Queen Anne's Lace and Lilacs

Smoky Days

This is what the air has been looking like the last few weeks.  They're still saying all of these forest fires were caused by lightning, known as "the lightning series."  I don't know how many are left.  Here is the fire map.  Maybe there are still several hundred, but there are just a few that are the major ones causing us, many miles away, to have all of this smoke.  We did get a break for the Fourth, the temperatures and the smoke, but it came back with a vengeance.  I'm happy that it's only supposed to get up to 101 degrees tomorrow.  (Click on photos for a larger view)

  
  

Work Day

See Brett.  See Brett work.  Work, Brett, work.

Brett and Bethany worked a bit on their chore lists, although they seemed confused as to what a "chore" was at first.  It was truly a sight for sore eyes (click photo for a larger view).  Bethany seemed to not mind washing the car.  Brett seemed quite put out at digging post holes.

Evan did not have a list - he was out working on the docks.  He will be getting paid for his day's work.

Tim was all over the place:  Fixing things, working on the pool, running errands.  He seemed pretty content, which is just his normal state.

I was very busy, too:  Taking pictures, blogging, watching the dogs, supervising - my usual stuff.

 

Our Busy Backyard

Here are the sights and sounds - minus the sounds - of our backyard yesterday (click photo for a larger view).  I was sitting out on the deck when the tractors and wheelbarrows began rolling through the yard.  Boulders were going in around the pool (I was told that after tomorrow, they will no longer be needing our yard, so the fence and gates will be replaced - and hopefully, the plants). 

As I was watching people going back and forth, I eventually noticed a dead fly on the railing and decided to dispose of it.  Before I got around to doing that, some ants began removing bits and pieces of the fly and carrying them off to, well, wherever.  For some reason, this was fascinating to me.  At one point, an ant approached the fly and began trying to pick it up.  It was a bit of a struggle.  So much so, that two hours later, it was still trying to pick that thing up.  I'd go out and check on the situation throughout the afternoon, offering advice and admonitions.  The ant totally ignored not only me, but any of its fellow ants stopping by (who, frankly, weren't much help).  Finally, I couldn't take it any more.  It was making me sick to my stomach, thinking of what it's like when you're trying to do something difficult over and over and over.  I don't know how it turned out.  By the evening, the ant and the fly were gone.

While watching the ant, the fly, and the pool construction, I noticed that one of our bushes had bloomed.  They are such pretty little flowers, and they smell so good.  I don't know what the name of the plant is.  I also noticed that one of the backyard rosebushes had a couple of roses on it.  I don't get many back there, as I've mentioned before, so I took a few pictures of them, too.

A couple of other things have been happening in our backyard, which has been pretty busy, considering there are no kids playing back there anymore.  We had noticed several weeks ago that, after dark, there seemed to be about a hundred frogs under our bedroom window.  It was fun for us to listen to them every night (except for Bethany, who requires total silence, and gets cranky at noise).  A couple of weeks ago, we began draining the pool for repairs.  Finally, all of the water was gone.  And, unfortunately, so are the frogs.  All gone.  Bummer. 

But, then, a couple nights ago, I heard a weird - yet very cool - sound outside.  I listened for several minutes trying to figure out where I'd heard it before.  It hit me - an owl.  I listened to this owl for a couple of hours.  He left and hasn't been back.  I don't know how long it's been since I've heard an owl.  I'm sure I have, but it has been many years.  I liked having an owl, and I hope he comes back.  Or she, I'm not picky.