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Long, hot, busy week! Lots of wildlife, some sneaking in to nip the tops of my bean plants. Bad wildlife! On the other hand, I did see a mother grouse (I am 95% sure) and some youngsters. That was pretty cool. I have reason to think that there are red foxes nearby. Tonight I saw one of these which are pretty darn cool. As I watched the moth enjoying the pink phlox, I noticed first the fireflies (aka lightning bugs) and then, bats!

It’s been a good week for living in the country, mainly because of the abundance of red and black raspberries. Most years I’m very lucky to get a very few small black raspberries. This year they are quite large and juicy. Maybe they are so abundant that the birds can’t eat them all or maybe they’re less eatable because the canes are more slender and less like perches. Whatever the reason, I’m enjoying each and every one.

While the news in the back garden is not so good for the beans and squash, there are tomatoes starting to set and the lettuce is particularly yummy. So I’ll deal with it. The squash are growing along uneaten up in the front gardens. I had treated myself to a delphinium. Never had one bloom or come up again. This one is quite beautiful – pale blue and white and fluffy with petals. Note to self – if it returns next year, it needs early staking to handle the weight of the flowers.

I’m holding the local deer responsible for reaching into the fenced garden and pruning the beans. Maybe I can train my neighbor’s chickens to run them off?