summer counting down

 The chipmunk population close to the house is getting decimated… so far 9 of the adorable creatures have been transported to a location far from civilization. Carm is dropping them in a remote spot that looks to have lots of food and places to burrow.

Another cushion has been chewed. I’m thinking now it might be mice so a trap is set. They won’t be lucky enough to be relocated. It’s teeming with mice here so maybe a reduction outside will reduce the number that end up in the house. I hate mices to pieces!

The milkweed plants in the front garden bed are well eaten. A little sleuth among the leaves revealed two different types of caterpillar, one of which must surely be a monarch butterfly

I got busy on Sunday with a bunch of tomatoes and some bacon to make a fabulous ‘tomato bacon jam’. Oh gosh, it’s awesome. Yesterday was meatball day - I’ve learned a trick to keep them soft inside: mix the meat with the food processor. I always handled the mixture as little as possible, almost like a pie crust, which turned out tough little balls. Over mixing is the key!

Pat came for supper to help us test the new meatball method. I used one of our precious tubs of sauce made with our own tomatoes… thinking about buying a ½ bushel of tomatoes to capture a bit more of summer sunshine.

The pool was 69.5 this morning. I only managed 2 invigorating laps  :-)

I’m outside now (10:30 am) - it’s warm and the sky is hazy. September is being blown in on the brisk breeze which is giving wings to falling poplar leaves. Later, in the heat of the afternoon, the dogs and I wandered down to the barn, and there, protected from the wind, the smell of honey was thick. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply.  A hawk flew above in lazy circles taking advantage of the thermal lifts. I live in a wild paradise. 

It’s been a week since I dropped my lithium by ¼ and it’s going well - some unwanted side effects seem to be reduced but that could easily be wishful thinking. I’ll wait another week before I slash another ¼. I have not made a database to track results but am writing them down in my other database… (but did create another one for tracking anxiety and the things I’m trying out - you can take a girl out of the office but never away from a database!)

I think that some of what I read on FB is causing part of my anxiety… no more AITA for me.

Awesome!

“tomato bacon jam w crostini and cream cheese”

“getting an email that friends are coming to visit for a few days”

“corn on the cob”