I know why the cat bird sings

note new necklace

Our cat bird after eating the orange we leave out for the oriole

peachy irises. Now 2 days later, all are in bloom. Look nice at sunrise with the light shining through them

I saved all my dahlia tubers from last year and planted them a month ago. Nothing to show for them Maybe our garage was too cold? I bought more dahlias

California poppies have reseeded

We had brunch today for Steve's cousin and her husband. Tried to make our breakfast nook look nice.
To the left are my homemade roasted rhubarb scones. We had bellinis for the champagne flutes. I made frittatas
with roasted peppers and kale (kale from garden) and farro with pesto along with the strawberry, chevre
and spinach salad with caramelized pecans

Steve and his cousin. I'd kill for her upper arms

I often hear cat birds as I run beside thickets but I rarely see them (though I did today as 2 landed on the road in front of me).. I do hear them mewing like a cat. When one was pecking away at the oriole's orange, for a moment I couldn't figure out what it was. Female cowbird?(the male is not a bullbird).

No thanks to Rocky Raccoon, we have to bring the hummingbird feeders inside when the sun sets. Annoying but less annoying to have to fill and clean them up every day plus have Rocky on our ledge making a racket. Raccoons are omnivores though they leave the bird seed alone. He left a half eaten chipmunk under the chair on our porch unless the hawk was crawling around under there (doubtful).

The other night, Steve volunteered to take them in but soon was running back in for the camera. Big red coyote is back! However he went galloping away when he saw Steve so all there is in the photo is an orange dot. Neighbors said his den was on the vacant lot but since a house was put up on it recently, he has been MIA. The dog next door, Odie, a border collie, is usually quite calm but will bark when the coyote comes barreling by. Anyway, the coyote seems to have made quite a dent in the squirrel and rabbit population. Maybe he will develop a taste for raccoons.

I wanted to have nice nails so Steve's cousin wouldn't think I was poorly groomed. I have been gardening quite a bit all week (and still am not done despite all the hours) so I put the manicure off until late yesterday when my usual place was really busy. I was told to  come back later but I am not going to make another trip there so I went to another place that actually is closer to my house, run by Chinese versus Vietnamese. This place was empty but cheaper. The nail person would not talk or even smile, She told me that my nails would be dry in 5 minutes (versus the 15 minutes I am usually told). When she saw me there past the 5 minutes, she told me to Go! You're done!. Hmm, maybe this is why their place isn't crawling with customers. Futzing around with seatbelts is a sure way to wreck semi-wet nails so I went walking and came across some really nice plants on sale so I guess it was good she was rude.

Down to 22.9 BMI. I am shooting for 21. I couldn't do my big ride today as I was preparing for Steve's relatives but tomorrow I will be on the road bright and early. The kids and all their kids won't come until the afternoon for our BBQ. Steve's father and her father were brothers. Out of 8 kids, her father was the last one left until he passed last year at 94. Strangely, their older brother changed his name to be the same as his, which was very confusing. I was told he changed it for his business so that it wouldn't sound so Jewish. This did not make sense as the name he picked is rare among non-Jews and even so, there are plenty of other names out there to use. Like how about Christopher? Or John? But as it turns out, he disapproved of something his younger brother did (the one whose daughter was here) and this is how he showed his disapproval. Very strange. I am mad at you so I am going to take your name?

But it was fun listening to all the stories. She now lives a few hours away in the Midwest instead of the coasts.