I know I've been missing from here! I really have been busy, mostly working in the garden, cooking/eating outdoors, and taking time to stop and smell not only the roses but all the other lovelies blooming around the garden now that summertime is really here.
Travel planning, birthday celebrations, organizing 'stuff' for the always rather scary future - won't dwell too much on that - and meeting up with friends for a glass of very cold rosé now and then, has filled in the blanks.
Now we have visitors - several of the four legged variety!
A feral tuxedo cat who has been hanging around for many months is now a momma and introduced us to her two cute, already large, kittens on Saturday.
Yesterday, a momma grey fox brought three large healthy looking kits to our back garden just prior to dusk and they played for about 20 minutes. They seem to be living under my neighbor's shed. We've had foxes before but it has been a few years so seeing this new family is lovely.
Wildlife entertainment is always wonderful to view. Photos through the window are not great - all these animals move so quickly - but you can see that all the babies are quite large already. Hoping of course there is no negative interaction of cats and foxes, and that all can live here harmoniously for the coming weeks until they move on!
Whatever you spend your day doing I hope it's fun and the sun shines on you,
your families and friends. Very hot here, close to 100F all week.
On July 5 we'll still be celebrating as Bob will have another birthday!
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Dearest Mary,
ReplyDeleteWishing you both a Happy 4th of July and to Bob a Happy Birthday!
Did you check your email?
Hugs,
Mariette
Bob thanks you so much and we both send healing thoughts your way dear Mariette. Life is so busy lately and I need to catch up - the computer is taking rest and I need one too! Hugs xx
DeleteThe only wildlife I have here is a small mouse who lives under the shed, and a hedgehog who potters around at night!
ReplyDeleteI want a hedgehog!!!!!
DeleteHello Mary, it's Meike (Blogger acting up on me today).
ReplyDeleteFoxes and cats - usually, they do not exactly love each other, but I hope very much you won't witness any drama in your garden, and everyone can grow up peacefully.
The sunflowers are so beautiful! It feels already much more advanced in summer, not like the beginning of July, but more like the end of summer - which I definitely am not keen on.
Happy Fourth of July, and then Happy Birthday to Bob!
Meike - thanks from Bob for the birthday greeting. We are so busy this week with many people calling and being so nice in celebrating my dear guy. Dinner out last night and now off to lunch with more friends today!
DeleteHappy 4th July, dear Mary. What great wildlife you have around you. The fox and her young are lovely, and what a joy to watch them. The sunflowers are magnificent! Enjoy the holiday.xx
ReplyDeleteYes, busy week with the 4th holiday, and 6 birthdays (family and friends). So hot, feel bad for the baby animals and just hope they all survive. Hope all good there Trish X
DeleteHappy 4th of July! Almost 250 years of it too!
ReplyDeleteI guess (as you'll know) we don't really have an equivalent here in the UK, just as we don't celebrate Thanksgiving. But we do have foxes... some of which live in the field by my house, though I'm not telling the farmer.
I was reading more of your great book last night Mark - just needed something calming and well written to end what was a busy, overly hot and humid day. Thank you!
DeleteHi Mary, how wonderful that you have foxes visiting you! They're such beautiful creatures. I feel sorry for the feral kitty mama and her babies. Do they have food and water sources? Does your town or county have a TNR program to get them spayed and/or neutered and released? At least that way, they won't be reproducing and then there being even more feral kitties in your neighborhood. I succesfully trapped a mama and one of her babies last year - and they actually both got adopted because she was more of a stray, not truly feral. And a couple of months ago, I trapped a male kitty and he is in the adoption process now too, as he also turned out to be friendly. However, I've been taking care of another male feral for a year now...he is truly feral. Even after a year, he is terrified of me. I feed him whenever he comes to my porch (almost every night) and leave a bowl of fresh water out for him, too. I'm working with a rescue who does TNR and hope to trap him this summer so he can at least get neutered.
ReplyDeleteThe kitties haven't been around - wondering if the foxes have scared them off! It's so hard to interfere with nature, and just keeping abreast of the torrid weather here at this time of year is really difficult. We do have water set out but have withheld filling the bird feeders this week to keep the many squirrels and deer away! We found a dead rabbit in the garden and believe that was left by a hawk - there's just too much wildlife to keep up with lately!
DeleteMel, you are very kind regarding all you do for the feral kitties.
Janet Magina here. Happy Birthday to Bob, seems like just yesterday we were sitting on our deck at our former home chatting about Bob’s upcoming birthday.
ReplyDeleteBob thanks you Janet, and yes I recall when we were all together. . . . . . .too many years ago!
DeleteHope you are both well and happy xx
No 4th celebrations here. I love your wild life visitors. What fun to see. Our only wild life is squirrels, occasional raccoons and occasional bunnies, plus always crows! Marilyn M.
ReplyDelete