Sad Day

Sunrise

Laurie called me early this morning because Marble Kitty was having problems breathing. She took her to an emergency vet, and Marble had fluid pressing on her lungs. The vet removed the fluid and Marble had a collpsed lung with a mass in it. A long story short, she didn’t make it. Sadly we lost one of the sweetest kitties.

Between back and forth with Laurie on Marble’s condition, Marina, Socrotis and I went out to buy bread, and then in the afternoon we went to dinner in a restaurant by the sea.

It’s been raining on and off all day, and the area has received “buckets of rain” over the past few months, so the vegetation is green and wildflowers are blooming everywhere.

Dinner

View from the table

Local black cat

Long Legged Buzzard

Assissin Bug

Local frogs

We heard a chirping sound that sounded like a bird, but it was coming from under a concrete slab, and Merlin Bird ID could not identify what it was. Marina looked under the concrete but could see anything. I took photos under the concrete, and after I processed the photo, I found the frog on the right-hand photo with its head sticking up out of the water.

Houses with a great view

Handicap access to the water

This sweet dog came out to greet us

Sunset to the east

Cool lights over the dining room table in the Airbnb I’m staying in down the road from Marina and Socrotis.

Green, Blue, Red/Orange, Black

Gary, the green Dragonfly, is a big fan of The Fabulous Flee-Rakkers’ “Green Jeans“.

Bob, the blue Dragonfly, is a big fan of Eiffel 65’s “Blue (Da Ba Dee)“.

Bartholomew the Bee Assassin Bug is a fan of The Fools’ “Psycho Chicken“.

Larry the Large Wasp likes Black Sabbath’s “W.A.S.P.

Intermission: The Shasta Daisies like Eric Heatherly’s version of “Flowers On The Wall“.

Darlene Damselfly: “Ciao Paparazzo! I like Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi“.

Chubby Checkered Beetle all covered in pollen and thinking about “The Fly“.

Peace Rallies

We have an old Peace Rose out on the east 40 that I wasn’t sure was going to make it since it only gets water from the irrigation ditch. I noticed it was really rallying this afternoon. That remote bed, which has Color Magic, three other roses and a Dr. Huey are all rallying the best they can. I bought more soaker hoses this morning, so I cut a lot of dead canes out of the roses, and wrapped a soaker hose around all the roses in the remote bed this afternoon. I stretched a long hose over to them, and gave them a good long soak. We should be seeing a lot more fine roses from that bed as the hot, dray dog, cat, gopher and squirrel days of summer drag on.

When the assassin bug on one of the Peace Roses saw the Bazooka pointing at him, he raised his little bug arms and said “Don’t Shoot!” before I shot him. After his initial shock of staring down the barrel of the Bazooka, he took flight and buzzed me as he flew by.

Daisy Day

Shasta Daisies

Assassin Bug hanging out

A bee lands on the daisy and the Assassin Bug prepares to strike.

The Assassin Bug gets the bee.

Wings in a daisy

A Pearl Crescent butterfly gets a bite to eat.

A large native bee having breakfast.

A large, allusive red wasp quickly passes through.

A Great Purple Hairstreak Butterfly wandering around on a daisy.