Counting Down

[rejectomorph]

The grass is starting to turn brown in spots, so I gave the back lawn a drink this evening. That won't be enough to restore its green state, but it should retard the dessication for a few days. I might put a sprinkler on the front lawn later tonight, once the air has cooled a bit more. The afternoon approached sultriness, but now that the sun has gone behind the pines it has become a pleasant evening.

The birds are out in large numbers again, and from the shady spots under bushes I hear crickets chirping. The crickets ought to be quiet until the birds have gone to bed, if they know what's good for them— the not good in this case being the innards of a bird.

It is only a matter of days— maybe even hours— before the jasmine blooms. It got a good irrigating this afternoon, too. The buds are numerous, and I can hardly wait for them to open and release the scent of late spring. Perhaps the first whiffs of perfume will emerge during the eclipse tomorrow evening. That would be perfect timing.

Comments

[daisydumont.livejournal.com]

Jasmine! How wonderful.

I saw something I found interesting today, while sitting at a stoplight: a hawk circling above the highway while a smaller bird dive-bombed it, pecking at it as if to either punish or chase it away. Presumably this was a mama bird trying to distract it from a nest. I hope she managed to do so!

[rejectomorph]

The small bird's behavior is jay-like, so it might have been a jay. They can be very territorial birds, and are surprisingly aggressive for their size— sort of like feathered chihuahuas.

I once saw a hawk snatch a baby jay from my back yard, and the adult jays swarmed around it, screeching and pecking at it. The hawk got airborne with the baby bird (which was actually almost adult sized) in its beak, but the last I saw the jays were still pursuing it.

Happily, jasmine never snatches other plants or attacks anyone, though it can be pretty aggressive with your olfactory receptors.