This and That

I have a rather disjointed post today because we all got a wonderful surprise this morning. I opened the back door to let the pups out and it was cool. Not just not hot, but actually cool. It felt great. It's warmed up a bit, it's now 79 and heading toward 82, but after the weeks of hot, hot, humid days, this feels fabulous.


The dogs have been racing back and forth across the yard all morning using up some of that energy that built up over the days when it was too hot to move. When I came in to post, they all found spots around the room to stretch out and nap.


I want to congratulate my young friend Henry. He set out to collect 40 blankets in 4 weeks for the homeless animals at the shelter. Here he is with the car loaded with blankets and toys for the shelter.


The four weeks are almost over and Henry collected 55 blankets plus bags of toys for the animals. Here's one of the recipients enjoying a comfy warm blanket to nest in. Well done, Henry, you did a really good thing and you should feel proud.


I walked around the yard this morning to see what survived and what couldn't handle the heat. It looks like we may lose a couple of young trees. Even though we gave them extra water, the hot sun burned them badly. We'll have to wait and see if they can come back. The Crepe Myrtle did well despite the heat. This pink one is in the side yard.


The white one, though not as showy as the other, actually grew higher and had more flowers. They both showed some signs of stress, but they'll be OK.


The dark butterfly bush didn't do well, but the lighter one, shown here, has had a lot of visitors all summer. This afternoon it was loaded with butterflies and moths.


From the things knocked over on the deck this morning, I guess we had visitors last night, probably the giant raccoon that prowls the neighborhood after dark. He goes searching for food and we all make sure the trash containers are shut tightly. He's been know to rip open bags looking for treats and he's not very good about cleaning up after himself.

While wandering around I found this feather on the ground. I was attracted by the spot. Isn't it interesting how active the yard becomes at night when we're all safely tucked in? There's a whole community of animals that come out to play. Besides the raccoon, we have an opossum, lots of frogs and toads, deer and probably lots of other creatures, too. Don't forget the skunk!!


Last week Carol showed a display of designer dog houses on her blog. They were part of a fund raiser for a shelter. This one caught my eye and she helped me find someone to send the plans. It looks like a similar doghouse could be in the future for the Porties. I know Tess would love it.