Laws of Nature

Earth 74% covered in water, human body 60% water... Chicago 110% water. The floods have arrived folks. I pray our little Maple tree baby survives. We just planted it 2 days ago. This morning I found a new born bird laying on our patio table. Sadly, she didn't survive. I gently picked her up with a tissue I had in my pocket, and teary eyed I held it's tiny, featherless, fragile body. A short-lived miracle who never saw flight. I returned her to the Earth, and laid a flower over the spot. That is the way of nature. Some make it, some don't. It is just sad to see the ones that don't.

Every evening I do as much landscaping/ gardening as possible, as light + weather permits. Around 9pm the mosquitoes are having a feast of me, so I have to pack it up then. The wheel barrel is nearly full of rain water just from this afternoon. During a heavy rain, the soil compacted / low areas of the yard becomes very obvious. That dark soil square is a new planting experiment, I will discuss later if all goes well!

And who may this be? The mischievous bugger roaming our block. Mystery Cat has been freely using our yard as a litter box. No collar, of course (argh!). No one in the neighborhood has laid claim to this feline. But he appears quite healthy and well fed (and hopefully neutered). I've tried many nontoxic natural cat repellents like citrus peel, coffee grinds, planted lavender. Yet the poo keeps moving from place to place. I turn my back for a minute, and there's a fresh "deposit" in the center of the yard. And I never can catch him in the act! How ironic, after 15 years of taking care of my own cats, that I'd be picking up after this assailant? Such is the way of a nature, I suppose!

Have fun this Father's Day weekend! xoxo