brood, but usually it's next year's siblings! Crows and Bluebirds are the most known for doing this, but a lot of other species do as well!

Barn Swallow parent approaching the nest

hmm...

Two Barn Swallow nestlings, begging for food in the nest

And suddenly we have THREE!

Barn Swallow parent flying towards the nest

Yay!

Three Barn Swallow nestling in the nest

And then we have two again... *laughs*

Two Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest

But they are moving around enough, that I get one more picture of the three of them before I go!

Three Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest

I arrive at the Community Garden and go on a walk about. Here's my friend Roz's plot.

Sunflowers and Echinaceas

And the lovely flowers around the Bird Bath art installation!

Flowers

Oh wow! These double petal Cosmos are pretty cool!

Pale pink Cosmos with red bean blossoms in the background

Someone's grapes are coming right along. Plus, they are planted right on the border... so any grapes that happen to be hanging in the pathway will be up for grabs, right?! Right?!

Green grapes ripening on the vine

Just kidding / not kidding! It just annoys me when gardeners put big plants right at their border!

Dark red Hollyhock blooms

I'm at my plot and... Aw, Dang it... The Lemon Cucumbers are wilted!

Wilted Cucumber plant

Shoot! I gave them double the water today, but they are so pathetic. ARG! Will they recover? WAI! They might not recover.

Lemon Cucumbers are my absolute favorite... They are the only reason why I want to garden, after the photo opportunities!

well, Pbbbt. But look at this! The Old Germans are starting to get some colour!

Tomatoes ripening on the vine

And look at this too! The volunteer Sunflower in the Tofu Patch is a red one!!

Sunflower bloom

I love the red ones, they are so pretty!

And here are some of the Soybeans below it... Some of them are growing but some are stunted and still small...

Soybeans growing

Obviously the volunteer Sunflower overcame whatever is wrong with the dirt over here, it's almost 2meters tall! But the Soybeans and the recently planted Buckwheats are just having trouble.

well, whatever. Look at my pretty, pretty Giant Marigolds!

Orange and yellow Marigolds

Orange Marigold bloom with a Cucumber Beetle

Oh yeah, this volunteer beet is ready to go! Will I be able to pull it out without disturbing the Leeks?

Beet and Leeks growing

Honey Bee flying over a sunflower bloom

Oh hey! I caught this Patty Pan at a decent size!

harvest laying on the ground

Some Amaranth...

Amaranth seed head

This is the weedy form, but I like to let it grow in places because the birds will appreciate the seeds! This one has gotten nice and tall, in with the Lemon Cucs at the front of the plot. It's a good 5feet or so!

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Thursday 1 August 2024... Hot

Ugh! It's 75° already when I leave the house, to be 99° (37°C) ... we won't quite beat the record today which was 100° set in 2015. Normal temp for this time of year is 86°

So I'm heading to the garden to water. But look at the haze. bleh!

Trees on the hill

I go past to see the Barn Swallows first. I don't see the parents, but the babies are set up for quick access...

Barn Swallow nestlings in the nest

Baby number three is always hiding! But at this point, I'm pretty sure there's just three babies.

This is the view upstream from the bridge...

Looking upstream, surrounded by trees

I've not seen the Bullfrog lately. But the dragonflies are active here. They probably love this heat!

I try to get a pic of someone flying over the water.

blurry dragonfly, flying over the water

*laughs* it doesn't really work!

But then!

Red dragonfly standing on a stick

Wow, itsn't he beautiful!! Flame Skimmer!

I scoot around for a different view, and he's noticed me watching him...

Red dragonfly standing on a stick

Haha... He followed me!

Red dragonfly

And then he followed me to the garden! Unfortunately, I had set the camera down as soon as I got to the plot. But he came around the Zucchinis and made sure I saw him one more time before flying away!

*smiles*

I'm watering pretty heavily today for the heat. But eventually I go around for photos. The wax beans are blooming.

Bean Blooms

The Black Tomato has a good number of small tomatoes coming on.

green tomatoes on the vine

It looks like they will be a good size! I'm so glad because after I bought this, I worried that I had gotten another cherry tomato plant... with the two SunGold plants, I def did not need another one!

green tomatoes growing on the vine

Today's harvest...

Harvested zuccinis laying on the ground

I still haven't learned my lesson with the one Yellow Zucchini plant... It doesn't want to let go of it's zucs, and I NEED to get the scissors out to make a cut on the stem instead of breaking off the edible part!! ha!

And yeah, I'm pulling these zucs at a ridiculously small size. I've just got too many to eat at home, and actually I'm going to be bringing some back... they've gone bad in the fridge.

Bummer. But that's okay. I will dump them somewhere in the garden and cover them a little and they will return nutrients to the soil.

Bindweed bloom

Creeping Speedwell blooms

Lemon Cucumbers in the making in the Supplementary Squash Square. (the darker leaves are one of the Zucs!)

small cucumbers growing on the vine

The Buckwheats that I sowed in the Tofu Patch started coming up a couple days ago. I threw down so many seeds here, but germination is not what it should be.

Buckwheat seedlings

So, yeah. Something wrong with the dirt here. The Soybeans mostly didn't come up, even after sowing seeds three times over. And they are not growing as quicly as they should. And now the Buckwheats aren't doing their thing either.

Buckwheat seedling with a soybean leaf over it

I wonder what my next step should be, to help the dirt here. I will have to think about it.

Silhouette of a heron standing in shallow green reflecting water

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Wednesday 31 July 2024... Garden

To be 91° today (33°C) and to be mid- and upper-90s for the foreseeable. Heading to the garden to water.

Heh. Well, it would have been a good picture...

Scrub Jay turned away in a pine tree

No cooperation!

I'm at the Barn Swallow nest. There's a fly-by, but no other parent activity.

Barn Swallow babies in the nest

They just don't trust me yet. I wouldn't either... because in order to see this nest, I have to lean way over the retaining wall. Like this is not normal human behavior, right? Even other humans stare at me! And it def catches the eye of the wildlife... some of whom are predators looking for an easy meal of helpless bird babies.

So yeah, on top of the lean being physically awkward for me to to see around the corner, it's also calling attention to their nest location. I don't stay very long, and the nest is far enough away that most predators would just think Another Crazy Human and go on their merry.

But I do understand why the parents would not want to fly in, to the nest when I'm there!

Barn Swallow nestling in the nest

The cute little baby fluff on their head!!

I'm back at the garden, and Kevin the Community Garden Volunteer is here too. He tells me a bit more about the vandalism thing... The City is taking this situation very seriously.

uh huh. It sounds like nothing will be done.

Which is exactly the outcome I expected. And I'm extremely disappointed.

Because we've got a person in our community who destroyed a garden plot. The garden plot of her own daughter.

And I do get that the higher ups want to step softly, because this person has access to a lot of plots, which she could destroy at a whim.

But doing NOTHING? Seriously?

Sighs.

Kevin mentioned that the Garden Director would be coming by, later today. So I run the hoe down the middle pathway of my plot to remove the grass that she complained about at the end of May.

and I water and gather.

harvested zucchini and cherry tomatoes laying on the ground

And then calm myself by looking at the beautiful plants!

This is the Secondary SunGold plant, the first cluster of fruits that are ripening on it.

Cherry Tomatoes ripening on the vine

And there is a lot of fun stuff happening in this photo. The blooming Sunflower is the one I bought. It's relatively short, a bit over a meter tall, but the seed head is huge...

Sunflower in the garden plot

The birds are plucking the petals, to get at the sunflower seeds more easily!

The tiny white flowers in front of the Sunflower are some of the Buckwheats I planted experimentally as a summer cover crop.

The orange blooms to the left of the Sunflower are the Giant Marigolds at the edge of the Tofu Patch. And the big leaves to the right of the Sunflower belong to the volunteer Sunflower in the Tofu Patch.

And the Sunflower growing to the left of the Marigolds, is the volunteer at the edge of the Wax Bean Trellis!

Sunflower in the garden plot

I really am so happy with the garden plot this year!

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Tuesday 30 July 2024... Part 2: Garden and Vandalism Update

The Garden Vandalism Story So Far: On Sunday the plot neighbor on the left side was vandalized. All the plants in the back had been pulled out of the ground and thrown down to die in the dirt. I took photos and when I got home, I emailed the Community Garden director and our two volunteers.

Kevin is the volunteer who is my plot neighbor in the back, and we have a friendly connection this year. He emailed me back right away, saying he would look into it and report to the city and Ugh. That's a heart-breaker.

He did great detective work and found out what happened very quickly!

The details are very convoluted and pretty personal. I'm not going to go into the nitty gritty here, because that's not my story to tell.

But basically this is a family feud. A mother had a disagreement with her adult daughter and destroyed the back of the plot in retaliation.

But... ... damn, you know?

What is wrong with people?

So. Kevin tells me the Community Garden director and her bosses are trying to figure out what to do. I haven't heard from them, which annoys me quite a bit... They made the volunteer do all the work, which does not seem appropriate for the level this situation is at.

So that's where we're at. More to follow?

Meantime...

fluffy white clouds above the trees

I've arrived at the Garden.

The Green Zucchini is getting busy again!

Green Zucchini fruits growing on the vine

And the Wax Beans have started to vine past the top of the trellis.

Bean plant vines

The volunteer Sunflower next to the bean trellis is approaching 4feet as well!

Sunflowers in the garden

The blooming Sunflower, behind is the one I bought. And you can see a bit of the Squash Square behind the bean trellis.

Lemon Cucumbers are very blossomy!

Cucumber blossoms

And keeping the bees happy.

Honey Bee on a cucumber blossom

And making some little cucs!

Lemon Cucumber blossoms with fruits behind them

Brandywines and a Spaghetti Squash blossom...

Green tomatoes and a squash bloom

And yeah, all those dead leaves are typical Brandywine... The tomatoes are my absolute favorite, but the plant is so temperamental and low producing and pathetic. Many years I plant Brandywines and never get any tomatoes out of it!!

But there's lots of tomatoes coming on this year, so I'm thrilled about that!!

Oh boy...

Harvested summer sqash laying on the ground

WooHoo! Four Crooknecks, two green Zucchini, one yellow Zucchini, and a couple of Sugar Snap Peas and SunGolds!!

It doesn't quite fit...

Backpack filled with squash

I had to leave my Dandelion tool behind! And the backpack was lumpy and uncomfortable on the walk home! haha!!

Bumblebees flying near Borage blooms

Crow standing on a wood fence

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Tuesday 30 July 2024... Part 1: Barn Swallow Babies!

One last, gloriously cloudy morning before the heat comes again.

Clouds past the trees

But it will get up to 85° today, so I'm going to the garden to give it some water.

Clouds over the trees

But First! The Barn Swallow nest! A parent flew in right as I arrived... who then noticed me as I leaned over the railing to take pictures!

Barn Swallow parent standing at the edge of the nest with two babies in the nest

And the parent flies off for more bugs.

Two Barn Swallow babies in the nest

And here's Baby Number Three, over on the right. Are there just the three?

Barn Swallow baby in the nest

Barn Swallow parent flying to the nest

Barn Swallow standing on the edge of the nest

Two Barn Swallow babies in the nest

There is a lot of action in the sky above the bridge... there's a whole flock of Barn Swallow here...

Barn Swallow parent flying toward the nest

Two Barn Swallows flying around the nest

Two Barn Swallows flying around the nest

What is going on??!

Two Barn Swallows flying around the nest

The babies are all just where's the food? *laughs*

Two Barn Swallow babies in the nest, begging

The food is arriving...

Barn Swallow parent flies in to the nest

Barn Swallow parent flies in to the nest

Barn Swallow parent flies in to the nest

Barn Swallow babies in the nest

And arriving...

Barn Swallow parent feeding a baby in the nest

Barn Swallow parent flying away from the nest

This is crazy! Is the whole flock feeding these kids?

Barn Swallow parent standing at the edge of the nest with two babies in the nest

*laughs* Maybe! But I've got to get on with my day... Heading to the garden!

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Monday 29 July 2024... Rose Garden

The forecast says 80° but actually it only gets up to 76° today... which... That's weird. The normal high temperature for this time of year is 86°F, 30°C. But I'll take it!

The cooler weather means I don't need to water at the garden and I head to the Rose Garden. I want to see if the Cliff Swallows ever showed up at the bridge I found them at last year!

Bright red Fuschia blooms

The ancient Cherry Tree.

Heritage Cherry Tree, past red roses

a peach coloured rose blossom

Yeah, I just can't stop myself for going crazy with the roses!

Rose blooms

My favorite, Silver Lining, still has some blooms.

rose bloom

rose blooms

yellow rose blooms

I wonder if anyone nested here this year? I never walked out here at the right time to see, so I really don't know!

Empty Osprey platform nest

two crows walking in the grass

Black coloured berries

Yep. That's normal. A flock of Bushtits.

Blurry bird standing in a bush

*laughs* Oh well!

Bushtit standing on a leafy stalk

bags around wildflower seed heads

Collecting seeds!

bags around wildflower seed heads

the river

bridge over the river

River rocks

Squirrel looking down from a tree

Part of the Whilamut Natural Area includes some Oak Savannah.

Trees and grass

I'm at the pond, and I do see a couple of Tree Swallows swooping for bugs above the water... but I don't think any are Cliff Swallows.

Great Blue Heron standing in the edge of the pond

And under the bridge... yeah, the Cliff Swallow nests are still all cobwebby! Definitely did not get used this summer.

Cliff Swallow nests with cobwebs

So this is interesting. In general, small birds never return to old nests, altho they may build a new nest in the same area. But I think that swallows do return to nests, since they are protected from the elements under the bridges. Barn Swallows do return, and I kind of assumed that Cliff Swallows also return...

AllAboutBirds says that Cliff Swallows return to their nesting area, year after year. So I wonder what happened here.

Did the community decide to nest somewhere else? Will they return in the future? Or did the entire flock die? Will another community of Cliff Swallows find this nesting area and use it?

Cliff Swallow nests with cobwebs

Strange and sad.

Mama Mallard with three ducklings paddling on the water

And finally, an Osprey!

Osprey standing on a bare branch

I've been hearing them, all up and down the river! Mostly the kids begging! *laughs* I'm glad I finally caught one sitting for a minute!

... Along with two crows who are keeping a close eye on the situation! ha.

Osprey standing in a bare tree with two crows standing above

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Sunday 28 July 2024... Sunday Stroll with Garden Vandalism!!

It's cloudy and 61° as I leave the house today and the forecast is 81° (27°C). So nice!

Oregon Junco standing on the ground

Oregon Junco standing on the ground

Flowers

Henrietta! Long time, no see!

Great Blue Heron standing in shallow water

I hope he had a successful nesting season. He's probably still feeding the kids, somewhere. But it's nice that he took a break from that and swung by to see me!

*laughs* I thought he was holding a fish!

Great Blue Heron with a feather on his beak

He was preening and got a feather stuck on his beak! haha!

Great Blue Heron with a feather on his beak

Trees on the hill in the distance

I get to the Barn Swallow nest... but because of the clouds, I have trouble with the camera settings. But I see movement in the nest.

Barn Swallow nest

A parent flies in with food... oh my gosh! Three babies pop up!!

Barn Swallow parent on the edge of the nest with three babies in the nest

Barn Swallow parent standing on the edge of the nest

The parent isn't too sure about me... I haven't been around this nest enough to gain the parents trust!

Barn Swallow parent standing on the edge of the nest

I get to the garden and do a walk about.

Flowers around an artsy bird bath

Bachelor Buttons and Zinnias

Red and white petunias

I get to my plot and start watering. I'm kind of in my own little world, but I've started with the Tofu Patch, like usual. The left side neighbor has some Nasturtiums blooming close to the border, and I like to give them some water too...

But when I moved around to hit them with the hose today... They were gone.

I look... and realize they aren't gone... the've been pulled out of the ground and thown down. And there they lay, wilting and dying on the dirt.

???

And then I take in the rest of the plot. And ALL the plants in the back have been ripped out of the ground and thrown down! Even the big 6foot sunflower!

Garden destruction

I am shocked at the destruction!

Blooming dahlias, zinnias, marigolds and the nasturtiums that I was watering. There was a small rhubarb plant just getting established. All so beautiful and now... they're just... ugh!

Garden destruction, pulled flowers laying in the dirt

But then I see their rainbow coloured windsock has been ripped from it's hanger and is crumpled up in the dirt. And now I'm alarmed!

Garden destruction

Several people at the Comm Garden have these Pride windsocks, I am always happy to see them! But if we have a violent bigot here, destroying plots...

I glance around, looking at other people's plots. My plot is untouched, and so are the plot neighbors at the back and other side. And the big Dahlia's in the front of the destroyed plot are fine as well... Which means that someone just walking down the garden path might not see the destruction that's happened in the back of the plot.

This was personal.

I take pictures from different angles. I'm extremely worried at the destruction. And I really, really want to try to re-plant the Nasturtiums and the Zinnias and the Marigolds. Some of the flowers look like they've been chopped, and everything is pretty wilted, but I want to give them a chance.

I wish I could give them a chance. But this is a crime scene. I've walked thru, taking photos, but other than that, I leave everything alone.

I water my garden plot... And I obsessively double check to make sure all the plants are okay. But the destruction does not cross over the line of the border...

Zucchini plants

I gather the day's harvest.

harvest

And then head out. I look into the couple of plots with Pride windsocks, but everything else looks fine and normal.

And when I get home, I send an email and photos to as many people as I can find email addresses for!

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Saturday 27 July 2024... Day of the County Fair

A perfectly decent summer day today with a high of 85°F, 29°C... The forecast says 83 and 82 for Monday and Tuesday, tho. Cool enough that I can maybe skip watering at the garden. Maybe I'll go out to the river or something.

Unfortunately, after those two cooler days, the forecast says we'll be back to mid-90s again. Ugh. So I def need to enjoy the normal weather right now!

Squirrel up in a tree

I get to the Barn Swallow nest... The babies were being born possibly on Thursday, and they had definitely arrived yesterday. Today, the parents are out catching bugs to feed.

Barn Swallow nest

But, amidst the grass stalks in there...

Blurry baby Barn Swallow, beak peaking above the nest

That's a baby beak!

And then I get distracted by the same three duckling family I saw yesterday...

Mama Mallard with two ducklings in the water

Duckling number three has to Paddle, Paddle FAST to catch up with the others!

Duckling paddling in the water

I look up, just in time to see a parent Barn Swallow swoop in and feed someone!

Barn Swallow parent feeding a baby in the nest

Wow! So Cool!

Barn Swallow parent standing at the edge of the nest

And we're off again to get more bugs!

Barn Swallow nest

The County Fair is happening this weekend, and I walk to the Events Center to check it out.

Events Center

Ferris Wheel

The horse and riders are directing cars to their parking spots in the field.

Men on horses

They must be testing the rides... no one is on this one.

Fair Swing

But doesn't that look fun?? It goes so far up off the ground!!

Fallen Leaning Tree with the Ferris Wheel in the background

Okay. I've walked back to the Barn Swallow nest.

Barn Swallow nest

And I wait patiently for some action! Soon the parents are swooping above the bridge and twittering their arrival!

Barn Swallow baby in the nest

Just the one, poking up her face.

And then to the garden. I'm just here to water a little bit.

Sunflower with a blurry bee flying towards it

The Lemon Cucumbers have a zillion blooms!

Cucumber bloom

There are lots of small Crooknecks coming on, but they aren't big enough to pick yet.

A single yellow Zucchini fruit, harvested and laying on the ground

Kevin, the Community Garden Volunteer ... helper... um, I'm not sure what his exact title is! Anyway, he was in his plot behind mine and we were chatting a bit. And I asked him if he knew what this plant is...

Hand holding a geranium type leaf

I've tried for a long time to figure out what this thing is, looking online, but can never find it. Kevin recognized it, but didn't know it's name either. Small, light pink flowers, related to geraniums. Yep.

As a weed, it's not too bad he added.

And I explained I liked to keep some of the native plants to have a good variety of blooms to keep the bugs happy. You have got some pollinators!

Ha! Yes I do!! I Love all the bugs in my garden!

And then he asked if I had ever seen a snake at the garden. Yep! I haven't seen a snake yet this year, but I do see them from time to time! I'm always glad to see snakes... because I've seen some mice here, as well!

That surprised him, but when he considered it, he realized the garden was probably a mouse paradise! *laughs*

Heading home. I stop and eat some Blackberries along the bike path.

Blackberries ripening on the vine

I've seen several people picking them here... filling buckets! And still plenty for passersby like me!

When I get home, this one was eating nuts in front of the neighbor's townhouse!

Squirrel running with a nut in his mouth

My heart hurts briefly for Wesley Crusher... sighs... but I'm glad to see another of our native Western Grey Squirrels around.

Squirrel eats his nut

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Friday 26 July 2024... Barn Swallows and Garden

Dragonfly standing on the bike path

The Bittersweet Nightshade berries are ripening.

Ripening Bittersweet Nightshade berries on the vine in red and green

As I walked past the bridge where the Barn Swallow are nesting, one of the parents flew out and dropped something in the water...

It must have been a poo sack! Which means we have babies!!!

Barn Swallow parent sitting in the nest

Yeah, we keep moving around in the nest...

Barn Swallow parent sitting in the nest

Awww! Everybody okay in there?

Barn Swallow parent standing at the edge of the nest, looking in

Barn Swallow parent sitting in the nest

Barn Swallow parent sitting in the nest

Okay! I'm at the garden. The Old German is still looking overly pathetic, even tho I watered the heck out of it yesterday.

Tomato plant with folded up leaves

The Surprise Straightneck has several fruits coming on, and I decide to pick the bigger one today!

Straightneck fruits growing on the vine

And this makes me happy... Butternuts!

Butternut fruits growing on the vine

I didn't plant any Sweet Potatoes this year... which feels kind of weird. I Always have Sweet Potatoes! They are a very pretty vine!

But I have never gotten a great harvest with the Sweet Potatoes. So it's not really worth the time and effort and hope I put in.

And that's why I have several Butternut plants this year... Butternuts basically taste the same as Sweet Potatoes. And they keep a lot better. You have to eat Sweet Potatoes right away, whereas the Butternuts can languish in your pantry for a while!

But, you know. Now that I'm thinking about it. Maybe next year I could plant a bunch of Sweet Potato vines around the Comfrey that I'm trying to kill in the front. The leaves could cover the dirt... I just hate having bare dirt up there, right at the front of the plot!

Of course, I'd have to place the plants carefully, so that I could still dig up the comfrey as it sends up leaves. But I'd have the Sweet Potatoes for their pretty vines and flowers, NOT for the food harvest. Hmmm.

The Sunflower I bought:

Sunflower bloom

Flight of the Honey Bee! *laughs*

Honey Bee flying near a sunflower blossom

Ha, a Spotted Cucumber Beetle has joined the Honey Bees to pollinate!

Bugs on a sunflower bloom

I have become rather exasperated with my right side neighbors, the Pot People. They've planted big plants right at the border between our plots, and it's just really annoying. Especially this grassy plant that's leaning it's seed heads into my plot.

garden plot

So annoying.

I love the variety of today's summer squash harvest! And yeah, one of the Yellow Zucs really did not want to let go of it's fruit! And instead of just getting the scissors, I pulled harder. oops.

And then I put a tomato cage around this volunteer Tomatillo that's at the edge of the Tofu Patch...

garden plot

Tomatillo bloom

As I'm leaving the garden, I check out the Passion Fruit plant that someone else has.

Honey Bees on a Passion Fruit flower

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Thursday 25 July 2024... Back to it. And a Rant about the Best Bugs!

The squirrel who greets me this morning is a fighter!

Squirrel with a torn ear

I've not seen him before... I wonder if he was the winner or the loser.

Oh, ducklings! One last batch for the season!

Mama Mallard with three ducklings paddling on the water

Gah!

Ducklings on the water, preening

*laughs* They are just itchy and preening. Well. And they don't have hands. And actually, kinda cute. just weird that they can move their neck like that!

Three ducklings paddling on the water

Three ducklings paddling on the water

oh, bahaha!! It looks like I've photoshoped a clone! *giggles*

The Barn Swallow parents have a change of the guard right as I walk up again! The sitting parent has flown away, and this one has just come in.

Barn Swallow standing at the edge of the nest, looking in

Barn Swallow standing at the edge of the nest

And again, I don't know if she's looking at eggs or babies. If I would visit more often, I would know these things!

Barn Swallow standing at the edge of the nest, looking in

Barn Swallow sitting in the nest

Okay! I'm at the garden. And after not watering yesterday... Lordy. the Old German looks as bad as it ever did...

Pathetic tomato plant

And the secondary SunGold has folded up a bunch of it's leaves as well.

And, oh crap! The Sugar Snap Peas were not on my radar at all, but they are all pathetic as well. Well, shoot.

I look at the healthy plants to cheer myself up. Wax Beans are still growing up! The Squash Square behind them is still exuberant!

garden plot

The Sunflower I bought is very happy, if short!

Blooming sunflower

And the volunteer Sunflower next to the Wax Bean trellis is happily growing.

Sunflower plant growing next to beans climbing on a wire trellis

I do find one Sugar Snap Pea pod! So it's not like the pea plants were being productive or anything.

picked zucchinis lying on the ground

There's some Creeping Speedwell growing here.

Creeping Speedwell bloom

Technically invasive. The flowers are tiny, but pretty and I like them! I let them grow, where ever they happen to show up.

Creeping Speedwell bloom

The Eggplant has several more blooms on it... and maybe that one is turning into a fruit?

Eggplant bloom

Oop. A cute lil Yellow Jacket got wet while I was watering the Giant Marigolds in front.

Yellow Jacket standing on a leaf, buzzing her wings

She's buzzing her wings to get them dry!

But she notices me watching her...

Yellow Jacket standing on a leaf

Our precious, precious pollinators!

Yellow Jackets are one of our native species... and it makes me so, so angry when I see people putting wasp traps near their damn bee hives. Honey Bees are invasive from Europe, and did not evolve with the native plants here in the Americas... Honey Bees are inferior pollinators for many of our garden plants, especially in the nightshade family: Tomatoes, Potatoes, Tomatillos, Eggplants, Peppers! All these plants do Much better with our native Bumblebees, and our wasps play an important role here as well!

So Yellow Jackets and all our native wasps are much more important to the ecosystems here than the stupid European Honey Bees. And it drives me crazy that amateur Honey Bee keepers want to kill our native wasps.

Okay. Rant, done! Look at my cute little friend! Her wings are still wet, but she'll be okay!

Yellow Jacket standing on a leaf

Oh, hey... I missed a Lemon Cucumber and it's turning dark yellow already...

Lemon Cucumber on the vine

But when I picked it, it had a hole on the bottom. Was a mouse munching on it? huh!

First blooms on the Wax Beans!!!

Wax Bean blooms

As I leave, I turn and look into the Pissant Pot Peoples plot, my right side neighbor. They have a lot going on in their plot.

Flowers in a garden plot

And at home, the stray kitty is tucked up for a portrait!

Longhaired tortishell cat lying in the grass

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Wednesday 24 July 2024... Wild Iris Ridge

I am so bored with the garden, I've decided to be a rebel today. I'm walking in a different direction, and the plants can wilt all they want without their daily watering! HA!

Green persimmon fruit growing on the tree

I'm walking thru the neighborhoods, on my way to Wild Iris Ridge again.

Flowers growing in the front yard

I glance over to the west and realize I can see the Coastal Range!

hills in the distance

... And I think those branches on the left there? Looks like Tree of Heaven. Lordy, lordy. Very invasive! What a shame.

This beautiful thing is called a Ballon Flower!

Purple Ballon Flower with Cosmos blooms in the background

The lavender is attracting all kinds of pollinators!

Cabbage White Butterfly standing on a lavender bloom

Close up of a Cabbage White Butterfly standing on a lavender bloom

Okay. I've finally arrived at the park... and there are 12 cars in what I Thought was a 10 car parking lot! Haha! It's a very popular park!

I love the forest here. It's filled with Oak trees and native Pacific Madrones.

Tree trunk of a Pacific Madrone

Yep, that's normal for the bark to shed like that on a Madrone!

And then I get to the Acorn Woodpecker's granery tree...

Tree with holes in the trunk

Well, foo. No sign of them. I go up the trail a little bit further and sit on the bench for a moment. And then come back down...

I hear one, and eventually find him, way up in a nearby tree, straight up from the path...

Acorn Woodpecker at the top of a tree

SIGHS!

But look who else is here!

Cedar Waxwings, hidden behind pine branches

*laughs!*

But I can't get a decent angle on the one guard.

Acorn Woodpecker standing at the top of a snag

Today's photos are about as bad as Hidden Trail ever was!

ha! Oh well. Back thru the neighborhoods, on the way home!

Pink Gladiolus blooms

Bumblebee flying thru lavender blooms

Cabbage White on a lavender bloom

Back at home...

Long hair tortishell cat walking away

She wouldn't sit for photos but our new stray kitty did let me pet her... just let me run my hand down her back as she walked past me. ugh... she's skin and bones under that beautiful fur.

Poor Girl. I hope the cat lady neighbor is able to fatten her up!

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Tusday 23 July 2024... An Arrest on the Bike Path

I walk past the Community Garden to see the Barn Swallow nest, but get distracted by the cute little minnows!

minnows swimming

Minnows swimming

But here's Mama Barn Swallow!

Barn Swallow sitting in the nest

And I'm back at the garden. Today's project is to remove the Horseradish from my neighbor's plot...

garden plot

The faucet marks the back corners of four plots... My plot has the upside-down bucket. My back neighbor has the raised beds, where I've leaned my backpack. And the Horseradish is growing between my diagonal plot neighbor and my left side neighbor.

Technically you should never mess with someone else's plot. But I'm tired of looking at this invasive disaster!

I forgot to take a pic of the results, but it was pretty satisfying to dig that out. I didn't get all the way down to the original roots, of course, so they'll be back. But that is the nature of invasives, after all!

I also chop off the leaves from the Comfrey I'm trying to kill in my own plot... It is even more persistant than the Horseradish!

Small Comfrey leaf near a zucchini plant

After watering, I go around my garden plot checking plants and getting today's harvest. I'm pushing aside leaves in the back Squash Square... And, um? What the heck is this?...

Straight Neck fruit growing on the vine

A Straightneck Squash? I didn't plant any Straightnecks!

I wonder if I could have bought a mislabeled squash start from my farmer at Saturday Market.

But that didn't seem likely.

I thought about all the seeds I randomly planted thru here. I had some saved Spaghetti Squash seeds. And I had an old seed packet of Crookneck seeds.

You know what? I may have consolidated some other squash seeds into that packet, thinking they're all old, they probably won't grow anyway.

*laughs* I'm not sure, but that def sounds like something I would do!

And while I'm very happy to have another kind of summer squash in the garden... Lordy! I'm having trouble keeping up with the eating of the summer squash!!

On Friday I had 13.5 summer squashes in the house to eat...

On Sunday, I peaked with 15 squashes. I ate big portions of squash, and then ate some more.

Today... One more Crookneck...

Crookneck and three cherry tomatoes harvested and lying on the ground

And I've got 12.5 summer squashes at home to eat. Hey, I'm making a dent! *laughs*

And yeah, I totally ate the three SunGolds I picked today as well! They were nice and sweet! Ah, the Taste of Summer! :)

I'm still going around the garden, but I've been hearing emergency sirens for a few minutes. I live in the city near a major thoroughfare, and hear sirens often, so I was ignoring these, even tho they were pretty close.

But then a cop car speeds down the bike path!

Whoa! And then another one! And a third!

Cop car past the Community Garden fence

They seem to be congregating under the car bridge just to the west... The direction I'm walking home!

Yeah. I admit. I'm curious! I want to see what's going on!

But as head out, one of the cop cars is leaving, coming my direction on the bike path. I've stepped off the path to let him go by, but he rolls down his window and stops to talk to me.

We had to arrest someone just up there. So if you don't have to go that way...

Okay! I say. I'll go around! Thank you!

Back at home, I looked up the police dispatch logs to see if I could find out more information... But that incident never did show up on the call logs.

So I don't know. But having another, possibly violent incident on the bike path, is concerning.


A Squirrel Story!

One of my townhouse neighbors in my apartment complex at home, had been doing some landscaping work in their front yard.

They had a couple bags of Miracle-Gro potting soil and had spread out some soil under their little Saucer Magnolia sapling, and around the flowers and plants they have growing under their living room window. It looks really nice, and I'm sure the plants and sapling appreciated the extra nutrients! The dirt there at the apartment complex is really terrible.

But they had an extra bag of potting soil left over... I don't know if they bought too much, or if they maybe had other plans for the bag. But they have left the bag on the ground, right next to the sidewalk. And it had been there for a week or two...

Today I walked by and there was a squirrel! She had ripped open the plastic bag and was sitting on top of the soil and patting it down like she had just buried a nut there!!

Pat, pat, pat, with her little hands!

Bahaha!! And then she noticed me, and ran away before I could get the camera ready. foo.

Because that was ridiculously cute!

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Monday 22 July 2024... Bored!

Yeah. I have to admit, I'm bored going to the stupid garden, Every Single Day. Water, water, water. And the only thing I get for it, is more zucchini. Boring!

But the thunderstorm has broken the overly hot weather! We're looking at a good week of more reasonable summer weather... Today is 83° and the forecast for the rest of the week is mid-80s.

Unfortunately, because I just planted those Buckwheat seeds yesterday, I will still need to go to the garden to water. Sighs! But today I'm walking on past to look at different things, before I get stuck at the garden.

One of the Barn Swallow parents is tucked up, in the nest.

Dark and barely seen Barn Swallow sitting in the nest

And the Willow tree that got damaged in the ice storm in January is doing well... Just not as big as it once was.

Willow tree

I'm so glad they trimmed this huge limb off, rather than cutting the whole tree down!! Because it really is a beautiful tree.

Willow stump

Hello Mr Bullfrog.

Bullfrog floating in water

Still up there!

Barn Swallow sitting in the nest

Oh! Hello?

Flicker stretching his wing out

Morning stretches?

Flicker stretching his wing out

You just need to fix your feathers?

Flicker standing on a bare branch, preening

Okay!

Flicker standing on a bare branch

Okay. I'm at the garden. Water, water, water. Boring. Get more zuc. Boring.

Harvested zucchini and crookneck, lying on the ground

I admit, also getting a crookneck is nice... I do love zucchini, but the crooknecks are just a bit more tasty. They have kind of a subtly sweet flavor.

And there's Lemon Cucumbers on the way. That's nice too.

And my short Sunflower does make me happy.

the back of a sunflower bloom

Even the neighbor's sunflowers make me happy.

Red sunflower starting to bloom

Honey Bee on an almost black sunflower bloom

And these Morning Glories are pretty gorgeous.

Dark purple Morning Glory bloom

Close up of a dark purple Morning Glory bloom

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Sunday 21 July 2024... Sunday Seeds!

Thunderstorms last night! Just a couple sprinkles, tho. And lightening this time of year is always worrisome.

There were thunderstorms across Oregon on Tuesday last week. And the paper reported there were 1,050 lightening strikes, which set off a LOT of wild fires all over the place!

There's still some clouds this morning, tho and that's very welcome! Makes for a much cooler day, just 82° today!

Yellow Pansies and red Fuchsia blooms

Oh hey! Is this a new heron? The shoulder patch isn't as big as Henrietta's, and way bigger than Knotty's. Hm!

Great Blue Heron wading is shallow water

Nutria youngster! Their two siblings ran away, but this one stayed a moment at the top of the bolt path, to look at me!

Nutria sitting in the grass

trees on the hill on a cloudy day

Okay! I'm at the garden and today's project is putting some Buckwheat seeds down in these open areas in the Tofu Patch...

Tofu patch

The internets told me that Buckwheat needs to soak for 20 or 30 minutes before being put into the dirt. So before I left the house, I threw a handful of Buckwheat seeds into a ziplock and then added some tap water. It's been a bit over 30mins, since I went to the Post Office first this morning. But I was really glad to see the bag hadn't leaked! heh.

I put the seeds in pretty densely here... The seeds are old, from 2019 I think, but also I'm thinking there's something wrong with the dirt here since the Soybeans haven't done well.

And then I watered!

Since my plot is a Bee Paradise, I often accidentally hit bees with the water. Arg! I feel bad! I don't want to make their lives more difficult!

Sometimes I'll scoop someone up...

Wet Bumblebee

And they can dry off on my hand! The Bumblebees especially like to buzz their wings to help dry off. But this one was happy just to take a rest!

Oh, nice! Sugar Snap Peas would like to make a come-back after the super hot weather!

Snap Pea bloom

And that white in the background is a Queen Anne Lace bloom...

Queen Anne Lace bloom in the Snap Pea patch

Not native, but is related to carrots and has an edible root. There are some very poisonous look-alikes tho, so I'm not going to eat this!

Harvested summer squashes lying on the ground

Smartweed bloom with borage in the background

The Sunflower I bought is starting to open up!

Sunflower overlooking the Squash Square

Sunflower blooming

Tomatillo bloom

I try to get artsy! *laughs*

Water drop hanging from a tomatillo bloom

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Saturday 20 July 2024... Day of Bugs!

I love to meet new dragonflies!

Dragonfly standing on a railing

Dragonfly standing on a railing

She's a Varigated Meadowhawk!

Dragonfly standing on a railing

There's a change of the guard right as I arrive at the further Barn Swallow nest! I missed the one flying away, and this one comes in, to take over nesting duties.

Barn Swallow standing on the edge of the nest

Barn Swallow sitting in the nest

And then some movement on the other side of the creek catches my eye... Oh Wow!

Spider has caught a damselfly

There's a damselfly caught in a spider web! The motion that caught my eye was him fluttering and trying to get out. But the big o' spider has come along now and bitten the damselfly and he's quieting down now. Going to be eaten by that spider! Sorry, little damselfly. But the spider wants to live too.

I think the damselfly is a Northern Spreadwing. They are on the big side for damselflies, but that spider... she's huge! And that's pretty bold to take down any kind of dragonfly!!

I double check the nest, yep, he's all settled in there.

Barn Swallow sitting in the nest

And then I head back to the garden.

Honey Bee hanging from a Borage blossom

Blurry Honey Bee flying away

The Wax Beans are finally starting to vine!

Bean vine twining up a wire trellis

The Buckwheat has to peek up thru the leaves of the big Crookneck.

Buckwheat blooms thru the squash leaves

The Buckwheat blooms are small but really quite delightful. I'm so glad I accidentally bought them and finally planted them!!

Buckwheat bloom with some seeds forming

The Brandywine seems happier... now that I'm finally giving it enough water.

Green Tomatoes on the vine

But the Primary Sungold has a wilted branch... I just can't keep up with the watering!

Wilted tomato plant

This is the last time I will photograph this group of ripening SunGolds...

Cherry Tomatoes ripeing on the vine

I ate it!!

hand holding a ripe SunGold cherry tomato

It wasn't sweet enough! haha! I always pick the first SunGold too soon!

But there will be a ton, before too long!

lots of green cherry tomatoes on the vine

And the Lemon Cucumbers...

Cucumber bloom

Lots of blooms!

Cucumber blooms under the leaves

Gasps! Yipee!!!

Lemon Cucmber on the vine

It's buried pretty deep, and needs a couple more days of ripening and getting bigger... I hope I can find it again! Haha!

Happy Pollinators! ... aka Bee Butts! *laughs*

Honey Bee and Bumblebee flying around the Borage

Here's what the Eggplant is looking like...

Eggplant

I wonder if the flowers got pollinated.

Heading out, I go look at that Trumpet Vine that was in the background of the photo I liked so much yesterday.

Trumpet Vine blooms

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Friday 19 July 2024... Happy Things Today

Bullfrog floating in the water

Barn Swallow sitting in the nest

I love the Sunflowers with the rusty red colour!

Sunflower bloom and blue sky

The red blooms in the background are a Trumpet Vine on an arbor!

... You know what? I like that Sunflower so much I think it needs to be a postcard! :)

And here's the Sunflower I bought for my garden plot...

Sunflower just opening bloom

It's still very short, just a bit over a meter tall. Laughs!

The big Crookneck has all kinds of happy going on, under it's leaves!

Crookneck fruits growing on the vine

And the first Yellow Patty Pan... is... not yellow! haha, what an interesting colour!!

Harvested summer squash lying on the ground

I realize now that I should not have brought it home... that weird colour probably means that one is bitter. Plus it got way too big anyway!

Looking over the newly weeded Tofu Patch...

garden plot

You know, there really isn't all that much room in there. But I'm definitely going to put in some Buckwheat, but maybe not all the flowers I had thought about.

Cucumber blooms on the vine

On the walk home, I encounter a little flock of Bushtits. But they always bounce around too fast for me, I don't even know why I bother!

Bushtit standing in a chainlink fence

There's some Chickadees hanging out with the Bushtits! But that's another little bird who's too quick!

Chickadee standing in a chainlink fence

*laughs*

These Blackberries are starting to ripen!! I ate one! And then another! Yum!!

Blackberris ripening on the vine

A couple on a double bike passed by slowly, "Any good?" I gave a *thumbs up* and an enthusiastic "Yes!!"

Back at home, this was in my YouTube feed...

Hot Butter - Popcorn - remix COVER on Tyros 3 - VST

This is a fun song! It's interesting that the worldwide hit in 1972 was a cover of a song written in 1969.

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Thursday 18 July 2024... Today with a Bullfrog and a Barn Swallow

To be 88° today, so much nicer!

Grass under the blue sky

Going past the garden to see the second Barn Swallow family... The Bullfrog is still hanging out!

Bullfrog floating in the water

Oh. Empty?

Barn Swallow nest with no one in it

Hang on! Someone just flew in! Good!

Barn Swallow parent perching on the edge of the nest

She stands there on the edge of the nest for a minute...

Barn Swallow parent standing on the edge of the nest, looking in

Is she checking eggs? Or Babies??!

*Laughs* I don't know! I just started watching this nest yesterday, so I have no idea where we are!

Barn Swallow sitting in the nest

The minnows are fun to watch as well.

Minnows

I wonder if they can see me.

Minnows

Minnows swimming

Okay! I am going to be weeding around the Wax Beans today. Crabgrass and Smartweed aren't too bad here, but it needs to go before they cause a problem!

Garden

There! That's better!

Wax Beans

The Brandywine doesn't look great with all it's dead leaves... but it's making some tomatoes!

Green tomatoes on the vine

And the first teeny tiny Butternut!

Butternut growing on the vine

I've mentioned this before but dang it, I feel bad about picking the zucs so small... it really feels like I'm wasting food by not letting the zucs grow another day or two!

Harvested Crookneck and Zucchinis lying on the ground

I stop to admire the garden plot as I leave. Here's the left side, with the Giant Marigolds and the Supplementary Squash Square:

Garden Plot

That empty spot behind the yellow Marigolds is where I'm killing the Comfrey.

And the right side, where the path along the border is starting to disappear!

Garden Plot

The Lemon Cucs are in the front, along with a lot of Borage and Amaranth! The Volunteer Elephant Garlic blooms. And then the tomato plants are hiding the Wax Beans and the Squash Square behind them.

There's a little bit of grass coming up in this path because stupid neighbors over water their plot. It makes it hard to hoe there since the ground is always damp. Hopefully I won't get dinged for that with the picky powers that be.

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Wednesday 17 July 2024... A Glorious Summer Day

A glorious day, much cooler and I am going for a walk!

Cirris clouds in the sky over trees

It looks like the overly hot weather might be done, after yesterday's 98°! There's still a couple days of mid-90s in the forecast, but more ordinary highs are on the way!

And today is 87°! I will still need to water at the garden, a little bit. But I'm going to enjoy some more time away today!

Mama Mallard and a duckling, paddling on the water

The abandoned Barn Swallow nest. I suppose the eggs are still in it?

Empty Barn Swallow nest

I'm thinking I should check the next bridge down, to see if those Barn Swallow parents are having a second nest.

Past the garden and past the Flicker hole, where those parents had to abandon their nesting attempt this spring due to cold weather.

Woodpecker hole in a tree trunk

Momentarily distracted by the cute little minnows!

Minnows swimming in the water

Minnows swimming in the water

And then I look over... I have to lean over the retaining wall, but I think I see movement in the shadows...

Barn Swalling in a nest

Yes! A parent is sitting!

I wonder what kept these parents on the nest thru the heat, when the other parents abandoned. Or will this nest get abandoned as well when those couple of 95° days come along on Friday and Saturday?

Well! We shall see!

But seeing that parent on the nest makes me happy!

I turn around at the Fallen Leaning Tree... still bare of leaves, sighs. And looks like they are setting up for the fair.

Fallen Leaning Tree

Crow standing on a branch

Crow standing on a branch

Oh, hey! I thought I heard a Moo!

Bullfrog floating in the water

American Bullfrog. It's cool to see him, but he's terribly invasive on this side of the country.

Bullfrog floating in the water

And going under the far bridge again... Happy!

Barn Swallow sitting in a nest

And then a Painted Lady greets me at my garden plot!!

Butterfly standing on dry grass

The Black Tomato is starting to make some fruits.

Green Tomatoes on the vine

The Wax Beans are still small, but the Squash Square in the back is becoming exuberant!

Garden Plot

Some of the Giant Marigolds at the edge of the Tofu Patch, with the Leeks and volunteer Beets in the background.

Marigold blooms

I only ate one Sugar Snap Pea pod today, and that's a bummer. The heat has overcome several of the plants in the Pea Patch.

And I pulled the zucs very small... I've got such a ton at home, I'm trying to catch up eating them! ha.

Green and yellow zucchini harvested and lying on the ground

The tiny Buckwheat blooms make me happy.

Buckwheat blooms

*laughs* How many times will I photograph This Particular SunGold, before I finally get to eat it??!

Cherry tomatoes ripening on the vine

Bumblebee flying and Honey Bee on a Borage Bloom

Cucumber Beetle climbing on a Borage bloom

Close up of a Cucumber Beetle climbing on a Borage bloom

The Passion Fruit at the end of the aisle has one last bloom on it.

Passion Fruit bloom

And these invasive Blackberries, along the bike path, are tempting but I know they will be hard and beyond tart right now. But it won't be long!

Blackberry fruits in various stages of ripening on the vine

Wow, that was a lot of photos for the day! But I am happy!

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Tuesday 16 July 2024... A Walk at the Hospital

Partner is getting stuff done at the hospital, and that's where I'm walking today! It's right on the river -- our other river, the McKenzie -- and it's a beautiful place.

Paths thru Douglas Fir trees

There are loads of birds here, I can hear them singing!

Spotted Towhee standing on a branch, surrounded by leaves

Path thru the trees

Canal past the trees

River thru the trees

Chickadee hanging from a fruit

Chickadee standing on a stick

Ha, that looks like a nice place to hang out!

Folding chair on the bank of the river

A Wood Pewee...

Wood Pewee at the end of a bare branch over the river

Is that a meal for one of your babies?

Wood Pewee, standing on a branch with a bug in their beak

And you've got kids to feed as well?

Robin standing in the grass with a bug in their beak

Well. It was nice to walk some place different. I take Partner home and make sure he's okay and then drive to the Community Garden.

Pink Zinnia bloom

It's 98° today and I need to water the garden. And while I'm here, I pulled some zucs!

Green and yellow Zucchinis harvested and lying on the ground

Pink Dahlia bloom

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Monday 15 July 2024... Today

A couple degrees cooler today, and I can feel it this morning! The heat is much less intense for my walk out! The high today is 93° instead of the upper 90s it has been.

The forecast for the week is a mixed bag... near 100° again tomorrow, and then the highs fluxuate between upper 80s and mid 90s.

You know what would be nice? The normal temperature for this time of year is 84/52. Doesn't 84° sound blissful? 29° C. Aahhh, that's the dream!

Cirrus clouds in the sky over trees

Scrub Jay standing in a tree

Homeless people have set up another camp under the Barn Swallow bridge, but I guess it doesn't matter now... I glanced up and saw neither parent occupying the nest. They have definitely abandoned it.

Scrub Jay standing on a wood fence

At the garden, and I've decided to murder the Black Bindweed today...

Black Bindweed climbing up a tomato cage

Since it's new to me, I just wanted to see what it did. But the internets tell me that it spreads with seed, and since it started making some seed, with tiny, non-impressive and pointless flowers, I figured I should head that off.

It pulled up easily, I grabbed near the bottom of the stem and a little root ball popped right out! Surprisingly different from the regular Bindweed around here... which spreads thru roots, so there's aways a long root that stays behind.

I spent some extra time today, and finally finished weeding the Tofu Patch.

Garden plot

I adore this Sunflower growing in the Tofu Patch!

Sunflower growing

The orange bits over there are blooming Nasturtiums in Mia's Kids plot.

These are the second and third squashes I've pulled off the Crookneck. It's gotten so big, there are actually two places where it's flowering and making fruits!

Squashes harvested and lying on a ziplock on the ground

There's a Spaghetti Squash growing on the vine in the front Garden Square.

Spaghetti Squash growing on the vine

Green tomatoes growing on the vine

That first SunGold is still ripening... you want to leave the first one on the vine for a while, because the chemicals coming off it will help the other tomatoes around it ripen as well! But it's so hard to not just grab it and eat it!! *laughs*

Ripening cherry tomatoes on the vine

Eggplant blooms

Sunflower blooms and a blue sky

This little one looked like a black butterfly when she was flying around. Some kind of Wood Nymph.

Wood Nymph butterfly standing on the ground

This afternoon there was a major brush fire near the edge of town. It got got so bad, so quickly, they issued a Level 3 GO NOW evacuation notice for the people living there!

Evacuations downgraded after brush fire near Eugene Airport causes scare

The thing is, Greenhill Humane Society is just outside the boundary for the Level 3 and I was terrified about what they were going to do with everyone there!!!

But they had the situation well in hand! They got all the animals evacuated!!!

Damn, they are awesome!

The fire had been called in at 3:30pm, and firefighters had it under control at 7:30pm. All the area evacuation levels were downgraded to Level 1 Be Ready. And they started bringing the animals back to the shelter at 8pm.

Greenhill Humane Society: Fire Update

Yay! I am so glad the Humane Society has such a great disaster response... They are always there for people and their pets when wildfires happen outside the city. But knowing they can take care of themselves as well is so reassuring!

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Sunday 14 July 2024... Sunday Stroll

This stalk of Snap Dragons is the only thing left from the little bouquet of flowers I got the other day.

Snap Dragon blooms in a cup of water

Flowers

art

No one here. As I suspected yesterday, I think the Barn Swallow parents have abandoned this nest and the eggs in it, due to the heat. The high today is 96°.

Empty Barn Swallow nest on a pipe, under a bridge

You gotta keep hydrated when it's this hot!

Duckings sitting on a rock in the water, one is drinking

Two Ducklings sitting on a rock in the water

Mama is close by.

Mama Mallard standing on one foot on a rock in the shallow water

I'm at the garden, but no work today! Just watering to give my poor fingers a rest from clutching at stupid Crabgrass.

Two harvested zucchinis, lying on a ziplock on the ground

Butterfly on a Marigold bloom

Butterfly on a Marigold bloom

Under the Lemon Cucumber leaves...

Cucumber blooms under the leaves

Cherry tomatoes ripening on the vine

Heh, she's too quick for me!

Blurry bumblebee flying amoung tomato blossoms

Still no one...

Empty Barn Swallow nest on a pipe under a bridge

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Saturday 13 July 2024... Today

This Little One was out by herself, and letting the humans get Way too close! So little and so clueless!

Nutria standing in the grass next to the path

Dragonfly standing on a branch

Okay! Homeless people under the bridge are gone, except for their trash. sighs. But I'm glad I finally get to watch this second nest for the Barn Swallow parents!!!

Barn Swallows

That's Papa in the nest and Mama is waiting to take over.

Barn Swallows

They must have eggs, already!! But are they going to be okay with this hot weather???

Barn Swallow standing on a pipe, under a bridge

Papa is shifting around, but he's not ready to leave yet.

Barn Swallow parent sitting in a nest

barn swallows

Okay. I'm at the garden and here's the BEFORE pic of the Tofu Patch. Continuing to slowly pull out Crabgrass and Smartweed.

Tofu Patch

And AFTER. Just a little strip cleared, again, you can hardly tell the difference.

tofu patch

But there's some Soybeans growing that feel much better without the choking weeds...

Soybean plants growing

That flopped over plant, top left, is a Sunflower... it had gotten spindly with all the Smartweed. I will prob remove it. I think one Sunflower in the Tofu Patch is probably enough!

I get distracted by the flowers in the neighboring plot.

Dahlias

Dahlia

Okay. Back to my garden plot!

The Black Bindweed is ... um, flowering?

Black Bindweed

Well. That's kind of... heh. Whatever!

Black Bindweed

And I thought I was going to pick a couple of these today...

Zucchini fruits growing on the vine

But growth has finally slowed down with the heat. These zucs are too small to bother with.

So I just pulled that weird one at the bottom... Today's harvest is kind of meager!

Pulled Zuc and Snap Peas, lying on a ziplock bag on the ground

The Buckwheats are starting to bloom in earnest!

Buckwheat blooms

I planted these soaked seeds on Jun9... so that's just over a month to bloom time! Awesome!

And then on the way home... hmmm.

Empty nest on a pipe under a bridge

I waited a minute or so, but no one showed up.

That makes me wonder. Were the Barn Swallows having a consultation this morning about whether to abandon this nesting attempt?

The heat just hasn't let up, after our 106° heat dome. It's 97° today and the forecast says the highs will stay in the mid and upper 90s for the next few days.

Abandoning eggs is a bummer. But probably easier to do before you get too emotionally attached... I'm fairly sure the eggs were laid just in the last couple days or so.

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Friday 12 July 2024... Garden Work

Oregon Grape fruits on the plant

At the garden, I've cleared another little section of Crabgrass and Smartweed from the Tofu Patch... working around the blister I have on the tip of my pointer finger! Ha!

Garden plot

As I was watering the tomatoes in front, a female Hummingbird stopped to look at me and the spraying water.

I was instantly reminded about the nest I watched a couple years ago. (March 2022) I wonder if this Hummer was that Mama... or one of her children!

Altho I've seen Hummingbirds in the garden, occasionally, I do miss having a Garden Supervisor. A male Anna Hummer, who claimed the Community Garden as his territory, and sat on a trellis in the plot behind ours.

He was used to having me around, and let me get really close for photography. And I enjoyed seeing him thru the year and listening to him sing, while I worked.

Ha, this cracks me up...

Zucchini and Cucumber plants

I've never planted Lemon Cucumbers so close to Zucchini before! I love how they are interacting!

Oh Hey! Eggplant blooms!!

Eggplant blooms

Well, that's exciting. Yeah, I don't really like to eat eggplant, and I've never cooked one for myself. But it's fun to watch this thing grow!

Eggplant bloom

Today's harvest, with the Black Bindweed vine!

Picked Green and Yellow Zucchini, lying on a ziplock bag on the ground

There have been homeless people camped under the Barn Swallow bridge, since the heat dome. It's a decent place for humans... you've got shade all day and the wind is funneled thru to keep things a bit cooler.

But I'm so frustrated about it!

There was a parent Barn Swallow IN the far nest, today!

I glance up to see, but I don't want to stop, because I don't want to give away a nest location to humans who might not be respectful.

So I don't know if the Barn Swallow parents are sitting on eggs again. They might be!

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Thursday 11 July 2024... Colourful Things

To be 91° today, but there's still some upper 90s in the forecast. So we're not quite done with the hot temperatures around here.

And the new Climate Change Wind is very gusty today. The weather page said 9 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. I'm still not used to the wind, but 28mph sounds like a lot!

Colourful flowers

I'm getting a fork out of the tool shed at the Community Garden, so I'm having a wander to look at other people's plots. Roz has some Echinaceas blooming.

Echinacea blooms

Bumblebee on an Echinacea bloom

Sunflowers are starting to bloom!

Two sunflower blooms with blue sky behind

Kevin's Opium Poppies still have some blooms.

Pink Opium Poppy blooms

Ha, photobombed by a cute lil House Fly!

House Fly standing on a Poppy seedpod

These flowers should be loaded with Honey Bees, but I just see the one today... sighs.

Honey Bee flying over a pink opium poppy

Okay. Here I am at my plot.

Garden Plot

I'm going to use the fork to dig up what I can of the recurring Comfrey.

Comfrey leaves coming up

I've lost track of how many times I've had to chop at it!

And the After picture:

Garden plot

I did pull some good size roots from the small Comfrey in front, but just leaves and stems fromt the big one. It's just the deepest roots left on that one, it looks like.

Bucket of Comfrey leaves and roots

That first SunGold is still ripening.

Green cherry tomatoes on the vine, with one orange one

The Brandywine looks a little rougher every day... some leaves are dying, a bunch of flowers not fertilized.

Green tomatoes on the vine

The big Yellow Zucchini is doing good things.

Yellow zucchini fruits on the vine

And I got the first Crookneck today!

Harvest, picked summer squashes and snap pea pods lying on a ziplock bag on the ground

And that Black Bindweed is getting all over the place. ha.

I take the fork back to the shed. And someone else is growing Sweet Peas as well. Crazy people! Sweet Peas are poisonous!

Sweet Pea blooms

We have a pollinator flower bed at the front of the Community Garden. It is not as tended or exciting as last year, but these red flowers ... are they Crocosmias?

Red Crocosmias blooms

I saw an Anna Hummingbird darting around them! Unfortunately, she didn't stick around for photos. oh well.

Red Crocosmias blooms

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Wednesday 10 July 2024... French People!

We are done with the 106° heat dome... tho it's still 97° today. But that is significantly cooler and it definitely feels nicer today.

Seed heads of not-dandelions in a feild of dead grass

Close up of a seed head of a not-dandelion

Nutria sitting in the grass

Dragonfly standing on a chain link fence

I'm at the garden and will continue to hand weed in the Tofu Patch.

Garden Plot

So! The French people!!

When they were first coming in, I could hear them chatting, but they were too far away to hear their actual words. But the cadence of their speech was wrong, and as they got closer it sounded like they were literally talking gibberish! I honestly thought the heat had finally gotten to me and I was hallucinating!!

But as they approached, I heard a couple Ouis and I realized they were speaking French! They came up the aisle, went past my plot and into the diagonal plot across the path.

The men were lagging behind, looking at everything and they stopped in front of my plot. He pointed at the big Zucchini plants in the Supplementary Squash Square and said Courgette! I laughed and said YES! He added something else, and I probably had a quizzical look, and the other man translated for me: Nice Garden! :)

I was working in the Tofu Patch, but I was delighted by their French back and forth conversation, punctuated by excited declarations and garden joy!

About mid way thru my watering routine, the man came back to check out my plot. No speak English, he told me. I nodded and let him know I don't speak any French. He pointed and said stuff and I was sorry to be the ignorant American. *Laughs*

But the others came by, and I got more translations. They were admiring the front Garden Square. The woman pointed to the Borage, and said a word similar: bourrache, Boo-Haush (like hush, but with a long A sound). They said you could eat the flowers, and I was all Meh! But she went to pick one, and I did as well and we both ate. I said, It's fuzzy! I told them the Borage was for the bees, and they agreed the bees love it.

And then they pointed at the Amaranth. That word is the same in French, just with an accent. They discussed it and said you can eat the seeds but it's a lot of work to get them. I told them the Amaranth was for the birds.

*laughs* I only wish I could have more plants in the garden that are only for the wildlife!!

It was very fun to meet them and I loved talking with them even tho I had to wait for translations!

So, I've gotten another little strip of weeds out of the Tofu Patch. I think the Soybeans appreciate it!

Soybean seedling

There's a glorious Volunteer Sunflower growing in the Tofu Patch as well.

Sunflower growing

I mentioned the other day that it's nearly impossible to tell the Amaranth from the Tomatillo... Here are the growing plants, side by side...

Amaranth and Tomatillo

Amaranth on the left, Tomatillo on the right.

The Tomatillo has a first bloom on it!

Tomatillo bloom

There's a Sunflower and a Tomatillo growing next to the Wax Bean trellis as well. Perfect! It's great when the Volunteers place themselves so well!

Beans with other plants growing around them

And here's the Sunflower I bought, overlooking the Squash Square.

Sunflower and squash plants

It looks like it's going to bloom before it gets tall. It's only just a bit over 3feet tall right now. eh, that's okay.

Picked Zucchini and Snap Peas lying on a ziplock bag on the ground

Crookneck squashes growing on the vine

Eggplant

And when I got home, I discovered I had a blister on the tip of my finger, right above the nail. Ha! That damn Crabgrass! Trying to get under the base of it... Stupid hard work!

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Tuesday 9 July 2024... Gardening in the heat.

Fifth day of the heat dome, 106° and we've tied the Oregon record for most 100°+ days in a row.

There was a dead baby bird on the bike path. Too young for me to tell what species. Too hot to live.

And makes me worry about the Barn Swallows, who are rebuilding their second nest for another brood. sighs.

At the garden, the Old German has folded up all the leaves on the west side.

Tomato plant leaves, folded up in the heat

Well, at least they haven't wilted. I pour water like crazy.

Today I begin Project Tofu Patch... here's the Before pic:

garden plot

Filled with Smartweed and Crabgrass, that's got to go.

And After:

garden plot

It will take a few days to finish.

Spaghetti Squash fruit growing on the vine

Green tomatoes growing on the vine

Green tomatoes growing on the vine

I ate about 20 Sugar Snap Peas at the garden, instead of bringing them home... I've got too many at home!

Snap Pea pods growing on the vine

I need to step up my squash eating at home too... they are starting to pile up alarmingly! *laughs* I picked todays Zucs pretty small...

harvested zucchinis lying on a ziplock bag on the ground

And, ya know... I felt kind of bad, picking them so small. It feels like I am wasting food by not letting them grow to the size I would normally pick them.

Yes. I am crazy.

Walking home, I came across this one, right as they caught a snack. Crustacean maybe?

Heron eating a crusacean

And, hey! This is someone new! Hardly has any shoulder patch at all!

Welcome to the neighborhood!

Heron walking in shallow water

And at home, more of the little Pansies are blooming!

Pansies blooming

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Monday 8 July 2024... A Happy Day of Discoveries

Fourth day of the heat dome, 105°.

Good Morning Beautiful Kitty.

Long hair tortishell cat sitting on the ground

Hi, Knotty!

Great Blue Heron standing in a sunbeam behind shrubbery

Oh my gosh! The other Barn Swallow nest is being rebuilt!!

Barn Swallow nest on a pipe

Well! This is exciting!

And then I get to the garden, and noticed this right as I walked in!

Ripening tomato on the vine

Yay! Ripening!

Today I'm weeding the Wax Beans... Don't they look so much happier!

Bean seedlings

I wanted to keep most of the Borage, going down the middle of the trellis. But there was Crabgrass and Smartweed making the bean seedlings feel crowded.

Bean seedlings

Definitely, much better!

Garden plot

The Buckwheat must be happy with the weeding I gave it the other day... The first bloom!

Buckwheat bloom

The Green Zuc is being crazy!

Zucchini fruits growing on the vine

And the Yellow Zuc is being slightly less crazy!

Zucchini fruits growing on the vine

The Crookneck is also less crazy!

Crookneck fruits growing on the vine

A pretty good harvest of Sugar Snap Peas today!

Snap Peas harvested and laying on a ziplock bag on the ground

(along with some of the Borage I pulled from the Wax Beans... Not only is Borage easy to pull up where you don't want it, but it also breaks down very quickly to return nutrients to the soil! I love Borage for so many different reasons! :)

Cucumber blooms

I guess the next project needs to be clearing out the failed Tofu Patch. Bleh.

Garden Plot

But then I get home and discover the first Pansy bloom!!!

Pansy bloom

Yay!

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Sunday 7 July 2024... Hot Sunday Stroll

Third day of the heat dome, 103° today.

Not only are we breaking all-time record highs, but it's looking like we will also tie the Oregon record for most consecutative 100°+ days... Portland had five days of over 100° heat in 1941.

Flowers

House Sparrow singing on a twig

Scrub Jay standing on a wood fence

And I finished weeding around the couple of Buckwheats, growing at the edge of the Squash Square...

Buckwheat growing

That stupid Crabgrass growing there took forever to murder! Getting up, under each plant's base to pull the whole thing out was just time consuming. And there was just so much of it... the seeds must have come in with the winter leaf mulch I put down last year.

So annoying. Means I'll probably be fighting it off for years to come. sighs.

Garden Plot

Picked zucchinis and some snap peas lying on a ziplock bag on the ground

Green tomato on the vine

Bumblebee in a squash bloom

Eggplant growing in the ground

As I was leaving, this lovely one showed up! They were flitting around, and I asked them to sit somewhere so I could get a portrait.

Painted Lady Butterfly sitting on a tomato leaf

A Painted Lady Butterfly!

Painted Lady Butterfly sitting on a tomato leaf

I am happy with all the bugs in the garden plot, but it's always nice to meet with the more beautiful ones!

Painted Lady, sitting on a leaf with his wings folded

Crows standing in a pine tree, cawing

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Saturday 6 July 2024... Gardening in the heat

Day Two of the heat dome, todays high is 104° (40°C).

This blurry guy was way over on the other side of the creek... but he's so bright I could see him a mile away!

Red Dragonfly standing on a twig

Flame Skimmer!

And the Hydaspe Fritillary...

Butterfly standingon a stalk of dried grass

The bugs must like the heat.

As for me, I suddenly noticed a good thing about our new Climate Change Wind... It was blowing a little bit today, and when it quit the heat suddenly got so oppressive and I could feel it radiating off the bike path! And then the wind blew again and took the heat away!

Oh yeah, the walk home, with wet clothes is going to be much nicer!

The Giant Marigold in the front of the plot is doing really well. It's the only one with yellow blooms, the other three have orange blooms.

Marigold blooms

I have more energy today, I guess the body is starting to adapt to the heat! I've weeded the Leeks again (with the two volunteer beets).

Garden plot

But the Tofu Patch? I might need to give up on it...

garden plot

I had re-seeded the Soybeans for the Third time on Jun23, and I don't think any new plants have come up from that. And the plants that have come up, are just not growing like they should. They are staying small.

And the Smartweed is taking over again.

So maybe I'll weed it again, leave whatever Soybeans are there, of course. and the Tomatillos I want to keep. And maybe I'll plant some more Buckwheat in the space that's left as a nice summer cover crop.

Such a bummer. Maybe there's something wrong with the dirt over on this side. idk.

But check this out! The first real harvest of Sugar Snap Peas!

Picked Snap Peas, lying on a ziplock bag on the ground

WooHoo! There are about 30 pea pods here, and I ate 10 before I took the pic... so 40 total for today! And lots of smaller pods left to be picked later!

And the Primary SunGold!

Green Cherry Tomatoes and blossoms on the vine, the blue sky in the background

I also weeded a bit under the Buckwheats, at the edge of the Squash Square.

garden plot

The stupid Crabgrass growing here takes such a long stupid time to work out of the dirt. And my fingers hurt from digging under each little plant to get the crown out. bah!

But this is nice:

Small Crookneck fruit growing on the vine

I'm out... but I glance back as I'm leaving...

Garden Plot

Look at all the dead dirt pathways. I worked so hard to meet their stupid expectations. But I guess it does kinda look like a real garden this year. heh.

All that Borage notwithstanding! :D

On the way home, Nutria youngsters!

Two Nutrias sitting in the grass

Some ran away as I approached, I think there were five kids altogether! So Cute!

Two Nutrias sitting in the grass

Purple flowers

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Friday 5 July 2024... Gardening in the heat

Olive Green Hydro Flask

To be 101° today, and it was already up over 75° when I was leaving the house. I decided to take both of my water bottles to the garden today! I put a couple ice cubes in each of them... Hydroflasks do really well with insulation, but the ice only clinked in the bottles for a couple of blocks.

Once I got to the garden, I kept the bottles in the shade, and the water was still cold even when I finished drinking it a couple hours later!! Well. Maybe luke-cold is a better way to describe it. *laughs*

So I was going to weed out more Crabgrass... At the edge of the Squash Square is my little exeriment of Buckwheat...


Garden plot

The Buckwheat is there in the middle, the Sunflower I bought is on the left and the big Crookneck on the right with some smaller leaves of probably Spaghetti Squash.

The rest of the green in there is Smartweed and Crabgrass... And you can see a couple leaves of the Black Bindweed as well. The weeds here need to go! I want the Buckwheat to live!

But... I didn't get very far with the weeding. The heat got to me!

Well. I watered for a good long while. And I hosed myself as well... the cold water felt good, tho there's not much wind today for an evaporative effect. But I def felt better after watering!

The Brandywine...

Green tomatoes and a blossom on the vine

I'm a little concerned because not all of the flowers are getting fertilized on the Brandywine and the Old German. I mentioned the other day that there weren't many European Honey Bees around this year, but you'd think with everyone else buzzing around here, the flowers would get fertilized! sighs.

This little guy is growing at the edge of the Tofu Patch...

Small Tomatillo plant growing

Yay! It's a volunteer Tomatillo! So happy to see it!

When they are small, they look almost exactly like Amaranth! There's plenty of Amaranth around, but I waited before I weeded it out because yeah, I was looking for some Tomatillos!

I am very pleased with the Squash Square...

Garden Plot

And it'll be even better once I finish weeding around the Buckwheats under the Sunflower!

But the Wax Beans, there on the right at the base of the trellis... I am not so pleased with. GROW!

*laughs*

and the Supplementary Squash Square is a happy place as well.

Zucchini plants

Green Zuc on the left, Yellow Zuc on the right, and there's actually a smaller Yellow Zuc behind it.

Yeah. That's a lot of plants for one person. Partner has never been interested in eating zucchini. But I love Zucchini! And I'm looking forward to trying to eat it all!! :)

And speaking of Partner...

The other day, he was here at the Community Garden, dropping off our compost. The Garden has a big place designated for organic waste, which is hauled away with dump trucks a couple times a year. A local company then uses that for compost.

And since Partner and I live in an apartment, we don't have a place to put compost. So we take our kitchen scraps to the garden and add them to the pile.

And when he went the other day, a person yelled at him and told him he wasn't allowed to bring kitchen scraps to the compost pile.

???

I have no idea why this person would think that, or why they would want to stop someone from adding kitchen scraps to a compost pile!!

But, having pondered for a little while... it's possible this person thought our kitchen scraps would include dead animal parts.

And yeah. If you eat dead animals, you definitely do NOT want to put those kinds of kitchen scraps into your compost! The rotting process will be all kinds of stuff you don't want! With flies and smells and rats and other omnivores!

But I'm vegan, of course. And Partner is mostly vegan at home. So our kitchen scraps are 100% good for the compost pile.

There's a good bit of coffee grounds and paper filters... which makes for very high quality compost. And then there's the vegetable trimmings. And before too long, those vegetable trimmings will be mostly from veggies I have grown at the garden! Exactly the kind of stuff that is supposed to go into the compost pile!

So the yelling person was a little bit misguided... but only because they didn't have all the information. That's okay.

flowers

My neighbor gave me a little bouquet. I stuck the flowers in a favorite coffee mug and decided to show you how the Pansies are doing as well!

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Thursday 4 July 2024... Garden

A fledgling!

Crow stading on a wood fence

*laughs* I could tell this was a child even without seeing that bit of gape on her face... She was tripping over her own feet as she tried to walk along the board of the fence!

Today I worked in the Squash Square again. Crabgrass. Stupid Crabgrass. But I've freed up some little Spaghetti Squashes.

Garden plot

And I pulled off the first Green Zucchini!!

Harvest: Big Green Zucchini and some snap peas

I ate a few Sugar Snap Pea pods, but I'm taking some home for Partner!

The Crookneck is doing things!

Crookneck fruit, growing on the vine

And the first Old Germans are getting bigger!

Green tomatoes growing on the vine

But ARG! The SunGold in the front has a droopy and wilted branch!

Wilted tomato plant leaves

I guess I'm not watering it enough. And what a bummer to go into the oncoming heat dome like this!

It's 93° today (34°C) but the forecast is saying the 100°+ days will be piling up thru the weekend.

This is the secondary SunGold -- yeah, I've got two plants because I am crazy -- so I guess it's not a huge deal if it loses a few branches. But! It's right next to my precious Brandywine... and I am determined to get at least a couple of those tomatoes this year!

So I watered the heck out of both of them!

On the way home, I was finally able to get a photo of this little one... uh, never mind that bit of litter...

Orange butterfly standing on the sidewalk

This is a Hydaspe Fritillary, such a small butterfly, their whole wingspan is probably less than an inch! But I see one fluttering around these apartment gardens that I pass, every day! Glad I was able to finally figure out who they are!

And yes, I picked up the trash and threw it away at home!

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Wednesday 3 July 2024... Garden

I love these rusty red Sunflowers!

Red Sunflower with a Honey Bee

I'm at the garden to get some work done. But I can't resist a little walk about to look at other people's flowers!

White Petunias

Love in a Mist and a profusion of Nasturtiums!

Love in a Mist bloom and seed pods in front of orange Nasturtium blooms

I used to have Nasturtiums in the back corner of my plot... where the Squash Square is right now. They reseeded themselves for a long time. But last year, when I did a good job of weeding in prep for the Tofu Patch, only a couple popped up. And none, this year.

I kind of miss them. I'll have to try again with them next year!

Oooh! These Daisies are something different!

Daisy blooms

Wow! I Like!

Daisy blooms

Male House Finch standing on a wood post, blue sky behind him

Smartweed is blooming in my plot...

Smartweed blooms

It's a native but you have to be careful with it because it tends to form mats and chokes everything else out. But one or two, here and there are nice. Because native plants support native pollinators!

Yum... I ate five Sugar Snap Pea pods today! I'm trying to pick the fatter ones, since those are sweeter!

Snap Pea pod on the vine

I've cleared another little section of weeds in the Squash Square. It's slow going here...

Garden plot

Ugh, there is tons of Crabgrass and it is SO hard to get out! The blades of grass break off easily if you just grab it. The crown is buried a bit, and the roots make it hard to get up under it.

The Wax Bean seedlings... Grow faster please!

Bean seedlings

The Old German tomato, with some of the Giant Marigolds in the background! The Old German has a couple baby fruits growing too!

Tomato blooms

But the Black Tomato is still so very small. Grow!

Garden Plot

I wonder who munches little holes in the Eggplant?

Eggplant

Happy Lemon Cucumbers, starting to climb the trellis!!

Cucumber vines

And some of the borage is blooming!! But where are the bees???

Borage bloom

I've noticed an unfortunate LACK of European Honey Bees this spring. And it's highly unusual to have Borage blooms without Honey Bees dancing around them!

But, without the Honey Bees, I've been paying more attention to the other pollinators!

Bumblebees of course! But also Hover Flies, Bee Flies and Sweat Bees!

Wasps! Several different kinds of Wasps... Yellow Jackets of course, but there's these amazingly beautiful black and red wasps! Wow, they are lovely, but I can't even get close to getting a photo! They are shy. But I want to be your friend! Nope! *laughs*

There's the Cabbage Whites, of course, the most abundant of the butterflies.

And even House Flies are around! They are beautiful in the sunshine, with their iridescent colours!

I love bugs! And I'm so glad to have them in my garden plot!!

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Tuesday 2 July 2024... River, with Fledgling Tree Swallows!

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Monday 1 July 2024... Garden Tour!

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Monday 1 July 2024... With fear for our democracy, I dissent.

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2024... Archived Blog Posts

January 2024 (partial)

February 2024

March 2024

April 2024

May 2024

June 2024



2023... Archived Blog Posts

February 2023 (partial)

March 2023

April 2023

May 2023 (partial)

June 2023 (partial)

July 2023

August 2023

September 2023

October 2023

November 2023

December 2023



Saturday 16 July 2022... New Osprey Nest!

So I've looked at a map, and I hope I get around the new Downtown Riverfront Park without getting lost this time. It's closed because they are using it for the World Athletics Championships, which started yesterday and runs until the 25th.

This amazing mural just outside the Rose Garden was finished just in time for the Championships.

Mural of birds and roses

And, of course, you can't go by the Rose Garden without obsessively taking photos of the roses.

Strike It Rich, Grandiflora rose

Grande Dame, Hybrid Tea rose

And then we gotta check the Osprey nest on the other side of the river. There's one child there today, and she takes off ... only to make a loop and come back to the nest.

Osprey flying back to the nest platform

Osprey lands in the nest

XXX... Goal: Finish this post!

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I'm archiving the 2022 posts...

January 2022


February 2022


March 2022
Story of nesting Anna Hummingbird begins here!


April 2022
... And the nesting Hummer story continues here, until the babies fly away in mid-April!


May 2022


June 2022


July 2022





2021... BLOG POSTS

(completed 28 May 2023...)

January thru July 2021 Archive

August 2021 Archive

September 2021 Archive

October 2021 Archive

(No entries for November 2021)

December 2021 Archive

Goal: revisit August 2021... Road Trip to Utah!

And then keep filling in posts from there thru the end of 2021.

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2020... BLOG POSTS

(completed 27 Dec 2020 thru 5 Jan 2021...)

2020 Archive... January thru July

(posted 21 Apr 2023...)

2020 Archive... Aug thru Dec

GOAL...

Revisit the Aug thru Dec archive page and add photos and clear out the xxx!

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2019... BLOG POSTS

(Posted 22 Dec 2020...)

The new archive is HTML5, and completely validated!

2019 journal entries

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2018... BLOG POSTS

(Posted 18 Dec 2020...)

I have managed to move all of the 2018 journal entries into an archive page. I did not write very much in 2018, so I decided not to divide them up into months, like I usually do.

The new archive is HTML5, and completely validated!

2018 journal entries

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2017... BLOG POSTS

(Posted 19 Dec 2020...)

I have managed to move all of the 2017 journal entries into an archive page. And again, I didn't write very much, so the posts for the entire year are on one page.

The new archive is HTML5, and completely validated!

2017 journal entries

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Welcome
rifts avatar
I am rift vegan!

I live in the Pacific Northwest of the USA, with my Partner in a tiny townhouse. I am vegan for ethical and environmental reasons, my love for animals and nature is a very important part of my life.

This blog is currently a place for the photos I take while out walking.
Topics include...
Nature! Flora, Fauna, Funga and Phenomena.
Clouds and the fog on the hill.
Trees, native plants, blossoms and botanicals.
Wildlife! Mostly birds and squirrels. Occasionally other creatures, including bugs.
Reading and Journaling.
Veganic Gardening.
Rants!

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Yep, you can email me. and you can write to me.
Email

rift vegan
PO Box 23724
Eugene OR 97402
USA


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