OF RATTLERS AND HUMMINGBIRDS

Rapeseed in foreground -- Wheeler Gulch in background.

The shirts hanging in the bathroom tell the story: a fleece jacket, a sweatshirt, a long-sleeved t-shirt, and a short-sleeved t-shirt. On any day, I might change from one to the next. Today I wore a light fleece jacket over my little t-shirt most of the day. The sun is warm, but the breeze wafting through the window was cool. “Always carry a sweater,” my mother said of Idaho summers. And while in recent years June has been a hot month, I remember the June of my youth as quite cool.

Pumpkin

“As soon as you’re dressed and have had something to eat, I’ll help you put new fencing around that tire bed,” Mike announced. An early riser, I nevertheless hate to “get around.” “I’ll be waiting out here,” he said, which interpreted means, “Don’t be long.” So, I scurried the best I could. We took down the old fencing, which was in three pieces, and replaced with one piece of new chicken wire. The summation makes it sound so simple, but it had its challenges, including dogs in the midst of the activity.

Rattler in grass on right

Mike saw the first rattler last Friday – a “baby” in the grove where he was filling gopher holes. Then Tuesday (June 27), Bess found one in the thick grass at the north end of the yard. Using my ears, I located it near the cherry tree, where it buzzed away. We left it alone and now it’s gone – maybe.

Bunnies abound, and Mike figures that’s because they enjoy great cover in the rape and protection from many predators.

When we leave the homestead for a few days, we lose momentum with the hummingbirds. The day we arrived back, I had the feeders filled with fresh nectar at 1:00, but they didn’t show up until 5:00. We’re in business now, though, and I marvel at how quickly the “nectar” disappears. Then they’ll send “Buddy” up to the window to tell me the feeder is empty. 

[Hallie asked for hummingbird photos. My effort wasn't too impressive. I believe their are four hummers in the left photo and two in the right.]