It'll be a Great Swim, and It's Fence Time!

I awakened early today, and took advantage of not being rushed to write a "proper" blog. I'll still get to the pool on time. If it was yesterday, I probably would have ended up swimming indoors - we had thunderstorms yesterday night and early morning. But today is quiet, so we'll be outdoors for the sunrise. Our really busy day is Wednesday, so hopefully it won't be super crowded today. 

I'm looking forward to getting back into the water again. As 
far as outdoor water goes, the lakes are all open for swimming 
again, although I don't like swimming in them. I'm just not much 
for sharing my swim with wildlife - human beings excepted. 

When I get home from work today, I should have a fence to look at. At least that's my hope. We're on the schedule for today. They originally had wanted to come on Friday last week, but that would have meant I'd have to work and DH would have been home. Since I had a kitchen full of fruit that had to be cooked, and also needed my "Ogre Juice" for the next week, that was a firm "No" on my part. Today was their next available day and Tuesday is excellent for our schedules. It's a day when DH is normally off from work, so we didn't need to shift schedules around. 

Remember these lovelies? Chomped by the deer now. As are 
many of our lillies and lots more flowers. I need my fence 
back. The deer can jump over - I've seen them do it. But 
they're much less prevalent with that barrier in place. 

I did text Laura and Fakhri about the fence install, as I had promised them. I also thanked them for being great neighbors during this event. Laura got back to me later in the day, telling me they were out of town, but appreciated the "heads up" and she'd see me when they returned in a few days. Since I'm a firm believer that good fences make for good neighbors, I'm sure we'll become better acquainted now that the fencing will be replaced. I know DH will be much happier - the deer have been eating and stepping on our flowers and he's hurting every time one of them is cropped up below the blossom. Deer are lovely to look at, but horribly destructive to our flower garden. 

I've seen fox in our area before - a few years ago I saw a 
mother playing with her kits on a grassy slope as the sun 
was rising - it was a magical moment. I adore foxes, so seeing 
one so close to home yesterday really made my morning. 

I don't think I have any hummingbirds this year. I'll blame that on the fence too. The quiet privacy of our yard just isn't. Our yard has become a thoroughfare instead of a cul-de-sac. Oh! I have to share! Yesterday when driving to work, I saw a juvenile fox (probably 1-2 years old) scampering across the main roadway I was on, a limp squirrel held in his jaws. This was only one block east and one block south of my home4! I knew we had foxes in our area - I've seen them on rare occasions. Seeing him so close to home was a real treat!  

Just having that wonderful length to swim during the warmer 
months is a real treat. Running in and out of the water can 
be cold, but the water itself is warm and wonderful. A great 
workout, of course, but also a wonderful way to greet the sun 
at dawn. 

So, I'm off to the pool. It's a good thing I wasn't swimming yesterday - it was thunderstorms and rain, and the indoor pool would have been the only option. Today, on the other hand, is quiet and lovely. It'll be a great outdoor swim. It's so nice to stretch out in the length of the Olympic-sized pool. It's a luxury that we all look forward to - totally understandable. Have an excellent Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Tiny Wildlife in My Garden

Yesterday, the 4th of July, was a relaxing day. I had planned to help DH clean out the backyard gutters (a two-person job for safety's sake), but he decided we deserved a relaxed day instead, and we swept off the patio instead. One of the items on the patio was the old, rusted wheel barrow. We have it turned face down to keep water from accumulating in it, and it's just rusted enough to have one corner with a small gap. Apparently it was being used by a miniature toad, because he was quite unhappy when we removed his safe roof. 

This little guy had been hiding underneath our old
wheelbarrow. To get an idea of size, that's a maple
seed in front of him. He's really tiny. I love our
toads - we actually have quite a few of them sharing
our upper and lower yards. 

After a while, he moved into the grass, and for all I know he's back underneath the old wheel barrow again. After the patio was clean, we moved up to our second seating location to get away from the kids next door who were setting off fireworks while their Dad was building a wooden structure of some sort in the backyard. Our second seating is underneath a large maple tree in the middle of the upper yard. Looking over to my right, I saw another toad - this time on the hunt because he wasn't there long. 

This little toad in the upper backyard is on an old patio
brick. He wasn't there long, but long enough for me
to take a quick photo. 

Looking around me, I also saw this little odd bit of wood. Doesn't it rather look like a lizard slinking toward me? I loved the texture and could imagine eyes so easily. 

This log looked rather like a lizard slinking its
way through the undergrowth. I love the
different patterning of the bark and can almost
imagine eyes and a little forked tongue. 

So that was my 4th of July. Quiet, spent outdoors for much of it, and topped off by a lovely dinner that DH cooked on the charcoal grill. We had a delightful day off, but it's back to routine today. I hope all of you had a great mid-week holiday (if you're in the USA), and enjoyed your Thursday too. I'll be back tomorrow and I'm already looking forward to Sunday and one more day in my garden.