Except for a brief period of lawn mowing, I pretty much stayed by my girl’s side most of the day. When I was outside, Don was with her. Because I don’t want her to have to deal with the den steps, I’ve been staying in the living room, sitting in the yellow chair, just like I did last summer when I was recovering from my surgeries. Brings back memories. Scout is hanging in there. She sleeps most of the day, but definitely wants us by her side during this scary time. I’m hoping that tomorrow will bring some easing of the eye movements. Cross your fingers. And thank you for your loving and supportive comments. I told Scoutie that she has a lot of friends out there who love her very much.
The bee balm has started blooming and I have to say it’s the tallest I’ve ever seen it!
Look at that! The tallest one is this photo has to be over 4 feet tall. I tried to take a picture of me standing next to it with my iPhone.
It looks like it just might attack me. But seriously, I’m 5’8″. That stalk has to be over 4 feet – maybe even 4 1/2 feet.
Bee balm has such an exotic look, doesn’t it? I love that shot of red in the garden.
My friend the catbird decided to rest for a bit on my thermometer/rain gauge.
Catbirds love a dip in the birdbath and I frequently see them there. Today I saw two little birds that I hadn’t seen before. I ran for the camera, but quick as a wink, they were gone. Finches, maybe? I’ve seen these two before. They landed for a brief moment on one of my hanging plants. I think they are a pair – male and female.
Today I saw a mom robin feeding her fledglings outside the kitchen window. I made myself turn away. After last year’s worries over those robin fledglings and roaming cats, I can’t go there again. And my neighbors have outdoor cats. I wish they’d keep their darn cats indoors. I mean, they are their pets, right? When cats are let outside, birds, baby birds and baby bunnies become their prey – all of which live on my property. I’m sure I won’t make everyone happy with that statement, but I love all animals. Life is tough enough for baby animals and baby birds without being preyed upon by someone’s pet cat. I don’t let my dogs loose to roam around a neighbor’s property – if I did, I’d get complaints right and left. And I just get too caught up in the whole thing. I can’t help it. I want to save every creature. I want to protect fledgling birds and baby bunnies and the little chipmunks that are running here and there in my yard. This morning I looked out the window and there was a robin, a chipmunk and a bunny all doing their thing within a few feet of each other. That made me so happy. They were perfectly happy to be around each other – no one was threatened. All was peaceful.
Do you hear me cats? Those are the rules on my property, you little killers. Back off. Your owners are feeding you all sorts of nice cat food. You’re not being forced to survive in the wild. You don’t need to feast on anything living, thank you very much.
End of smallish rant.
Speaking of animal cuteness:
Checking out the shed area. My bunnies eat a lot of grass – I rarely see them in the garden – occasionally, but there’s a lot of grass to feast on here at the Cottage. We coexist rather nicely.
Happy Wednesday.
Pretty pictures. So sorry that you had the scare with Scout. Hoping he is better soon. It is so hard when our babies age. ((((HUGS)))))
Hope your baby is better soon.
Thanks for sharing your outdoor walk, Claudia. So many wonderful things to see outside your cottage! I love bee balm, too, but never saw it as tall as yours. Wow!
Glad to hear that Scout is resting and getting better. How scary for all of you. I’ll be back to check on her progress.
xoxo
Donna
Hey pretty lady,
I’m so sorry about Scout, for a minute while reading your post, it sounded like what I’m dealing with, with my mom’s dog (which is now our dog). Our little “Archie,” who is only about 3 years old, has been having seizures every once in a while. We’ve taken him to the vet, but they are over by the time the vet sees him, and unfortunately we cannot afford the costly testing to find what’s wrong. For now I just hold him and stroke and pet him until they are over. He doesn’t seem to be affected by them, but I have a suspicion that they will only get worse as he ages. My thoughts are with you.
Hugs,
Meri
Our pets can be a comfort to us, and we can be a comfort to them too, when they need it. Hope your dog is mending well. I love bee balm, but the red bee balm I planted didn’t take hold and just sort of disappeared. But, some lavender bee balm I brought from our former home has established itself well. It’s a type that is native to our state, so, perhaps it can handle our temperature extremes better than the red. I love that red, though. Maybe I should try it again?
I widh my bunnies only liked grass, Claudia. Mine LOVE tulips and stargazer lillies :(
S
xo
Claudia – I am a cat lover but I agree. I chase free roaming cats off my property. I let my cats out in the fenced back yard and train them to stay. My last cats were trained to leave the birds alone and the birds knew it was safe to stop within a few feet of them. My new cats are still being taught but no birds have died and Lucy now understands that you can’t touch them. Finn is learning but he is male and I find they are harder to train. He got really scared when the mother robin dive-bombed him the other day though so she may have accomplished what I haven’t. I noticed the last couple of times he’s been outside she hasn’t scolded and even got in the bird bath with him beside it.
Hope that Scout makes a speedy recovery, poor baby.
I love cats, and I completely understand your views. It’s not good for them to be wandering around, both for the wildlife, and for themselves. Unfortunately some people seem to think that they are just as disposable as a Kleenex, and that they can take care of themselves.
Boot’s stays in the fenced backyard, the birds are close by and not worried about him at all.
Cat’s are attracted to movement and it’s a instinct not a meanness that makes them stalk, and pounce. Maybe the water hose can induce a few neighbouring cats to leave your wildlife alone.
I understand, and it’s heartbreaking here when the crows get into a birds nest and eat the young….
Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams
Too bad you can’t get those bunnies to eat so much grass you don’t have to mow. I wish I had a chipmunk in my yard. I never see cat birds. I wonder if we don’t have them here. I had bee balm in Texas. I miss it. I need to get another. Attracts nature’s beauties like crazy. Tell Scout I love her. (And Riley too.)
Brenda
Sending Scout a big hug! Hoping she feels better soon. My cat is an indoor cat and so I can enjoy the birds, bunnies and chipmunks in my yard. I hate to see them killed by cats (unless they are for survival, that is the way of nature) but pet cats…no! Love the bee balm, might have to look for that to add to my butterfly garden. Hugs, Linda
I agree with you about cats. I love them, and think pet cats need to be kept indoors, where it is safe. When they are outdoors, their natural instincts to hunt kick in, and they also use my lawn as their litter box. They also get into fights with other cats, and run the risk of getting hit by a car. Unfortunately, not everyone shares our philosophy.
Sending healing thoughts Scout’s way.
So true. I love cats, but I keep mine indoors so they can focus on the mice, instead! :-) Just kidding, we don’t have mice. At least, not at the moment.
Your bee balm is fantastic! I love it when flowers get so tall. Makes me feel like I’m in a secret fairy garden or something.
~Angela~
Around here the babies have more to fear from Hawks, Blue Jays and other flying critters..They’re lucky if they make it out of their nests…The cats around here pretty much stick to voles, etc..My Bee Balm is just starting to bloom..I don’t think it will be that tall.
Around here the babies have more to fear from Hawks, Blue Jays and other flying critters..They’re lucky if they make it out of their nests…The cats around here pretty much stick to voles, etc..My Bee Balm is just starting to bloom..I don’t think it will be that tall.
Claudia, I think you know how I feel on this subject and it’s EXACTLY the same way you do. We also have little chipmunks, squirrels, and birds in our yard and it kills me when I see one of our neighbor’s cats run off with a chipmunk. They stake out their holes and oh-so-silently wait. Whenever I see them I clap loud or run for the hose, but that just sends them running temporarily. They’re back within hours doing the same thing. I’ve talked to the neighbors and it does no good. We had a hawk fly down last week and grab one of the birds feeding in our mulberry tree. It was horrible to see, but that hawk relied on that poor bird for his food. Sad as it is, that’s nature. But as you stated, the kitties preying on the wildlife in our yard are well fed. It’s just a sport for them. Sorry, getting off my soapbox now. Now I have to read back a bit further and see what happened to poor Scout! Oh my gosh!… Donna
What are you feeding that bee balm? I’ve NEVER seen any that tall!
Hugs to Scout during her recovery and to Riley for just being Riley. Hugs to you, too, for being a great doggie mama.
Ooops, I forgot to tell you… Our new homes’ seller said that we will have rabbits, roadrunners, and even deer in our back yard. I can’t wait to watch out the window for the critters while I have my morning coffee!
I love seeing the wildlife, too! In our town, we have a leash law for dogs AND cats, but I still see the cats running around. I hate when I see them get a bird, or even are hit by a car on the road…
WE HAVE 3 CATS…ALL INDOORS….WE ALSO HAVE BABY BUNNIES, CHIPMUNKS, AND A LOT OF BIRDS…..THEY WATCH THEM THROUGH THE WINDOW…..HOPE SCOUT GETS BETTER EACH DAY…..I’M SURE RILEY KNOWS WHATS GOING ON…ANIMALS HAVE THAT SMARTNESS ABOUT THEM…..TAKE CARE…RIZZI
First of all– I love that photo of you and the “attacking bee balm”! I cannot believe how tall your plant is. I’ve never seen a bee balm that tall.
Second, I love that all your critters live harmoniously in your yard. Do you sometimes feel like you’re Beatrix Potter?! I would totally love that.
Third, I feel the same about the neighborhood cats wondering in my yard. I won’t say anymore… but I think we think alike on that subject.
I’ve been thinking about Scoutie today, and hope that she is feeling much better. What a sweetie.
Hugs,
Jill
Hi Claudia, I just found out about Scout’s terrible event and I’m so sad for you and for her. I am going through a very rough period with Nellie right now–she is having trouble walking and we’ve had several diagnoses and various meds. The hardest part, I think, is knowing that these loving creatures are depending on us and we can’t always solve the problem. I’m so glad Scout is improving and won’t have lasting issues. And speaking of dog troubles, Nellie is also terrified of cats, as we had one when she was a puppy. It swiped her in the nose, drawing blood, and ever since then she trembles in fright when they are near. Even in the vet’s waiting room she tucks herself under my legs if a cat comes in. We have birds in our umbrella and in a bird bottle, and a few weeks ago I watched the robins and the finches attack a squirrel that was trying so hard to reach the nests!! I grabbed my camera but all I could get were pictures of the squirrel. The birds successfully dived bombed the squirrel until he ran away, and as both nests have growing babies now, I don’t think it returned. So many dangers face the little ones in the wild. We also have two fawns who frolic in the back yard each morning. I know I’ll be sorry this winter when they eat my rhodies down to bare sticks, but for now I am enjoying the antics of all the babies. I will be thinking of you, Scout and of course sweet Riley. Linda