I don't typically take pictures of my food, but these strawberries were the most beautiful I've ever seen. Almost too pretty to eat. Almost. ;) They were deeeelicious.
The dogs are enjoying the new landscaping, especially the pea gravel which gets the full intensity of the sun well into the afternoon. Indigo in particular loves the heat. She basks in the sun, and when she comes inside, her fur is practically hot to the touch. Despite this, I have never seen her pant.
As usual, Nook saw that Indigo had a good idea and copied her actions, joining her in the basking. With those two, it's easy to tell who is the brain and who is the brawn. :) Nook is adorable, but not the smartest dog. Whatever her Chihuahua heritage is mixed with, it's not Border Collie. ;)
I enjoy the new landscaping, too, though I'm dismayed at the number of weeds that have sprouted up due to the rainy spring we've been having. Fortunately, rainy weather means overcast days, so I've been able to get outside and keep up with the weeding.
Unfortunately, weeding gets me up close and personal with my yard's insect and arachnid population... estimated at about fifty-two gazillion. :P Ants, spiders, grasshoppers, pillbugs, mosquitoes, and tiny black creatures I call Leaping Speckbugs.
What's interesting are the vast size and temperament differences between Colorado bugs and the bugs in Georgia, where I grew up. Colorado bugs are tiny and docile compared to the huge, aggressive monsters in Georgia. Colorado grasshoppers are about the size of a pinky fingernail; Georgia grasshoppers are as big as a whole thumb. Colorado ants are teeny and will move away from you; Georgia fire ants are enormous and will rally 100,000 of their closest friends to assault you with painful stings. And while mosquitoes in both places are out for blood, you can see the Georgia mosquitoes coming. Colorado mosquitoes are so small, I first thought they were gnats.
However, I did find evidence of one big Colorado insect - the molted exoskeleton of a large dragonfly.
I made a short video of a nighttime lightning storm, from which I captured some cool images.
That's all for now. I haven't been feeling well, so haven't done much DIY lately. I hope that changes soon and I can get back to posting projects.
Do the puppies use the gravel for their business? Is it a mess to clean up?
ReplyDeleteIf the grass is wet or too tall for their liking, they'll use the gravel instead. Cleanup is easy on the gravel. In the grass, doggie "deposits" can lurk unseen, but on the gravel, they are clearly visible and easy to pick up with the plastic poop bags.
DeleteThat violet storm is amazing! Keep the puppy pictures coming :)
ReplyDeleteI was excited to get good images of the clouds and lightning. :)
DeleteThat's one of the things I miss from Colorado... the gorgeous storms in the mountains!
ReplyDeleteThey are fascinating to watch, especially when the lightning is flashing like mad but you can't hear any thunder.
DeleteThe strawberries look out of this world! I hope you still ate them?! And the dogs seem really happy with your choice of garden.
ReplyDeleteI did eat the strawberries, and they tasted as beautiful as they looked. The dogs were a bit tentative walking on the pea gravel at first, but now they seem to like it.
DeleteYou should print out those storm pictures and have them framed.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking the same thing. :)
DeleteMy kitty Miyoki is the same about being in heat. I live in the desert of Tucson AZ, so roughly around 10 am I need to bring in the animals. However, Miyoki just insists on being outside despite her whole body being hot and the outside feeling like being inside an oven. Anyway, I love all the pictures you posted here, the storm pictures are gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteMy previous Min Pin was a heat seeker, too, but she would eventually start to pant if she stayed in the sun or near the fireplace too long. Indigo seems to have an unlimited capacity for heat.
Delete*laughs* Indigo must be a capacitor for heat then, because that would explain her behavior. She stores the heat and then dispenses it to Nook as energy. That's why Nook follows Indigo because she is charging up her energy banks. :)
ReplyDeleteHa ha ha! You have figured it out! And it explains why Nook is very energetic. :)
DeleteThe doggies are adorable! I love that Nook wants to be just like Indigo. Those strawberries are lovely and the storm is beautiful! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Luckily, Indigo is a good role model, and Nook has learned good habits from her.
DeleteI love the purple storm photos! Your dogs are adorable! Mine sunbathes too, until she pants! In winter she prefers spending all day in bed under the quilt until she finally comes out panting!
ReplyDeleteThank you! My ladies love their heating pad - in winter because the weather is cold and in summer because my house is air conditioned.
DeleteWow great shots of the storm! Interesting note about the insect life! I'd bet they are huge in the South, though we've got plenty of the charming "palmetto bugs" where I live, lol.
ReplyDeleteThey are huge in the South. Winters aren't cold enough to kill them off, and it's like they just keep growing larger and larger and LARGER. Ick.
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