BEFORE:
I call the second one an almost after because there’s still some work to be done. But wow, you know? It didn’t take much more than a lot of labor, a little lumber and a few cans of spray paint to do what we’ve done so far. The grass has filled in where the old flowers were on the left – the new raised planting bed is filling in with asiatic lilies, silver mound, iris, gerbera daisies, hydrangea, giant sunflowers (they’re about 6 inches tall in the left corner by the evergreen), nastrium (however you spell it), wave petunias, mexican sunflowers, bachelor buttons, stargazers, english daisies and a few other small annuals. I’ll get a better shot of that when the seedlings are further along and flowering.
The center blue bed is empty now aside from a few weeds, that one will go away and be replaced by a near ground level deck in the same green treated lumber, a small patio table or bench with a couple of hummingbird attracting potted plant arrangements.
The wave petunias and gerbera daisies in the planter box we built are really taking off. you can see the difference from then til now:
It’s doing just what I thought it would. I love it when that happens!
As for me and my brood, summer vacation has begun. I heard “I’m bored” and “I’m hungry” too many times the first 6 hours yesterday, so if my posts start to sound mumbly or incoherent, I’m sure those of you with children home on summer vacation will understand the multi-tasking brain power involved in working from home and mothering at the same time. I will try not to let them break me down. heh!
I wish I could tell you that I’ve never met a bird I didn’t like. Thanks to Grandpa Grackle, uttering those words would be a big fat lie.
I don’t know the lifespan of many birds – but I’m really curious about this one. He’s been around for a few years now, intimidating other birds, hoarding the feeders, dominating the bird bath. Grackles are known for preying on sparrows, pecking them in the head just behind their eyes and eating their brains. Yes. I’ve seen them in pursuit. I’ve discarded their leftovers. I know this is normal behavior, and I know that if they didn’t do it, the sparrow population would be overwhelming.
This guy, though. He’s just plain mean. You can tell he’s in charge, he bosses the other grackles around, too. He’s been bald for a few years, so he’s not hard to identify. I figure he has to be the leader of the pack – and his baldness is his battle scar. He reminds me of that mean old rabbit Bigwig on 
Last Saturday, I waited with my neighbor as the ambulance came to pick her up and start more agressive treatments to help her breathe at the hospital. I knew then that she wouldn’t be returning home.
