Nanaimo: Do I look like I’m about to jump into this basket of laundry, fresh from the dryer? Would I ever do such a thing?
Chinook: Yes, I am as soft as I look. You know you want to rub my tummy.
Surely you can think of better captions than these. Leave some in the comments!
At GimletBlog, we don’t shrink from reporting those times when nature reclaims what it has so carefully nurtured (q.v. last February’s sharp-shinned hawk episode). But be thankful that The Gimlet took the camera to WashJam: this morning the At-Home Unit found a huge pile of feathers … and bits … in our back yard. Your Humble Narrator went outside to investigate, heard rustling in the cedar tree, but couldn’t see anything, and returned indoors with the reluctant plan to rake up the mess after breakfast.
Once inside, we looked out the window again, and two raccoons climbed out of the cedar tree, then resumed digging through the feathers. They were joined by more raccoons, bringing more feathers … and bits … (these were recognizable as once belonging to at least one of our neighbor’s chickens) over the fence. Soon our apologetic neighbor showed up to clean up the mess; he counted five raccoons in the cedar tree. The raccoon gang had come in the morning, after the neighbors had let the chickens out of their coop for the day, and killed one. Urban chickens are very popular around here (three of our neighbors have coops) but this morning’s carnage was a good reminder to be aware of the other neighborhood residents who might be equally fond of chickens.
The Gimlet and Thing One are going to WashJam this weekend, while the Team Gimlet: At Home Unit will hopefully spend a quiet few days recovering from the souvenir cold or flu brought back from the last scout camp.
But before we got sick, we harvested chives from Thing Two’s garden to use in our Sunday dinner. Thing Two was very excited that his garden had a role to play in the meal, and carefully supervised the cutting (“My chives are getting a haircut!”) and preparation of his precious crop.
The tomatoes are getting redder and redder, but aren’t quite ready to be picked yet. As for the mint, we’re thinking about making some mint jelly; any other ideas for putting our mint to good use?
Thing Two is delighted to report: his tomatoes are ripening, and turning his favorite color!
This week’s theme at preschool was the rainforest, so he made a python (which is sometimes a rattlesnake, when he remembers Camp School) and story pictures, which involved lots of monkeys.
Meanwhile, Thing One is spending the week at Camp Parsons on Hood Canal. When it looked like Thing One would be missing scout camp this year due to our Philmont trip, Troop 125 invited him to join them for their traditional week at Camp Parsons. Later, our troop’s calendar was rearranged and Thing One will be attending Camp Pigott with his own troop later this month after all.
This week promises to be a lot of fun. Camp Parsons provides the scouts with the unique opportunity to camp on a salt water beach, and is one of the oldest scout camps in the USA (established in 1919), so there’s a lot of history and tradition to enjoy participating in. The Gimlet took a few photos when he helped drive the scouts to camp, and if Thing One has time to take any pictures, we’ll add them to the Gimlet Gallery. Watch for Thing One’s report when he returns!
Here’s a last visit to Thing Two’s garden before we leave on vacation. The mint and herbs smell wonderful, and look at all the little tomatoes!
Grandma and our neighbor have been entrusted with watering the plants while we’re away, and we look forward to seeing how much everything has grown when we return.
Much to Thing Two’s delight, the little herb plants are getting larger. The spearmint, peppermint, and lemon balm cuttings took root and are flourishing too, so we look forward to sharing our own cuttings with family and friends some day.
Our kind neighbor donated an additional pair of extra tomato plants, one with a tomato already growing on it. Between our herbs and tomato plants, we may be able to make one Thing Two-sized piece of bruchetta from our harvest.
Our recent extended family visits included a picnic with the Things’ great-uncle, great-aunt and cousin, and great-grandmother. No doubt inspired by their magnificent garden, Thing Two decided he’d like to have a garden, too. It is a little tricky finding enough sunlight in our yard; the best spot is a cracked concrete patio on the south side of the house.
The following Monday, we set up a few containers and planted tomatoes and herbs. Thing Two wanted to watch seeds grow, so that’s what we chose instead of small plants. Our neighbor donated an extra tomato plant for a little immediate gratification (and a backup if our tomato seeds don’t work out), and Thing Two’s great-aunt sent us some peppermint, spearmint, and lemon mint from her garden.
After carefully watering each container, Thing Two was ready for his seeds to start growing. Clearly it was time for some Frog and Toad. Most of life’s issues are covered in these little stories, and “The Garden” from Frog and Toad Together was a must-read at this point. Thing Two clearly empathized with Toad’s need to see his seeds start growing, NOW. So, like Toad, we waited … and waited … and waited … until Sunday morning, when we went out to water the pots, and saw:
Plants! (Highlighted in case you can’t see them.)
We will, of course, keep you posted on what sprouts up.
Editor’s Note: Cross-posted from Sinister Craftiness. The Gimlet thought this was worth sharing on both blogs.
This is a ball of #8 perle cotton.
This is Nanaimo.
After we leave to run errands, here’s what happens when the two combine.
We’ve seen sharp-shinned hawks around the city in the past, but our first up-close encounter occurred a few weeks ago, when I opened the front door and was startled to see one perched in the camellia shrub just a few feet away. The behavior of this little raptor (at 9-13″, just smaller than a crow) is described in Birds of the Puget Sound Region as follows:
Feeds almost exclusively on birds, often near bird feeders. Bursts forth from hidden perch to surprise prey in low, rapid flight.
Who says field guides can’t be thrilling reading?
Those of us who watch nature shows have a pretty good idea what’s coming next, but for everybody else, cue ominous music …
This morning I saw the hawk standing in the front yard. Hmm; odd to see it out in the open like that … A closer look revealed that it had successfully obtained some breakfast from our bird feeders. Judging from the bill and feathers, today’s early bird special was most likely a dark-eyed junco. The full-size photo is probably not for the squeamish.
Meanwhile, indoors our mighty hunter Nanaimo, growling triumphantly, trotted around the house with Thing One’s new coonskin cap firmly in his jaws.
Days like these make us thankful for opposable thumbs and a high brain to body mass ratio.
A few images from our multiple snowstorms:
The view up the street
Brr for the birds
(The chickadee in the top photo tried to nibble on that frozen apple,
but didn’t have much luck.)
A good day to stay home
but some of us have to go to work
(We’re especially thankful for the Gimletmobile and its 4WD,
without which we would have been completely stuck!)
A cozy spot
Kittens watching the snowstorm
(There can never be too many kitten pictures on a blog)
Download the current wallpaper: March
