The Magic of a Summer Night

Last night I took a half hour to meditate on the sights and sounds of a summer evening in my neighborhood.  I watched as fireflies materialized among the hodgepodge of gardens and pulsed among the dark tree canopy. 

While focused on the enchanting glow, a sound caught my ear.  It was the unmistakable sound of a bat.  And it darted a few feet from the window.  The glimpse of its quick shadow made me think of summer evenings at my parents’ house when I would explore the edge of the woods and watch the bats scoop for insects around the corners of the roof. 

I listened a long time and heard more of the bat in the distance.  Even farther into the night was the voice of a frog or two. 

I often find myself missing the wildness of the countryside that I grew up in.  Most people don’t really understand how you can miss the sound of peepers or watching bats or wondering at the mysterious rustle of deer walking in the woods at night.  But it means a lot to me. 

Thankfully, our new home is only 15 minutes away from where I grew up, and, while it is very suburban, there are many trees and patches of streams within hearing distance, and the sweet intoxication of honeysuckle along the road to our house.  While it’s not a perfect subsitute (you’re just not going to see a opposum rumaging through your garage or a red tailed hawk nesting in your yard if you live in the suburbs), it is refreshing to be able to still enjoy the magic of a summer night.

 

Yard Work & Bonding

One of the things I love about having a house of our own is yard work.  Yup, yard work.  Sure it’s sweaty and itchy and rough on the body, but I get a lot of joy out of doing yard work together.

Mike has taken a rather dead lawn and managed to get it looking normal again.  The bald spots are barely visible under the new grass.  He’s so proud and I’m proud of him.  While he mows and trims and seeds, I pot plants and dig out the weeds.  After a lot of work, I bring him a big glass of water or iced tea, and we talk about how we want our yard to look next year.

With the wedding sucking out most of our funds, we won’t be able to do what we want this summer.  But maybe next summer we can mulch and plant more.  Hopefully the rather worthless HOA will get back to us really soon about building a fence.  Then we can put out the cute fire pit his mom bought us and enjoy some twilight evenings among our garden.

It feels good to dream and work toward make it come true together.

Changing Food to Fight Tummy Troubles

by Sonny

Because some of us have tummy troubles and throw up on Mommy’s carpet about twice a week, Mommy and Daddy tossed all our food and bought a new brand (they also boughts a steam cleaners to make the carpets pretty). We were eating Nutro, which Mommy thought was a good brand because it said no byproduct.  But there were recalls on the dry food the other day, and she and Daddy started to wonder if it could be the cause behind all our tummy upsets.

Mommy’s strict about our foods…only the best for us.  She doesn’t like that most kitty food has byproduct and corn in it.  So she talked Daddy into letting her buy us Wellness.  It’s sooper dooper s’pensives, but it has some of the best reviews.  She thinks it will be worth it.  We fink so too!

When she poored the bag intos the storage box, it smelled soooo stinky good that we three had to stick our noses in it.  We

indoor health Wellness

couldn’t wait for the wet stuffs next!  Mmmmm, we ates it all, except Scout, who ate his normal amounts of noms and walked off to follow Mommy and Daddy around the house.  But then he cames back!  Yes, Scout came back for more.  This means he must like it too.

More on our Wellness test in a few weeks, to tell you if it makes our tummies better.

UPDATE (6/14): Scout ate all of his dinner last night.  All of it.  That’s a first.

What Luck

Only 9 days left.  I braced myself and glanced at the 10-day weather forecast.  Wouldn’t you know it – scattered thunderstorms. 

I really enjoy thunderstorms, but not on my wedding day. 

It has been raining a lot in the last month.  I’m surprised my potted centerpieces haven’t started growing mold (although it’s possible since I haven’t had a chance to check them).  It would be my luck.

I’ve tried to think about positive things that involve rain on a wedding day…like cute pictures under umbrellas.  Actually, the umbrella pictures were the only thing that seemed cute about it.  And I’ll be mad if anyone says “rain on your wedding is good luck.”  Good luck my butt.  That’s a bunch of poppycock that some mother or grandmother made up to keep her bride from bursting into hysterics. 

Rain means I have to scotch guard my dyed shoes.  It means pictures have to be taken mostly indoors.  It means we’ll be stuck inside a tent with the sides down in 80 degree weather.  That doesn’t sound like “good” luck to me.

Of course, I’ll make the best of it if that’s what I get, but I want everyone to think sunshine.  Maybe the rain will push off a few days and leave us dry.  Now that would be good luck.

A Ginger Cousin with Extra Toes

by Scout

We three have recently acquired a cuzin.  The little ginger tabby below lives with Her brother and sister-in-law in NJ.  The newbie is alleged to be a polydactyly or Hemingway feline – something She is all praisy-waysie about.  We’ll find out for ourselves in a few weeks when he comes to visit for Her and His wedding.  I polled everyone to find out their reaction to having a cuzin…

Me first:  Yeah, so he thinks he’s so special with those extra toes of his…but I’s is even more specials, I can prove it.

Guinness:  [nothing, he hissed and ran aways from me...he knows I'm just too specials to even talk to]

Sonny Pie:  Yay!  I’ve always wanted a cuzin to play wiff.  Maybes he’ll like climbing towers and chase games too!

My brother Josh and the new kitten

new kitten's NJ room mate