Vermont Farm On A Saturday Night

It's really quiet, except for the birdsong and grasshopper song. I wonder if the coyotes will come out tonight. Their baying and barking scares me. I always turn to Christian and ask if we will be safe.

I saved two animals today:
1 frog
1 fire salamander
They had both fallen into the pool and I got them out in time before the chlorine killed them. I hope no more fire salamanders fall in. They are so small and delicate, I'd hate to be their agent of death.

The animal that keeps eating my sunflowers is evading me. There is, however, a gullible skunk that seems to find its way into my havaheart trap. Yesterday was its second trapping. You might be wondering if the skunk is eating the sunflowers, and its possible, but there are woodchuck sightings. I think its the same woodchuck that ate my sunflowers last year. I opened the trap door for the skunk and put a big rock there to prop it open. I hope he decides to stay away tonight.

I cut down the delphinium and foxglove today and sprinkled the seed pods on the ground. There are some new leaves there already. I also replanted the butterfly bush so it will have more room to grow and I weeded. I love telling Christian that I'm going to go weed because it sounds like I'm saying "read" but with a lisp.

The light is fading, almost gone -- I can just make out the treeline now.

There is a white cat that comes around here. Most likely a neighbor's cat, but sometimes I think it is Billy prowling around the farm, weaving through the stands of wild catnip. Right now the white tomcat is on the biggest rock in the rock garden, standing tall and smelling the air.

What will I do tomorrow?
The raspberries need picking. I'll plant some arugula and prep the soil for some carrots. I might go to my favorite nursery and get some late-summer plants for color to replace the foxglove and delphs.

It's all dark now, but there is lightning and rumbling coming in hard from the west. The birds stopped singing and so did the grasshoppers. I think they know more than I know. I will take a cue from them and close the windows.