Bats!

Mike and I were driving down the driveway the other evening, and saw flickery little shapes bouncing about in the air over us. It was a bat, most likely a Little Brown Bat, Myotis lucifugus. We've discussed in the past how we would like to help them along by building boxes for them.

This Seattle Times article has some good basic info about our little brown friend, and a link to a Fish & Wildlife site about building a bat box.

I love bats.

More daylily photos.

Some varieties are winding down, but most have a while yet to go. Really impressive show on them this year.

Daylilies

The bright colors of daylilies are lighting up the gray rainy days. Can't complain about the rain - so rare this time of year and every drop welcome. The daylilies don't seem to mind.

Rainy Day

It's been raining since dawn, and we've had over 1/2" of the strange, unseasonal wet stuff so far today. The tall golden grasses are heavy and hanging low over the edges of the driveway, The firs and willows are still this morning, the normal soft laughter of the wind making way for a velvet song of rain falling on roof, bough, and garden instead. Cats lounge under cover rather than hunt, with a sense of patience and restfulness. They know the sun will come out again soon enough.

The bare soil between the weeds we call a yard is dark with moisture, and water stands in shiny puddles between clumps of dun colored grass and stumps of green thistle. The rock walls and borders look polished, as if for company. Miniature rivers make their joyful way down channels remaining from last winter's monsoons, all the raindrops before them having finally saturated the top layers of soil, leaving them but one happy choice. Water loves to flow down a hill, you know.

Tuck is begging for my attention. It's not enough to simply pet him just now. He doesn't want food, and he certainly doesn't care to go out. He's made his needs perfectly clear - a cuddle on the bed.

On a rainy day like this, what else can one do?

Red, White & Blue

Happy Fourth everyone.