by Lorraine on August 28, 2008
Previously I mentioned that I was going to clean out the Poppies and became distracted by the Doves. So, as I was saying, it was my birthday (May) and I was looking forward to just being outside in the garden, when I noticed that the Poppies weren’t looking too good anymore.
At first I thought that I would just remove them by simply digging them up using a pitchfork. But aha! That proved to be very difficult as the ground was just too dry and hard. So, I ended up simply pulling them out by hand, which really wasn’t very effective, as they tended to break off at the stems. It didn’t take too long for me to fill up one trash barrel with what I had pulled out and I wasn’t even done.
The weather is cool and yet I’m mindful that I need to pay attention as to where I put my hands, as there could be any early Rattlesnake. Thankfully there wasn’t any around but I did notice a motionless lizard.
He was a bit chilled and I almost stepped on the poor guy. I just left him alone, dozing and enjoying his lizard dreams, (whatever they are….probably about bugs) and continued to work. Eventually he moved underneath a rock to complete his snooze.
Chico of course, is hanging out in the garden right near me. He was on his usual lizard “patrol” and I certainly didn’t want him to catch it and I was relieved that he never saw it and if he did, I would have picked up the lizard and moved him to safety.
I continue to see a pair of Quail most mornings and I’m always wondering why they are not part of a flock. Usually Quail are in groups but these two seem to be “loners” and it’s odd that the male and female are by themselves. Biscuit was staring out the kitchen window the other morning at them, with a very nefarious expression.
by Lorraine on August 28, 2008
May 24th. I spent my birthday working in the garden, if you can call the pleasure that I derive from being in my garden “working”. The poppies are starting to look drab and not as colorful as they were a few weeks ago. The foliage on them is turning a bit gray and some of them are starting to lean over towards the ground. So I decided it was time to clean them out.
As I was walking towards the garage to get some tools, my neighbor Sally came over. We were on the pathway, talking when she happened to look up into the tree and saw two fledgling Doves right over her head. I didn’t know it but apparently there had been a nest in the tree for quite some time and these two birds were from the nest and probably had been there for awhile, I just hadn’t noticed them before.
Now, they’re out of the nest and the two of them are just sitting on this branch. Luckily, Sally didn’t get pooped on! They stayed in the same spot for two days and then finally flew away. I ‘ve noticed that there have been a lot of Doves in the area and they really love my garden. They like to kick the mulch around as they look for food and they use the bird bath for drinking and almost seem tame.
Dove Butts
Dove Fronts
by Lorraine on August 25, 2008
So unless I can keep an eye on Chico and Biscuit, they don’t get to go outside very often. But when they are out, Chico sometimes catches a lizard. Biscuit? Never but he sure likes looking. When on those very rare times that Chico catches one, I have to rescue it and almost 99% of the time, the lizard makes it’s get-away!
On this particular day, Chico happened to catch one on the opposite side of the garden from where I was. And he immediately made a run towards the open door. I was leap-frogging across the garden, trying not to land on any of the plants, in my race to shut the door before he ran into the house. I managed to shut it just in time and he was pretty annoyed about it.
“Thwarted”!!! He held onto his treasure as I tried to convince him to let it go but he wasn’t giving it up.
Finally, he lost his grip on the little bugger when he moved slightly. And instead of getting a firmer grip on it, he dropped it and Mr. Lizard made a very fast run into the garden and hid. Chico, of course, is looking around, wondering where it went but he couldn’t find it. Score a point for the lizard.
by Lorraine on August 25, 2008
by Lorraine on August 24, 2008
Quimby
When the Gang of Three are in the garden, I’m there, too, always keeping an eye on the action. I don’t want them to catch any birds or the lizards that have come into my little santuary of native plant bliss.
I had read recently about the large impact that cats have on wildlife and that on a given day in the U.S. on an average, cats will kill 300,000 birds. I was shocked by that figure and it wasn’t until I had these three cats, that I decided I would keep them inside the house not only for their benefit but especially the wildlife.
All of my other cats that I have had over the years were indoor and outdoor kitties and they did catch a lot of birds, sometimes rabbits and lizards and I always found it upsetting and now I’m glad that I keep them inside.
So I made the decision to have The Gang of Three be indoor cats and actually, they prefer it, even Sparkle who is completely feral. They feel safe, they don’t have fleas and there aren’t any health issues or problems that an outdoor cat can develop and the wildlife is safe from them, too.
So when they are outside, I’m there as well, keeping a eye on them. I leave the door open so that if something scares them, they can make a fast run inside, usually a stampede! They get scared pretty easily and especially if the evil Quimby comes over to my house.
He’s an old marmalaid cat and he likes to appear as threatening as he can to Chico, Biscuit and Sparkle who has had a run-in with him. His tactic his to give my cats his version of the feline evil eye and seem scary. Because of his uninvited intentions, that’s the one reason I leave the door open so that they can run to safety.
But this also leaves open the possibility that another type of critter might stroll or slither into the house and I really don’t want to have to deal with frightened lizard or worst yet, a snake. Especially a Rattlesnake.
