Nature is intriguing.  If you pay close attention there are lots of life lessons in observing creature behaviors and nature.  I'm no David Attenborough but I do enjoy watching nature unfold it's marvels.  I have the laptop on my lap on the front porch because I don't spend much time inside this time of year and I've neglected to sit still long enough in the house to blog.  My intention was to settle out here and catch up on reading The Land of Mango Sunsets by Dorothea Benton Frank.  I enjoy many of her stories because they take place on coastal South Carolina where Cliff and I enjoy our get-away destinations.  While reading, my curiosity piqued with the sound of tiny snapping twigs. Two squirrels biting tiny branches off the trees were making the only noise in the trees behind me so I sat and watched. I believe they were gathering nesting leaves for the cold winter ahead.  The Farmers Almanac predicts a colder than normal winter for our region. If I could have certain animal characteristics, I'd take the agility and swiftness that squirrels have as they navigate from tree to tree and branch to branch.  I've seen them fall from a humanly frightening tree height and catch a branch on the way down or fall all the way to the ground, shake their body, and climb back up the tree.  No fear of heights.  But I don't want their undecisiveness when trying to get out of the way of moving traffic.

Tuesday Cliff got his third Moderna vaccine.  His reaction was no worse than expected.  He had a very sore injection site, was achy and felt awful, slept off and on during the day. Today, Thursday, he's doing much better. He washed the Kia for me, folded a small load of laundry, and ate the freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.  He had a good response from the vaccine and should be well protected for his immune system.  We'll still continue to wear masks and be cautious when out in public.  

Getting the garden ready for my fall garlic bulbs.  Pulled up the carrots

this afternoon, which had been planted in spring!!!  I bought seeds that produced 4" carrots because of the boulders that they had to grow around in my garden.  The only plants left now are the red salvia and the holy basil and a few other herbs.  Garlic should be shipped at the end of September to be planted in October.  

Hummingbirds are still here fighting over their territorial feeders.  They'll be heading south in about four weeks.  It feels so quiet when they leave.  We go through a short withdrawal when the last one migrates to Central America and I leave a couple feeders up for two weeks just in case travelers pass through here on their journey.