Backyard Wildlife Part 2

 I mentioned in an earlier post that we had few birds this year in our backyard and took our feeders down.  We noticed several hummingbirds a few weeks ago, so we put our feeder back up.  Now, we have four hummingbirds competing for a spot at our feeder.  We love to watch them.

While other birds never returned this year, pesky mammals overwhelmed us.  We’ve had rabbits that have eaten most of our flowering plants.  They come early in the morning and late in the evening when we’re inside.  They think our garden is a restaurant and enjoy a variety of salads.

We have two Little Lime Hydrangeas that are usually covered in white blossoms that turn lime-colored after a week or so. They have been stunning every year--except this year.  Deer come during the night to eat the buds and the tender new growth.  We haven’t had a single blossom.  I spray them with smelly Liquid Fence that used to keep deer away.  Now, they think of it as a salad dressing.

I had mentioned previously that one of the chameleons that scampered around our patio lost a tail.  We called him Nubin.  Then, his tail started growing back.  We saw him a couple of days ago and he has almost a full tail.  He seems pretty proud of it.

I guess it’s probably obvious that we spend a lot of time on our patio and in the garden.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com

Revcovering From A Vacation

 Years ago, Aloma and I and the children would leave Rochester, NY early on Saturday morning, fly to Florida, stop at a grocery store to shop for a week, and check into a condo for a week's vacation.  We would swim or hike every day and then leave for home at the latest possible time.  After getting home on Sunday night, I would get up at 6:00 the next morning and leave for the office at Kodak.  It’s amazing that I would be rested from the vacation and energized for months.

Now, we start planning and packing for a week’s vacation at least two weeks ahead and prepare lists for our lists.  We complete loading the car the night before.  We leave early but always stop in the early afternoon.  And we arrive exhausted and take the first few days to rest up.  When we return home, we’re so exhausted that it takes days to unpack and rest.

Last week, we spend days in the North Carolina mountains, enjoying the cool mountain air after a very hot summer in Cary.  In spite of all of my lists, I forgot the charger for my laptop and had to buy one.  We’ve been home a week and we’re finally feeling rested from our vacation.

Seasoned Man

Stevelem117@gmail.com

Jim Evans R.I.P.

 Jim was a member of a ten-person golf group that I played with twice a week for over 15 years in Mooresville, NC.  A couple of members were still working, but most of us were retired.  We would play nine holes and then have lunch together.  Lunch was rowdy and loud with a lot of laughs.  You get to know someone in a special way when you play golf with them.  I think Jim was one of the finest men I have ever known.

Jim took golf seriously, but never complained about a bad shot.  He was one of the few in our group that I never once questioned his ability to count his strokes.  He was a redhead and his skin didn’t tolerate the sun, and he had numerous skin cancers.  But, I never heard him complain.  He tolerated our awful jokes during lunch, but he never told an off-color joke.

He was a food scientist for 30 years with Pillsbury and was probably the smartest person in our group.   He contributed to the community.  Every time I took a donation to the Habitat ReStore, he and his wife Connie were there volunteering.  He was active in St. Therese Catholic Church.  It was obvious to us that the most important thing in his life was his wife and children.

We moved from Mooresville eight years ago.  I miss that golf group and miss Jim’s friendship.

Jim Evans, Rest in Peace.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com