Mountain fog doesn't stop us from enjoying early morning mid-air hummingbird acrobatics.  Yesterday was foggy and very moist at 6:15 AM.  Cliff picked up broken tree limbs from from the thunderstorm the evening before.  He had received a weather watcher's alert from the National Weather Service in Morristown, TN that there could be rotating clouds in the approaching storm.  It's an awesome sight to watch the stately trees stand up to that twisting and swaying that comes before the storm.  The weak cold front didn't produce hail, just pounding rain and strong winds.  When we brought our coffee out to the porch this morning to watch our hummingbird entertainment, we actually felt a slight chill in the clean crisp air.  I sit wrapped in a quilt on the cooler mornings listening to the woods awaken with chickadees and titmice talking and the Carolina wren singing at the top of its lungs.

One day after watering and dead heading these geraniums, I noticed some crumpled brown leaves under the greens and removed them.  Later that day as I was out working around the flower garden, two wrens with clumps of leaves hopped up the steps, walked around the porch, and sat on the rail under the box.  When the coast was clear, both disappeared under the thick geranium leaves.  Looking at the back of the box from in the kitchen, I now see a nest of dead brown leaves and twigs.

One of our female hummingbirds at the geranium box.  

Right outside my studio window.

She could smell the human scent with my windows open and walked cautiously with her nose constantly sniffing the air.  When the deer come this close to the garage, I don't move around, just watch and enjoy.

from the kitchen window

Yesterday was our farmers market in town.  Bought a bee nesting box to put at the edge of the garden.  Had never heard of this but the vendor began by making one for her garden and decided to sell them hoping to encourage home gardeners to make their gardens bee-friendly. Already have bee balm, lavender, rosemary, thyme and many other plants that attract the good bees.

 The female bees will lay her eggs in the holes, then seal them off and the offspring will emerge next spring to carry on.

  Went to the garden early this morning (after the hummingbird show) to weed and do some neglected chores.  Large black biting ants are not at all affected by insect repellent.  Dug about 3 pounds of potatoes.  This is early for potatoes but with the almost daily afternoon rains, the farmers are digging some of theirs and I found five plants with brown stems and leaves.   Planted a couple hills of late winter squash.  Still have a small patch of leaf lettuce in the shaded section.  I was surprised to see my bean patches with blossoms after watching a doe walk through the garden last evening nibbling as she made her way toward the woods.  Every year is different.  The rhubarb seems to be suffering with too much moisture.  The stalks are falling all over each other.  Tomatoes plants are long and lanky.  Grape vines love this rain.

Heading toward the back porch to relax, enjoy the breeze, and pick up at chapter ten of The Chatham School Affair by Thomas Cook.  Finished The Secret Life of Bees, The Prodigal Summer,  Nights in Rodanthe, and a couple of mysteries by my favorite mystery writers.  Tamar Myers, who lives in North Carolina, weaves her Mennonite background into her hilarious Pennsylvania Dutch mysteries.  Susan Wittig Albert's mysteries take place in fictitious Pecan Springs, Texas.  Each of her mysteries involves a signature herb connected to a major theme.  They're just fun to read and I don't have to analyze anything.