July 19 2010

Diary:

• The stray cat still hanging 'round, acts like he wants to stay
• Mary makes a "CAT FOUND" poster and I walk to the community bulletin board to post it
• On the way, I saw this fellow



resembles an eagle

• Later I came upon a strange clan "making bird houses"



seem harmless enough

• Afternoon, tree man tackles more storm damage

July 18 2010

Diary:

• 9am walk w/Mary

Buckeye Butterfly
• Talk over the fence with a neighbor

Spraying for star thistle
• Family friends invite Mary to attend a kids summer camp in Tahoe next week
• Spend afternoon identifying plants I've photographed
• Jonathan called; he's having a fine time; back by Saturday
• 9:30pm, a cat begins crying at the downstairs door.  Mary feeds it cheese and milk.  It's famished, skittish, forlorn, matted with burs.   Just as Mary leads the cat to the deck with a bowl of milk,  a fox trots through the yard.  We'll have to keep the cat in tonight.

July 17 2010

Diary:

• Worked by self 'till 11am: blew drive, sprayed toyon & poison oak.
• With Mary to pool at 3pm

• Noted snow still on mountains
• Nice spaghetti dinner

• Sunset: coyote was running about in the far fields and  dogs were barking;  we heard a neighbor step out to quiet her collies.

• We've stashed some field guides at the Station: read, stare, daydream, repeat...
• Episode 2 of "Lark Rising to Candleford", a Victorian village drama

July 16 2010

Weird new weed

Diary

• Morning walk w/Mary;  with Jonathan's gone, we can linger and examine stuff
• Afternoon we spent at the swimming pool
• Aunt Shirley called at suppertime
• At BWS-1, sat & watched it slowly grow dark

Oak gall, gnawed

July 15 2010

Diary:

• Morning walk w/kids.
• Chatted with Jay & Alice (busy selling his mother's house)
• Chatted with Diana (Grady working graveyard; she's taking grandkids to Arkansas next week)
• Returning, Mary makes us lemonade
• Late afternoon, Jonathan leaves for Oregon vacation
• Mary watches "My Fair Lady"

I plan a series on "tall weeds" -- using kids for scale

Mary poses with bull thistle gone to seed

Ronnie and Lucy, with weary Diana looking on

July 14

Diary:

• Haircut for everyone
• Laze through the heat of the day: Jonathan with video games, Mary at her blog
• Jonathan & I walk the neighborhood before supper
• Mary & I go swimming after supper

Shirley's is a one-chair shop. We've gone monthly for the past 3 years.

Shirley is family: we share pictures, talk nature, politics, local gossip; she's invited us to her house.

It's an especial treat for Mary -- an old woman fusses over her, talks hair, makes her feel a pretty little girl.

Calling birds with little hand-held squeaker.

July 13

Diary:

• Took early walk by self;  Jimson Weed popping up everywhere, and Turkey Mullein; surprised to meet Jonathan walking towards me far from home.  I think he wanted a man-to-man talk.
• Dentist appointment for me.
• To Folsom post office for passports
• Target for kids clothes
• Frisbee as sun set
• Watched "Tudor & Stuarts" lecture; kids, "Father Knows Best"