I sat out on the back steps this morning in the shade before 8, before the sun got high and hot. Just watching the goings-on in the back yard. I have missed the yard this week as I’ve had to go to the office to work. Our internet has been down since last Friday (today I am using hotspot on my phone to connect, but it is insufficient for work). This morning Mr. Boots came for breakfast about 6 and as I sat on the steps the little grey-white cat, who is likely one of Boots’ progeny, came through to drink from the bird bath. The hummingbird who has adopted our yard as his territory was busy chasing away interlopers from the nectar in the feeder, the cardinal flowers that are now blooming, and the physotegia. He seemed to tolerate several smaller hummers, who must be his progeny. Perhaps they built their nest in the neighbor’s elm that borders our yard, though the nest would be too small for us to see from the ground.

We removed the big sycamore tree last winter and were wondering how many of the plants would be lost in the process of machinery and dropping limbs. Not many as it turns out. We planted a blackgum tree towards the front of the back yard and a sweet bay magnolia towards the back, both of which the birds seem to like just fine. The hummer has a particular branch in the blackgum that he sits on to survey his kingdom. We have lots of interesting bees and wasps and even a few butterflies that made it past the wrens and the wasps. Our neighbors across the street have a bee hive and their bees come over here for the water and flowers. Butterflies: Tiger swallowtail and Black swallowtail are the ones I’ve seen most. We did see a single monarch a few weeks ago.

Dennis cucumber plants have yielded about 50-60 pounds of cucumbers and he has been busy making pickles. Also hoe-ing acre after acre of tomato, eggplant, melon and other plants for a friend who has a place in the Missouri bottoms, near the river.

Been a hot summer but I don’t guess I need to tell anyone that. It’s disheartening to dread going outside during the summer, but often these days I do. Supposed to get 105 today. I won’t mention my thoughts on the news- also disheartening and frightening. When we do have internet I work mostly from home with my good friend Kitten Britches. She is getting old, 18 now, but still enjoys life. She goes outside less often but will spend the occasional night outside. Thankfully she seems not to hunt as much as she once did.

I hear the cicadas through the day and in the evenings, katydids in the early morning. Those lazy summer sounds that always make me want to take a nap.